We spend an inordinate amount of time on multi-day river trips thinking about how to make our camp kitchen more efficient—and by that we don’t necessarily mean minimalist. After all, if we wanted to travel light, we would be backpacking.
Over time, we’ve discovered that certain pieces of gear—some of which are not cheap by any means—pay off in years of utility and time savings. In some cases, we’ve put off buying these items because they were pricey and we thought we could jury-rig something that would work just as well.
But then after too many trips coveting these things that other river trippers had, we finally just bought them and we’ve had no regrets about laying out that cash (or receiving them gratefully as gifts).
Here’s our list of river kitchen game-changing splurges (and one super-affordable classic) that we believe are worth the C-notes.
River camp kitchen floor
A “floor” (a foldable mat) in the kitchen camp is a revelation that has multiple advantages. Its main purpose is to catch all the crumbs (or bigger spills) in camp so that you can successfully leave no trace when you pack up the kitchen.
The one that we first saw in action (and now have ourselves) is the CGear Sand-Free Multimat, which has a unique double layer that not only catches debris but also keeps the beach sand on the downside so if you drop a lid or a spoon it isn’t immediately covered with dirt. The Down River Kitchen Floor is a variation on the same concept. An unexpected plus of the floor is that it marks off a designated area for the kitchen so that the cook team can do their work and the rest of the river party knows where the lines are drawn.
When we’re packing up camp, we fold the floor from the outside in. At the end of the trip, we shake it out at home and run it through a commercial washer as needed.
Dish-drying bag
The first few times I saw the Down River Dish Drying Bag, I thought it was kind of silly—certainly not worth the money and the space in the dry box. Why not just dry the dishes and stack them up somewhere?
But then I saw how the dish-drying bag magically freed up precious table space, conserved paper towels (or helped us save our cloth towels for other uses), and made a convenient dish dispensing rack for the next morning’s breakfast. Sold!
The Down River bag has cam strap buckles so you can hang it around the edge of the table. This attachment system works better on roll-up tables than it does the big steel tables.
Big kitchen camp table
I spent years griping about the little blue roll-up tables before I finally just shut up and ordered a big sturdy river kitchen table. Although we still bring along a few of the roll-up tables on any trip (they certainly have their place at a lunch stop), I don’t like having to screw the legs in (so much wasted time!), the porousness of the plastic, and their general lack of stability. But photos from any of our river trips attest that the blue roll-up tables are always in service.
But the Down River Standard Table excels where the roll-up table fails: It takes two seconds to fold out the legs and set it upright. It’s heavy and sturdy: By shoring it up even more with big rocks inside the legs, it will withstand remarkably heavy wind. It’s easy to clean and doesn’t hold stains. It’s available in a counter-height option, which gives the cooks’ backs a big break.
The downside to the big table is that it’s big and heavy. But again, that’s why we travel in rafts. We’ve found that packing the table in front of the dry box makes a nice extended seat for passengers or a level platform for stacking other gear. A big table—especially for a multi-day trip with a big party—is absolutely worth the money and space it commands.
For a lighter-weight, slim-packing option, check out the GCI Outdoor Slim-Fold Table, which has plenty of support along the 54-inch length of the table and has a heat-resistant, aluminum top. It folds up into a neat little package that’s about 2 feet square and only 3.5 inches thick, making it an efficient secondary table or the primary table for a minimalist trip.
Big coffee pot
It’s so sad to watch the last of the coffee be poured into someone else’s cup, leaving you to wait for the next pot. You can avoid that anxious misery by getting a big, sturdy coffee pot. We have the GSI Glacier Stainless Percolator 36C, which is easy to clean, has withstood years of use and—as the name implies—delivers 36 cups in one round. That’s at least enough to take the edge off for everyone in camp. For small trips or for groups that are less caffeine-dependent, consider the GSI Glacier 6-cup version.
For groups with a mix of coffee and tea drinkers, consider going with one big kettle for heating water and one or two large coffee presses. (If you have any super-finicky coffee snobs, they can bring their own pour-over setup.) The hot water can be divvied judiciously between the coffee and tea drinkers.
When shopping for a river camp coffee press, look for one that is big and stable. Our top pick is Planetary Design’s BruTrek BaseCamp coffee press, which has a sturdy design and works well for coffee and tea. Other contenders include the highly rated Stanley Classic 48-ounce french coffee press, the GSI Outdoors Glacier Vacuum Java Press, and the humble Thermos Stainless Steel Gourmet Coffee Press. Check out Best Coffee Presses for River Camping for our extensive review of camping coffee presses.
Dish-washing pails
Dish-washing pails (also called chicky pails, or plain old metal buckets) don’t seem like game-changers: They are certainly not a new concept on multi-day river trips. But after trying a few collapsible buckets, we keep coming back to metal pails because they work and they last. And they are, happily, about as cheap as they’ve ever been. You can pick up simple galvanized steel buckets (like these Behrens 4.2-gallon pails) at a hardware or farm supply store for about $25.
We bring three that we line up for the dish routine (hot wash, rinse, bleach dip). For more on this process, check out How to Wash Dishes in River Camp. When the dishes are done, these buckets stack neatly in the dry box with a little room to spare width-wise (ours are 14 inches in diameter).
After all this time, chicky pails are still the best in our view, not only for doing dishes but for other essential functions, including:
- Impromptu cocktail or card-playing table
- Rhythm section for musical numbers
- Extra seat
- Ice dispenser
- Driftwood collector
However, sometimes you just don’t have room for chicky pails in your setup. In that case, these Jack’s Plastic Welding buckets can be used for dish-washing and other uses.
Low-profile kitchen plates and bowls
Another kitchen essential in our view is a set of low-profile plates and bowls. Rather than having each river tripper bring their own plates and bowls (which inevitably get mixed up during the course of the trip), we assign one rafter to bringing the entire kitchen setup, including plates and bowls for the number of people on the trip. Since we sometimes have 20+ people on trips, we have a stockpile of dishes that are thin and form compact stacks that can be tucked into a compression sack and dropped in the dry box.
Although metal enamelware dishes look great, they tend to hold heat, so a steaming bowl of chili will fry your fingers. If your heart is set on metal plates, check out these super-chic Hydro Flask plates, which cost a lot but protect your hands from heat. For low cost on a high volume of dishware that will stack well, go with high-quality (BPA-free) plastic plates like these UCO ECO camp plates, which have nice high rims to avoid spillage. Also check out these affordable, BPA-free plates from Everest.
Durable camp stove
Although we have long envied the Partner Steel two-burner stove—which you can set up as a free-standing unit that packs down into an ammo box and frees up tons of table space—the cost is eye-watering. This is really an outfitter-grade stove setup, but if you do a lot of multi-day river trips, it might be worth the splurge. Another sturdy choice that packs neatly into the dry box is the Camp Chef Mountaineer, which accommodates bigger pots and griddles than typical camp stoves.
However, for most trips, a two-burner Coleman works just fine. We’ve used the same one for about 20 years now with no calamities. One note about fuel: The small, 16.4-oz propane canisters are a pain to recycle, so if you can, either buy a stove that works with a large propane tank (the size that you use with your grill at home, if you have room in the raft for it), or purchase a converter kit to retrofit it.
Kitchen lighting
We’ve gone through a lot of different kitchen lighting options. Ideally, you’ll be able to get dinner cooked and served before the light fades from the sky. But when that’s not possible, it can be inefficient and somewhat dangerous to light stoves and handle boiling water with only headlamps.
A good, strong kitchen light is essential for those nights when you’re doing kitchen duty in the dark. Although we dearly love our collection of solar lights (like the Goal Zero Crush Light Lantern and the classic MPOWERED Luci Inflatables, it’s hard to position them to light the kitchen and the light often isn’t strong enough.
For lighting the camp kitchen, look for a lantern that puts out 400 lumens and doesn’t have weird fuel requirements, such as this Nite Ize LED lantern, which has a big, handy hook for hanging from a nearby branch, but also is tall enough that you can just set it on the kitchen table and it will cast enough light.
Camp knives
After spending years of just throwing some older knives into the kitchen gear for river trips, I finally got a dedicated set of knives for a recent river trip, and got resounding compliments from all the cook crews. This GSI Outdoors Rakau knife set is fantastic: It looks great, the knives are sharp, it packs down into a slim case that’s easy to slip into the lunch dry box, and it comes with a small cutting board and a knife sharpener. Highly recommend!
Utensil case
This item is certainly not essential (and we don’t have one), but it looks super-handy: The Kelty Chef Roll Bag, which is big enough to hold long utensils like tongs, spatulas, knives, and other items. We usually just put these pieces in a large plastic tub (secured with a cam strap to avoid disaster), but it would be nice to unfurl this on the table and have a specific spot for each tool. This would be a perfect gift for your favorite river runner.
Most of these kitchen gear picks aren’t cheap and can’t be classified as “essential,” but they will either save you time or frustration or both. They clearly are the inventions of river people who contemplated how to make things work better in the camp kitchen—and then did something about it.
Want more tips on river camp meals? Here’s our take on river trip meal planning.
