New Tent Camper #2

[big70tom]

O.K. now cooking.......what do you all think I need? Family of 7

I think I need a couple propane powered burners. Now Ive seen the duals, but I thiink getting two singles that you can move around easier and use both at the same time would be better? Am I off here?


1. What Brand & Type Cookstove do you recomend

2. To cook over a fire do they sell cast Iron implements to use on a campfire? Wjhen I use to camp thepits had these Iron Grates over 1 end and you could set your coffee pot and skillets on it. Now they dont have those!!

[renodesertfox]

Those answers that you're lookin for are not so easy to come by. When we were family campin(we had two boys and three girls) we ate in shifts and we were using dual burner Coleman portable stoves. First I cooked for the gentle ones then my boys and I ate the left-overs and made man food! Then my boys and I did all to field kitchen clean-up. The gentle ones took care of the inside of the tent and themselves. Glad those days are done!:rolleyes:

Now we(Desert Rose and I) use a propane stove called the Big Gas Grill, by Camp Chef(3-burners). It cost a 150 dollars or so. Dual portable stoves are okay too. Finding out what works for you will be a story of trial by fire. What is good for one campateer isn't so good for another campateer.

Just about any big-name outdoor sporting company has many choices to choose from. Ya gonna have to look around and decide for yourself.

Lodge makes great cast-iron cookware and it's available at some Wal-marts but I know Cabela's carries the good too. So to LLBean and they have free-shipping.

I don't cook that much over a campfire any longer, the soot from the fire transfers to the pots and pans and is a mess to clean up, but that is just me. There are great campateers here that swear by cooking on an open fire, so that's your call. I would also encourage you to look around this site and read other posts and threads concerning what to buy. If ya wait awhile, other campateers here with great common sense will chime in. In the "Photo Gallery" there are photos of my cooking setup and others as well! Feeding a family of seven is a major undertaking for every meal plus having the room to haul all your gear, but when it's all said and done you'll be glad that when your children grow up and leave the nest, your campin journeys will be their fondest memories! After your eldest daughters get use to campin in a tent, I wouldn't be a bit surprised that you and your better half will be buying a tent for the two of you before not too many campin seasons have past!

[immortal_ben]

Hi big70tom,

It would seem that your family does car camping, yes? If that is the fact, then I think maybe one single burner unit and one dual burner might do the trick for you.

The single burner unit would be able to hold a large cast iron skillet, while the dual unit could hold a coffee pot and a sauce pan, or two pans, or a pot and a pan. With seven mouths to feed, I would try for maximum cooking surface.

I have and have used for years the Coleman family of propane dual burner units. Never had an issue with one when it was properly cared for.

Yep, Lodge makes a fairly durable line of cast iron cookware, and it is relatively affordable. There is even a thread on caring for cast iron cookware in one of the other sections of the forum.

Another option that I like to use when car camping is to take along a grate from a bbq. They are light, easy to tote, and make a great place to heat up the coffee. I just toss it in a couple of grocery store bags to keep the soot from getting everywhere.

Good luck in your search, and have fun camping. :D

[Bigdog57]

If you are in the Northwest where Sportsman's Warehouse is still in business, they carry Lodge cast iron gear, and all the outdoor cookery gadgets a man could sahake a skinned deer at. :D
And yep, there are all manner of tripod hangers, grills and other things for over-the-fire cookery.
The Sportsman's Guide catalog company (they are online too) also have this gear, but it'll be the cheaper Chinese-made stuff.

[tplife]

It's tough to knock the Coleman brand of stoves, the white gas models are 1/3 more economical than the propane versions but if you go that way be sure to get the wide-base dual as they sell a model that's just too slim (the propane duals have a wider base). While it's definitely old-school cool to lug fifty pounds of cast iron around in your trunk, unless you're died-in-the-wool cattle-drive re-enactor, you can invest in a nesting set of cookware by companies like GSI and MIRRO that have composite construction and non-stick surfaces that you can use METAL utensils with.

[donnyonee]

Re: New Tent Camper #2

try bass pro for gear.
and maybe 2 coleman dual burners. i converted my fuel to propane but 1 side is definetly hotter than the other. but makes hot dish water fast!
i had a road trip with all the fancy grilles but sold it. it didnt work all that well for me.

[sarahspins]

Re: New Tent Camper #2

Something that most two burners have an advantage over a single burner is the built in windscreen.. it makes a big difference if you are camping anywhere there is a chance of wind. I can make dinner for 5 with ease on a 2 burner stove... I don't think it would be that much more difficult with 2 more people. An extra single burner as a backup (regulators sometimes break) is probably not a bad idea but you might not need it as often as you think.

[frank6160]

Re: New Tent Camper #2

I'm with TP in that you can't beat a Coleman fuel stove. Go to ebay, check yard sales, flea markets, or craigs list for a deal on a used one. Same for cookware. I have 1-12 inch non stick skillet and an aluminum nesting cookset that works well for me.Get you a Coleman fuel lantern also.

[coolmom42]

Re: New Tent Camper #2

I think you should start with a dual burner Coleman propane. They have a built-in windscreen, which is important. The drawback is that if you have one large skillet, like a deep 12" with handle, you can't get much on it. And my guess is that with 7 to feed, you will be making lots of meals in big skillets. (Those are the easiest kind ever!) That is why a single burner would come in handy...you could use it for the single big pot and have space on the 2 burner for a couple of smaller pans.

You don't want to fool with much cooking over the fire while trying to feed that many people. To messy to clean up, too much gear required, too difficult generally. Save the fire for foil packets (bring pre-made from home) with a complete meal in each packet. Fires are also useful for hot dogs, smores & other simple things.

I'm with TPlife, don't bother with the cast iron, it's highly overrated IMHO. Take your skillets etc from home, or get some inexpensive ones at thrift stores to keep packed up and ready to go.

[donnyonee]

Re: New Tent Camper #2

when i packed small i removed the handles from the pans so they would stack better and used the removeable aluminum handles. maybe a little more work but sure do stack/store better. now that i have more room i think i will bring the cast iron back into service, it does have a few advantages for us. sometimes a better quality non stick is nice, wallmart has the green ones at $20 ea, id even remove the handle from that cause they sure cook/clean easy. imo.

[Mike]

Re: New Tent Camper #2

When I operated a guide service and had younger groups, I tried to let them do most of the cooking themselves over the fire. We had hot dogs, foil dinners, bread dough roasted on sticks, kabobs on long stick, stuff like that

It was easier on me, fun for them, and nobody had to wait their turn to eat

[Jopopsy]

Re: New Tent Camper #2

Outdoorgearlab.com does great reviews of camping gear; including stoves and what not. Check em' out.