Campfire Cooking Equipment: The Only Gear You Need to Get Started

1) Firewood

Depending on what you’re cooking, you might need to maintain a fire for a couple of hours. Make sure you have enough wood for that.

Softwoods like pine burn much faster than hardwoods like oak, maple, and walnut. Most bundles of firewood from the grocery store or gas station are pine.

This is totally fine, it just means that you’re going to burn through that wood much faster and therefore might need more of it.

2) Lighter

Of course, you’re going to need a way to start the fire, so don’t forget to pack a lighter.

3) Tinder or Fire Starters

You’ll need tinder, newspaper, or fire starters to get the fire started easily.

If you love DIYs like me, give these homemade fire starters a try!

4) Hatchet

Lastly, we have a hatchet. A hatchet is great for splitting firewood into smaller pieces.

5) Grill Grate

The grill grate is where you’re going to place your pots and pans or grill your food.

If you’re at a campground, a lot of the fire pits have grill grates.

These are fine to use but be warned that they’re usually really gross and you probably won’t want to put your food directly on them.

If you want a smaller grill grate, I like this one.

6) Cast Iron Pan

A well-seasoned cast-iron pan is the camp cooking item I use the most! I think it’s one of the first things you should buy because it’s so durable and versatile.

You can cook over a flame and on your camp stove with this one pan.

Related >> How to Clean Your Cast-Iron Pan at Camp

7) Metal Tongs

Metal tongs are great for moving the fire or your food.

Make sure you get steel tongs. Plastic and silicone are no good for cooking around the campfire.

I use metal tongs all the time, but they’re especially handy when making foil packet meals.

8) Heat-Resistant Gloves

These gloves are great to have to further protect your hands and arms when cooking around the campfire.

9) Pot with a Lid

You can use a pot with your grill grate to boil water or cook something like stew, rice, or pasta.

I prefer to have a pot with a lid (this kit is nice) that’s at least 2 Qt for cooking. I also have a smaller kettle with a pouring spout for boiling water to make my coffee.

10) Spatula and Mixing Spoon

For most meals, I only use my spatula.

A spatula is great for flipping and mixing, but it’s not a bad idea to have a large mixing spoon on hand as well.

Again, just make sure they’re not plastic!

11) Water Container

Lastly, I always have a large water container.

It’s important to have this nearby in case you need to put out the fire quickly.

When you’re done cooking, it’s great for putting out the fire too.

12) Dutch Oven

A dutch oven is my favorite way to cook when camping. It’s so much fun!!

The meals you can make in a dutch oven are incredible – from brownies to nachos to cinnamon rolls to enchiladas, the dutch oven can do it ALL!

13) Cooking Iron

Next, we have the good old cooking iron (sometimes called a pie iron). This is another really fun way to cook over the campfire!

A pie iron is made of cast iron and you can make pressed sandwiches, pies, pizza pockets, and more all over the campfire.

14) Skewers

If you want to easily grill veggies and meat for some kabobs, you’ll need skewers for that. I have stainless steel reusable ones, but bamboo skewers also work, you just need to remember to soak them before use so they don’t burn.

A large water bottle can be used to soak them at camp if needed.

15) S’mores Sticks

Lastly, we have s’mores sticks! S’mores are as classic as it gets when it comes to camping desserts.

Of course, you can use nearby sticks to roast your marshmallow, but sometimes it’s nice to have reusable ones that also extend so you can stay a safe distance from the fire.