When warmer weather comes around, I love to go camping. It’s such a treat to drive just a few hours away, pitch a tent somewhere scenic (hopefully on a body of water), disconnect, and relax.
Equipment
Kitchen Equipment You Can Take Camping (That You Already Own)
Camping-specific cookware is great, but you may already have everything you need for a good meal in nature.
By Published May 24, 2024.
OK, let me walk that back a bit. I love camping if there’s good food and drinks involved. Backpacking in remote areas sounds cool in theory, but if I don’t have a delicious meal and a cold beer to look forward to, it’s not happening for me.
There’s lots of camping-specific cookware, and we’ve reviewed most of it, from car-camping stoves to backpacking stoves to cookware sets. But camping by car is the only way I like to do it.
We still try to pack efficiently and our storage at home is limited, so instead of buying cooking gear that’s good only for camping, I like to look to my normal kitchen collection and see what can be used outdoors too.
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1. A Cast-Iron Skillet
We love cooking in cast-iron skillets at home. They’re ultradurable, which means they’re also great for cooking on a campfire. You can use it to fry your morning bacon and eggs and to cook up a stir-fry for dinner. The exterior may get a little dirty and sooty, so avoid using something expensive. I use our best-buy cast-iron skillet at home and it’s great for camping too.
Lodge 12" Cast Iron Skillet
Classic shape provided "plenty of room" in steak and chicken tests, but small handle made pan feel heavy when lifted. Eggs stuck "considerably" and took "tons of scrubbing" to clean the first time around but barely stuck and cleaned up easily the second time. Corn bread was crusty, with perfect release.Buy Now
2. Grill Gloves
Cooking over a campfire, similar to grilling, means cooking over an open flame. Packing a pair of grill gloves will protect your hands from heat, enabling you to flip food and shift pans around with ease. This pair has a silicone exterior, making them easy to wipe clean.
Kitchen Perfection Silicone Smoker Oven Gloves
We prized these gloves for their soft silicone exterior, which flexed and folded to preserve our dexterity. We also liked their plush cotton lining, which helped absorb moisture and keep us comfortable. The combination of these materials made for stellar protection from the heat; we were able to directly grab hot grates and coals in these gloves for several seconds without feeling any discomfort. The gloves’ studded silicone exterior made it easy to grasp greasy chicken and remove it from the grill without any staining. We simply washed them with a little soap and dried them with a towel. We only wish they were a little longer; on testers with larger hands, they extended only to the wrists, leaving forearms exposed when reaching into hot fire pits.Buy Now
3. Grill Tongs
Our favorite grill tongs are 16 inches long, meaning they’ll help you cook over the fire without having to stand too close to the flame and smoke. The pincers make it easy to maneuver everything from grilled chicken breasts to slices of toasted sourdough bread.
OXO Good Grips Grilling Tongs
Long, comfortable to grip and pinch, and easy to open, these grill tongs are almost identical to the ones we originally reviewed. They’re just as agile, durable, and easy to use—sturdy enough to maneuver heavy racks of ribs but also capable of more precise work, such as turning delicate asparagus spears and pieces of chicken.Buy Now
The Outdoor Cook
Go way beyond burgers and basic proteins to become your best outdoor cooking self. Whether you use a gas or charcoal grill, flat-top griddle, open-fire setup, smoker, or pizza oven, you can revel in the outdoor cooking lifestyle.Buy Now
4. A Travel Mug
Like I said before, I’m not into camping without a few little luxuries. A great travel mug is not only durable but will also keep your coffee hot (and your wine cold).
Zojirushi Stainless Steel Mug (SM-SE)
Testers raved about this travel mug, which not only kept coffee hot and cold for far longer than any other mug we tried but also was the easiest to use. Slim from top to bottom, it was comfortable for hands of all sizes to hold, open, and close.Buy Now
5. A Pour-Over Coffee Maker
There’s nothing better than waking up in the wilderness and enjoying a hot cup of coffee with a view. If you pack a sturdy, lightweight pour-over coffee maker, filters, and ground coffee, all you need to do is boil some water on the fire.
Kalita Wave Dripper 185 S
This attractive and lightweight flat bottom–style model made delicious, full-bodied coffee. It has horizontal ridges on its interior and three small drainage holes, which allow water to flow through the coffee bed at a steady and not-too-slow speed.Buy Now