Accumulating river camp kitchen gear that you love to use is a long process of trial and error over the course of many river trips. Just when you think you have exactly the right system for corralling the kitchen trash, for example, somebody comes along with a fancy collapsible mesh container. To help accelerate the process, here’s our guide to essential river camp kitchen and cooking gear that we and our river friends have accumulated over time. This roundup covers the basics: If you’re looking for the deluxe route on any kitchen gear, check out “Game-Changing River Camp Kitchen Gear.” (Note: This post contains some affiliate links.)
Best coolers for river trips
Our crew pounced on Yeti coolers when they first came out in about 2006 because they accommodate locks to keep bears out and we had a Rogue River trip on the agenda. The good news is that we’re still using that original cooler (very similar to the YETI 160) after all these years—it still keeps stuff cool, the straps and fasteners have held up, and we’ve never had to chase bears out of our leftovers. The market has exploded with bear-proof cooler options in the last few years, in various shapes, sizes, and price points: A lower-cost option that we’ve added to our cooler caddy is the CAMP-ZERO 40, which we bought in a smaller size and usually use for excess produce. We also have an Engel cooler in regular rotation.
Tips for choosing a cooler for river trips:
- If you’re going to drop the cooler into the raft frame, make sure you have accurate measurements for the frame in hand so the cooler will fit.
- If you anticipate any river trips in bear country, make sure your cooler has bear-proof fasteners.
- Keep in mind that good-quality coolers have thick walls, so the interior dimensions are smaller than you think.
- Try picking up the cooler before you buy it to make sure the handles are comfortable—it will be extremely heavy when full and you might have to tote it many yards from the boat to the camp site. Also, look for side handles with rope extensions so you can swing the cooler into place in the raft without smashing your fingers.
- Buy a white or light-colored cooler to reflect rather than absorb sun rays.
Dry boxes
In addition to dry boxes that fit into the raft frames (check out NRS or Down River Equipment for good-quality dry boxes), you’ll want a smaller dry box for assorted snacks and dry goods that can be strapped near the top of the raft or in an inflatable kayak for easy access. We have an older version of the NRS Canyon Camping Dry Box that we often use for car camping trips as well as river trips because it does an ace job of keeping bread, chips, crackers and other fragile items from getting smushed.
Camp table
The ideal camp table for river trips is one that’s light, sturdy, indestructible, and easy to set up and take down. In our experience, you have to make some trade-offs because you can’t have it all in one table. After many years of witnessing light, portable tables collapse in real-life river camp situations, my advice is to choose a heavy, sturdy table—assuming it will ride on a raft. We typically bring one or two big counter-height tables for the camp stove and dishwashing, and an assortment of lighter tables (such as the ubiquitous CampTime Roll-A-Table) that can be used for light meal prep or lunch spreads.
Favorite river camp tables:
- NRS Campsite Counter—expensive, but once you get it set up, with some rocks wedged behind the legs, it will withstand strong winds
- CampTime Roll-a-Table—our river crew has about 10 of these among us because they are light and fairly easy to set up, plus they have handy mesh pockets for holding utensils. But the weight limit on this table is only 100 pounds and it can be rickety in a stiff wind (this REI camp roll-up table has a similar capacity and is less expensive).
- Small table like this REI Co-op Outward Side Table—although not essential, a small side table that can hold appetizers or drinks near the camp circle is extremely handy for keeping snacks off the sand, and you can use it for cribbage games
Coffee pot
After experimenting with many different ways to make coffee, we’ve settled on a huge coffee pot that can be set on the camp stove for big groups, plus a coffee press for smaller groups or for a last-minute caffeine fix before you launch in the morning. Here are our picks:
- GSI Outdoors 36-cup coffee pot—expensive but worth it because you can keep a large group of river runners caffeinated with one or two rounds
- BruTrek BaseCamp Coffee Press or the GSI Outdoors Java Press are both good backups to the big coffee pot or for kayakers doing self-supported trips.
Camp stove
For most river trips, a simple 2-burner stove works fine. We encourage our cook crews to stick to 2-pot meals, typically one large pot for boiling rice or noodles and a small pot for curry or sauce. Cooking on a river trip involves the same hazards as you would encounter car camping: Look for a stove that can provide its own shelter from the wind, is easy to light, and has sufficient room on the burners for your pots. The size of the burner can be a limitation when you’re cooking for a 16-person group, so make sure your pots fit the burners. Our camp stove picks:
- Coleman Cascade 222—we have a prehistoric version of this that’s held up for 20 years
- Eureka Ignite—this is the second most common stove among our river trip friends, and it works great
Don’t forget the stove fuel: If you buy a stove that uses the small propane canisters, check to see whether you can recycle them locally, or invest in a propane adapter hose so you can use refillable 20-lb propane tanks instead.
Pots, pans, skillets, utensils for river camping
Because kitchen gear typically rides on a raft, you don’t have to worry much about weight, so don’t bother with camping-specific pots and pans. Head to your local Goodwill to pick up some used, good-quality basic pots, pans, and skillets for river trips. Don’t bother with pans that have removable handles or other gimmicks—you want sturdy pans that will last for years. Same goes for utensils: If you can’t find what you want in a thrift shop, check out online used gear purveyor GearTrade for great deals on used cookware.
Our checklist for river camp cookware, utensils, and other essentials includes:
- Stainless steel stock pot
- Stainless steel saucepan
- Skillet (cast iron is best as it will last through the years)
- Assorted silverware (enough for everyone in your group—easier to consolidate rather than having individual boaters keep track of their own silverware)
- Plate, bowl, and small cup for each river runner (again, easier to carry all these in one place)
- Spatula
- Serving spoons, including at least one slotted spoon and one ladle
- Firestarters—waterproof matches plus click-button igniters
- Can opener
- Wine/bottle opener
- Knives—chef’s knife and paring knife
- Dutch oven (optional, but so satisfying if you’re on a longer trip—check out our how-to guide for Dutch oven cooking)
Kitchen floor
Although I used to think having a mat underneath the kitchen setup was a luxury, I’ve come to think it’s essential for reducing the environmental impact of river camp activities. A kitchen floor makes it easier to clean up spills and reduces the amount of food particles left behind that can attract bugs and animals. Our favorite kitchen floor is the CGear Multimate: It’s double-layered and sand magically sifts down from the top to keep the top surface sand-free.
Dishwashing setup
The classic river dishwashing system is a four-bucket affair: We use a plastic bucket for the initial “de-smegging,” then three metal buckets for washing, rinsing, and the final bleach dip: We’ve used these Behrens 5-gallon buckets for years (check bucket dimensions before buying to make sure they fit in your dry box). Here’s our checklist for dishwashing equipment for river trips:
- Plastic bucket (also can be used for carting beverages, washing boats, etc.)—grab one of your Homer buckets from Home Depot or an empty 5-gallon plastic paint container
- Metal buckets
- Scrubbing sponge
- Dishwashing gloves (look for ones that are reusable, latex-free, and can withstand heat)
- Dish towels—cut down on paper towel use by bringing a couple of cloth towels and hanging them to dry each night; air-dry dishes on a table or in a Down River dish drying bag (expensive and not essential but so handy!)
- Dishwashing liquid—biodegradable
- Dishwater strainer—get a fairly large one (this one’s about 9 inches across)
- Reusable silicone bags to contain random leftovers (these Stasher bags are sturdy so they won’t give out after a couple of trips)
- Disinfecting wipes to clean table surfaces and hand sanitizer
Kitchen trash container
You can just tie a trash bag to a table leg, but it’s so handy to bring a collapsible laundry basket for collecting trash and recyclables while you’re in camp. Bring an old dry bag to store the trash while you’re on the river.
Kitchen lantern
Despite best intentions, you might find yourself cooking or washing dishes after sundown. In addition to an ample supply of solar lights (we love both Luci lights and the Goal Zero Crush solar lights), have a bright battery-powered light on hand (with extra batteries) to cut down on kitchen mishaps involving hot water and sharp knives. My favorite kitchen lantern is the Nite Ize Radiant 314, which has a rechargeable battery and a super-bright LED bulb.
Collect river camp kitchen gear over time
Assembling a solid river camp kitchen is a long process. Stay on the lookout for new innovations in river camp kitchen gear. Keep in mind that because you’ll be hauling most of this gear on a raft, you don’t need to worry about weight as you would if you were on a backpacking trip. You can usually get away with regular kitchen versions of cookware on a river trip, so to save money think about repurposing some of your mismatched silverware, old pots and pans, and worn kitchen towels. Invest in the big pieces—a sturdy table, a good stove, and a decent cooler—and you’ll have a solid start to a river camp kitchen that will serve you well for decades.
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