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The standard issue military type clamshell mess kit may have a long tradition in Scouting, but compared to the alternatives it is woefully inadequate.
Some folks like gadgety, expensive, modern specialty cooking gear but I’ll be fine with my highly evolved, cheap, light, and completely superior kit assembled from commonly available alternatives.
Here’s my (kind of ranting) piece by piece deconstruction of the mess kit, and alternatives for every budget ($-$$$) or for free!
There’s an infographic available at the end of this post.
Utensils
The traditional interlocking knife, fork, spoon? Lugs on the spoon collect crud and the bowl is shallow and small. The fork is a utilitarian masterpiece compared to the dull, flimsy, useless knife that shames knives everywhere.
Why carry a fork AND a spoon when a spoon will do? If you want to get fancy try a spork or a foon!
Any common plastic spoon will do, and you don’t need a special eating knife if you’re carrying a pocket knife.
Alternatives
$
$$
$$$
Free (or nearly so)
‘Disposable’ plastic spoons
Plate or Bowl
An aluminum plate is an efficient heat sink, the thermodynamics are designed to suck the heat out of food and transfer it directly to your hands.
My alternative is a food storage container with a lid. There are specialty camping bowls and kits; I prefer the lighter, less costly, alternatives.
Alternatives
$
Square 2-Cup Food Storage Container
$$
$$$
Light My Fire Outdoor Meal Kit
Free (or nearly so)
A disposable take-out container
The “Frying Pan”
Try frying something in a mess kit ‘frying pan’ without it sticking and burning. Never mind the puzzle of a handle with nuts and bolts that inevitably disappear into a pile of leaves. Who really needs to fry something in the woods anyway?
Alternatives
If you really have to fry something carry a real frying pan!
The Pot
The tiny mess kit pot great if you need a few tablespoons of boiling water, otherwise – no so great. A 1-2 quart aluminum pot with a lid is my choice of alternatives. Scouts should be cooking with a patrol, and when we are backpacking it doesn’t make much sense to have every individual carry their own pot.
Alternatives
$
Open Country 2 Quart Aluminum Covered Kettle
$$
Stainless Steel 2-Person Cook Set
(buy one and share with your friends)
$$$
Ultralight Titanium Cooking Pot
Free (or nearly so)
An old saucepan can be repurposed into a camping pot. (you can always cut off a handle or add a tinfoil lid if need be)
The Cup
An insulated mug does double duty as a bowl and will keep food warm unlike the flimsy plastic cup in most mess kits
$ – $$
Insulated Infinity Mug
Insulated Stainless Steel Mug
Free (or nearly so)
Every household probably has at least several insulated mugs hiding in a cabinet somewhere.
The Canteen
Canteens have (thankfully) been supplanted by much more utilitarian water bottles. Just In case, though, remember that canteens are small mouthed, leaky, difficult to fill, ungainly to carry and hard to clean.
Alternatives
$
Nalgene BPA Free Tritan Wide Mouth Water Bottle
Free (or nearly so)
Disposable bottles can be reused many times over. They are light and cheap. If the cap leaks that can be fixed with some plumber’s Teflon tape.
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I’ve recently been making my own mess kit and it helps pack weight immensely. One coleman maxx backpack pot from walmart for 15 bucks, they come two sizes in one box. A one person that holds a bit more liquid than a soup can and a larger one that holds a bit more than that. Perhaps 28 oz of water or enough to fill a dehydrated meal pouch for the pot for two. Then, I pack an alcohol stove with pot rack and a flat plastic bottle from the drug store for alcohol to power it. This also fits in the larger pot. Two silicone squishy bowls fit inside as well as a small sponge with scratchy backing incase its needed (this can be cut from a larger sponge to fit), and a bottle of dish soap and a facecloth to clean it all when your done cooking. All in all, its a self sufficient kitchen for a backpacker. Heating elements, cooking implements, and a way to clean it so you can repack and reuse. Silverware isn’t stored in the kit but separately. I use heavy duty plastic spoon, knife and fork from REI I got for 3 bucks.
I sometimes use the the old style boy scout clamshell because of the bowls that can be used for cooking as well as serving. The problem is that they manufacture them so much cheaper now. I have an old one that is still going strong but when I went to walmart to replace I took the five dollar outdoor products model out of the box and crushed it in my hand like a soda can. Rubbish. The limitations of the halves however are that everything sticks to them and something like frying eggs is impossible. Frying pans only work with a non stick coating and is tough for a backpacker to find that in a lightweight option. Its best to cut the pan and work with something more pack friendly.
Glad you mentioned the two items that the true dyed-in-the-wool low impact camper brings along as a “mess kit”: a Frisbee and a spoon.
Many of the boys in our troop just bring along a plate, cup and spoon from home in a ditty bag, and they eat just fine. As for me, yup, I have one of the stainless-steel versions of the clamshell mess kit and never use half the pieces. My spork fits nicely in the hinged handle. (I started carrying only a spork after loaning out parts of my silverware and not getting them back. Can’t loan out my only utensil!) That, and my Nalgene and coffee mug. It’s important to stay hydrated and caffeinated! (I guess I’m a heavyweight, but at least I don’t bring a kitchen sink.)
I would like to defend the old fashion mess kit. If you get rid of the silly handle (hold it together with rubber bands) it becomes an inexpensive two person cooking/mess kit. The 3/4 quart pot is big enough to boil two cups of water or cook a Knorr Side with Chicken or Spam added. The “frying pan” becomes the second plate/bowl. The other scout carries the two cups and two sporks to complete the kit. I generally place my canister stove inside the 3/4 quart pot to further reduce space. Yes it is not the lightest solution but sometimes we forget that a scout should be “Thrifty”.
Well said Tim; if you got one you can use it for sure. My argument is don’t buy mess kits in the first place.
For most of my camping career as a Boy Scout I had an aluminum measuring cup that my mom gave me when she got a new Pyrex one:
http://www.2oldcrows.com/vintage_kitchen_2.htm (bottom right)
I had that thing for years but I have since lost it.
My brother inlaw sent me this spatula for my birthday. I really like it. He lives in Kansas City and has a Cabelas and a Bass Pro Shop very close by. He sends me camping stuff for my birthday and I send him fishing stuff. Now I want the other two utensils 🙂
http://www.cabelas.com/camp-cookware-gsi-outdoors-folding-camp-utensils.shtml?type=product&WT.tsrc=CSE&WT.mc_id=GoogleBaseUSA&WT.z_mc_id1=1168817&rid=40&mr:trackingCode=C58BD2A4-122C-E011-8E88-001B21631C34&mr:referralID=NA
I have the “Light My Fire” Outdoor Mess Kit. I really like it. For backpacking I only take the spork and a plate. Othewise, the whole thing stays in my camp box. It has two smaller cups/bowls, a strainer/cutting board and two sporks:
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___82725
I have the guyotdesigns large spoon and spatula set. I particularly like the spoon for extended backpacking trips when we use dehydrated food. I have been looking for a spoon with a longer handle for quite a while. This spoon/spork is good for stirring Mountain House/Alpine Aire food and eating from the bag:
http://www.guyotdesigns.com/category.php?id_category=16
I have a set of the old brown cups left over from an old, four man aluminum cook kit. It has a pretty good handle and measurements for measuring water for dehydrated food. This is the cup that I usually take on backpacking treks when we are using dehydrated food. I could not find a good example as the new Texsport four man cook kits have the new yellow cups and they are not nearly as durable.
I have a Coleman Peak 1 stainless steel cup with a wire handle. It is rectangular like a normal mug. I was given a Sierra Cup by someone and I tried to use it for years. I assumed that since it was so cool I should really like it. I never did. I have the Peak 1 mug/cup for years, probably decades. It’s indestructible. I use it on almost every campout. I also have:
http://shop.getyourbubbakeg.com/Items/casku2608
a 48oz Bubba Keg. Fill it up with ice and it holds a full bottle of Gold Peak Sweet Tea. Usually good for an entire campout Saturday afternoon.
I have one of these tool rolls to keep my knives and spatulas and things in. This thing is extremely heavy duty and I really like it:
http://www.duluthtrading.com/store/departments/tools-shop/tool-bags-tool-belts/28017.aspx?feature=product_13
I have the Coleman Utensil Set in the roll up pouch pictured here with the mess kit. I bought it separately at Walmart. I keep it in my Action Packer camp box for new adults that need something or forgot something when they first come camping. They usually appreciate it:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-25-piece-Enamelware-Dining-Set-with-Stainless-Steel-Flatware/4528996?findingMethod=rr
http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=2000000998&categoryid=5170&brand=
I also keep a cast iron frying pan in my box for cooking pancakes, french toast, smokies sausages, grilled cheese, and dinners.
EXCELLENT advice!!! I’m throwing my mess kit away today and headed to the 99 Cent store to replace it! I have great Nalgene water bottles (that I won answering Clarke’s quiz a couple of months ago) and have a very user friendly hard plastic set of silverware. I replaced the plastic ring with a small metal keyring and can easily remove individual pieces of silverware for use without breaking the ring.