When it comes to packing essential items for camping trips, it is quite common for people to overlook the need for a kettle. This is especially the case for campers who are traveling in a caravan or campervan as they might think it’s more convenient to boil water in a pan on the stovetop instead, as it saves the hassle of finding, purchasing and lugging around a kettle that is suitable for camping. However, it is highly likely that a kettle will come in handy during outdoor camping, especially on camping trips where there is no stovetop to boil water on a cold winter’s day when all you really want is a cup of tea. This blog post will look at some of the best camping kettles that are available on Amazon and look at things to consider when selecting the right camping kettle to buy for you next outdoor adventure.
In the blog post below, I will cover the following:
- Why you need a camping kettle
- Things to be aware of when selecting a camping kettle
- Five of the best camping kettles
- Conclusion
Why you need a camping kettle
A kettle is an essential for most campers as it is needed to be able to make a hot drink. It may not seem like a very important piece of equipment, but for any tea or coffee drinker, not having their favourite hot beverage for a long period of time can heavily impact their trip. It is also a very common camping activity to gather around the campfire or caravan and enjoy a warm drink with your friends and family. Although this can be done on a stove with a saucepan, having a kettle is so much faster and more convenient.
Some camping equipment manufactures have even produced multifunctional camping kettles that can be used for other useful tasks such as cooking foods like rice or pasta.
Things to be aware of when selecting a camping kettle
Although a kettle is a vital piece of equipment for the majority of campers, there also some considerations when it comes to selecting the right kettle for you. One of the first things to think about is how the water is heated. There are two types of kettles that can used for camping. The first is a standard electric kettle that the majority of UK households have, and the second is a stove-top kettle that can also be used on a camp fire or caravan stove.
The kettle that you need depends on your campsite surrounding. If you will be going to campsite where you have access to a mains hook up, then the standard electric kettle is the easiest and most convenient option for you. However, if you are camping outside with no access to electricity, then a stove-top kettle will be the most useful as long as you have access to either a campfire, or a portable electric/ gas stove to take along with you, although the latter will mean you have to carry around a heavy portable stove with you, as well as the kettle itself while camping.
This brings us on to the next factor to consider which is the weight of the kettle. The last thing you want is to be carrying around heavy items with you while camping. The aim is usually to keep yourself as lightweight as possible while out camping. Therefore, its important to consider the size, and weight of the kettle and features of the kettle that will effect the weight such as the the material it is made from. The majority of kettles are usually made from a light weight hardened plastic which keeps the weight down to a minimum.
Five of the best camping kettles
Selecting the right camping kettle for you is an important but sometimes difficult task since there are are so many different kind of camping kettles available. To make matters more confusing, they are all made from different material, have different weights and sometimes even different ways to operate them. Below I have listed 5 of the best kettle that are all suitable for camping. These have been listed in no particular order as the best kettle for you will depend on what you require from your kettle, therefore, below I have listed the specifications including the weight, power consumption and price for each kettle as well as links to where you can easily purchase each kettle from.
Select the camping kettle you want to read about to be taken to the relevant information:
- Russell Hobbs Compact Electric Kettle
- Optimus Terra Kettle
- Sea to Summit Lightweight Collapsible Stove-Top Camping Kettle
- Kampa Squash Electric Collapsible Camping Kettle
- Quest Compact Electric Camping Kettle
Russell Hobbs Compact Electric Kettle
| Kettle name | Weight | Power | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russell Hobbs Compact Electric Kettle | 1.35kg | 2200W | £48.99 |
Although Russell Hobbs don’t specialise in any kind of camping equipment or camping kettles, this small and compact kettle is still great kettle to take along with you. It has very similar feature to kettles that have been specially designed for camping, wile also having a more modern and elegant look when compared to the majority of camping kettles.
The Russell Hobbs Compact Electric Kettle is super lightweight, weighing only 1.35kg, which is quite impressive for a kettle that isn’t specially designed for camping. However, The reason for it’s light weight is not because of the material it is made from, but because of the small size and capacity of this kettle. It holds 0.8L of water which is a lot less than regular kettles that are used at home. However, this is the perfect size when going camping with around 2-3 people.
Since this is quite a small kettle, it only uses 2200W of power which is safe to use at the majority of campsites without affecting the power. A possible downside to this kettle however, it the price. Since it is designed to be a regular small kettle to use at home, and the design looks a lot more elegant than camping kettles, this kettle is quite expensive when compared to some of the other camping kettles that are available to buy
Click here to find the Russell Hobbs Compact Electric Kettle on Amazon.
Optimus Terra Kettle
| Kettle name | Weight | Power | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optimus Terra Kettle | 0.15kg | N/A | £19.04 |
One cheaper and lighter in weight alternative to the classic titanium camping kettles, is this Optimus Terra Kettle. It is made from aluminium instead of titanium which makes it perfect to for camping for a number of reasons. Firstly, aluminium is much more light weight compared to titanium which makes it easier to carry around with you while you’re out camping as it only weights 0.15kg. Secondly, its is very sturdy. Although it’s not as strong as aluminium, its is still a very strong material considering its light weight which is what makes it the perfect camping kettle.
Since this is a stove-top kettle, it doesn’t need to plugged in meaning you don’t have to worry about finding a power supply or using up too much power at the campsite. It can be used over an open fire aw well, making it suitable for outdoor fire use as well as using it on the stove-top. Since it is not an electric kettle and has been designed specifically for camping, the price is much cheaper than the previous Russell Hobbs kettle we looked at.
For a good quality and sturdy stove-top camping kettle, the Optimus Terra is a fairly cheap kettle for only £19.04. This is great if you don’t go camping very often and know you wont be using the kettle that often but still want to buy a long lasting and good quality one.
Click here to find the Optimus Terra Kettle on Amazon.
Sea and Summit Lightweight Collapsible Stove-Top Camping Kettle
| Kettle name | Weight | Power | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea and Summit Lightweight Collapsible Stove-Top Camping Kettle | 0.186kg | N/A | £36.00 |
When it comes to multiple functionality, the Sea and Summit Lightweight Collapsible Stove-Top Camping Kettle is one of the best and most convenient camping kettles on the market. This kettle can fold down to an impressive 3.5cm to fit into your camping bag with ease, making it one of the most compact kettles available. Not only that but is can also hold up to 1.3L of water, which is quite a lot more than the majority of other camping kettles.
Thanks to its see through lid, this innovative kettle can also be used to cook food in, making it the perfect multi purpose piece of equipment for up to 2-3 people. Not only is it collapsible but is also considerably light weight, coming in at only 1.86kg. With it’s light weight and ability to collapse to a smaller size, this is the perfect kettle if you don’t have much space to carry equipment with you.
Although it’s not one of the cheapest options, it certainly is one of the most impressive ones. Investing in a Sea and Summit Lightweight Collapsible Stove-Top Camping Kettle means you not only save on space for a kettle but also saucepans, as this kettle can also be used to cook in.
Click here to find the Sea and Summit Lightweight Collapsible Stove-Top Camping Kettle on Amazon.
Kampa Squash Electric Collapsible Camping Kettle
| Kettle name | Weight | Power | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kampa Squash Electric Collapsible Camping Kettle | 0.64kg | 1000W | £25.95 |
Kampa are a very popular camping gear brand that have products ranging for air awnings to camping kettles. The Kampa Squash Electric Collapsible Camping Kettle has very quickly become one of their most popular camping kettles. Just like the Sea and Summit Lightweight Collapsible Stove-Top Camping Kettle, this Kampa kettle can also be folded onto a small circular shape that has a circumference of 17.5cm. The major difference between these kettles is the fact that the Sean and Summit kettle is a stove-top kettle and this Kampa one is an electric kettle.
Like all the kettles included in this blog post, the Kampa Squash Electric Collapsible Camping Kettle weighs a mere 0.64kg. making it perfect for camping. The unique thing about this kettle is that fact that it is both collapsible and electric, as it is usually the Stove-top kettles that are available is a collapsible design.
At 1000W this Kampa kettle uses a very small amount of power usage making it suitable for using at campsites, however, that being said it takes approximately five minutes to boil a full kettle which is quite a lot of time compared to other camping kettles. That being said, at a reasonable price of £25.95 for an electric and collapsible kettle, this seems like a great choice for campers looking for a convenient electric kettle.
Click here to find the Kampa Squash Electric Collapsible Camping Kettle on Amazon.
Quest Compact Electric Camping Kettle
| Kettle name | Weight | Power | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quest Compact Electric Camping Kettle | 0.95kg | 1600W | £26.06 |
This cordless electric camping kettle is another impressive kettle to include in this list. It uses only 1600W of power, and although this kettle used the most power from all the kettles mentioned in this blog post, 1600W is still a small amount of power usage. This means you can take this kettle camping with confidence instead of worrying about the chances of tripping the electrics at the camping site.
Although this is quite a compact kettle, it manages to heat up just over 4 cups pf water, making it perfect for a small group of campers. Another impressive feature of this kettle is the fact that it is made of glass with a hard plastic top. this is quite different from other kettles that are designed for camping as they are usually made from hardened plastic. The glass on this kettle looks a lot better than plastic, however, you may have to be careful when taking this camping as it can be quite fragile if it is being moved around too rough.
This lightweight kettle is a great camping companion weighing only 0.95kg and costing £26.06, its a great classic kettle which is perfect for use in a campervan.
Click here to find the Quest Compact Electric Camping Kettle on Amazon.
Conclusion
There is such a wide variety of kettles available tat have been specially designed for camping, however it’s important to remember that that each kettle is designed for different needs and even different power supplies to heat up the kettle, whether it may be an electric kettle or a stove-top kettle.
When selecting which kettles to purchase, its important to first think about what kind of camping trips you go on, if you unusually have access to electricity, and then look into the specifications of different kettles before finding a kettle that best matches your needs.