How to Choose Camping Cookware

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Start with how you camp, not with a brand name. These questions help you compare a nesting aluminum set, a stainless set, and a cast iron piece on the same points.

What Material?

Hard-anodized aluminum is light and heats fast, which is why the GSI sets use it. Stainless steel is heavier but nearly impossible to damage, which is why the Stanley sets use it. Cast iron sears best and holds heat longest, but it is the heaviest by far and needs seasoning care. Titanium is the lightest of all, and the most expensive per pot.

How Many People?

A two-person set with a 2 L pot suits a pair. A four-person set, like the GSI Camper or the Stanley set with its 3.7-quart pot, feeds a family. A 6-quart camp Dutch oven feeds six. Makers' person counts vary, so pot size is the fairer comparison.

How Does It Travel?

For backpacking, weight comes first: GSI's two-person Backpacker weighs 28.8 ounces. For car camping, packed volume matters more: look for a set that nests into one bag, like the GSI Camper at 9.1 x 9.1 x 5.8 inches. A cast iron piece does not pack down at all, so plan a tote for it.

What Heat Source?

Match the set to your heat. GSI's ceramic sets are for camp-stove use only, not open campfires. Lodge cast iron works on any stovetop, including induction, as well as in the oven, on the grill, or over a campfire. If you cook over wood coals, cast iron is the safe pick.

What About Cleaning?

Nonstick and stainless wipe clean more easily than bare cast iron. Cast iron needs its seasoning protected: clean it with a chainmail scrubber and warm water, dry it right away, and wipe on only a thin coat of oil.

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." — Matthew 11:28 (KJV)