I grabbed the Stanley Adventure Prep + Cook Set back in 2017 for under $25 as a last-minute purchase before taking on a multi-month road trip.
At the time, I figured it’d be a handy little car camping setup. Eight years later, it’s still riding in the “perma-camping kit” in the back of our Tacoma. Perfect for quick camps before a backpacking trip, an overnight camp, and post-trip hot drinks.
What you get:
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1.5-liter stainless pot with a locking handle (perfect for two large mugs’ worth of hot drinks)
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Two insulated bowls with lids that work well as simple cutting boards
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A ladle and a spatula (which Joan promptly kiboshed for dollar store models that are easier to clean)
From Stanley
How we’ve used it
We’ve lost track of the number of meals we’ve eaten from these green bowls and the amount of hot water we’ve boiled in this pot. With no exaggeration, we have probably used this pot and the accompanying bowls hundreds of times over the years.
With the old ladle
Even on more extensive car camping trips, it serves as the nucleus of our “ibg kit.”
This kit isn’t quite complete for two. In addition to the dollar store utensils, we also add –
- A four-quart pot
- A non-stick frying pan; Joan likes an 8 “Blue Diamond non-stick pan.
- She likes them so much that we use them both for our camping and home non-stick pan needs.
- I’ve said before, don’t purchase pans at the outdoors store, they are more expensive and of lesser quality overall!
- Some inexpensive spoons.
- Last year, we added a colander from the dollar store to make draining pasta easier.
With this basic kit that works as a modular addition to our larger car camping kit, we don’t “rough it” but instead find our camping trips a relaxing addition to our backpacking.
Alas, the “Open Country” pot shown here is no longer available.
It’s been part of our “Road Trip Gear All-Stars” for years because it’s like all our favorite gear we use in that it has a low futz factor. We don’t think about it; we just always have it packed.
Solo alternative?
When Joan goes off by herself for an extended time, usually to meet up with friends, we put together a solo camp kit in one easy grab tote.
The STANLEY Adventure The Nesting Two Cup Cookset works well for a simple cook kit for one person.
Bonus – We often loan this kit out to people who need camping gear for a weekend. It’s in one tote, easy to use, and people like it so much we have to remind them it’s on loan for a weekend or two, not to use for an entire season as an intern. 😉
Final thoughts
Even at today’s ~$40 price, it’s still a good buy. Purchase a few add-on items, and it’s an excellent part of a camping kit. If ours disappeared tomorrow, I’d replace it without hesitation.
It’s not a flashy or particularly trendy piece of kit. But it’s solid, dependable, and does exactly what we need it to do year after year. In the end, I can think of no bigger endorsement than using a piece of kit that simply works for many trips and works well.
And there it is with our” big kit “getting water ready for hot drinks paired with pancakes! (Photo from Joan)