Adventure Riding Camp Cooking Kit

Over the years of adventure riding, my camp cooking kit evolved a number of times to arrive at something I am now very happy with. It is very compact, yet still has all the items I need to boil water for hot drinks, cook breakfasts, and prepare tasty evening meals.

Some adventure riders have far more elaborate camp cooking kits than what I use, that include multiple pots and pans, and handy dandy gadgets. My cooking kit however only includes the essential items, with the goal to keep weight and packing space to a minimum.

All the items in the adventure riding cooking kit I use are listed and detailed below:

Camp Cooking Items 

1 – Billy

I've tried various size billies over the years but have found 2 litres to be ideal. It is a good size for cooking while small enough to pack up on the bike and take up limited space. It is also a perfect size to pack my entire cooking kit into, and protect the items inside when adventure riding.

2 - Camping Mug

My mug is relatively large at 600mls. It perfectly slips inside the billy to help with compact packing. I prefer a stainless steel mug as it can be used on the cooker essentially meaning my cooking kit provides me with one large billy and one small billy for cooking. 

3 - Pot Gripper

Some fixed handles on pots and pans can be cumbersome to pack, or fiddly to use. Using a single pot gripper takes up far less space meaning I can pack up the cooking kit more compactly while still being able to grab hot pots and pans without issue. This pot gripper is used on the frying pan, the billy and the mug when it is used for cooking. 

4 - Knife, Fork and Spoon Set

I’ve used a number of cutlery sets over the years, but the one I've found to be the best by a country mile is the Sea to Summit AlphaLight knife, fork and spoon set. It is one of the most expensive cutlery sets on the market, but to me it’s worth every cent. It is made of hard-anodized aircraft grade aluminium, it’s extremely strong, ultra-lightweight, and really nice to use. 

5 - Small Cooking Knife

While the knife in the Sea to Summit cutlery set above is great for eating, nothing beats a handy dandy little kitchen knife for food preparation. Pretty much any good quality little kitchen knife will do the trick. In my kit I have the Victorinox utility knife which has a good blade and holds its edge really well. 

6 - Mini Spatula

When cooking eggs, or stir frys, or similar, a small spatula is great.

7 – Matches

Traditional striking matches are my pick over a lighter or any other fancy-pants ignition system. Because I use a MSR cooking stove that requires lighting the small bowl under the cooker, I find the extra length of the matches easier and more convenient compared to a lighter. 

8 - Matches in a Waterproof Container

This is purely a backup in case my matches get wet. It is a great way to guarantee I always get a nice hot meal at the end of the day. 

9 - Scouring Pad

I have tried various dish scrubbers with their plastic handles cut down, goldilocks, steelo pads, and scouring pads. My favourite is the scouring pad as its super light, super compact and cleans up the pots and pans well. 

10 – Dishwashing Liquid

Cleaning up greasy cooking gear without dishwashing liquid is a bit of a nightmare. Just a few drops makes life so much easier. My preference is to carry dishwashing liquid in a Sea to Summit wilderness wash bottle. This is a strong little bottle with enough volume to do about 15 sets of dishes. They come prefilled with a general purpose cleaner which is perfectly fine for washing dishes, then once this runs out, I simply fill it up with dishwashing liquid.

11 -Tea Towel

I carry a tea towel cut down in size to about a 1/3. It weighs very little, takes up minimal space, and is super handy.

12 – Coffee Bag Filter

I love how small this is compared to all other coffee options, and it makes just as good a coffee.

13 – MSR WhisperLite International Liquid Cooking Stove

I have a number of cooking stoves and gas cookers, but the MSR Whisperlite International is my favourite and joins me on most of my adventures. You can read why I chose this stove here: Cooking Stoves For Adventure Riding.

14 - Aluminium Matt

This is simply a piece of thick aluminium to place my cooker on. Most of the time I choose a solid bit of ground to place my cooking stove on so the mat isn’t needed. However, there are two instances where this mat is useful. Firstly, when I camp somewhere sandy, this mat stops the cooking stove legs sinking into the sand by providing a solid base for it to sit on. Secondly, if I am forced to place my cooker on dry grass or anything that can catch on fire, it helps to shield the flames and avoid ground fires. 

15 – Cooking Oil, Salt and Pepper

In three small bottles, purchased from a local plastics store, I store my cooking oil, salt and pepper. They are really compact.

16 – Drop Sheet

I use a small drop sheet made of thin nylon material. It is about 1 foot by 1 foot in size. I lay this down this when the ground is sandy or dirty, and then when I pour out all of the cooking items, they stay clean and free of any sand or dirt.

17 – Dry Bag

A good dry bag that the billy snugly fits into. This makes the kit super easy to pack up as well as ensuring the kit contents stay dry.

18 – Stainless Steel Frying Pan

My frying pan is an Esbit brand with a good thick base. The thick base adds a bit of weight but I’ve used thin bottom pans with gas cookers and the hot spots can burn food really easily. A good thick base pan makes for a perfectly cooked steak ;) To save taking a plate, I use this frying pan as a plate. 

Adventure Rider’s Camp Cooking Kit Summary

There will likely be some adventure riders who prefer their own camp cooking kits over my cooking kit, and that is to be expected. This article is really just to share what I include in my camp kit, which works really well for me. A camp cooking kit for adventure riding is quite a personal thing, so whatever camp cooking kit you end up using is the right one, as long as you enjoy using it, and it allows you to fire up a tasty camp meal, kick back around a campfire, and enjoy a night under the stars! Happy camping everyone :)