Camp Kitchen Equipment

This article represents my own opinion and may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosures for more information.

What equipment I use in my Chuck Box.

I'm very happy with how my chuck box turned out. I designed it mostly around my existing camp cooking gear but I also picked up a few new things that would fit inside and provide me with the comforts of home while out camping. In this post I'll go over the items I use and show in the video and where you can get them.

There are also some things I'd like add. If you're looking for a way to say thanks for the information and the plans you can pick something up from my Chuck Box Amazon Wish List.

Coleman 2 Burner Classic Propane Stove

Breakfast is usually made on the stove. It takes time to build a fire, wait for it to get to the coals stage. That's a long time to wait before making coffee or food and it burns some daylight better used for hiking, swimming or the all important hammocking. :)

The Coleman 2 Burner Classic Propane Stove is affordable and easy to use. The chuck box was designed to fit it. If you have a different stove you might have to alter the plans a bit.

Grill Grate

Sometimes the grills in campsite fire rings or camp grills is damaged or missing. In many cases they look dirty and rusty which turns off some people. I have a Char-Broil Pro-Sear 21" Porcelain Grid I bring with me for those reasons. It's easy to use, clean and it doesn't take up a lot of space. I designed the Chuck Box so it would fit but it was a hair too small and I had to cut off some of the side. There's plenty of room to hold a couple of pots and grill up chicken breasts, steaks or burgers for 4 people. It's a good size for the camp grills too.

To clean the grill I got the Q-Swiper Grill Cleaner Set. The cleaning tool is compact. It has a scraper blade to remove chunks and wipes that are added to the cleaner to degrease the grill. It works very well and doesn't risk leaving bristles behind which apparently is a concern. 

GSI Pinnacle Frying Pans

I needed new frying pans with removable or folding handles. GSI has a good reputation so I started off with their 10" Pinnacle Frying Pan. It has a folding and removable handle, is lightweight and has a Teflon Radiance non-stick coating. Later I decided I wanted a second frying pan but really didn't leave much room for one. I emailed GSI to ask if the 8" pinnacle frying pan would nest completely in the 10" because that's the only way it could fit. The next day I got this picture from GSI support. I was really impressed that they sent me some photos to show it would work. I went ahead and ordered the 8" Pinnacle Frying Pan as well.

I spent a little more for the Pinnacle series because the Teflon Radiance coating is more abrasion resistant, the pans are made of anodized aluminum which I think makes them stronger and easier to clean, they are also a little heavier than the Bugaboo Series which uses regular aluminum and plain Teflon. I think the Bugaboo pans will fit as well but I haven't tested them.

Cowboy Joe Coffee Maker

I designed the chuck box with the Abid Clever Coffee Dripper in mind. It was my favorite way to make coffee even at home. It's a nice hybrid between a pour over coffee maker and an immersion brewer like a french press. It uses filters so it filters out the oils which some research say is bad for you and your cholesterol, you can control the brewing time. Unfortunately, or in this case fortunately my Clever Coffee Dripper slipped off the cabinet while pulling something else out and broke. I had to find something else.

The Cowboy Joe Coffee Maker is the best camp coffee maker in my opinion. It has all the benefits of the Clever Coffee Dripper for a fraction of the cost and size. The plastic feels more pliable and wouldn't crack from a fall like the Clever Coffee Dripper did. It even uses the more standard basket type filters.

Easy to use but only makes one cup of coffee at a time. The results are worth it. Plug hole in basket with the plastic plunger, place Cowboy Joe coffee maker over a cup, add basket, add 2 rounded tablespoons of coffee. Pour over water at around 195-200 degrees Fahrenheit to 3/8" from top and give it a quick stir. Let the coffee brew for about 3.5-4 minutes, carefully give the plunger a little twist and tug and in about 30-40 seconds some of the best coffee you've ever made will drain out into the cup.

Enamel Dinnerware

Pots and pans need to be cleaned and it doesn't take that much longer to clean some plates and flatware. I enjoy using real plates and utensils so I made room for some in my kit. I got the Ozark Trail Blue Enamel Dinnerware set which comes with 4 cups, 4 bowls and 4 plates plus a set of knives, forks and spoons in a pouch. The items are durable and easy to clean. Some of the enamel is chipped on the edges. The new version has a different type of edge design which will probably work better than mine. The Stansport Enamel Dinnerware set has that same edge design if you'd like to order. 

Reusable To Go Cups

I have the Aladdin Reusable Cofee To Go Cups that are used for both hot and cold cups. A lot of plastic cups were being thrown away on trips and I wanted to do something better. These are great. Keeps bugs out of your drinks and can hold up to 16 oz.

Ozark Trail Tea Kettle

The Ozark Trail Stainless Steel Tea Kettle is affordable and the only camping tea kettle that has a whistling spout. Other tea kettle's take up less space but with some modifications I made it fit. I like that it whistles because it lets us know when the water is boiled so we don't have to waste precious seconds before the coffee is brewed! :)

Knives

The 5" Sabatier Forged Stainless Steel Stantoku Knife checked all the boxes in a camping chef knife. Compact, easy to use, sharp, comes with a sheath, affordable and has a the metal of the bled becomes part of the handle which keeps it cleaner. Only drawback is it isn't dishwasher safe. Has a sharpener in the sheath which makes it a littler harder to remove but handy to keep the blade sharp.

I picked up a small ceramic pairing knife really cheap as one of Aldi's Finds. It was only $5 if I was ordering one know I'd probably get this Farberware Pairing Knife.

Toaster

The Stansport Folding Camp Toaster doesn't take up a lot of space and is very affordable. Cam make up to 4 pieces of toast at a time. It works on the stove or over coals in a fire pit. It doesn't popup so you have to keep an eye on it and it only does one side at a time but I can fit it in the chuck box with the pans.

Cookware Sets

I picked up an Ozark Trail 10 Piece Cook & Dine Set. It has a 2.2 quart pot, 2 bowls with lids as well as a bag that can be used as a small sink. It's essentially a copy of the GSI Pinnacle Dualist at a fraction of the price. It's not as good though. The non-stick coating isn't as durable as the GSI version.

One pot wasn't enough and I found this Stansport Hard Anodized Aluminum 4 Person Cook Set really cheap on Amazon so I got it. It has a 1.2 quart pot and 1.8 quart pot. Two lids for the pots that can be used as frying pans plus 4 cups/bowls. The cups have 3, 6 and 9oz markings for measuring liquids.

Anodized aluminum is supposedly non-stick. Well it's not like Teflon but if you get the pan nice and hot first and use oil it won't stick just like with a stainless steel pan. I primarily use them for the pots and they've been very easy to clean.

Meat Thermometer

A meat thermometer is an essential grilling tool. There's a lot of variability when cooking over charcoal or coals from a fire. The last thing I want to do is serve meat that hasn't been cooked to a safe temperature or too tough because it was overcooked to be safe.

The best instant read meat thermometer I've purchased on Amazon is the CDN DTQ450X. It was only about $15 when I got them. I've had one for about 4 years and it still works great. Other cheap ones I've purchased start to fall apart or the display gets wonky.