Fire
Bring along any supplies you need to make fire. If you plan on using a portable cooking stove, make sure that it is clean and has plenty of fuel for your trip. If you want to build a cooking fire, check to make sure that you can scavenge wood at your destination. In some high-traffic camping areas, you will need to bring your own firewood and kindling. For cooking over a fire, bring a portable screen or tripod to suspend your cooking vessels. And, of course, do not forget to bring at least two different fire starters--one primary and one backup. For example, you could bring waterproof matches and a kitchen lighter.
Basic Tools
Bring enough pots and pans to cook your most involved meal. For most camping meals, two pots and a pan will suffice. This allows you to make a stew, a grain and a vegetable dish at the same time, for example. Add a can opener, a corkscrew, a coffee pot or teapot, a measuring cup or two, a ladle or serving spoon, a knife, tongs, and anything else you need to prepare meals. If you plan to do all your food prep outdoors, you need a cutting board, and, possibly, you may need a vegetable peeler or paring knife.
Bring aluminum foil. You can use it to bake vegetables, and then reuse it to wrap leftovers. Also, remember soap, a scrubber and a dish towel to clean your pots and pans after meals. Do not forget plates, bowls, forks, spoons, knives and cups for everyone.
Food
Bring any spices you need in film canisters, food storage containers or some other type of sealed vessel. To minimize food prep, you may also chop your ingredients ahead of time and store them in sealed zipper bags or food storage containers. This also obviates the need to bring a cutting board.
Store all perishable foods inside an ice chest, with plenty of ice. Include ingredients for meals, milk for cereal, juice and other beverages to drink, and fruits and veggies to snack on. If you are bringing raw meat, make sure it is in a sealed container, or it can contaminate other foods. If you choose to cook with butter, keep it in the ice chest. If you prefer vegetable oil, you can pack it separately.
Bring bread, granola and other nonrefrigerator snack foods in a separate bag or box. Tea, coffee and cocoa mix are good drink choices, because they do not require much space to store. Most importantly, do not forget to bring plenty of water for your trip.
