My choices for cooking gear and stoves are inexpensive (or free) and practical. For decades, the default cooking gear choice for Scouts was the metal clamshell mess kit. |
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I don’t recommend mess kits!They are not as practical or useful as the alternatives now available; |
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Light My Fire Outdoor LunchBox | Cascadian Tableware | Infinity Insulated Mug |
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A bowl, a plate, and a spork (combined spoon and serrated fork). The spork is made of a tough polycarbonate material and the rest is made of PP (polypropylene), an environmentally friendly plastic. | Lightweight, flexible polypropylene material is easy to pack, stack and carry. Can be purchased as a kit or separately (see utensil set above). The kit includes: 6 in. bowl, 9.5in. plate, 12 fl. oz. cup, tablespoon, fork, knife, plastic ring, mesh bag | I like an insulated mug, and this one features an insulating foam sleeve and sip-it lid. Capacity 17 fl. oz. |
Wt. 8 oz. Size: 8.5 x 7.5 x 2.5 in. | Plate Wt. 3.2 oz. at Campmor | Wt. 3.2 oz. Size: 3.7″x4.4″ |
Available at Campmor | Bowl Wt. 1.5 oz. at Campmor | Infinity Mug at Campmor |
Available at Amazon | Cup Wt. 1.7 oz. at Campmor | Infinity Mug at REI |
Available at REI | Cascadian Kit Wt. 7.5 oz. at Campmor | Infinity Mug at Amazon |
Scouts do not usually need individual cookware or stoves. When Scouts go camping they are camping with their patrol, and this means the patrol is cooking as a group, not as individual Scouts. Before you go to the expense of outfitting a Scout with these items check with your troop and see if they will be needed on a regular basis or not.
Open Country 2 qt. Pot |
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Aluminum pot and lid, I store my stove, mug and spoon inside. |
4 1/8″ x 6″ Wt. 7.36 oz. |
Open Country 2 qt. Pot at Campmor |
Open Country 2 qt. Pot at REI |
Open Country 2 qt. Pot at Amazon |
Solo Stove | Esbit Pocket Stove | Basic Backpacking Stove |
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I am convinced we need to rethink using wood for fuel not only to sharpen our skills but also to minimize our impact. The double-walled Solo Stove is a “natural convection inverted down gas gasifer”. Air intake holes channel air to the bottom of the fire and direct warm air up between the walls creating a burst of preheated oxygen causing a secondary combustion of the gases (smoke) given off by the burning wood. | Pocket Stove folds down to compact size. Includes six Esbit 14g solid fuel cubes that burn about 12 minutes each and are carried inside the stove. Esbit fuel is non-toxic, environmentally safe, has no ash residue and is nearly odorless.Two-position design permits a low flame for controlled cooking or a direct flame for a quicker boil time. Wt. 3.5 oz. | Available from different manufacturers and in different styles I have found few diffrences amongst the several I have tested. Aim at one priced $25.00 or less. |
$69.99 Available from Amazon |
Esbit Pocket Stove at REI | Basic Stove at REI |
Esbit Pocket Stove at Campmor | Basic Stove at Campmor | |
Esbit Pocket Stove at Amazon | Basic Stove at Amazon |