The Ten-Item Camp Kitchen
Everything you actually need to cook well in a van or camper — and nothing you don't.
The fastest way to fill a small kitchen is to pack for the meals you imagine making. The second fastest is to pack for the meals you actually make. After a few seasons of cooking out of a cabinet the size of a carry-on, I’ve landed on ten things that earn their space.
The list
- One good chef’s knife. Skip the block. A single sharp knife does ninety percent of the work.
- A cast-iron skillet. Heavy, yes. Also stove, oven, and serving dish in one.
- A nesting pot with a lid. Boil, simmer, store leftovers. The lid doubles as a plate in a pinch.
- A cutting board that fits your counter, not the one from home that doesn’t.
- A folding colander. Flattens to nothing, saves you fishing pasta out with a fork.
- Two bowls, two plates, two mugs. Enamel. They don’t shatter and they don’t complain.
- A french press. Coffee without electricity is non-negotiable.
- One spatula, one spoon, one pair of tongs. That’s the whole utensil drawer.
- A dish towel that works as a pot holder, because you won’t have room for both.
- A small bin of pantry basics: salt, pepper, oil, one hot sauce, one spice you love.
That’s it. Everything fits in a single drawer, and there’s still room for the thing you’ll inevitably buy at a farm stand two states from now.
Tabitha Boothe
Tabitha is the voice behind Traveling Small — a lifelong believer that the best trips don't need the biggest rigs or the longest itineraries. She writes about small-space travel, cozy corners of the map, and the little details that make a place feel like home on the road.