Best Camping/Hiking Mess Kit – Reviews and Guide 2020

Benefits for using mess kits

There are various advantages of using these kits. Mess kits allow you to cook your food with so much ease. These kits are very portable and lightweight, and you conveniently stack them up in your backpack without any trouble and without adding any weight.

If you are a light backpacker, then such a kit will help immensely. They are made of FDA-approved and BPA-free materials, so they are healthy to use and cook. Some of these kits even feature non-stick options to cook a range of different recipes.

You can also find different types of mess kits that are designed to cater to different numbers of people. So it’s all about identifying your own needs and requirements and making a choice accordingly. There are different types of materials available, and the number of utensils available in the kits varies too.

Types

There are different types of mess kits that you can find for hiking or camping.

• Minimalist. These are for one person, and they feature a small pot, a pan, and a cup. It is the least that you need for cooking and eating on the trail. These mess kits are compact and simple and extremely affordable.
• Cook Kits. Such kits emphasize cookware, but there are some means available for eating too. There might be a simple pot lid that you can turn and use as a plate, or there might be a simple bowl made of plastic.
• Eating Kits. Some of these kits are just for eating. You might not have any pans or pots in them, but you will have plenty of utensils and dishes. These are best for you if you already have cookware. These are usable for large groups.
• All-Inclusive. Such kits allow you to cook and eat and are bulky in size. These kits are also designed for groups and are better suited for camping instead of backpacking.

What to look for when buying a mess kit

There are various important features that you need to consider before buying the best mess kit for hiking. In this buying guide, we have highlighted them for your convenience

Number of People

As we have just mentioned that there are different types of mess kits, you can find them on the market. These kits have a different number of utensils, pans, and posts in them. You need to make the right choice according to the number of people that will be joining you on your trip. It is important because you won’t need an all-inclusive mess kit when you are hitting the terrain alone. It’s just counterproductive, and it will also add to the weight on your back too.

Weight

It is also an integral factor to consider. It is because with the increase in several pans, pots, and utensils, the weight of the kit will increase. This will ultimately increase the weight of your backpack. So you need to pick the right kit according to your needs and requirements. It will ensure that you don’t add too much weight on your back.

Materials

As there are different items involved in a mess kit ranging from spokes to spoons, to pots and pans, different materials are used to make them.

• Titanium. It is the lightest of all the materials, and it is highly durable as well. But it is expensive, and it is not that great when it comes to heat conductivity. You will experience some uneven heating with this material.
• Stainless Steel. It is extremely durable but is heavyweight as well. However, stainless steel is affordable and durable as well, especially if you compare it with titanium. It is ideally suitable for camping than backpacking because of its weight.
• Anodized aluminum. It falls right between the steel and titanium as far as the durability, price, and weight go. But it is best when it comes to even heating. But you need to be more careful because they tend to get hot pretty quickly.
• Plastic. This material is used mostly for dinnerware and utensils. A decent quality plastic mess kit will be BPA-free that features reinforced plastic.
• Silicone. It is the most recent type of material that is used by manufacturers of mess kits. Due to it, the mess kits that now come are more compressible, so you can pack them down pretty small. But they don’t offer much insulation.

Durability

As we have mentioned above, different materials offer different levels of durability. Stainless steel and titanium are the two of the most durable materials that you can find for a mess kit, but they also have uneven heating issues. On the other hand, BPA-free plastic is a good choice because it offers a decent amount of durability, and it is lightweight too. Silicone is durable too also has insulation issues

Additional Accessories

Some of the mess kits also come with additional accessories, which include sponges as well as napkins for easy cleaning and maintenance.

Mess Kit Alternatives

There are some alternatives to these mess kits that you can use. Cookware for backpacking and camping are good choices for you to consider only if you have a large group with you. These kits are not that light to carry, and they are not compact either because most of them feature cast iron or other metals. You should only consider them when you’re looking for camping with large groups of people.

Conclusion

Mess kits are extremely useful, and they can be very handy if you make the right choice based on your needs and requirements. Just go for the right kind of materials and make your decision based on the number of people that will be joining you on the trail.

You will find these kits extremely useful on your trips as you can cook it wherever and whenever you want. There are some alternatives available for you as well, but they are not as light and as compact as these mess kits. They are suitable for camping only, and you need to have a group of people for them.

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