When I was little I would marvel at my parents’ ability to pack a few rubbermaid containers and a camping stove only to have it unpacked to reveal a full camping kitchen. I couldn’t understand how they had managed to pack every utensil, gadget, and piece of gear necessary to feed a family of six outdoors for an entire week. I always wondered how they managed to think of everything.
I remember when Katie published her van camping post detailing her canvas bag of cooking gear and again I thought, that’s it? That’s all you need? After a lifetime of car camping and four years packing the camping kitchen myself, I can confirm that yes, that’s it. Creating a starter kitchen for a camping trip is pretty darn easy. It’s a shame it seems so intimidating.
Camp Kitchen Supplies:
- Cooler
- Stove + all necessary accessories
- Fuel
- Rubbermaid container, basket, or canvas bag – something to store it all in
- Aeropress
- Frying pan
- Medium sized pot (I actually leave this at home a lot)
- Dishcloth or oven mitt
- Water jug
- Plates, bowls
- Mugs/cups
- Utensils
- Paring knife + Chefs knife
- Big tongs
- Spatula
- Can + Bottle opener
- Matches/lighter
- Trash bag or two
- Ziplock or two
- Roll of paper towels
- Little cutting board
- Tin foil
- Dish soap, sponge, and one hand towel for drying
That is it! That is all that’s in the box. If I have that list, I know that I can cook basically anything I pick up at the grocery store. Overtime, your car camping kitchen will shift to fit your needs, maybe you use exclusively bowls instead of bothering to bring plates along. Or maybe you drink wine not coffee so you lose the Aeropress, but add silicone tumblers. Maybe you add a table to your kit. Whatever you add or subtract, let me know in the comments.