Camping without forks, spoons, and other eating utensils is definitely possible, but it’s not comfortable, and it forces you to eat like a neanderthal. Luckily, several companies make high-end cutlery sets that are great for camping. They can be packed away in your edc backpack, or they can be dangled from your belt, and they’re usually a lot tougher than the stuff you have laying around in your kitchen.
In this article, we’ll cover five of the best cutlery sets that you can take on your next camping trip, and we’ll give you a little information that can help you choose the right set from our five suggestions.
Best Camping Utensils Reviewed
1. Briost Titanium Cutlery
The Briost set isn’t a hobo knife, but it is a convenient set of eating utensils that will give you all of the tools that you usually have at home.
First, all of the pieces are separate. They’re actually like the knives, forks, and spoons that you use at home, but there are a few differences that make them suitable for taking them on the go.
All of the pieces are made out of titanium. Titanium is lightweight, corrosion-resistant, and durable. It can also be sharpened fairly easy, but the included knife isn’t one that you’ll need to sharpen. It’s like a serrated butter knife. Briost didn’t cut corners when it came to making these eating tools, either. They’re thick and sturdy tools, and you would have to intentionally abuse them to break them.
The set comes with titanium chopsticks, too. Chopsticks can obviously be used to handle your food, and if you like to take your portable cutlery to restaurants they can come in handy. However, you can use them creatively on a camping trip. If you want to make kabobs, roasted marshmallows, or a type of meat that needs to be skewered, a chopstick will easily take the place of a traditional skewer. All of the pieces are milled to reduce their weight.
Finally, an odor-free carrying case and a carabiner clip are included with the set. So, you can clip your utensils to your backpack, or you can stuff them in your purse with ease.
This set is nothing like a combo tool, and the knife won’t function well if you have to rely on it while camping, but it’s a great set for when you’re camping, and it’s even a good choice for when you’re just out and about.
2. Sea To Summit Knife, Fork, And Spoon Set
This set is smaller than the Briost set, and it doesn’t have chopsticks. However, it’s less expensive, and it is built well.
Each piece is made from aircraft-grade aluminum, and the handles have holes punched out of them to decrease their weight even more. There are also hex-wrench holes punched into the ends of the handles, but we really can’t think of any practical use for them. Unless you find a tiny nut that needs to be loosened, you will never use them.
Each set comes with a carabiner clip that allows you to clip the pieces together. That keeps them organized fairly well, but there’s nothing protecting you from the knife’s edge, and the fork’s prongs are exposed, too. We recommend putting this set in your camping pot or something else that it can’t puncture.
3. Gerber ComplEAT
The Gerber ComplEAT is a more tactical-looking set of eating utensils, and it has the most to offer to campers.
Instead of just offering a knife, fork, and spoon, the ComplEAT offers all of that and a multi-functional spatula and keychain-style multi-tool.
The knife, fork, and spoon are all fairly standard, but the spatula has a serrated edge for cutting tough materials, and it can be combined with the fork to create tongs. The small multi-tool can be used as a can opener, bottle opener, pry bar, and vegetable peeler. All of the parts can be nested together for storage reasons.
This is probably the best set that you can buy for camping. While it doesn’t have a dedicated knife, the spatula can work as one, and you’ll probably have a nice folder on you anyways.
4. FinessCity Titanium Cutlery Set
This set is very similar to the Briost set. It has a fork, knife, and spoon set, and it has a set of chopsticks. However, it also comes with a titanium straw, and it has a long-lasting pipe cleaner tool that you can use to clean the straw. It’s a little more expensive than the Briost, but the price difference is almost negligible.
It does not have an odor-free case, though. Instead, it has a cloth case that is coated with a waterproof coating. This is a fancy set that won’t look out of place if you use it during your everyday life, but it’s also functional enough to be good for camping.
5. Devico Cutlery Kit
This Devico kit isn’t very robust, and it almost feels like a downgraded version of the other kits. However, it does have one thing that works in its favor quite well. It’s a very cheap kit.
For about the price of a fast-food meal, you can get a stainless steel set that allows you to take a fork, spoon, knife, straw, pipe cleaner, and chopsticks wherever you go. The tools aren’t as thick, and the metal used to make them isn’t the best, but they work well. This is a great budget kit for people who don’t want to spend 30 or 40 dollars on a high-end set of portable cutlery.
What To Look For When Selecting The Best Camping Utensils for Camping
You might be wondering why it’s important to carry a high-quality camping cutlery set. Well, in short, a camping cutlery set prevents you from using your fixed blade knife to cut food items, and it keeps you from having to carry around bulky forks and spoons like a neurotic homeless man. A spoon fork knife combo allows you to discreetly carry an entire set of eating utensils in your pocket or backpack, and most models weigh the same as a normal pocket knife.
In this section, we’ll talk about the different things that you should look for in a spoon fork knife combo, and then we’ll review some of the best backpacking utensils you can buy.
Blade Steel
You can buy any old piece of junk at Walmart, and it’ll work just fine at your dinner table. However, you don’t want to buy a cheap and rather useless eating tool when you plan to go out into the woods. That tool might become your only cutting tool, and it might end up being your main survival tool. You want something that is made from high-quality metal, and it has to be constructed in a way that can handle a reasonable amount of abuse.
When it comes to most other camping knives, carbon steel is the best blade steel for any situation. However, you should take into account that you will be dipping your camping utensils into soups and other foods, and that will corrode carbon steel. A high-end stainless steel tool or a titanium tool is the best thing you can buy.
Try to find a steel that sharpens easily and stays sharp for a relatively long time. Even if you don’t end up using your camping utensils in an intense situation, you won’t want to have to sharpen your tool’s knife every five seconds to tuck into your freeze dried food
Design
Utensil sets that don’t pack away in a safe manner can easily leave you with an extra hole in your body. You don’t want to walk around in thick brush with a knife and fork dangling off of your hip without any safety features.
Find a set that has a good case. That’ll keep you safe, and it’ll keep your eating utensils from getting dirty while you move around.
Portability
Your eating tools shouldn’t weigh more than your field knife. You won’t use them as much, and if they’re too heavy, they’re an unnecessary burden. After all, we’re talking about a set of tools that is specifically meant to help you eat properly. You don’t need them. You can easily cut up meat with your field knife and lap up food like a dog. An eating tool is a convenience.
A standard set of eating utensils will weigh more than a slip-joint knife or a single-blade folding knife. However, it shouldn’t weigh too much more. Hold your eating tools in one hand, and hold your EDC knife in your other hand. If your eating tools outweigh the knife that you rely on the most by a lot, you should try to find a lighter set.
Functionality
As we said earlier, you might end up using your tool for more than just eating a nice stew or a piece of fresh fish. Since your eating tool can easily become your only tool, you want to make sure you buy something that can handle a variety of tasks.
Of course, a spoon, knife, and fork are all necessities. However, you should also look for corkscrews, can openers, and other little features that can be useful in multiple types of situations. Don’t think of them as wine openers and can-prying tools. Consider the different things you can use them for. For instance, a corkscrew can be used to drill small holes, and a can opener can be used as a small edc pry bar.
Final Thoughts
Those are all of the best backpacking utensils we could find. We believe that the Gerber ComplEAT is the best set on this list for campers. It’s made by a company that is used to supplying campers and outdoor enthusiasts, and every tool lends itself to the outdoors well.
However, the ComplEAT will not blend in during your everyday life very well. If you want a kit that you can take anywhere without people staring at you, you might want to go with the Briost or Sea to Summit sets.
I’m Nebojša, a seasoned digital marketing professional with over 15 years of experience. My writing covers a diverse range of topics, from technology and gaming to app development and automobiles, all while delving into the intricacies of SEO optimization. Beyond the digital realm, I find solace in nature, inherited from my father’s love for the outdoors. His passion for hunting has influenced me, adding another layer to my appreciation for the natural world.