Why a specific camping cooking kit?
As most of you are probably aware when camping it is imperative to travel light and use things that take up little space. When I go camping I try and eat out as much as possible, after all you are on holiday right?, but there are nights when I just can’t ... Read review
Advantages: Cheap, great heat conductor, light weight, great stackable system Disadvantages: Gets too hot too quickly and difficult to handle
==Why a specific camping cooking kit?==
As most of you are probably aware when camping it is imperative to travel light and use things that take up little space. When I go camping I try and eat out as much as possible, after all you are on holiday right?, but there are nights when I just can’t be bothered to venture out, especially after a busy day cycling, rambling or just milling about a town somewhere. Despite not having ... ...to replenish the calories somehow. Then there’s breakfast, the most important meal of the day according to some, and whilst cereal suffices at home the lack of a fridge, and hence milk, in a tent means that tinned foods are the order of the day, and whilst I do like baked beans and spaghetti straight out of the tin there are some tinned items that need to be heated up.
However much I dislike cooking whilst camping it is a necessity ... more
Why a specific camping cooking kit?
As most of you are probably aware when camping it is imperative to travel light and use things that take up little space. When I go camping I try and eat out as much as possible, after all you are on holiday right?, but there are nights when I just can’t be bothered to venture out, especially after a busy day cycling, rambling or just milling about a town somewhere. Despite not having the get and go to get out you do have to replenish the calories somehow. Then there’s breakfast, the most important meal of the day according to some, and whilst cereal suffices at home the lack of a fridge, and hence milk, in a tent means that tinned foods are the order of the day, and whilst I do like baked beans and spaghetti straight out of the tin there are some tinned items that need to be heated up.
However much I dislike cooking whilst camping it is a necessity and it is important to have the right kit. Camping gaz cookers are low powered and there is no way you are going to get enough heat in a normal kitchen saucepan. Kitchen saucepans are also heavy and take up a lot of room, therefore totally unsuitable for camping in my opinion.
Specific camping cook sets need to be lightweight, easily stored, good heat conductors and easily cleaned. It was these features that I was looking for when buying a camping cooking kit from a local outdoor pursuits shop.
The cooking kit
Whilst the lid has “campster” written on it this kit is actually unbranded, which I find strange. I have put the Campster name in several search engines and can’t find out what the actual brand is. Some consumer websites say that it is ‘standard manufacturer’ that sells to all retail outlets and allows them to package the product as they see fit. I am unsure how true this is but it does seem unlikely to me. Despite this the kit does seem to be widely available.
Included in the kit
The kit consists of:
i) A saucepan complete with lid
ii) Two small plates
iii) Two cups
iv) A frying pan
v) A net carry bag
I find it strange that the kit contains two cups but no kettle. I appreciate that water can be boiled in the saucepan but there is no pouring crease in the lip of the saucepan so pouring it would be a dangerous and messy affair. It is a shame that there is no kettle included, but given the price of the kit and the storage space available I guess it is just not feasible.
Stacking/storage system
In my opinion it is the stacking/storage system that makes this kit so good and something that all campers with limited space should have.
The plates are stacked in the frying pan, the cups are put inside the saucepan which in turn is stacked inside the plates. The lid is then put on the saucepan and the hinged handles clip over to secure. The whole lot is then put in to the net bag supplied keeping everything together. It is simple and it works. Genius.
One thing I should point out is that everything is a tight fit so it will only go together in one way. Should any part of the kit get bent or disfigured then the stacking/storage feature is likely to fail.
Weight
At just over 600g this kit is very lightweight making it ideal for backpacking and those that wish to travel light or have limited space. However, with a lack of weight compromises have been made in the quality of the materials used, as explained below.
Quality and durability
The metal used is thin aluminium and can be manipulated very easily using bear hands and a bit of brut strength. The items are not made out of the best quality metal but compromises have to be made especially when you consider that the items need to be light weight, the metal needs to be thin so it heats up quickly (those of you that have cooked using camping gaz cookers will know that “good” quality pans take an age to heat and more often than not the cooker does not give enough power to heat them up) and there are cost implications, i.e. you don’t get good quality metal for the small price charged for the set.
All items in the kit are made out of the same thin metal and whilst this works for the frying pan and the saucepan it is not very suitable for the cups or plates, which tend to get too hot to handle (as detailed below).
As a result of the thickness used the kit needs to be treated with a bit of care to make sure that none of it gets ruined. It won’t take too much of a knock, or a drop on a hard surface of something heavy put on top of an item for it to bend out of shape.
Whilst you may think that a disfigured saucepan or plate won’t make much difference you have to remember that the stacking/storage system is tight and any disfigured items are likely to render the stacking/storage system virtually useless.
The kit comes in a net bag to keep it all together and whilst the label may state “protective” it does not protect the kit to a great extent. Sure it keeps it clean and keeps the dust off but it will not stop the kit from being disfigured if dropped or something heavy is placed on it. I would highly recommend putting the kit in a decent plastic storage box, or something similar, to prolong the life of it. It is a shame that the kit does not come in a heavy duty protective case but I guess this would not only push the cost of the kit up but it also increases the weight and the amount to carry around which is not ideal for those travelling light.
The pieces in this kit are prone to scratching, which ultimately leads to food sticking to them during the cooking process. To prevent this I always use wooden cooking utensils and never ever use metal spoons, forks or knives etc. When cleaning the items I use anti scratch scourers and I find these do not mark or scratch the items. I appreciate that these are a bit more expensive than the average scourer but they are definitely worth the extra. If I come across something that just won’t budge then I’ll soak it for as long as it takes to remove it without reverting to abrasive cleaning items. If you scratch an item you may as well just throw it away as the life deteriorates to such an extent it is pretty much useless.
Looks
This kit is brushed silver in colour and looks quite cheap and nasty. It is definitely not the prettiest of things I have ever seen but then does it really need to be? It doesn’t look modern, retro or trendy and you definitely won’t be the talking point of the campsite by your fellow campers (well not for using it in any case) but then it doesn’t really matter as what it lacks in looks it makes up for other areas.
The saucepan
The saucepan holds just over 2 litres of water, which I find is more than enough, even for two. Whilst this may not seem a great quantity you have to remember that camping meals generally consist of tinned foods (that I cook in the frying pan) or pasta/rice, which is cooked in a few minutes as opposed to boiling potatoes that take ages, especially on a camping stove.
On the outside of the saucepan there are several water level marks. Personally I can’t see the use in these since I never use a specific amount of water when cooking whilst camping. I use the least I can get away with (so boiling times are reduced) and top it up as and when necessary. I can only guess that most people are like me in this technique, but the marks are there for those that wish to be a bit more methodical and exact.
On the saucepan there are two thick plastic handles to pick it up with. Whilst the handles get warm during the cooking process I have never got them to the point where they are too hot to be picked up using bear hands. Even after boiling water for several minutes the handles have remained cool enough to hold. This is a great positive for this product, and it is a shame the same can’t be said for other items in this kit.
The handles are hinged which allows them to secure the lid and create less space. The hinges are tough and durable and still as stiff today as they were when I bought the kit just over a year and a half ago. I have total confidence in the handles and wholly trust that they will not suddenly fail when lifting a saucepan of boiling water, which may result in a nasty injury. The strength of these hinges is another positive for this kit.
The frying pan
The frying pan is a little over 8 inches in diameter, i.e. just big enough to allow the plates to fit inside them. The frying pan is not that large so don’t expect to be able to a full fry up for two, or even one person, but it is more than big enough to deal with a couple of sausages, a couple of rashers of bacon and a couple of mushrooms.
Like everything in this kit the frying pan is a great heat conductor and warms up very quickly. The coating is not non-stick and I would always recommend using a little oil for frying, even when dealing with really fatty foods otherwise you’re going to have problems with sticking.
The frying pan has a heavy duty and hinged metal handle that enables you to pick up the frying pan and move it around whilst cooking. I find the handle gets warm during the cooking process but it never gets too hot to handle with a bare hand. This is a major positive of this product. In addition, the hinge is very strong and durable and I have no worries or concerns that it is suddenly going to give up the ghost. The hinge is as tight today as it was when I bought the kit just over a year and a half ago.
The plates
Whilst the plates are quite small, (approx 8 inches in diameter), and shallow (approx 1.5 inches deep) I find they are more than adequate to hold what I want them to including tinned chilli, tinned beans and the like. Whilst they will deal with most foods I wouldn’t use them for really ‘saucy’ items or soup as they just aren’t deep enough.
My main criticism with the plates is the fact that they are great heat conductors and heat up too much too quickly. This makes resting a plate with hot food on bare skin unbearable, which is a pain in hot weather when all you want to wear is a small pair of shorts.
Cups
The cups may look small but they hold a surprising amount of liquid, which is a definite positive. However, as the entire cup is made out of thin metal the handle gets very hot very quickly and within a matter of seconds of pouring the boiling water the handle gets unbearably hot, which is a big problem. There are a few ways of overcoming this such as wearing asbestos gloves (not really an option in summer), waiting for the water to cool down (but then you have to endure a cold coffee/tea hence defeating the objective) etc. I have found a folded piece of kitchen roll to be more than adequate but it looks strange and is something that you shouldn’t have to do.
This is a big design flaw and the manufacturers should have opted for thicker metal handles since these would not conduct the heat so quickly, or used plastic but I guess using the same thin metal used in the rest of the kit helps keep the costs down and makes them easier to make.
Availability and price
This kit is available from loads of online and offline retailers. Go in to any camping shop, fishing tackle shop (long stay anglers need cooking equipment too), large sport shop (such as JJB) or outdoor pursuits shop and you are bound to find this kit on a shelf somewhere so there should be no issues whatsoever in sourcing this kit.
I paid £8.99 for this kit from a local (and notoriously expensive) camping shop but a quick online search and I note that it can be bought for £9.99, so the price is pretty uniform from all retailers.
Summary and conclusion
The good
i) Cheap
ii) Lightweight
iii) The stacking/storage solution is genius and saves on space
iv) Ideal for back packers and those who wish to travel light
v) The saucepan and frying pan are great heat conductors making them ideal for low
vi) powered camping gaz stoves
vii) The hinged handles on the frying pan and saucepan never got too hot to handle
The bad
i) Made out of thin metal that is not that heavy duty or durable
ii) Susceptible to damage if dropped, mistreated or has something heavy put on it
iii) The plates and cups get very hot very quickly
iv) There is no kettle included and the saucepan doesn’t have a pouring spout
v) The ‘protective’ bag is no that protective
The ugly
i) Looks cheap and nasty
ii) All items will scratch if metal utensils are used
Overall
Considering the price and the contents of the kit it represents great value for money. It is lightweight, stackable and takes up little room and great heat conductors making them ideal for low powered gas cookers. I would not recommend using powerful petrol burners since these would wreck the items. Personally I think the metal is a bit too conductive since the plates get very warm very quickly and the handles of the cups get unbearably hot.
The quality of aluminium used is not the best and nothing is non-stick but provided you look after the items in the kit, don’t use metal utensils or use a too powerful cooker then this kit should last you a long time.
There are other alternatives available from a whole range of manufacturers, such as Gelert, Vango and the like, and whilst there are differences (some contain a kettle, some are non-stick etc.) they pretty much do the same thing. Some kits are very expensive, especially the non-stick variety, but are these really needed in a camping field? I guess it depends on the sort of meals you eat whilst camping, but I have little use for non-stick.
If you are after a cheap, lightweight cooking set that takes up little room then I can highly recommend this. Sure you have to look after it but provided you do you won’t have any problems at all.
(Originally posted on Dooyoo under the name of Yackers1)
