Camp Kitchen Kit

/ Taylor Kurowski

Whether you are overlanding or car camping, there is something about cooking in nature that makes food taste better and making cooking less of a chore. When I am at home I hate cooking and like simple and easy but when I am outdoors, I always seem to want to try complicated and different than my normal meals. Below, I am going to outline what I bring with me or what I would suggest if budget wasn’t an issue.

In my current mix I have a weird mix of new, repurposed, and hand me downs. I am upgrading as I go but for the most part my old pans, hand me down stove, and Walmart cooking utensils have gotten me by. However, the second list is what I am currently working towards and slowly buying as time, budget, and needs allow. So pretty much, when it breaks, I buy from the below list.

What’s in my kit:

My Dream List:

The above list is me trying to find a value between something like the $500 iKamper Aioks which is a mini table and stove in one and something that has quality components that will last and not break with heavy use. All of the above brands are brands known not only for their quality, but have been around and aren’t your generic knock off brand found on Amazon. I have found over the years that most knock off outdoor gear isn’t worth the slightly cheaper price.

Key Components

Stove:
I start off the list with a quality stove since it is pretty important when you are miles away from the nearest paved road and even further from a restaurant or grocery store. A stove like a camp chef is going to allow you to be able to cook in a way that gives you more precision over the temps of your pots and pans and work well in high wind situations which always seems to be happening in Northern Arizona.

Pots/Pans:
A quality set of pots and pans is important. I favor stainless steel for its durability but always try and have a non stick pan for things like eggs. For almost everything else, I have moved to a cast iron pan. Cast iron is amazing for camping because it works on your camp stove and over a fire and helps regulate the heat of a fire.

Cooler:

While a budget cooler works well for weekend trips. A rotomolded cooler such as the Cordova cooler is great for weekend trips and can extend out to longer week-long trips. If you pre chill it properly a rotomolded cooler easily last a week and keep your food cold. Additionally, it becomes multiple purpose due to their durability. I use mine as a seat (away from the fire to not melt the ice) and as a step for when I need to get up into a Thule box. While the price is high, the Cordova is also Made in the USA and cheaper than the Yeti coolers of similar size.

Plates/Cups/Knives:

I have a mix here. I currently use a mixed set of GSI and REI plastic silverware. They work but I find their durability to be lacking. Eventually I will upgrade to a set of Stainless Steel utensils but the Plastic ones work dual purpose for car and backpack camping. For the Plates I have found the MSR Deep Dish plates to be perfect. They are fairly insulated to protect you from hot foods and work well as a plate and ok as a bowl. The only negative is they only nest in different sizes so a Medium nest in a Large. I currently have two sets of Med/Large which is enough for 4 people. Lastly, I currently rock my GSI Backpacker cups at camp along with two of their Glacier Cups. Eventually I will upgrade to insulated mugs to help keep my ice from melting or keep my coffee warmer but they are both serviceable for now.

Shelter:

Lastly I recommend some time or tarp or Shelter. I have two go two options and both work extremely well depending on the scenario and room and size restrictions. When I was a broke college kid I used the Kelty Noah Tarp strung between trees/cars to shelter our cooking area and a place to sit. When size and weight wasn’t as much of an issue the next option I have is a Kelty canopy Tent. This was an REI Outlet special that I got for around $70 bucks and works great. However, it is a bit low which is great for wind resistance but does require people to duck a bit when entering. However, my next upgrade will be for a 10×10 shade structure that is easy to put up and has enough room to shelter under for awhile comfortably.


I hope the list above gives you some insight and help you come up with a camp kitchen that works for you. Let me know what you use and what changes or recommendations you would make to the list above! You can find more of our Gear Recommendations HERE.

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