Camping gadgets that make outdoor cooking and living easier.

I often camp with my family, and camping means lots of food and cooking! In summer 2017, six of us were touring round the American National Parks with minimal kit, so I needed somewhere to keep my cooking gear conveniently and cleanly. I didn’t want the folding utensils found in the kitchens currently on the market, as the reality of cooking on a Trangia is that food sticks. Folding utensils are not up to the job of loosening a veggie burger that had wedged itself on the frying pan, so I settled on lightweight and carbon neutral bamboo. I realised there was nothing “out there” that was suitable, so I decided to make myself a kitchen roll that did exactly what I wanted. It was brilliant on the trip, and the only tweak I have added since, is the foldable spoon rest, as the first night I used the kitchen, perched on a bear box, I realised I needed somewhere clean to put down the spoon I was cooking with. After requests from my girls for their own camp kitchens, as they too couldn’t find anything on the market that came close to the convenience and features of mine, I thought I would make a few to sell, as I suspect we are not the only campers who have hit this problem!

Using ripstop nylon has given me other ideas for lightweight, small when folded, outdoor accessories. The folding “plate” is based on the spoon rest, and born from wanting to use the little tables on trains to rest my food, but being suspicious as to how clean they are. The “sitters” are just useful anywhere; park benches, walls, beaches – basically anywhere you want to sit down that may be muddy or damp. They are also useful for kneeling on when cooking, to save wet and mucky knees.

I try to be as eco friendly as possible, and will look to use recycled materials as they become available. The stuff is built to last, and makes efficient use of fabrics, so I am going for the “reduce/reuse” part of the eco mantra at the moment. Packing material is also reused or recycled as much as possible.