The Best Family Camping
cooking gear
fall 2022
You know that maxim about how an army marches on its stomach? Well a family camps on its stomach, too. Especially the kid tummy parts of the family. Keep them filled and satisfied, and your camping trip will be a success.
When setting up the best camp kitchen for your site this fall, you’ll need to take into account the kinds of foods you all enjoy and the tools needed to prepare them. We don’t delve into things like cutting boards, a strainer, and a chef’s knife, but do plan bring along whatever you’ll need to prep your favorite campsite meals – kitchen tools you use the at home will be good to have on hand when camping, provided you can assemble a stripped down and portable kitchen kit.
What we do a deep dive into here are those things you can’t easily bring from your kitchen at home, but absolutely need for campsite cooking this fall, namely a portable camp stove, ideas for the best coolers for camping, versatile and durable yet lightweight camp cooking utensils, and other campsite cooking equipment that will help you whip up tasty but easy camping meals.
The Best Camping Stoves
Whether you’re grilling burgers on a mild afternoon or melting snow for drinking water during a frosty summit push, we’ve cooked up the best portable camp stove recommendations
The Primus Tupike Portable Stove is as functional as your stovetop at home
From the first time we started using a Primus two-burner camp stove a couple years back, it has become the absolute go-to whenever we are car camping. It folds down to take up about the space consumed by two cereal boxes yet deploys to reveal a pair of burners that each put off as much heat as a decent stove burner in a home kitchen. Whether used to boil water, heat a pan for frying, or as a griddle with an optional accessory, these 10k BTU burners make short work of all your campsite cooking needs.
The Snow Peak LiteMax Titanium Stove is so small yet powerful it’s kind of hard to fathom
This is my all-time favorite portable camping stove for distance hikes and mountain climbing because the stove is smaller than a pack of cards. And the fuel canister that goes with it is compact, too. But the superlative LiteMax is only worth remarking on because not only is it tiny, but it’s mighty. The burner puts off 11,200 BTUs at full blast, rapidly bringing water to a boil, fish to a sear, veggies to tenderness, and so on. When I’m traveling light, this is the best camp stove, period. And when we want a third burner on hand, whether for a gourmet camping meal or for that quick camp coffee in the morning (Kuju coffee for the win there!), so too is this the one that we use.
The Coleman RoadTrip Portable Grill is a great choice if you like cooking up burgers and dogs while out in the woods
Now, to be clear, this is a pretty heavy, pretty large grill: it’s great for tailgating, for the park or beach, or even for your backyard or deck, and it’s great for car camping, but it’s way too bulky for sites situated even a few score paces from your vehicle. That said, the RoadTrip is also big on cooking space, easily letting you grill eight burgers or a dozen hotdogs at once, so even a larger group of campers can be sated in short order. And the grill can use one of those classic 16-ounce propane cylinders screwed right to it or a converter hose connecting it to a full-sized propane tank.
A Coleman Portable Bottletop Camp Stove is an affordable, rugged burner that brings the heat
This was the first camp stove I ever owned, and it still works perfectly after a decade of rather regular use. Granted, it has seen a bit less use in recent years thanks to the much smaller and comparably capable Snow Peak LiteMax, but if you want an affordable camp stove that’s easy to use and very reliable, this burner is a great choice. Just note that, relative small size notwithstanding, it’s best to use it car camping, not hiking over any distance, as it is pretty damn heavy.
The Best camping cookware
Maybe you can’t bring all your pots and pans to the campsite, but that doesn’t mean you can’t cook up some great meals with this portable, lightweight camp cookware
This Primus Campfire Cookset is sized for the whole family
This durable stainless steel camping cook set has a large pot that’s our go-to choice for cooking pasta, rice, soups, or anything else that needs some space to simmer, and thanks to a colander lid, it’s easy to drain off excess water when the cooking is done. The smaller pot is perfect for boiling water for coffee or cocoa, while the skillet works for searing meats or veggies or cooking a campsite omelet. And the whole kit stacks into itself, taking up minimal room.
A Snow Peak Titanium Cookset is ideal for anyone watching gear weight
This three-piece cookset is large enough to cook many meals for a group of three or four, provided you plan your meals carefully. (Couscous or oatmeal have a great weight-to-size ratio and cook in minimal water, e.g.) But if you’re considering this cookware, you are clearly looking for the best lightweight portable camping cooking tools, so you had probably already dialed in your camping menu pretty well. The titanium pots and skillet heat quickly, are tough and durable, and are just amazingly light.
The Best camping Tableware
Call it crockery, tableware, dishware, or what have you: as long as you have great bowls and plates for camping, the semantics don’t matter. Now the durability, portability, and ease of cleaning? Those matter.
The UCO Camping Mess Kit can rather do it all, eating-wise
The kit comes with a broad bowl that can double as a plate, a shallower plate that can double as a cutting board, and a double-sided spoon/fork combo that even has a semi-serrated edge on one of the fork tines. Between the two of them, the halves of these kits can be used for just about any food, from soup or stew to pasta or rice to a burger and tots or a chopped salad. And when not in use for eating, the halves can be secured together to store utensils or spices or napkins or nonperishable eats and so forth. This is one of those pieces of camping gear we like so well we just said heck with it and got one for each member of the family.
The Sea to Summit X-Plate collapses almost fully flat when mealtime is over
If you’re concerned about having a plate large enough to accommodate your robust campsite dinner, don’t be: the X-Plate is eight inches across and can contain nearly 40 ounces of volume. That’s with the sides popped up, that is; sides popped down, the plate is almost flat, and as it weighs just five ounces, it’s a great choice for hikers or even the family of mountaineers.
These compostable plates mean quick and easy cleanup that’s still eco-friendly
Let’s be honest: doing dishes at the campsite sucks. It’s one of the least pleasant parts of camping. Sometimes, it’s OK to go the disposable route, provided you’ll be disposing of your plates in as green a way as possible: composting. Check ahead and see if the campsite you booked has composting, or else bring a separate bag for your table scraps and for these plates, which you can then “toss” once they’re soiled, knowing they’ll later break down into nutrients new plants can make use of.
The Snow Peak Ti-Single 300 Cup is an absolute classic
You’ll find this lightweight camp mug cradled in the hands of mountaineers on peaks all over the globe, grasped by tailgaters all across America, in the grip of picnickers, beachgoers, and on it goes. Rugged enough to boil water over an open flame yet so lightweight it can be brought to the very summit of the mountain, this classic outdoor mug is the only cup to get if you’ll only be getting one camping cup.
These 90% Recycled Vacuum Insulated Camping Mugs Keep Coffee Hot, Water Cold, and They Look Great, Too
You've used one highly effective double-walled, vacuum-insulated camping coffee mug, you've used them all, right? Sort of, to be honest. There are a slew of great insulated travel mugs out there that keep hot drinks warm and cold drinks cool and that have splash-resistant, easy sipping lids. Ah, but note we don't say "seen one, seem 'em all." Why? Because these camping mugs from Klean Kanteen are engraved with gorgeous mountain sunrise artwork that makes them stand out from the pack. And you'll also love something you can't see: the mugs were created using 90% post-consumer recycled 18/8 grade stainless steel.
Tossware cups can be used over and over again, then tossed. (Like the name suggests.)
We do not, repeat, do not advocate you throwing away one of these cups after one use; they are more than durable enough to be cleaned out and reused multiple times. However, we are also not about to judge you if you and the fam each use one of these semi-disposable cups all weekend long and then toss them at the end of your campout.
The Best Camping Utensils
Again, we’re not going to get into the best chef’s knives, mandolins, or spatulas for cooking while camping, that’s subjective based on your menu and preferences. But can these utensils help you whip up then eat up a fine campsite meal? Yes. Yes they can.
The Sea to Summit Alpha Camping Cutlery weighs next to nothing yet will last for years
I’ve been using my Sea to Summit cutlery for going on nine years now and, a few superficial scratches aside, it’s legitimately as good as new. And while there is a time and a place for a space-saving spork, I’ve always appreciated having a full-sized fork, spoon, and butter knife to use after a long day of trekking, paddling, or just being on dad duty at the site.
An UCO Switch Spork Integrated Utensil Set tucks knife, fork, and spoon into one package
And OK, it’s one package when assembled, two pieces when you pop the spoon/knife combo and fork apart, but still. These compact, affordable, multipurpose utensils may not offer the same comfortable use as the full-sized set just mentioned, but they sure do save space. And eight bucks for what amounts to a three utensil set isn’t bad.
It’s hard to beat the price of the KINLINK Camping Utensil Set
Nothing to see here, folks, beyond a three-pack of a three-piece stainless steel utensil set at a great price. The fork, knife, and spoon clip together when not in use and when separated, each is about the same size and heft of a standard piece of flatware. If you want a low cost but perfectly adequate set of camping utensils, these are that.
The Best Camping coolers
Over the past few years, we have tested out well over a dozen coolers, no exaggeration. So when we boil it down to these few, you can rest assured they bring the chill.
The RovR RollR Portable Wheeled Camping Cooler is a brilliant piece of hardware
First though, know this: these are very heavy coolers, and they’re big and bulky, too. But they will provide you multi-day ice retention if packed and used properly, keeping foods safely chilled for as long as most campers will ever need and then some. And that’s just the basic MO here. As the name, the wheels, and the handle all suggest, these coolers are easily wheeled about, performing well on sidewalks, grass, dirt, or gravel, and even rolling passably well on sand. They can be fitted with accessories like cupholders, a cutting board (that doubles as a mini table), and even a collapsible bin that straps to the top of the cooler and allows you to haul all sorts of gear (or all your eats) in fewer trips.
The RTIC Soft Cooler is perfect for quick trips to the beach or park, for when you want cold car snacks, or you need more than one camping cooler
This compact, soft-sided cooler can keep your food and drinks cold for a couple of days with enough ice or ice packs, but it’s best for an overnight or day trip, providing ample space for a family’s provisions for two meals. And snacks.
A Coleman Steel-Belted Cooler works great and looks great, too
Not that looks should matter when it comes to a camping cooler, but it’s nice to have one you’ll also be happy to have on display if you have a party or BBQ at home. This steel-exterior cooler is handsome yet rugged, and it has lots of capacity, too. For a while, this was the only cooler we used, both at home and camping, and even five years on, ours has never had an issue with leaks, it still seals well and keeps things cold for days, and it still looks good, too.
An RTIC Ultra-Light Ice Chest will keep ice for well over a week
If you’re headed out deep and need cold food for well over a week (even up to 10 days, in fact), this big, rugged cooler is a great choice. At 31 pounds, they’re playing a bit loose and easy with the “Ultra-Light” of it all, but I can still lift ours onto a high shelf with ease, provided it’s empty. And loaded up, the 52-quart capacity cooler can store days’ worth of food and drink for the whole gang.