Top 5 Best Camping Cookware & Mess Kits

The 5 Best Camping Mess Kits & Cookware

Once your food is cooked in a cast iron skillet or camping pot, campers eat it from the best camping mess kit. These kits are varied in price and what they offer. Some backpacking mess kits include utensils, like knives or camping sporks, while others do not. When buying a cookware set to finish getting all the supplies for your camping kitchen, you need to know what you will be using it for. Will you be packing it for a hike? Or will it stay with the campsite? We have reviewed and chosen the 5 best camping cookware sets – some with built-in utensils and some not. Keep reading for camping cookware reviews and ratings!

The 5 Top Camping Cookware Mess Kits

Presented below are the detailed reviews of the 5 best camping mess kits. Note that each detailed review includes and easy to reference FIVE STAR RATING system, where FIVE stars is the best.

* Ratings are determined using our specialized rating system.

Gold Armour 17 Piece Mess Kit

The Gold Armour 17 Piece Outdoor Cookware Kit is made from anodized nonstick aluminum. This set includes 17 camping cook set items including a folding stainless steel spork, spoon, fork, knife, pot, frying pan, and more. All of the items are stored in the one container. This backpacking mess kit is an excellent choice for a hike and camp situation.

Since it includes the items to cook in and then eat from, it’s all within one unit. Though there are two bowls in the unit, we suggest each hiker or camper have their own camping cook set and camping plates. The manufacturers offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Bulin 27-Piece BPA-Free Camping Cookware Mess Kit

The Bulin 27-Piece BPA-Free Camping Cookware Mess Kit come with an an aluminum nonstick pot and pan with a lid, two BPA-free plastic bowls, a spoon, a ladle, a stainless steel spork, and one Piezo ignition camping stove. The thing that makes this a FIVE STAR rating for us is a Swiss Army-like tool that includes a knife, spoon, fork, bottle opener, wine opener, and tent reamer.

It’s made of durable stainless steel. All of the items fit together within the unit, which weighs a total of almost 2 pounds. Also included is a survival bracelet which has a flint fire starter, plus a whistle and a compass. This is a great backpacking mess kit at a great price – with a lot of extras.

REDCAMP Camping Mess Kit

The REDCAMP Camping Mess Kit is made from anodized aluminum. It is very light at only slightly less than one pound. It contains ten items; a pot, a pan, a spoon, a ladle, a fork, a bowl, and more. All of the items fit within the unit for easy carrying. It also includes a bag to carry the unit, though we found it not very useful. The manufacturer offers a 100% money back guarantee and a 360-day limited manufacturers warranty. This backpacking mess kit is a bit small for hearty appetites but still a good all-around choice.

Winterial Outdoor Cookware and Pot Set 10 Piece Set

This Winterial Camping Cookware and Pot Set works as both a hiking cookware kit and a good stationary cookware set. For hiking, it only weighs in at 1 1/2 pounds and while the set measures 3.5″ (tall) x 6.75″ (width). This whole varied set of pots and pans stores within each other for easy transport. The whole set includes:

• 1 Qt frying pan – 1.25″ (H) x 6.4″ (Diameter)
• 1 Qt tea kettle
• Serving ladle and bowl
• A serving spoon
• Cleaning sponge and carrying bag

We like the idea of being able to use this set as a regular camp cookware set and a great cookware kit. However, the cleaning sponge and carrying bag in this backpacking mess kit seemed extraneous and not really needed if you’re used to following the Leave No Trace principles and have your own.

Bisgear 14pcs Backpacking Camping Cookware Travel Mess Kit

The Bisgear 14 Pcs Outdoor Camping Cookware Mess Kit is made from anodized aluminum with the frying pan and cooking pot coated with a non-stick coating. The entire set includes a stainless steel spork, spoon and knife. This backpacking mess kit also includes a mini stove to heat the pan as well as two bowls, a ladle, and a carabiner, a metal loop with a spring-loaded gate used to quickly and reversibly connect components.

All of the items collapse into the unit for carrying. Total weight is about 1 1/2 pounds. This cookware set is good for both hiking and for in-camp cookware.

Important Features to Consider

Hikers need to save weight and space, which this unit can help offset. Here are the items usually included in the best camping cookware kits:

• A skillet and small pot
• Utensils such as fork, knife, and spoon
• Other utensils such as a ladle, cork screw, or bottle opener
• A small camping stove
• A sponge or other cleaning item
• A carrying case
• A camping cutting boards

Due to weight concerns, most of the best cookware kits are made from aluminum, but some may have stainless steel or another material. Additionally, the skillet, whether a cast iron skillet, carbon steel skillet, or electric skillet, and pot are usually coated with either teflon or another nonstick coating for easy cleaning. All units usually collapsible into one unit for easy carrying and transport. Because of how compact the best camping mess kits are, many campers who enjoy intensive cooking benefit from expanding their kitchenware inventory to include a camping knife set, a roasting pan, a camping can opener, or additional tools. You might even invest in a portable camping kitchen and camping spice containers to enhance your cooking abilities.

What Are The Usual Sizes of Skillets and Pots Included in a Camping Cookware Kit?

Most of the skillets and pots included in the best camping cookware kits are smaller than a standard size kitchen skillet and stove pot. Usually they are about these sizes:

• 5.9 inches
• 6 inches
• 6.5 inches

The measurement is from end of the skillet to the other, not including the handle(s). Most are 1 1/2 – 3 inches deep. Odds are, your mess kit won’t come with a pot stand, so this is an important addition to go alongside your camping pot.

Conclusion

Camping and hiking are great fun—and so is cooking and eating beside the campfire. A big part of cooking vegan and keto recipes while hiking or camping are the camping coffee pots, camping utensils, and cast iron griddles brought along to cook with. By choosing the right camp cookware kit like the Gold Armour 17 Piece Camping Cookware Kit, the need to bring along many other items is greatly reduced. Remember, when camping, weight and space do matter!

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