New camp cooking gear is a great gift for the techy people in your life or for those looking to save weight on backpacking trips—in other words, everyone! Here’s some recent innovations that will quickly become essentials in your loved one’s kit.
Fire
BioLite has a long history of producing innovative and multi-tasking camp stoves, grills, and off-grid energy sources. In 2017 they launched a successful Kickstarter campaign to bring their FirePit to market in 2018. At merely $200, this sleek creation can take wood or charcoal, burns “without any of the smoke” of a campfire, features a hibachi style grill, and can be controlled remotely with a Bluetooth app.
For the environmentally conscious, the CaususGrill is a biodegradable, 100-percent natural, single-use grill that you can take anywhere and use to “cook almost anything.” Made from cardboard lined with lava stone and fitted with a bamboo grill rack, it’s easy to assemble, uses coals to cook, and can be simply disposed of in a campfire after your meal.
Liquid
LifeStraw is more than just a water bottle, and much more of a filter than your Pur pitcher. Its award-winning filter removes the typical odor and chlorine. Then, with its two-stage activated carbon, it also removes 99.9 percent of waterborne bacteria and protozoa. No iodine needed. It’s durable, BPA-free, and one of the most compact water filters of this grade you can find on the market today.
Glass growlers and wine bottles can be bulky to pack and dangerous to transport. PlatyPreserve has crafted a portable, flexible, and unbreakable wine reservoir that can be filled and refilled, and its food-grade lining keeps your wine taste-free and airtight until you are ready to imbibe. For beer drinkers, TrailKeg’s double-walled, vacuum-insulated, pressurized growler “keeps your suds fresh and frosty” for miles.
Lume is a rechargeable portable grinder with a built in camp light for those drinkers that like their coffee as fresh as possible. It is fitted with professional-grade conical ceramic burrs for a more even grind and consistent brew. You can also go basic with Dripkit’s biodegradable pour over packets that feature single origin coffees from specialty roasters.
Wares
GSI Outdoors, based in Spokane Valley, has compiled “every utensil for any gourmet adventure” into one compact and “exquisitely organized” case. The Gourmet Kitchen Set 11 is soft-sided for easy packing and is lightweight, at just over a pound. Upgrade to a Destination Kitchen Set 24 for double the wares, including a cutting board, spice shakers, and more.
Never fear a fireless night again. UCO Gear, based out of Seattle, makes Stormproof Sweetfire matches that are here to save the day. They will relight after being submerged in water and burn for up to seven minutes while you get your fire started. //
