Plates and bowls, let's overthink this together

[slomatt]

While being stuck at home sheltering in place I've been going through my camp kitchen gear. I've never been completely satisfied with our current set of plates and bowls since they don't nest well and have been looking into options, and I'm interested in hearing what the rest of the OB community uses.

Must haves (for me)
- Durable since they'll get knocked around in the truck and and my daughter will likely drop them on the ground.
- Inexpensive for the reasons above and because I want to leave them drying in camp without worrying about someone taking a $$$ titanium piece.
- Nest well to save space.
- BPA free if they are plastic.
- Trying to avoid paper products since they aren't great for the environment and you run out of them at inopportune times.

Not important
- Weight since I'm not backpacking with these.
- Coolness factor, not tied to any brands.

Nice to have
- Lids for the bowls so they can be used to store leftovers or keep bugs off.
- Some insulating value so that hot foods don't burn the holder (does this rule out metal?)


Part of me really likes the idea of stainless steel bowls since they can do double duty as mixing/prep bowls and are easy to clean after using them for things like scrambling eggs. That said, single wall metal bowls are not fun to hold when full of hot soup or chili. Top contenders here so far are the MSR Alpine nesting bowls and the GSI Graniteware.

On the plastic front the GSI Cascadian options seem solid, nest well, everybody can have their own color, and are reasonably priced. And the Sea to Summit Delta Bowl has an optional lid, but might not nest well and are $$.

Thoughts? What are you using for plates and bowls?

 

[NashvilleKara]

I have the $3 kit from the dollar store. Mesh bag, high lipped plate, reusable fork/knife/spoon and a collapsible cup. It doesn’t have the insulation or lids but I usually pack my raw foods in containers like that and can be used for food storage. Insulation never seemed to cross my mind.

 

[TexasGMG]

We have a set of old blue enameled steel plates. Bowls we use are a set of three the wife picked up somewhere, 3 sizes, with lids, that nest inside of each other. The utensils are an old set of 4 in their own little bag. Have no idea where they came from either. We've had them and the plates for years. And like NashvilleKara, we've never given any thought to insulation.

 

[JPOVS]

I originally bought MSR and GSI stainless plates and bowls and used them with the camping enamel utensils. After a few steaks and chicken meals the plates were cut up from the enamel knife.
After some time I ditched this setup and bought Corelle plates and dishes with Oneida silverware from Walmart. Now it’s much similar to home and close to the same prices, maybe cheaper than the camping brands. Nice thing about the Corelle is there pretty tough, similar to what restaurants use, at least the cheap ones I go to. The other day I think I found my camping glass by accident, as it fell from the counter and didn’t break, a thick heavy glass I commandeered from Hard Rock Cafe.
For mixing bowels I use the Magma pot set. I’m on the hunt for some plastic lids, like coffee can lids that will fit the Magma pots. Problem is I don’t drink coffee. In the mean time I store left overs in ziplock bags. Sometimes they end up looking like a dehydrated meals.

 

[Motoboss]

Corelle dishes. Restaurant style silverware. Stackable Rubbermade container, just like at home. Stainless mixing bowl.

 

[slomatt]

Thanks for the replies, I'm amazed nobody has suggested Snow Peak titanium bowls yet. :)

Our current setup is similar to some of the above... inexpensive metal flatware and plastic plates and bowls from Target. At one point I had a set of nice lightweight plastic silverware, but people kept accidentally throwing it out so I replaced it with the metal ones. I don't love our plastic bowls since they don't nest well and take extra space.

I've seen a few recommendations for Corelle. How does it hold up in the long term in a high vibration environment such as a truck? It would be a bummer to run a really bumpy trail, or to accidentally drop my kitchen box, and find that things have chipped or broken.

 

[Motoboss]

My kitchen is kept in a footlocker with Coleman grill, pots and skillet and have not had any issues. As long as the plates are stacked flat, even with a paper towel between or not, they hold up. I stand them upright along the side of the box which seems to work well.
Corelle is pretty "unbreakable", not indestructible but pretty tough. I've dropped mine several times on concrete and have never even chipped one.

 

[Aina]

We have some old. im OLD enameled plates we have been using for 25 years. well one of them (mine) is 30+ years old also a skillet, some bowls, and cups all old school enameled steel they last forever and take some real punishment.

 

[RideFlyDiveJeep]

I have GSI Bugaboo Camper and the Bugaboo Basecamper Large. They all nest into the large Basecamper. Lids, pots, pans, plates, bowls, cups, and cutting board. It serves well for a family of 4. Small enough that I take it on motorcycle camping trips. The only thing that packs outside is the camp fuel. I have had this for 10 years and it shows almost no wear, but I use plastic or wooden utensils only. If it need a metal knife the plates will get little cuts, so we try to cut on the cutting board.

 

[Scontroneboy]

Go to the kids section of any Target/Walmart, they have everything you'll need for under $2 per plate/bowl. I bought full sets for the camp box including the old "TV Dinner" style with one large space for your main dish and three smaller spots for sides. They stack together, they're light, clean out easily and the best part is they're cheap.

 

[The other Sean]

Look in to the Stanley cook sets. I LOVE mine. Everything nests in to the main cooking pot. I did change out the utensils, but the rest is great.

Stanley Cooksets | REI Co-op

Shop for Stanley Cooksets at REI - FREE SHIPPING With $50 minimum purchase. Curbside Pickup Available NOW! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee

www.rei.com

 

[pcstockton]

Sea to Summit!

 

[William C aka “The Claw”]

Dollar store bowls 4 for a buck. Nesting bowls with measuring cups colander and strainer from Amazon. Joseph Jones 40087. We splurged and paid $26 for them. Just checked they want almost $50 now. Silverware from hospice for $3.

 

[RusD]

Check out the camping section at Walmart; they have a nice set of 2 plates, 2 plastic ware sets, and 2 collapsible cups for like $7. The cups are a joke but the rest I really enjoy. The plates are deep dish so less risk of food going overboard while while eating at camp. I have seen similar by Sea to Summit for MUCH more money. Then I went to Target for some nice deep bowls. If they don't have a good selection now, wait closer to the fall school semester; they'll stock more for college kids getting ready for their dorms and such.

 

[pcstockton]

Sea to Summit. Get it all.

 

[LostWoods]

Sea to Summit!

Yeah I've gone through most camping brands and they are by far the toughest polymer place settings I've found. They hold up well against utensils, the honeycomb bottom is super rigid that you can load them up, and they don't get crazy hot like my stainless plates did. They're like a 8/10 in all categories whereas I felt like all others were a sacrifice in some way.

 

[slomatt]

Several people have recommended Sea to Summit. Is there a specific product that you like such as the Delta bowls or X-Bowl?

Camping Dinnerware by Sea to Summit

A well thought out camp kitchen takes the hassle out of backcountry meal prep. Sea to Summit made it our goal to design seemingly simple pieces of dinnerware that are highly functional. For example, the collapsible X-Bowl doubles as a cutting board and the insulated Delta Mug keeps drinks warm...

seatosummitusa.com

@William C aka “The Claw” those Joseph Jones nesting bowls are pretty nice, too bad the price jumped up so much.

 

[LostWoods]

Several people have recommended Sea to Summit. Is there a specific product that you like such as the Delta bowls or X-Bowl?

Camping Dinnerware by Sea to Summit

A well thought out camp kitchen takes the hassle out of backcountry meal prep. Sea to Summit made it our goal to design seemingly simple pieces of dinnerware that are highly functional. For example, the collapsible X-Bowl doubles as a cutting board and the insulated Delta Mug keeps drinks warm...

seatosummitusa.com

@William C aka “The Claw” those Joseph Jones nesting bowls are pretty nice, too bad the price jumped up so much.

Delta 100%. I despise the silicone stuff personally because it's a pain to clean out food from the cracks and silicone never feels clean with camp suds. Just avoid the mugs... they're too wide for camp chair cupholders if you have them but really, the lids are sketchy and the cups in general feel awkward to drink from. I have Kleen Kanteen stainless short tumblers for coffee and tea their stainless pint glasses for nearly everything else.

If you're a luxury backpacker or really pressed for space then the silicone can make sense but I feel like with a truck or medium SUV there's no reason to be that concerned with size.

 

[mep1811]

I use paper plates and bowls. Easy clean up, throw them in the fire if we have one or in the trash.

 

[MMc]

My plates are Melmac, they were decorated by my niece and nephew in the early 90's, little kids drawing on paper blanks and turned into plates. Cups are lexan, and the wine goblets are stainless steel.