FeatherSticks · Cooking

Camp Kitchen Setup: Layout, Zones, Furniture and Hygiene

A good camp kitchen is four zones, not one pile of pots.

Quick facts

Setup time: 20 min solo, 1–2 h for a group kitchen
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Key distances: Fire ≥ 5 m from tents, tarp ≥ 3 m from fire, washing ≥ 60 m from water
You need: Tarp, cord, water containers, cool box or bag, basin, soap

1 Read the wind and pick the spot

Put the kitchen downwind of the tents, on level, bare ground, with the fire at least 5 m from tents and hammocks.
2 Mark the four zones

Lay out a fire or stove zone, a prep area, a washing spot and a food store, linked by short, clear paths.
3 Set up the fire and stove zone

Clear 3 m around the fire, add a windbreak and a pot hanger, shield the stove on the windward side and keep water ready.
4 Build the table, rig the tarp

Lash a work table with a pot shelf and pitch the tarp over the prep area, at least 3 m from the fire and never above it.
5 Hand-wash station and cool store

Hang water and soap for 20-second hand washing, and keep perishables sealed in a shaded cool box at 4 °C or below.
6 Run routines, leave no trace

Share kitchen jobs, wash up away from water, then take every structure down, drown the fire cold and pack out all rubbish.

Putting the kitchen upwind of the tents, so smoke and food smells drift into the beds.
Stretching a synthetic tarp over the fire or closer than 3 m to it.
Washing pots in or next to the stream instead of at least 60 m away.
Opening the food cool box all day for drinks instead of using a separate drinks box.
Skipping the hand-wash station because "there is sanitiser".
Leaving food, rubbish or toothpaste in the tents overnight.
Leaving lashings, poles and micro-rubbish behind after tear-down.