There are only so many s’mores you can eat before you wish you’d bought some other snacks on your camping trip. While pre-packaged treats can be a great source of a quick energy boost when you’re out adventuring, you’ll want a warm, hearty meal at some point. Rustling up some oatmeal, chili or boiled potatoes is easy when you’ve remembered to pack one of the best cooking tripods.
The sturdy, triangular, three-leg design of a cooking tripod allows anyone to set up a kitchen anywhere you can access fire. If there’s space for a campfire, then there’s space for a cooking tripod. Aside from simply being able to warm food and sterilize water, there are a few other benefits to cooking with a tripod to consider:
Flavors – The natural smokiness of a campfire will infuse your meals with flavors and aromas other cooking environments simply don’t. Using foraged sticks and fuels to keep the fire burning ensures a special finish.
Warmth – Sleeping bags are great for warmth but there’s nothing better than wrapping your hands around a warm cup of joe as you tell stories around the campfire. Putting a bowl of hot grub in your belly won’t go amiss either!
Experience – Of all the possible cooking environments, there are few as unique as cooking over a campfire. Surrounded by nature, out in the open, you’re sure to cherish the moments spent using your cooking tripod.
Some cooking tripods come with an attached griddle but others have a chain for attaching Dutch ovens, teapots or coffee pots. Tripods with chains are also great for hanging lanterns, suspending water jugs or drying clothes, too.
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We’ve rounded up the eight best cooking tripods for you to take with you on your next camping trip. With one of these in your rucksack, a tasty meal is only a campfire away.
1. Stansport Cooking Tripod
BEST OVERALL
With over 3,500 reviews and a 4.5-star rating, the Stansport Cooking Tripod is the most popular product of its type available on Amazon. It comes with a nickel-plated chain, which has an S-hook attached to the end. This makes this tripod ideal for hanging Dutch ovens, coffee pots or lanterns. Although this cooking tripod is made of durable steel, it’s also lightweight at only 13 pounds.
2. GOLDACE Accessories Cooking Set
BEST ACCESSORY SET
Using a cooking tripod doesn’t always mean having to carry the full set-up with you. This clever GOLDACE Accessories Cooking Set allows you to use foraged sticks to build a naturally sourced tripod connected by the metal fixing plate. Once assembled, you can attach the included chain and begin cooking with your newly constructed tripod. Both the plate and chain come presented in a charming leather pound, making this a great gift for any adventurer.
3. GGBuy Cooking Tripod
BEST VALUE
At a cost of just over $20, this GGBuy Cooking Tripod is a great investment for anyone who has been or is planning to go camping. The clever design breaks down into nine poles that can be screwed together to construct a full tripod. Once built, the tripod has a maximum load capacity of 11 pounds, but this should be enough for most cooking pots. Plus, a durable carrying bag is included, so you’ll never lose a piece in between uses.
4. Camco Cooktop
BEST FLAT COOKING SURFACE
Unlike most cooking tripods, the Camco Cooktop has a totally flat top surface which you can treat like a home stove, placing pots and pans on top of it. The three folding legs stand strong when assembled and also lay flat and compact when they’re not in use. An easy-to-carry travel bag with a comfortable top handle comes with this cooktop, so you can take it with you whenever adventure calls.
5. Solo Stove Cooking Tripod
TALLEST
Featuring an S-hook on one end of its chain and a straight rod on the other, the Solo Stove Cooking Tripod has a clever design that allows you to easily adjust the cooking height. The all-silver collapsible build breaks down into multiple poles for easy carrying between campfires. At only 19 ounces in weight, this is a lightweight piece of equipment even though it has a maximum height of 43 inches, which is taller than most cooking tripods.
6. Coleman Cooking Tripod
USER FRIENDLY PICK
Complete with a 17-inch diameter grill gate, the Coleman Cooking Tripod is a portable camping kitchen in all in one. The full construction is made from top-quality galvanized steel and can collapse down into easy-to-carry pieces for storage and transportation. The best thing about this tripod is the ability to cook straight onto the included grill gate, so you don’t necessarily need to carry any extra pieces of cooking equipment with you.
7. Grizzly Spit Rotisserie
BEST ROTISSERIE
Even though the Grizzly Spit Rotisserie isn’t actually a cooking tripod, it is great for rustling up a tasty meal when you’re camping. Both the vertical poles and the horizontal support bar are included. There’s also a rotation motor that can run for up to 20 hours on two D cell batteries. Additionally, a carrying bag is included for keeping the set together when it’s not in use and you’re traveling to your campsite.
8. Bayou Campfire Griddle
BEST SPLURGE
If you take your cooking seriously, even in the great outdoors, then you need the Bayou Campfire Griddle. The 17-inch-diameter griddle offers a top standard cooking base wherever you are. It works well over the campfire but can also be used over a gas cooker, too, if you’re at home or somewhere with a grill. This portable cooker is as close to a home kitchen as you’ll get in the great outdoors.