The Ultimate Camp Kitchen Guide for Short Trips

Camping & Outdoors | By Ben, Sipivo founder

Cooking somewhere unfamiliar can be awkward enough before you discover that the campsite BBQ you were counting on is already taken. You’ve brought the food, you’re ready to eat, and suddenly your dinner depends on someone else finishing theirs.

My approach is to bring a setup that lets us make our own meals. If we manage to get a BBQ, great. If we don’t, it shouldn’t derail the evening.

For two people, I almost always use a portable gas stove. It’s small, easy to bring along, and does the job well for the meals we want to cook. Add suitable pans, a couple of utensils, and enough table space, and a one-night camp kitchen can stay pretty straightforward.

Start with the meals and decide whether you need to cook

For just one night, you can make things even simpler by bringing food that doesn’t need cooking. Sandwiches or wraps for dinner and an easy breakfast might be all you want. You still need to keep any perishable ingredients chilled, but you can leave the cooking equipment at home if the whole menu works without it.

If you do want a hot meal, work backwards from dinner and breakfast. Choose food you can make with the equipment you’re bringing, rather than choosing an elaborate menu and then trying to fit a kitchen into the car.

It helps to ask three questions: can I cook this on my own stove, what utensils does it need, and where will I put everything while I’m making it? The last question is easier to overlook than you’d think.

My compact cooking setup for two

The cooking basics I reach for are simple:

• A portable gas stove with the correct fuel.

• Stainless-steel cooking pans suited to the stove and the meals.

• A spatula and tongs when we’re keeping the menu light.

• A folding table with enough usable space.

• Plates, eating utensils, and whatever the food needs for preparation.

A spatula and tongs cover a lot of simple cooking, but the menu decides whether you also need a knife, chopping board, mixing container, or another tool. Packing light works best when you’ve thought through the whole meal.

Check your stove and fuel before leaving, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for cookware size and setup. Check current campsite and fire restrictions too; bringing your own stove doesn’t mean it can be used everywhere. Use it outdoors in a suitable open area, never inside a tent or vehicle.

A folding table earns its space

Enough table space is a must for me. You need somewhere to prepare food, put a plate down, and set utensils while you’re cooking. A surface that only just fits the stove leaves you juggling everything else.

Use a stable, level surface suitable for your stove, following its required clearances. Keep the cooking area free of loose packaging and other items that could get in the way. Leave a separate patch for preparing and serving food.

A small extra table can also give drinks and personal items their own spot. It means the cooking surface stays useful instead of slowly filling up with cans, phones, and whatever someone has just taken out of a bag.

Eggs and pancakes keep breakfast familiar

Eggs are a regular camping breakfast for us, and pancakes are another easy go-to. I like meals that feel familiar when the rest of the kitchen is unfamiliar.

Keep the plan manageable for the number of burners you have. If you’re using one, cooking a few pancakes at a time is more realistic than trying to run several pans at once. Choose a breakfast you’re happy to make at that pace.

For an easier start, measure dry pancake ingredients at home and pack them in a labelled container, then add the wet ingredients when you’re ready to cook. Bring a suitable mixing container and keep ingredients that need refrigeration chilled. If you prefer eggs, check that you have everything you normally use to cook and serve them.

The aim is to remove the little surprises: discovering you need a mixing bowl, searching for the spatula, or realising there’s nowhere to put the finished food.

Treat a campsite BBQ as a bonus

Busy shared cooking areas are one reason I prefer being able to make everything ourselves. You may not get the spot you wanted, and a new campsite can have a different layout or facilities from what you expected.

If you’ve packed for your own stove, a free BBQ gives you another option. If it’s occupied, dinner can still happen. Check the facilities before travelling, but don’t make a shared cooking surface the only way your menu works.

It’s worth having something you can eat without cooking as well, in case conditions or restrictions prevent you from using the stove. That can be a simple backup meal rather than a second elaborate menu.

Pack for washing up before adding extras

The meal isn’t finished when the pan is empty. Bring enough water for your needs, suitable washing supplies, a cloth or sponge, a way to dry things, and bags for rubbish and dirty equipment.

Keep the washing-up items together so they’re easy to find. A small tub can be useful if it suits your kit. Follow campsite guidance for washing and wastewater disposal, and keep food scraps contained.

Pack ingredients by meal in containers you can lift out, then return things to their places as you go. It’s much easier to make breakfast when last night’s utensils and packaging haven’t taken over the table.

Give your open drink a place away from the pans

Set drinks on a stable surface away from heat, food preparation, and the route people walk through camp. A can next to the chopping board tends to get moved every time you need more room.

Those ordinary distractions are part of why I’m developing Sipivo: a reusable can topper designed to help protect an opened drink from debris and accidental spills between sips. While you’re turning a pancake or serving dinner, your drink shouldn’t need to occupy the cooking space too.

Sipivo is still in development. It’s one part of the setup, alongside keeping spare drinks chilled and giving the open one a sensible place to sit.

For longer trips, expand the plan before the equipment

One night is fairly easy to manage with a small menu, and sometimes without cooking at all. The longer we’re away, the more we’re likely to want cooking options and a little variety.

That means thinking through food storage, water, fuel, and washing up for the extra days. It doesn’t automatically mean bringing every pan from home. Start with meals that share equipment, then add something when you know what job it will do.

For a quick trip for two, I’m happy with a compact stove, stainless pans, simple utensils, and a folding table. Knowing we can cook without waiting for a BBQ makes the whole plan easier to enjoy.

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