Why does campsite food taste so good? It’s a mystery – or is it? At the end of a long day on the trail, it’s tough to beat a nice meal in the wilderness, but it’s also easy to fall into the trap of carrying a ton of kitchen gear. With some careful planning, you can prep, cook, and clean up with a relatively simple kit – and still enjoy a sumptuous campsite meal – from a simple burger or breakfast to a meal that might shame an expensive restaurant.
From spices you might not think of bringing along, collapsible kitchen bits that stow away easily, pre-packaged meals, and innovative products that do more than one thing well, we’ve collected some of our favorite overland camp kitchen gear that will help you stay hydrated and fed in the backcountry. Mystery solved.
Sea to Summit Detour Cook Set
The Detour series from Sea to Summit includes kitchen items that strike a great balance between packability and usability. Stainless steel construction is durable and easy to clean, while the collapsible silicone components provide excellent space savings. If you’re looking for a compact cook kit that will last for years with proper care, this is a great choice that travels really well.
The Detour series is BPA-free and features stainless construction. The utensils include texture on the handles for grip. Polished sections are easy to clean up, and the triple-ply bottom of the cooking pot provides even heat distribution. Silicone sections allow for collapsing construction while remaining sturdy when deployed. Plus, everything packs down for easy transport, especially for motorcycle explorers. Check out our review.
MSRP: $199.99 and up depending on what’s included. https://seatosummit.com/products/detour-5-piece-cookset?avad=263329_f3cc31411&utm_source=avantlink&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=263329
Lodge Cast Iron Cook-It-All
Don’t pack a half dozen heavy cast iron pots and pans on your next outing. The innovative Lodge Cook-It-All four-piece (two of which are handles) cast iron system frees your inner camp chef to create campfire masterpieces from a skillet, wok, griddle, dutch oven, grill, and, most importantly, a pizza oven configuration!
After mealtime, it cleans up and packs down quickly for easy storage. It includes a 33-page cookbook filled with campout cuisine ideas that will give you a five-star review from friends. And if you don’t lose it, it should last forever.
MSRP: $124.95
Dometic GO Hydration Water faucet
Water is one of the most important supplies on any trip, but wrangling large plastic containers and jugs gets old fast. Add a touch of civility to your camp kit with the Dometic GO Hydration Water. It remains one of the most useful and innovative campsite gadgets we’ve come across.
The faucet is a self-contained water pump with a hose that is long enough to be used with almost any water container. The rechargeable battery and mini pump are self-contained in the faucet itself, and it can dispense a liter per minute or about 150 liters per charge. A magnetic base keeps it in place on ferrous surfaces, and a simple finger tap on the touch-sensitive top turns it on and off. There’s even a small LED light built in, so you don’t have to power up lights at night for that quick drink. If you don’t have a gravity-fed water system (or even if you do), the Dometic GO is a great way to dispense water. It’s also a great addition to any campervan setup.
MSRP: $100
Coughlan’s Multi Spice Pack
How many times have you set up camp and started meal prep only to discover you are out of salt or forgot to bring pepper or even basic spices? Nip that problem in the bud with Coughlan’s Multi Spice pack, which has been around seemingly since humans started camping for fun.
The familiar round mini spice rack includes includes paprika, curry, cayenne, garlic salt, black pepper and salt, each with its own snap-tight lid. Smart campers pack more than one in their rigs so they can share if need be with other less-well prepared adventurers. Once empty, the top unscrews for refills – or for expanding your spice repertoire. Sure, camp food tastes great, but it can taste better with a pinch of Coughlan’s.
MSRP: $9.50 https://www.rei.com/product/220676/coghlans-multi-spice
Hitchfire 15 Barbeque
Got some serious grilling to do on your next adventure, but not a lot of space to haul a barbeque? Hitchfire’s Forge 15 barbeque is the solution.
As the name says, it mounts to your trailer hitch receiver for stability and a small footprint, and when it’s time to cook, the Hitchfire Forge 15 swings out away from your vehicle so you can have space to work and still open your tailgate, rear doors or sliding rear window to grab necessities.
Optional side tables ease prep or serving, and the 15 sports 355 square inches of grilling space along with powerful twin 7,500 BTU burners. It works with large or small fuel sources. The grill also detaches for tabletop use.
MSRP: $499 https://hitchfire.com/products/hitchfire-grill
Mountain Summit Gear Roll Top Kitchen
Our annual multi-family lake outings used to be a hodge-podge of rickety folding tables, unsteady stoves and coolers where cold and wet food often mixed into the dry supplies. No longer. Now, we keep it simple (and very portable) with the Mountain Summit Gear’s Roll Top Kitchen. In storage mode, it could pass for a folding chair. But pop it open, and it’s ready to use in about a minute, with four sturdy surfaces that roll open and then securely click into place, plus two swing-up shelves and space for a camp stove.
The detachable storage compartment has two shelves to keep dry food dry and zips up to keep out campsite critters. There are clever pockets to hold large utensils and adjustable feet keep it level and stable on uneven surfaces. The aluminum framework keeps it light and tough, and it folds down nearly flat for a minimal footprint and easy packing. Got a really big group? Get two and you’ve got an extra roomy kitchen suite.
MSRP: $149.95
GSI 24-Piece Destination Kitchen Utensil Set
If your campsite tableware consists of an mix of dull knives, bent forks, and other oddball bits you bought at a thrift store, consider moving up to this 24-piece kit from GSI. It includes four fork, spoon, and knife cutlery sets, a small cutting board, a utility knife, spice shakers, spatulas, and two all-important condiment squeezers. Bigger items fold down to fit in the included travel case, and the utensils are easy to clean up – a scrub pad is included! Packed up, the whole kit weighs less than two pounds. Great for moto camping, too!!
MSRP: $54.95
Lodge Chain Mail Scrubber
Clean up tough, stuck-on food quickly with this chain mail scrubber from Lodge. It features a silicon core for a solid grip, and the chain mail won’t mess up the seasoning on your cast iron or carbon steel pans – honest. It makes quick work of tough burned-on food while using a minimal amount of water and soap. Then just pop it in the dishwasher when you get home to clean and sterilize it.
MSRP: $21.95
READ MORE: REVIEW: Dometic CFX3 45 Fridge
Nomadica Slim Twin Propane Stove
It’s great to find good gear that works well and lasts, and even better when it’s well-designed and even has a bit of artful flair. The Nomadica Slim Twin Propane Stove is just such a product. Two 10,500 BTU burners with fully adjustable flame control are excellent for simmering your saucy creations. The stable windscreens keep the flame alive and features non-snagging round corners.
The nickel-coated steel cooking grate is built to hold large pots, griddles and skillets while the removable lid makes room for a variety of pots and pans. Piezo ignition make lighting it easy and it includes a regulator adaptor for a typical camping propane cylinder. Large, flat surfaces make cleanup easy and it folds up and packs down into a slim, portable package.
MSRP: $155 https://nomadicaoutfitters.com/collections/cooking/products/slim-twin-propane-stove-black
Zempire 2-Burner Deluxe & Grill
What’s so special about the Zempire 2-Burner Deluxe & Grill? It’s that last word: Grill. Looks down below the twin main burners and you’ll see a second cooking area lets you brown up a steak, pork chops, burger, hotdogs or veggies. It can even make toast! Hungry yet?
Up top, a large cooking area with two high-output burners quickly brings water to a boil and it will hook up to both camping propane tanks or a large propane tank with a Type 1 adapter hose. You can also cook and grill at the same time, and the lid works with folding side panels to shield the cooking area from the wind.
MSRP: $279.99
Nomadica Magic III Folding BBQ
Sometimes you just have to grill up some burgers, veggies or a cut of meat while out in the wilds. Even if you have a camp stove, it’s not the same as grilling over actual wood or charcoal. That’s why we still love the the Nomadica Magic III Folding BBQ. While most portable barbeques take up a fair amount of space, the Magic III folds up so small it can easily slip into the smallest of rigs – including motorcycle panniers. Even the stand detaches so it can fit into a small travel case. Plus, if you don’t barbeque with it, it can also work as a small fire pit on those brisk nights.
MSRP: $72.00
Lodge Leather Cooking Gloves
Sure, you’ve got gloves to keep your hands warm and some other pairs in your rig for doing repairs and such, but you don’t want to get cooking oil and grease on either, so get a pair of Lodge Leather Cooking Gloves and cook up a storm without burning yourself with hot oil or dirtying up your other gloves.
Made of quality leather, they’re thin enough to give a good grip on pans and utensils, and internal liners make them thick enough to keep heat at bay from flames and hot handles, allowing you to better manipulate the ingredients while cooking. The thin yellow cuff trim makes them easy to find when it’s dark. Protect your skin and avoid ruining other gloves with these purpose-built cooking mitts. Once you use them, you’ll wonder why you ever cooked without them.
MSRP: 29.95 https://www.lodgecastiron.com/product/leather-gloves?sku=A5-2
