Are you creating your ultimate camp kitchen set up? Maybe starting from scratch and want some advice? This blog looks at some of our favourite pieces of gear for your camp kitchen.
As Valley and Peak Family, Abi says "everyone loves to talk about food". Well, Abi is not wrong. We all love to talk about food when it comes to camping!
Backpacking and camping tends to focus solely on the Big 3 when talking about gear but considering we all talk about food so much when we camp then maybe it's time we started tucking in to the best part of the day, and in my eyes the most fun... eating!
This blog is simple, I'm going to share my top picks as to what goes in to my pack when weight isn't an issue and I want a nice luxury camping experience. Although I say weight isn't an issue, these are always ultralight pieces of gear as per my normal standards!!!
Stove
Boiling 2 cups of water in under 2 mins 30 in strong gusty winds is a great way to introduce the Windmaster, so I will! This stove is made to handle harsh conditions and it actually does unlike a lot of others. The stoves flame is designed to sit close to the pot making it more efficient in windy conditions. The concave deign of the burner makes a very effective built-in windshield.
Weight - 87g with 4Flex pot support or 67g with TriFlex (sold separately)
Cooking Pot
Multi-meal and multi-use capacity, I use this super light titanium pot for it's pure quality build and versatile capabilities. This is Vargo's largest pot but it only weighs 153g which is pretty much half the weight of most of it's competitors. It has great coated handles and a strainer lid built in for extra functionality. The larger size helps with storage and better heat distribution. It also has an indented bottom for increased pot stability.
Weight - 153g
Backpacking Mug
Made of paper thin 0.3mm titanium plate this mug it's not only extremely robust but ultralight weight too. It has a great rolled edge to it too which really helps with pouring, volume markings inside if this is used for boiling water for a dehydrated meal and provides a big surface area to improve heat distribution. If you're saving weight then you can get rid of your bit pot, grab a piece of foil for a lid and take this as a ultralight pot and mug set up.
Weight - 55g
Backpacking Bowl
Made from a flexible, food safe silicone that folds down in to a make shift frisbee, this is so light and easy to stash in my pack that I always take it. It has a 650ml volume which is just plenty for any meal and a cut resistant base which can be used for chopping or cutting food.
Weight - 80g
Backpacking Spoon
Vargo Titanium Long Handled Spoon
By now, you've probably gathered that I like titanium gear. This is very true and definitely goes for my spoon too. These are ultralight and extra long to reach the bottom of a meal pouch without getting your hand dirty!
Weight - 14g
Camp Utensils and Clean Up Kit
Sea to Summit Kitchen Tool Kit
Now I don't tend to take the full kit on an overnighter but if I'm out in the van or have more of a base camp then this is absolutely the go to kit for cooking and cleaning up. It's a 10 piece cooking and wash kit that is just made for a camp kitchen. It includes some utensils, big serving spoon, pot scrubber, wilderness wash, storage bottles, clothes and more!
Weight - 310g
Coffee
Now we all love a camp coffee so it wouldn't be a complete set up without a coffee dripper. This great little dripper weighs only a few grams and folds flat, taking up virtually no space. What it does allow you to do is make amazing coffee out of the house without all the weight! Take it camping or in hotels and hostels... I even use mine at work.
Weight - 12g
The total weight for all of these items excluding gas for the canister stove is only 711g and this is for a full camp kitchen set up!
If you are struggling for ideas or can't find that perfect combination, please reach out to me in the usual places - @valleyandpeakuk on Instagram, @ValleyandPeak on Twitter, ValleyandPeak on Facebook or on jim@valleyandpeak.co.uk for email.
