Campfire Guy here.  I’m in my second year as Cub Master of my son’s Cub Scout Pack.  We’ve been fortunate enough to add twenty-four families, brand new to Scouting, over the past 18 months.  We try to prepare them as best we can for Scouting by having a Q & A session shortly after they join.   

“How often do you camp, what is a den, what do I bring on a campout and what do you mean being in Cub Scouts is like herding cats?” are pretty typical.  One topic I mention that elicits the biggest, “What you talkin’ ‘bout Campfire Guy” is mess kits.

The Internets Knows Stuff

To paraphrase Wikipedia (which,  as we know is Latin for “the web site that ate both the Encyclopedia Britannica Collection and the guy that used to sell them on TV”),

“A mess kit, which may serve from one person to a family of eight, is a collection of common kitchen wares designed to be lightweight, easy to store and reuse.  Such kits usually contain at least a skillet, a plate, a cup, and cutlery.  Items are stored compactly by nesting them in other components (like a Russian doll); the whole kit may be placed in a stuff sack.”

 

How it Applies

In the spirit of Doing Our Best to Leave No Trace, once new families get a campout or two under their belt, we plan to encourage them to pass on the paper goods and plastic ware and to BYOMK. (Bring Your Own Mess Kits).

Campfire Family generates a lot of trash on campouts.  One way reduce is by using mess kits.  Being a consummate gear dork, of course, I have three different mess kits set ups.  

 

 

For Backpacking Trips

I like the Sea to Summit X Plate and Sea to Summit X-Bowl  Their bases also serve as a cutting board.  The silicone sides fold down, giving plenty of options to fit these into a pack.  The red Collapsible Travel Cup nests nicely in the plate and bowl.  When I’m at camp, this little jewel is usually in my pocket, ready for whatever water, coffee or apple cobbler needs may arise.  For utensils, I’ll throw in our Light My Fire Sporks.  

 

 

For Car Camping with One Kiddo

We will pack these GSI Cascadian 1 Person Mess Kits.  They take up a little too much space in a pack but are perfect for car camping when space isn’t as big an issue.  This inexpensive set comes with a plate, bowl, cup, utensils and a mesh “dunk bag” that can be used for storage and hanging wet dishes up to dry.

 

 

For Camping With Campfire Family

We will bring two of the GSI Cascadian kits and our GSI Pinnacle Cook Set .  The Pinnacle set has a four place setting complete with cups, insulated mug / bowls, plates, two pots, one skillet and a pot gripper.  It’s a little on the pricey side, but hard to beat when cooking for a large group.  

 

 

For utensils, we’ll once again use our Light My Fire Sporks.

 

 

There are a number of great mess kits on the market.  Find something in your budget that can be rewashed and reused.

 

 

Next’s week’s post will address, “So, I’ve stuffed my face and have all these dirty dishes to deal with, now what do I do?”

Special thanks to my friend Autumn Barker for the mess kit discussion inspiration.  Thanks as well to my buddy Mike Zolton, for gifting me my first silicone cup.  Fits in my pocket and works with coffee, soup, water, and cobbler?!?!?

Bon Appetite!

Affiliate links are gonna link.  Don’t be afraid of them, they add no cost to you and help put a little change in Campfire Guy’s pocket.  All gear mentioned above was purchased with the author’s own funds.