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If you put food in your 72-hour kit that requires cooking, you’ll also need the proper outdoor cooking equipment to prepare it. This means packing things like a camp stove, mess kit, and fire-making supplies.
Even if you don’t pack food that needs to be cooked, you may still want to include a means to boil water and make a fire. These things can become essential to your survival…
But what outdoor cooking equipment is best for your 72-hour kit? Let’s explore some options.
Choosing Portable Outdoor Cooking Equipment
A small camp stove and a mess kit works well. However, there are hundreds of cooking options to choose from.
When searching for outdoor cooking equipment for your 72-hour kit, keep the following things in mind — size, weight, function, and cost.
- Size: You have limited space in your 72-hour kit. Therefore, it’s best to choose small items that are not too bulky. This helps to save room in your pack for other preps. Lots of outdoor cookware is designed specifically for backpacking. For example, you could get a small mess kit that folds up super small.
- Weight: You must carry whatever you pack. Therefore, always choose outdoor cooking equipment that is lightweight. Aluminum and titanium are your best options.
- Function: Think about what you plan to do with your outdoor cooking equipment and only pack the essentials — 72-hour kits should be lean. Multi-purpose equipment is smart, such as a spork.
- Cost: Putting together a 72-hour kit does require an investment, but that doesn’t mean you need to buy a lot of expensive gear. Sure, the Jetboil Flash Backpacking Stove is amazing, but it’s on the pricier end. You could get a complete cookware set from AIRE for much cheaper. Quality is important, but sometimes saving money is more important. Do what works best for you.
What Outdoor Cooking Equipment to Pack
The cheapest method for preparing food is to build a fire and cook your food in a small mess kit over the fire. For this method, all you need is some fire-making supplies and a mess kit. A lighter, waterproof matches, or flint and steel will work.
Live Fire Gear also has some cool fire-making supplies!
Also Read: Fire-Starting Supplies for Your 72-Hour Kit
A better option is to get a portable stove and a small cookware set. This allows you to cook food no matter what the weather. You’ll still want fire-making supplies so you can build a fire and warm up, but it’s good to also have an alternative way to cook food or boil water.
72-Hour Kit Outdoor Cooking Equipment Checklist:
- Fire-Making Supplies
- Mess Kit
- Utensils/Pocket Knife
- Portable Stove
- Fuel
- Can Opener
- Hand Sanitizer
- Dish Soap
- Aluminum Foil
- Garbage Bag
Outdoor cooking equipment is an essential part of your 72-hour kit — we’ve all got to eat. What cooking supplies and equipment do you recommend? Tell us in the comments below.
Do you need help planning what food to pack in your 72-Hour Kit? Check out our SAMPLE MENU.
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