Waxing lyrical about camping cutlery feels very adult. While I never thought I’d get so enthused by compact, lightweight sporks, I guarantee that after reading about these products, you’re going to find camping cutlery pretty exciting, too. Kiss goodbye to the days of reaching for a fork from your kitchen drawer for a backcountry adventure, you can do better.
When I go camping, days tend to revolve around my next meal. If I’m hiking all day with the weight of a small child strapped to my back, I get pretty hungry, and food tastes indisputably superior outdoors.
Some of my most memorable camping experiences come from breaking bread with friends, skewering marshmallows over an open flame, or emerging, bleary-eyed from tents to enjoy hot porridge as the sun rises. When you’re feeling warm and fuzzy inside as you tuck into your instant noodles, you’ll need something to eat them with. (Take it from me, ramen is not a practical food to eat with your hands.)
What’s the best piece of cutlery to take camping?
That depends on what you’re planning on eating. If you’re mostly eating soup-based dishes, I’d recommend a foon. They’re similar to a spork, but more towards the spoon side, with smaller prongs. It makes them great for more liquid dishes.
Sporks are fantastic all-rounders, particularly for ultra lightweight backpackers. Get one with a serrated knife on the handle and a hole to hang it from a keychain or carabiner, and hey presto! There’s your entire cutlery drawer weighing next to nothing, clipped conveniently onto the outside of your pack.
If you’ve got the luxury of weight to spare, a convenient carry kit of a knife, fork, spoon, and possibly chopsticks covers all bases. It also means that your breakfast won’t taste like dinner from the night before if washing-up facilities are limited.
Or maybe you’re the type that takes pride in whipping up restaurant-worthy dishes using a camping stove or roasting full joints of meat over a campfire. There’s cutlery for that, too. Some camping knives even come with a corkscrew in the handle so that you can have a steak and wine night on the go.
Ready to get enthused about camping cutlery? Let me share my favorites for every adventure.
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The Muncher is your kitchen cutlery drawer and toolbox all at once, all for the meager weight of 0.8 ounces. It includes a spork, a serrated knife, a bottle opener, a can opener, a box cutter, a screwdriver, and even a peeler! It’s no surprise that this gadget has won numerous awards.
The durable little Snow Peak foon weighs just over half an ounce, and with shorter prongs than a spork, it’s fantastic for chunky soup and noodle dishes. The rice-to-water measuring line on the back is a useful touch.
The Forclaz Trek 500 spork literally costs a dollar, so it’s surely worth investing in over a fork that you’ve grabbed from your kitchen drawer. It’s foldable and extremely lightweight, and while at this cost it’s unlikely to last for life, it’s surprisingly heat-resistant and much more durable than disposable cutlery.
To-Go Ware is Climate Neutral Certified. The cutlery set (including a knife, fork, spoon, and chopsticks) is made from 100 percent bamboo and the accompanying carry pouch from recycled plastic water bottles. The knife blade isn’t particularly strong, so it’s better for eating food rather than preparing gourmet meals.
Made from durable stainless steel, the Hikenture 4-In-1 is rust-free and will last for years. It’s particularly handy that the fork detaches from the body of the utensil, enabling you to use a knife and fork both at once, very civilized. It’s on the heavier side at five ounces.
The stainless steel Chowpal only weighs 2.4 ounces but includes a knife, fork, spoon, bottle opener, can opener, wrench, and screwdriver. The knife blade is super sharp, but should it go blunt, it detaches and is replaceable.
If you can’t go camping without a bottle of red wine and a cheese platter, the Akinod Multifunction Cutlery is for you. It’s one of the heaviest on the list, at just over five ounces, but includes a five-pronged fork, knife, spoon, bottle opener, can opener, and most importantly, a corkscrew. The olive wood design is very aesthetically pleasing.
Strictly speaking, this is a gadget key rather than a cutlery set, but it was impossible not to include as it’s so practical. The Utili-key clips onto your key ring and is the same size and weight as a regular key (half an ounce), but it includes a screwdriver, a bottle opener, and a little knife. Sure, the knife blade isn’t fantastic, but it will slice through cheese, making it fantastic for impromptu snacks.
Solo hikers often don’t bother taking bowls or plates camping and instead eat straight out of the pan, which is often slim and deep to make them more wind-resistant. This is where the Sea to Summit Alpha Light Spork comes in. With its long handle, it easily reaches the bottom of a pan. At 0.4 ounces, it’s ultra lightweight, and comes with a carabiner to clip to the outside of your backpack.
The nCamp Food Prep Knife is the business for people who like to whip up a feast in the outdoors. It’s very rigid with minimal holes so that bits of food don’t collect in it, and will easily slice through whatever you’re preparing. It’s foldable and comes with a drawstring bag for easy storage. Since it’s only a knife, you’ll want another cutlery set, too, to enjoy the fancy meal you’ve prepared.
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