Though you could take plates and cups from the cupboards at home for camping, purpose built camping plates and cups are ideally suited to use in the outdoors. For one, they’re quite a bit lighter than anything that you might have in your cupboards, which is important if you’re going to be carrying your camping plates and cups. Many of them are also ideal to rougher outdoor world, where there are much fewer level surfaces and other amenities.
Camping Plates and Cups
What to look for when reviewing camping plates and cups.- Material – Before you go out and get camping plates and cups you need to decide what material you want them to be made from. Plastic is always a cheap and lightweight option, but there are also a number of metal options, like titanium, that are strong, lightweight and have the added benefit of not being plastic.
- Size – With camping cookware it’s always best to go with items that are versatile. With plates especially, it helps to get something that has high sides, for instance, so that the plate can be used for soups, as well as messy stuff like stews or pasta, that will end up on the ground if you go with a flat plate.
Best Camping Plates and Cups
Some of the very best camping plates and cups sets to choose from.- REI Campware Group Tableware Set - This is a set for a group of 4. It includes 4 cups, 4 plates and finally 4 bowls, plus a handy mesh bag to hold everything. Each piece in the set is made with very rugged polypropylene plastic, which is an ideal material to make tableware out of. The whole thing weighs 31.5 ounces, or 893 grams, but remember that's a set for four people.
- Sea to Summit X-Sets - Sea to Summit makes several excellent tableware pieces with the X prefix. What each has in common is that the side are collapsible, so your cup, for instance, turns in to a relatively flat disk, which makes it quite a bit easier to store in your backpack. You can get a set of just the X-Bowl and X-Mug, or get a set that includes those two, plus the X-Plate.
- GSI Outdoors Infinity Tableset - This is another polypropylene set similar to the REI offering above, but with a few extras that might be worth taking a look at. First, it includes a glass in addition to a mug, but what most people will find useful is the addition of a knife, fork and spoon, all made from polypropylene. So a slightly more complete set. It's just for one person, however, and weighs 15.5 ounces, or 439 grams.
