Plates and bowls, let's overthink this together

[Ragman]

I use enameled steel (from Europe as I consider them better quality) but if I were buying new I would look for the Melmac/Melamine divided plates-they are durable.

 

[grubworm]

i found this antique chili bowl at a thrift shop in georgia. its my fav bowl on trips now and the wide lip reduces spills and gives a good place to rest a biskit

 

[Ragman]

I have seen some mention of the Sea to Summit Delta sets here. Sierra Trading has them on clearance if anyone interested.

Clearance Camping: Average savings of 51% at Sierra - pg 3

76 styles of Clearance Camping from KingCamp, ENO, High Sierra, and more at Sierra - pg 3. Celebrating 30 Years Of Exploring.

www.sierra.com

 

[John Levers]

I uses the plastic bowl and plate set from target for now and front runner camp utensil set.

 

[CSG]

I don't do dishes on the road; everything is disposable/burnable. Sorry Earth.

 

[MattLew]

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?

when I was growing up my folks had a popup camper they pulled with the family station wagon. we had a mix of this yellow trimmed white plastic gear and enamelware it worked well. now my camping habits have varried from backpacking to working on building van or truck into damn near trail ready rvs. I have LONG used a basic boyscout mess kit dating back to the 60s for light weight gear (hiking or other lightweight camping) but I am seriously looking at collapsable silicone gear as a "new technology"

for vehicular camping I use Enamelware... (I have blue enamel with a stainless rim, I do not recall the brand). it is durable, easy to clean, and full 4 person kits are not that expensive. it ticks off all your must haves. where you run into a bit of a problem is your "nice to have" because it is metal it will conduct heat though a simple folding table resolves this problem for the most part. Your lid preference can be resolved with those stretchy silicone covers. and there are also silicone lip guards available for some metal mugs. (I do not use the enamel mugs from the set, so I have not looked too deep into that one. For glasses, I am partial to polycarbonate.

I also use a fair bit of wooden ware they are thicker than the metal gear, thus bulkier, but they are fully insulated clean easily, and look good. I am not presently using my wooden gear. it is possibly the best compromise in terms of low cost versatility, ease of use, and appearance.

another option popular among boaters is melamine. I do not use it so other than it being a BPA free plastic I can not say much about it.

Enamelware:
Pros:
Reasonable Price
Durable
Easy to Clean
Looks Good
Nests for Compact Storage
can use stretchy silicone covers

Cons:
Conducts Heat (hot drinks can cause burns unless you can find an insulator)
Noisy Rattling Around on the trail

Wooden Ware:
Pros:
Reasonable priced (especially if you have access to a lathe and can make your own or do not mind whittling)
Durable (in 20 years of use I lost a few to splitting due to humidity changes, but never more than one piece at a time)
Easy to clean (I had some cream of wheat that had been allowed to dry to concrete consistency, so I just sanded the bowl down and reoiled it)
looks good (IMO they are the best looking option followed by the enamel)
well insulated
can easily make lids for bowls if you can not get them with the bowls
depending on the shape, it may nest

Cons:
may warp or split with changes in humidity
somewhat bulky, may be able to nest depending on shape, but will still be thicker than the metal gear, thus bulkier

Collapsible silicone:
Pros:
folds nearly flat, thus great for storage
fairly well insulated
easy to clean
relatively reasonable price (compared to a lot of camping gear)

Cons:
can be pricey compared to some options
accidentally collapsing a bowl that is full of soup or a cup of some drink can be a might messy
(I am uncertain as to the durability due to the flexing in the joints where it folds)
I have not seen any lid options for the bowls, and I am sure you could not stack stuff on them in the cooler

 

[PRyan1878]

We have Corelle plates, bowls and coffee cups as well as real dinner silverware we've had for over 40 years. We did motorcycle minimalist camping for decades, now, I want some comfort, familiarity and good food.

 

[RoarinRow]

I picked up this set from Amazon. Works well, easy to clean and sturdy.

Amazon.com | Melamine Dinnerware Set - 12 Pcs Dinner Dishes Set for Outdoor Use, Dishwasher Safe, Lightweight Unbreakable, Blue: Dinnerware Sets

 

[Longshot270]

Plastic bowls, cheap stainless utensils and a roll of aluminum foil for plates and a million other uses.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

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

Oh. I'm part owner of that place! I'll have to take a look

 

[ThundahBeagle]

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.

Yeah I use the blue, speckled enamel plates, bowls and cups along with UCO 3-in-1 sporks. As for covers, regular seran wrap or those silicone bowl covers usually do. Also, when heating my water for the Mountain House meals, I simply use an old military canteen cup.

For coffee, a green, speckled enamel GSI percolator, because no matter how convenient other methods are, percolating has the most potential for making good coffee

 

[Viking1204]

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

This is the same thing I do, the only things I have to clean up are the pots & pans, utensils, and the grill if we got it dirty. All serving bowls and plates are paper and clean up well and give a boost to the fire! I have some various cups for drinks I've picked up over the years but those are easy to rinse and let dry for the next camping trip if we use them.

 

[Downs]

Family Dollar or Dollar Store or whatever you version of it is near to you. I use them for all my camp china needs. No reason to spend real money on this stuff. You can get 3 of each spoon, knife, fork for a dollar. Same for cooking utensils, dirt cheap and if I mess it up oh well I'm out a buck.

 

[Anak]

I envy those of you who can use Corelle and find it adequately durable. I love Corelle. The Bride and I used it for our daily home dining for years. Then The Varmints came along. And then they got to the point that doing the dishes was their responsibility. Seemed like we couldn't go for even a week without losing another piece. Yes, they broke them. And when Corelle breaks it is as bad as glass to clean up.

I finally gave up, packed up the Corelle in boxes so The Bride and I will still have some left after we kick out the last Varmint, and I went and bought a set of fine china off C/L so The Varmints can learn to do dishes without breaking them. And yes, they have broken a number of pieces, but these were bought cheap and have no sentimental value. They were bought to teach a lesson, and it does seem to be working. The Varmints now go for months between broken pieces.

 

[Billiebob]

Then The Varmints came along.

priceless !!

 

[Overland California]

I just use the colorful plastic plates and bowls from target. $1 each, sturdy, easy to clean, and they don’t make any noise in the back of the truck.

*edit* just looked them up, 75 cents each, BPA free, microwave and dishwasher safe.

 

[terryg]

Paper plates and bowls are tempting. I have a set of plastic plates and bowls I bought at Target. They work fine. I had flatware carved from wood until my 7 year old granddaughter was afraid of getting splinter. I went to Wal-Mart stainless.

 

[RonaldHoward1313]

Paper plates and bowls usually, but I do have the Stanley nesting cook/camp set also. If I take the camper, I use the speckled enamel dishware.

 

[Jenniferheath1]

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?

what did you decide for plates?

 

[FishinCrzy]

A little off-topic but I have been using these for about a year and am highly pleased. I see they are on sale and maybe a 10% discount also going through the website.

X-Pot: Collapsible Backpacking Pot | Sea to Summit

Then again, I mostly just boil water for coffee and use a ceramic lined frying pan or foil. But, the concept seems to work.