Paper umbrellas, plastic frying pans, and tits on a boar

July 3, 2012 10:03 AM

Best camping cookware?

My wife and I camp a couple times a year. We currently have a GSI nesting set of Teflon pots and pans (two pots, one frying pan). The pots themselves work great, but the plastic lids are always in danger of melting, and are now warped and melted at the edges.

We're looking for a similar set but with metal lids, preferably without a bunch of plastic add-ons like cups and really cheap plates. We prefer a nesting set to just hauling the real things because we've got a pretty tight setup for gear. Two pots and a frying pan is a nice number of pieces for how we cook while camping.

So, mefites: what cool camp cookware do you use and recommend?

posted by fatbird to sports, hobbies, & recreation (10 answers total)

We love our Trailblazer set. The handles feel secure, which is rare with these sets.
posted by Nickel Pickle at 10:07 AM on July 3, 2012

If you're car camping and weight isn't a concern just get some old faberwear pots and a cast iron pan and be done with it.

If you're backpacking or canoeing and weight is a concern, then I'd suggest looking into the stuff from MSR. I have this pot and I love it. It's light, and the cover has an integrated strainer. The handle locks over the lid so you can strain noodles very easily. If you've ever lost a pot of noodles when you attempted to strain them by cracking a lid, you'll know why this is a good thing.

If you look around the REI site you'll find MSR sets with plates and cups, as well as a couple of those pots. Look around, they have sets for two and four people.
posted by bondcliff at 10:16 AM on July 3, 2012

This fits your description.
posted by craven_morhead at 10:47 AM on July 3, 2012

I camped for eight months solid 10 years ago. I had some lovely lightweight pans that nested and had folding handles. I picked them up at a specialist 4x4 and camping show.

And then one day I was talking to a guy and he was admiring my pans and he said how he had bought a $12 non-stick wok from his local supermarket and that he could make 3/4 of his evening meals in that.

I went out and bought one a few days later. And do you know what? He was right. I used the largest lightweight pan only, and then to boil water/cook pasta or rice exclusively.
posted by MuffinMan at 11:14 AM on July 3, 2012

We got this set a few years ago on sale and we love it. It nests, both lids can double as fry pans, and we can fit our stove inside.
posted by hannahelastic at 11:24 AM on July 3, 2012

what the hey. I mean this set.
posted by hannahelastic at 11:25 AM on July 3, 2012

I nth and highly recommend the MSR line of cookware. I've had a stainless 2 pot/1 lid MSR Alpine set since 1993, and it's seen a LOT of use on everything from fancy camp stoves of various fuels to smudgy fires from damp wood. I've loved it since day 1, and see no reason that I won't be using it after another 20 years goes by. One thing I like about it that you may not notice is the rounded corners at the bottom of the pots- when something burns or you cook something that sticks, it's WAY easier to clean than a right-angled pot bottom. I also much prefer the detachable PanHandler type handle to the wire bales most stoves come with- they get hot, and are not as secure- with the MSR-type handle, I feel like my grip is solid enough to use the pot for melee combat if necessary.
posted by EKStickland at 11:33 AM on July 3, 2012

Yes, the answer to this is going to vary greatly depending on if you're talking about car camping or camping in the backcountry.

For hiking/camping: I have the double walled cup, spork, nesting pots, and fry pan from Snow Peak (google it if you're interested) and it works great as a complete kit.

That snowpeak cup, by the way, is the perfect size to hold 2 of my homemade pepsi-can alcohol stoves and matches/lighter. That way they're protected in the pack itself, but I still take two because they're kinda fragile if stepped on.
posted by RolandOfEld at 11:33 AM on July 3, 2012

Argh, sorry. I have their titanium stuff. No idea how their other stuff pans out. (ba dum ching)
posted by RolandOfEld at 11:36 AM on July 3, 2012

I have one of these MRS Alpine pots and have had for... a long time. The handle acts as a lockable strap across the lid, so you can stow a bunch of cooking-related stuff in there securely. In spite of the name, they don't nest. They're very simple, durable and cheap and the handles don't fall apart as they do on most camping pots.

I'm a backpacker, so you might not need to go as minimal as I do.
posted by klanawa at 10:47 PM on July 3, 2012