Last update on 2025-03-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Spring is around the corner, and campers start looking for the best survival cooking kit. Planning goes a long way when it comes to outdoor activities. Supply lists are already being written for the upcoming season. After being cooped up at home for over a year, more people are looking for vacation alternatives.
Social distancing is still a problem. So most will turn to outdoor activities like camping. Since you will have to eat something during your trip, taking pre-made food might not be a good idea. You will be carrying everything on your back after all.
This won’t be a problem for those going hunting since they will be able to provide for themselves. But to those of us without skill or stomach for hunting, this will prove quite the challenge. The same goes for those able to build a campfire and those of us who will most definitely need a cooking stove.
In this article we will go through everything you might need. Taking into account your experience level and time available. Here, you will be able to determine which is the best survival cooking kit for you.
What type of trip are you planning?
When planning for a trip you should start with the basics. Depending on the kind of outdoor trip you are planning, your needs will be different. If you are planning a hunting trip, then I assume you have more experience in the outdoors. Hunting can be dangerous for the untrained. It should not be attempted without experienced supervision.
Hunters will need different survival equipment than normal campers. This is because they will already have to carry their game. That’s why their survival gear tools will have to be more compact and lightweight. They will also be moving around a lot more so mini cooking kits might be best for them.
If, on the other hand, you are a rookie camper then you might want to stay on the safe side of things. Your survival equipment will need to be a little bulkier. You will need more things to make your stay outdoors more comfortable, like for example a stove.
How long will your trip be?
The length of your trip will not determine the amount of gear you will need. But it will determine how much food you will be taking and the kind of foods you will need. If you can’t hunt or don’t have a way to refrigerate food then you can forget about meat and dairy. If this is the case for you, then you should stick to fruits and vegetables that don’t go bad rapidly. You should also consider taking pasta, rice, canned food and spices. You should calculate beforehand what you need to take and in which amounts. That way you won’t have to carry more than you have to or end your trip early for shortage of food. You can always look up easy recipes for camping. If you don’t have a natural water supply or don’t know if it’s safe to drink then you might want to take water of your own. Your other option is to learn how to purify water on your own.
Buyer’s Guide: Thing to Consider Before Buying the Best Survival Cooking Kit
How much weight are you willing to carry?
As a rule, campfire cooking kits are designed to be compact and easy to carry and store. If it wasn’t then it would be quite difficult and heavy to carry. Even if cooking ware takes up a lot of space, you still have to worry about the weight as well. The only real answer to this question is up to you. Do you need all three pots the kit has? Do you need the plates and cups or can you eat and drink from the pot and canteen? Are all the utensils necessary? How many people will be eating?
These are all things you need to take into account before packing. If you are going out on your own, then you will have to carry all the weight. If you go in a group then you can divide the cooking gear between all of you. The best survival cooking kit should satisfy all your needs.
How many people will be eating?
Your planning will depend on how many people are going to be eating. Are you going on a solo trip? Are you going with friends? Family? You will also have to take into account how much food each person eats. For instance, a child will not eat the same amount of food as an adult or a teenager. You will have to consider these things before buying a survival cooking kit. This is because most kits come with survival equipment for one or two people. If there are more people coming on this trip with you, then you might need to buy more than one kit.
Are the survival gear tools versatile?
Since this is a product you will hopefully be using for a long time, your kit needs to be versatile. What do I mean by that? I mean it has to have more than one use to it. Do you need a kettle or can you boil water in a pot? Do you need a rice ladle or can you simply serve it with a spoon? If you are camping on your own, will you need the plate or can you simply eat your food from the pot? One single item can have many uses and it all depends on how creative or practical you get. Of course if there are many people going with you you will need more things. But the idea of camping is carrying as few things as possible. The best survival cooking kit should be convenient.
Do you know how to start a campfire?
I want to start by saying that you should never attempt to start a campfire if you have no previous experience. The same goes for fire safety. Many wildfires start with unattended campfires during the dry season. So please refrain from trying unless you have experience. If you do not have experience or are in an extremely dry area, fret not, there is a way around that. Survival cooking stoves are a very convenient way around campfires. They often have safety systems to avoid any accidents. Yet another alternative are portable gas stoves. The best survival cooking stoves have no need for matches. That way you have no need to worry about carrying any. You will need a mini cooking kit that comes with a flint if you know your way around a fire.
Is the survival cooking kit easy to clean?
As we all know, faucets will not be available to do the dishes. That’s why survival gear being easy to clean is very important. Cooking outdoors will prove trickier than cooking at home. If any of your foods stick to your pots or get burnt, cleaning them out will be more difficult. Ideally, your campfire cooking kit should be made with non-stick materials. That way you can simply wipe off the excess grease and wash it later at home.
What is the survival equipment made of?
As I have said in other articles, the material with which cooking gear is made is very important. All plastic items should be BPA free. And all metal items should be either stainless steel or food-grade. Anodized aluminium is also a very good alternative. This is because we wish to avoid food to be contaminated in any way. It is very common for chemicals to end up in your food due to non-safe materials. As we mentioned above, pots and pans should also be made of non-stick materials as well. you want your gear to be convenient, long-lasting, and of course, safe to use.
Top 5 Best Survival Cooking Kits
1. Bisgear 16 Pcs Camping Cookware
Last update on 2025-03-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
This campfire cooking kit is one of the most complete. Not only does it come with the usual cookware, but it also includes a mini stove with piezo ignition. Both pots and pans are made of non-stick anodized aluminium and quite durable! Or so says a reviewer who fell 60 feet off a trail and found the kit unscratched. This kit is compact, and lightweight. It is also easy to pack and unpack. All plastic pieces are BPA free. The handles of the pot and pan are quite sturdy as well and do not melt in the heat.
Pros
- Anodized aluminium
- Compact
- Lightweight
- Easy to clean
- Non stick
- Mini stove
- BPA free bowls
- Family friendly
- Handles can endure high temperatures
Cons
- Not dishwasher safe
- Does not specify which kind of gas/propane to use
2. Bulin 27/13/11/8/3 PCS Camping Cookware
Last update on 2025-03-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
This mini cooking kit comes with anodized aluminium cooking ware. The handles on the pots are heat resistant. All of its plastic items are BPA free as well. It is lightweight and compact. It can feed 2 to 4 people. For the most part, reviewers are happy with the quality. The only recurring problem it seems to have, is that the non-stick does not always work.
Pros
- Anodized aluminium
- Heat resistant handles
- BPA free
- 2-4 people
- Lightweight
- Compact
Cons
- Non-stick can be unreliable
- Not dishwasher safe
3. Bisgear Camping Cookware
No products found.
This cooking kit might be for more experienced campers since it comes with a flint. All pieces are made of metal. Anodized aluminium and stainless steel makes it much more durable. Regardless of this fact, the kit is quite lightweight nonetheless. As previous mini cooking kits, this one isn’t dishwasher safe either. One thing that is also worth noting is that this kit sometimes arrives with missing items.
Pros
- Anodized aluminium
- Stainless steel
- Lightweight
- Compact
- Flint
Cons
- Not dishwasher safe
- Sometimes arrives incomplete
4. Aoduoer Camping Cookware
Last update on 2025-03-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
This survival cooking kit has all the benefits we have mentioned before. Anodized aluminium? Check. BPA free plastic? Check. Lightweight and compact? Check. Non-stick material? Check. The added bonus that this kit has is the money back/ replacement guarantee. The only downside reviewers could find was the size, which for some was too small.
Pros
- Anodized aluminium
- BPA free plastic
- Lightweight
- Compact
- Easy to clean
- Non-stick
- Money back or replacement guarantee
Cons
- Not dishwasher safe
5. Overmont 1.95 Liter (Pot+ Kettle) Camping Cookware Set
No products found.
This set might prove adequate for people who don’t go outdoors often. It is more suitable for gas stoves than campfires. It is made of anodized metal, but the plastic parts are not BPA free. The inside of the pots are not non-stick so make sure to oil them first. As the other kits, this one isn’t dishwasher safe either. The utensils provided are metal, but not stainless steel.
Pros
- Anodized metal
- Easy to clean
- Suitable for gas stoves
Cons
- Not stainless steel
- Not BPA free
- Not dishwasher safe
- No non-stick
- Handles are not heat resistant
- Not suitable for campfires
Final Thoughts
The final selection will depend on the buyer’s priorities. If you want the most complete kit possible, then the best one for you is the Bisgear 16pcs Camping Cookware Set - Backpacking Stove & Mess Kit - Pots, Pans & Accessories - Survival Gear. Which, unlike other mini cooking kits, it comes with a mini stove.
If you are not a fan of greasy foods and are not in need of non-stick material, then the Bulin Camping Cookware Mess Kit, Nonstick Backpacking Cooking Set, Outdoor Cook Gear for Family Hiking, Picnic| Lightweight Cookware Sets(Kettle, Pots, Frying Pan, BPA-Free Bowls, Plates, Spoon) is ideal for you. It can serve 2 to 4 people so you can go with family or friends.
If you are a more experienced camper and know your way around a campfire, then the is the kit for you. It comes with a flint so you can forget about packing matches.
But I believe the clear winner in today is the Aoduoer Camping Cookware Mess Kit Outdoor Cooking Equipment Cookset Camp Pot Pan Bowls - Free Folding Utensil Set, Mess Bag | Lightweight, Compact, Durable for Backpacking Hiking Scouts which ticks all the boxes. All metals are food grade and all plastics BPA free. It has non-stick material and is easy to clean. It is lightweight and compact as well. It also has a money back/ replacement guarantee in case you are not satisfied. Campers, hunters and backpackers of all levels will be able to enjoy this cooking kit.
