While you’re at camp, there are various gear and equipment that can be used to make you very comfortable. Here we will talk about the best camping mess kit. Mess kits are relevant for cooking and eating while camping.
It’s important to have the right mess kit while outdoors, as this will save you from a lot of stress. They usually combine different quality features to help in preparing nice, homely meals. For this reason, we have taken time to do reviews of top picks. Keep reading to find out more.
Table of Contents
What is the Best Mess Kit for Camping
Just like any other outdoor gear or equipment, it’s important to purchase a quality mess kit that can satisfy your needs. Making use of this article as a shopping guide will help you buy the best mess kit.
1. Light My Fire Meal Kit 2.0
The Light My Fire 8 Meal Kit 2.0 is a worthy mention in this article. It’s a nice mess kit that can serve multiple purposes.
It also provides you with great quality at an affordable price. Just as its name implies, this kit is a sum total of eight individual pieces. The combination of these individual pieces is usually enough for a single camper.
If you don’t want something that’s too heavy, you can buy this Light My Fire Meal Kit 2.0 – it has a lightweight and portable design. This machine-washable meal kit is available in different attractive hues.
2. Coleman Camping Cookware
This best camp mess kit, made up of 5 unique items, is sold at an affordable price. It’s excellent for cooking food in outdoor environments. It’s also made with a simple design.
If you’ll be backpacking this backpacking mess kit set is a good choice for you – it isn’t heavy, as it weighs less than a pound. When neatly arranged, all the individual items pack nicely together for portability. These individual items are one 8-ounce cup, 16-ounce pot with lid, 7-inch frying pan and a 6-inch deep dish plate
Regardless of its low cost of purchase, this product still offers nice features for outdoor camping. It may not be the best, but it still made it to our list.
3. Bulin Cookware Mess Kit
If you’re going to be on the road any time soon, and you don’t already have a nice outdoor mess kit, then you should consider getting this one.
It has over a dozen individual items (13 specifically) that make up the entire kit. These pieces, which are non-stick designed, can be packed and stored in a compact fashion.
Thanks to these products’ tolerance to high heat levels, you won’t need to buy a new mess kit each time you’re planning an outdoor trip.
Although each individual piece may have high tolerance to heat, much can’t be said about their handles – which usually get very hot. With that in mind, it’s important for you to exercise caution when holding the handles.
Summarily, if you’re looking for the best family camping mess kits, you can purchase this one.
4. MalloMe Cookware Mess Kit
This mess kit works best for solo campers; it isn’t large enough to satisfy multiple people. It’s also a portable unit that can be conveniently stored and transported to camp. Its compact nature is contributed to by the ability to neatly stack the pots together.
When handling items from your mess kit, it’s always good to have a firm grip of the handle – as this prevents accidental slip and break situations.
Thanks to the strong plastic handles on the items from this kit, there’s enough hand traction for a firm grip. The main issue with this solo kit is its ridiculously small-sized cups.
Apart from that single disadvantage, the MalloMe Cookware Mess Kit is an excellent choice for outdoor stays.
5. REDCAMP Cookware Mess Kit
Next on our list is the REDCAMP Cookware Mess Kit. It’s a product that shouldn’t be overlooked when searching for the best mess kit for camping.
It’s excellent for backpacking and other light-weight camping exercises; it weighs below 1-lbs. This 10-piece kit includes one fork, spoon, pot, pan, and others.
The compact nature of this mess kit makes it a portable product. There’s a storage bag that’s sold along with the rest of the items, but it isn’t reliable.
Other features of this nice cookware mess kit include full refund guarantee and close to 12-month manufacturer’s warranty. Summarily, this is a product that deserves a place on your list of camping equipment.
6. Winterial Camping Cookware and Pot Set
The Winterial Camping Cookware and Pot Set is another excellent choice to consider when searching for the best a mess kit. Unlike other stainless steel mess kits mentioned in this article, this one comes with a kettle. The kettle is versatile and efficient – it boils water quickly for multiple purposes/needs.
It’s not heavy – at just 1 ½-lb – and is light enough for backpacking. The entire set is made up of 10 individual items. Among these items, which come together to satisfy your camping needs, are one serving ladle, one plate, and a pair of bowls, 1-quart frying pan, 2-quart pot with lid, and one spatula.
In conclusion, you can cook a significant amount of food in the quality pot that’s part of this set. The aluminum oxide pot, and also a pan, are both covered with non-stick Teflon. Cleaning this set is a simple process.
7. MSR Quick 2 System Cookset
This product is of high quality, and it has been manufactured to satisfy high standards. It’s also a camping mess kit that’s capable of serving more than one camper.
The individual items that make up this MSR Quick 2 System Cookset include a pair of deep dish plates, a pair of non-stick pots, a pair of insulated mugs, and one detachable pot handle. Note that the non-stick pots each have a 1 ½ liter and 2 ½ liter capacity.
When it comes to portability, you can neatly arrange all the previously mentioned parts of this mess kit inside the 2 ½ Liter pot. Another nice feature of this product is that all its components aren’t heavy at all – it has a total specification of 1.75-lbs. The light-weight and compact nature of this product make it convenient to carry about.
8. GSI Outdoors Nesting Cook Set
If you’ve not been satisfied with the products mentioned so far, this is another great option to try.
The company responsible for manufacturing this mess kit for backpacking has a reputation for making excellent products. This cook set is a compact and portable product that can be conveniently used for camping exercises.
It is equipped with relevant features that make it so efficient in outdoor conditions. One of such features includes a waterproof-welded storage bag that can be used as a washbasin.
You can cook a significant amount of food in the quality pot that’s part of this cook set – the pot, and also a pan, are both covered with three layers of non-stick Teflon. These Teflon layers make both the pot and pan long-lasting and capable of uniform heating.
How to Pick the Best Mess Kit for Camping

Different people have their own unique needs and preferences. For instance, some people need the best car camping mess kit.
Hence, in order to buy the one that would satisfy your personal/specific needs, you have to consider some factors.
Material
The materials used to make the mess kit or camping dinnerware cannot be overlooked. This is because it affects the durability and reliability of the 4 person mess kit. It would be nice to grab a set that’s made from anodized aluminum.
This is because such mess kits resist corrosion while ensuring that the product lasts long. Steel-fabricated mess kits are usually the sturdiest. Heat-resistance is also a key feature of good materials.
How Many People Will Use It
The first thing to be considered is the number of people that are to be served.
Before buying any 2 person mess kit, you need to make sure that it has enough capacity to cook meals for all the people you’re going with. It should also have enough cutlery, cups, and plates.
Campers who are alone can purchase smaller mess kits that are specifically designed to serve a single person. The bigger mess kits are for multiple campers.
How Easy Are They to Clean
Cleaning is a necessary process after eating. For this reason, all items that make up a mess kit should be easy to clean. This feature is basically dependent on the material and coating used to make the mess kit.
So, look for a mess kit that has easy-to-clean materials. It would also help if it came with a sponge for scrubbing and storage unit that can serve as a washing sink.
Weight
Depending on personal needs and capability, you’ll need to pay attention to the weight of the mess kit. Not all campers can afford to carry heavy weights on their camping trip. Such campers would need light-weight mess kits.
You need to go for a kit that won’t weigh you down. If you’re going solo-camping, get a 1-person mess kit. However, people that can afford to carry heavy loads could always purchase the larger and heavier mess kits.
Types of Mess Kits
This part of the article takes you through the available kits on the market:
Eating Kits
Unlike the cook kits, these ones focus less on cookware and pay more attention to dishware. If you plan to use these kits in your camping tables, you should already have a separate cook kit for preparing food.
Cook Kits
Next are the cook kits. The major components of these kits are usually the pots and pans for preparing meals and coffee mugs; much isn’t available when it comes to camping plates and cutlery.
Minimalist
The items making up these kits come in singular units, like one frying pan, one cup, and so on.
Generally, minimalist mess kits have basic designs that help to prepare simple meals. They are also sold at low prices.
All-Inclusive
Last is the all-inclusive kit. Just as the name implies, they usually combine all needed features.
They have both cookware and dishware. They also have more capacity than the minimalist kits- hence, they can serve multiple campers.
Final Thoughts
Purchasing the best camping mess kit now wouldn’t be a problem. Among all the products that were reviewed earlier in this article, the Light My Fire Meal Kit 2.0 is the best.
This versatile mess kit provides you with great quality at an affordable price. Just as its name implies, this kit is a sum total of eight individual pieces.
The combination of these individual pieces is usually enough for a single camper. This machine-washable meal kit is available in different attractive hues as well.
Which of these best mess kits for backpacking do you like most? Let us know in the comments below please! Thank you very much for reading!