Topic: The Best Camping Dishes of 2022 (Read 108 times)
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Key Features
Why It Made the Cut
Nice depth and insulation made the GSI Glacier my favorite among the stainless steel options I tested.
Pros
Cons
Product Description
Stainless steel camping dishes are popular for good reason. They look great, and if you treat them well, they’ll last for years. The GSI Glacier passed the throw test with flying colors without any damage and suffered only minor denting from the drop test (which gave it a bit of a cool, rugged look). It showed no scratches when I used a fork on it and only a light scratch from a butter knife. Given that it’s just a thin sheet of stainless steel, I was surprised that it provided any insulation during the boiling water test. I wouldn’t hold it from the bottom with hot soup, but a glancing touch won’t singe your hand.
The depth of this plate makes it functional for a wide variety of backcountry meals, from soup to salads to steaks. And its curved design also means that it stacks well if you’re purchasing one for each member of the family.
Key Features
Why It Made the Cut
Great durability co*bined with solid insulation and BPA-free materials made the Sea to Summit Delta my favorite plastic camping dish.
Pros
Cons
Product Description
As someone who grew up eating off of scuffed-up, scratched plastic plates while car camping, I found that the Sea to Summit Delta really appealed to my nostalgia. Fortunately, it was much more durable than the plates of my youth and survived both the throw test and the drop test with only minor scuffs. The honeyco*b pattern on the bottom gave it functional heat resistance—I wouldn’t want to hold this plate for a long time with hot soup in it but getting it from the camp kitchen to the table wouldn’t hurt. I also liked its depth, which works well for salads and pastas, but it can also handle food that requires a knife and fork.
This one did show scuffs from both a knife and fork, similar to other plastic plates. My only real co*plaint with the Delta is that it takes up more space in my camping box than others in this test.
Key Features
Why It Made the Cut
The Coleman enamel plates have solid functionality and a classic design at a great price.
Pros
Cons
Product Description
It’s hard to beat the classic speckled appearance of an enamel plate. Unlike the plastic and stainless steel plates I tested, the Coleman enamel plate did not have any scratches after I used both a fork and knife on it. While this camping dish did not bend or break during the throw and drop tests, significant chunks of the enamel came off. It could still be used for meals, but the appeal of its appearance disappeared. That said, the price and stackability of this camping plate make purchasing additional ones a reasonable option.
Key Features
Why It Made the Cut
An elegant, versatile design made the four pieces of this packable lightweight set a go-to in my camping box.
Pros
Cons
Product Description
If you enjoy creating elaborate, photo-worthy backcountry meals, a single plate or a single bowl can make this challenging. That’s why I love this Snow Peak tableware set—the four pieces range in size and shape from dinner plate to soup bowl and provide plenty of variety for anything you have in mind.
This set lacks durability. The plate bent on the throw test and had severe indents after the drop test. It also did a poor job of insulating my hand from boiling water (although this is less of an issue when you can stack a plate underneath a soup bowl). But these stacked well inside of the camping box, especially when there was more than one set stacked together, minimizing my concerns about long-term damage.
Key Features
Why It Made the Cut
This plate had the best insulation I tested and a pleasing heft to it that handled the drop test better than most.
Pros
Cons
Product Description
Not only is the Hydro Flask Plate larger than any other camping dish I tested, at .86 inches high, it’s also larger than the ceramic plates I use at home. But if space isn’t an issue in your camping rig, there’s a lot to like here. First, it’s pretty dang durable. Only one small dent appeared at the side from the throw test (likely the weight of the plate itself was a factor here), and it came out of the tougher drop test almost co*pletely unscathed. It also resisted scratching quite well. Only a single faint line showed after I used a knife on it.
The double-walled insulation (think of your camping mug) attributed to the heft of this plate, which provided excellent insulation. I could barely feel the heat from the boiling water on the sides of the plate and only a slightly unpleasant heat at the center. If you’re tired of treating burns after you singe your fingers whenever you pick up a thin stainless steel or titanium plate, this camping dish can help keep your fingers burn-free.
Camping dishes can range from under $5 all the way up to $25 or more. While there are a ton of cheap options out there that aren’t worth the time, ones like the Coleman enamel dishes won’t break the bank but still work great.
If you’re on a budget, you can absolutely use whatever plates you have on hand (or find at a thrift store) for camping—I certainly did this myself more than once when I was younger. But if camping beco*es a regular part of your outdoor adventuring, it’s worth the investment in a quality set of camping plates, as ceramic dishes are significantly more prone to breaking.
For long-term use, something that you could even pass down to your own kids one day, it’s hard to beat stainless steel camping dishes. It’s one of the toughest materials out there and, unlike titanium dishes, reasonably priced.
Camping dishes are made out of a number of different materials including stainless steel, plastic (such as melamine), enamel, silicone, and titanium. Different materials have different advantages and disadvantages—including price, durability, functionality, and aesthetic. For instance, stainless steel and titanium camping dishes are generally more durable than enamel or plastic, while enamel dishes show fewer scratches from a knife and fork than other materials.
Overlanders, car campers, and RV campers may prefer larger camping dishes—something that can fit a steak and a couple of sides—while backpackers or backcountry hunters may want something lighter and more co*pact to go along with their backpacking food.
Unlike modern dinnerware sets, camping dishes co*e in a variety of heights, from nearly pancake flat to a borderline bowl. Several camping dishes that I looked at for this roundup straddled the distance between plate and bowl and worked equally well as either. The thickness of a plate also impacts how well it’s able to insulate your hand from the heat of your food.
While it’s possible that you are looking to purchase a single camping dish, it’s more likely that you are looking to purchase dishes for multiple people. Nesting dishes are designed to fit neatly together, making them easier to stack and pack away in your camping box, especially if you have to pack other things like a camping stove or kettle.
Choosing the best camping dishes for your cooking box is a small decision that can have a big affect on your quality of life. A number of options are available from manufacturers like Sea to Summit, MSR, Hydro Flask, Odoland, GSI, Coleman, Snow Peak, Wealers, and UCO. Pick the best one for your own camping style and space requirements, so you can focus on spending more time outdoors.
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