11 Easy Steps to a Camping Kitchen in 2023

This post contains affiliate links.

Want to cook some tasty meals while car camping? Look no further, this article will show you how to set up your camping kitchen.

1. CAMPING KITCHEN BIN

Nothing is worse than digging around your vehicle to try and find your cooking set-up, especially when you’re hungry and ready to eat. We recommend purchasing a storage bin to store all your cooking gear so that everything is in one place.  No more fumbling around, looking for gear.  Your camping kitchen will be all in one place.

camping kitchen

2. YOU NEED A TABLE

We’ve experimented with different tables and have settled on this Lifetime 4 foot table.   It’s sturdy, lays flat for transportation, and has adjustable legs.  It can be set up in less than 30 seconds and has enough room for cooking, meal prep, and eating.  We absolutely love it as a part of our camping kitchen! 

3. STOVE

This is the heart and soul of your camp kitchen.  There’s lots of camp stove options out there, but we love the Coleman Propane 2 Burner Stove for many reasons. This stove has been around for years and has proven to be reliable. We also like that it has 2 burners so that you can cook more efficiently. In addition, you can buy the propane canisters at pretty much any grocery store or gas station, which adds to the convenience.

camping kitchen

4. POTS & PANS

We recommend at least 1 pot & 1 pan for your camping kitchen. Any will do,  especially if you have some extras laying around the house.  We use this Greenpan Skillet and this Stone & Bean 3 Quart Pot with a lid.  

5. COOKING UTENSILS

This compact kit has everything you will need and includes a knife, cutting board, scissors, a spatula (I ordered a separate plastic one for the ceramic pan), a large spoon, tongs, and a bottle opener. We also love the pouch since it keeps everything in one place. 

6. BOWLS, CUPS, & UTENSILS

To have both bowls and plates would add more clutter to our set up, thats why we use this Stainless Steel Plate Set since they serve both purposes. They are lightweight and easy to clean…we love them. Any utensil and cup set will work for your camping kitchen.

camping kitchen bin
Fresh halibut caught that morning. Homer, AK.

7. SPICE IT UP

This spice kit is small, compact, and has lots of variety. This is much easier than purchasing all of these seperately. We also keep cooking oil (we prefer coconut or avocado oil) in our bin at all times so we are always prepared.  Note that coconut can be hard to clean at times!

8. CAMP KITCHEN SINK

This collapsible bowl is large, sturdy, and folds down small for easy transportation. Add in a scrubber, dish soap, & a drying towel and your sink is all set.  This will help keep your camping kitchen spot free.

9. FOOD STORAGE & OTHERS

It’s worth it to throw in a few Tupperware containers and Zip-Loc bags for food storage if you have left overs. A few other items we throw in the camping bin are garbage bags, baby wipes, a lighter, paper towels, and hand sanitizer.

10. COOLER

As of now, we are using a simple Coleman cooler with ice packs. It works fine, but it struggles on longer camping trips. We are looking to upgrade our cooler system soon to an RTIC or YETI in the near future.  If you’ve got recommendations, comment below! 

11. WATER

There’s nothing worse than being dehydrated on the road, thats why we recommend purchasing a 7 Gallon Water Jug to keep in your vehicle. This jug is BPA free and has a nice nozzle for easy pouring. It’s also great for filling up your collapsable bowl to do dishes!

camping table

Reach out with any questions or comments about our camping kitchen set-up. This set up makes cooking easy and fun while traveling and we cant recommend it enough!  Check out this recent trip where we used our camping kitchen. 

Start living life on top and purchase a Roofnest HERE through our Affiliate account.  

Life’s better on top!

Picture of Ben Maund
Ben is an avid hiker, climber, skier, and beard grower. You’ll find him cruising around the PNW in the Crosstrek and snapping stunning photos of mother nature at her finest. He’s a rooftop tent enthusiast committed to the minimalist and practical travel-style.

Like this post? Pin it on Pinterest! 

camping kitchen
camping kitchen
camping kitchen

About us.

We are Maddie & Ben, aka the Rooftop Trekkers.  Lovers of hiking, camping, exploring, and most of all – Rooftop Tents.  It’s our goal to provide the best rooftop tent reviews, tips, and travel itineraries     Follow along and find out why Life’s Better on Top!
Read More
[instagram-feed]

Follow us.

Facebook Twitter Google-plus Youtube Instagram

This Post Has 13 Comments

Leave a Reply