The best camping cookware for your next camping adventure

Normally we mainly report on roof top tents on this website, but today we would like to report on another very important and exciting topic.

After you have set up your roof top tent and put the mattress and sleeping bag in the roof tent, you have to take care of the preparation of the food. Nothing is better than sitting by the bonfire in the evening or setting up the grill and preparing your meal over the fire. Here we would like to introduce you to the best camping cookware.

Camping cookware should not be missing on any holiday and are definitely part of good camping equipment. Many campers simply take their dishes from home with them when they travel. However, this is rather unsuitable for this. We have therefore compared different camping tableware and camping cookware sets with one another in our comparison. Here you can read which material is best, what you should pay attention to when buying and how you can find the right camping utensils.

First things first

• You should have a decent camping crockery set for meals while traveling.
• Above all, it should be light, stackable and unbreakable.
• You should pay special attention to the material. There are camping dishes made of bamboo, melamine, stainless steel, ceramic and enamel. All materials have advantages and disadvantages.
• You should also not ignore the sustainability of the dishes.
• In addition to the material, the weight, storage, the scope of the set and the properties or accessories, such as heat protection, also play a role.
• In addition to normal camping utensils, there are also cooking utensils for baking and roasting on the go.

A camping tableware set is a “MUST HAVE”

A good tableware set is essential for your meals while traveling. So that you don’t have to restrict yourself when cooking and eating while on the move, it makes sense to purchase an extensive set consisting of mugs, cups and plates and bowls of different sizes. A multi-part cutlery set is also a good choice. So you are well equipped and have a clean cup to hand even if you skip washing up for a day.

That’s what matters when it comes to good camping crockery

When camping, space and weight are almost always limited. This is why camping crockery differs from normal household crockery and its properties make it particularly suitable for outdoor adventures. Good camping crockery is primarily characterized by three essential properties:

• It is light and has a low weight.
• It can be stacked well and therefore has a small pack size.
• It is unbreakable and won’t break if it falls down.

Bamboo, melamine, stainless steel, ceramic or maybe titanium? Which material is the right one?

There is now a huge selection of camping utensils. One of the most important selection criteria is the material. In practice, some materials have particularly prevailed:

• Bamboo: is quite new and is often referred to as sustainable, but will probably be banned in the future.
• Stainless steel: Robust, but quickly dissipates heat, which is less than ideal for hot dishes.
• Enamel, ceramic or porcelain: is heavy, breaks quickly and often causes a lot of damage in the process.
• Plastic or melamine: scratches quickly, but is light and stable, but can contain harmful substances.
• Titanium: Titanium is the best material you can buy. It combines all the advantages. The only disadvantage is that the material is more expensive than the others.

As you can see, all materials have advantages and disadvantages. You will find a detailed overview below.

Camping dishes and cookware made from bamboo

Bamboo tableware seems to have all the properties for the perfect camping tableware: It is light, stable and can be stacked wonderfully. We have been using it in our motorhomes for more than three years. It is available in many different colors and shapes and is easy to touch thanks to the slightly roughened surface. A big plus point is also the stability: bamboo dishes survive almost every fall without damage, which should also be an invaluable advantage for families with children. In addition, bamboo dishes are usually dishwasher safe. However, we also noticed a disadvantage after prolonged use: light cups and bowls can be discolored by coffee, tea or curry. After repeated cleaning, however, these paint residues disappear again.

Bamboo dishes harmful to health and soon to be banned?

Most suppliers of bamboo tableware advertise with renewable raw materials and sustainability. However, it is often not mentioned that in addition to bamboo, the products also contain plastics such as melamine resin or urea-formaldehyde resins. The Environment Commission issued an opinion on this in the summer of 2020, stating that bamboo products were never marketable because they sometimes release ever larger amounts of formaldehyde and melamine during use. To take measures to remove bamboo products from the market and at the same time prevent the import of these products. It is questionable whether and how long bamboo tableware will still be available.

Melamine camping cookware

In addition to bamboo tableware, camping tableware made of melamine is also very popular because it is just as robust, very light and easy to stack. It is also much more colorful than bamboo tableware and available in many colors. However, it looks more like plastic and feels that way thanks to the smooth surface. In general, it is characterized by a long service life and can also be put in the dishwasher. However, melamine has one major disadvantage: It should not be used for food or drinks with a temperature of over 158 ° F and therefore must not be put in the microwave or oven. Otherwise, the harmful melamine resin could dissolve and migrate into the food. So you shouldn’t use melamine dishes for hot tea or hot soup.

Camping cookware made of stainless steel

Stainless steel dishes are mainly known from the Bundeswehr or the boy scout camp. The material is very robust, easy to clean and light. In contrast to melamine, it is also heat-resistant and has no problem with hot dishes. It’s a bit more expensive, however, and can get very warm if you pour something hot into it. And of course it can make rattling noises on a bumpy ride. Stainless steel crockery is still very practical on trekking tours and for campers who are only traveling with a backpack and tent. Because there are sets of these that can be stacked well one inside the other and therefore take up very little space.

Enamel camping cookware

Who doesn’t know the enamel coffee mug? There is no doubt that enamel dishes look beautiful and come in many bright colors. There are not only cups, but also plates and bowls. The material is heavier than bamboo or melamine, but it is also heat-resistant and stackable. However, it is not insensitive: if it falls, a corner will break off.

Porcelain and ceramic camping cookware

Ceramic dishes are part of the equipment of many campers. It is definitely food-safe, dishwasher-safe, heat-resistant and also impresses with its beautiful appearance. Another advantage of porcelain and ceramics is that everyone has it at home anyway and can be bought anywhere. However, it is quite difficult for this and all kinds of efforts have to be made so that ceramic tableware can survive the bumpy ride. Insulation mats are cut to size and placed between the plates, the cups are placed in the same mats with punched holes and much more. It works, but it takes up a lot of space. If you don’t secure this crockery so properly, it can break in the closet.

Camping cookware made of titanium

Camping cookware and camping dishes made of titanium are very popular at the moment. Titan has many advantages. Titanium is extremely light, titanium does not rust and titanium does not emit any harmful substances. It is definitely food-safe, dishwasher-safe, heat-resistant and also impresses with its beautiful appearance. You can also put the titan cookware directly in your campfire to heat up food or drinks, titan can do a lot. So if you are currently considering buying new camping cookware, it is best to invest directly in titan cookware and dishes.

How good is sustainable camping tableware?

As can be seen from the example of bamboo tableware, sustainable camping tableware is unfortunately not always as good as it seems at first glance. The so-called bagasse is currently in the starting blocks as a real alternative to bamboo. These are the fibrous residues that arise primarily from the processing of sugar cane. Bagasse dishes can be disposed of in the organic waste bin and are completely compostable. It’s still very new on the market, but it does seem to be quite sustainable.

You should also pay attention to these criteria when buying

In addition to the material, which definitely plays an important role, there are other criteria that you should pay attention to when buying.

• The weight: The weight of the camping harness is not only important when trekking. Every kilo also plays a role when packing the car or putting away the motorhome. The weight of a tableware set naturally depends on the number of its parts.

Tip 1: Titanium or stainless steel is very light. If you have to save weight, a set with few individual parts is also worthwhile.

Tip 2: only buy deep plates. You can use it to eat your muesli as well as normal dishes and save yourself bowls and other plates.

• The scope of the set: Depending on whether you go camping alone, as a couple or with the whole family, you can also adjust the size of the crockery set. There are multi-part sets for one, two and four people. However, not every set contains the same dishes. So here you have to pay attention to what is particularly important to you.
• Storage: So that your camping utensils are not damaged, they should of course always be stowed well. With some manufacturers, the dishes are therefore available in a plastic box or transport bags.
• The heat protection: So that you don’t burn yourself, heat protection is especially important for pots and cups. A pot should therefore have handles that do not heat up. You should use a silicone coating for mugs and cups.

Now we would like to introduce you to our favorites. When selecting the products, we paid attention to the best quality. If you have to pay attention to the budget, you can of course also buy other camping cookware. We use this equipment ourselves on our camping trips and can highly recommend this equipment. With this equipment you will have a lot of fun for a long time!

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between normal crockery and camping crockery? In contrast to normal household crockery, camping crockery is characterized by the fact that it is lighter and unbreakable. In addition, it is particularly easy to stack, which saves space.
What is good sustainable camping utensils? The much-praised camping tableware made of bamboo is unfortunately not as good as its reputation and often releases toxins into food. It should therefore soon be banned in the EU and USA. Bagasse dishes are a really good alternative. This consists of renewable raw materials and is 100% compostable.
Are camping dishes and cookware made of melamine harmful / toxic? Depending on how high the quality of the melamine tableware is, it can have a major disadvantage: In particular, very cheap melamine tableware is not heat-resistant and should not be used for food or drinks with a temperature of over 158 ° F. Otherwise, the harmful melamine resin could dissolve and migrate into the food. It must therefore not be put in the microwave or oven.
Which camping utensils are the best? It all depends on your personal preferences. Stainless steel or titanium dishes and cookware are absolutely food-safe and easy to care for. Titan is the right choice for those who like it particularly light.