Everybody is familiar with a kettle; we use them for boiling water, making beverages such as coffee, tea, and the likes. However, a camping kettle is not just any kettle. It is one with special features and components that makes it suitable for outdoor use.

This article is a review of the best camping kettle in 2023. This review will discuss the features, pros, and cons of each of these kettles and also discuss the factors you should consider when buying one.

Five Best Camping Kettle

REDCAMP Outdoor Camping Kettle

This is the first camping kettle brand reviewed in this article, and we are proud that it is from REDCAMP REDCAMP is a household name when it comes to outdoor utensils and accessories. The quality of the brand is also reflected in this camping kettle as it ranks as one of the best in the market at the moment.

The REDCAMP 1.4L Outdoor Aluminum Camping Kettle is made from anodized aluminum. The anodized aluminum’s special feature is the scratch resistance it provides, making this particular camping kettle more suitable for outdoor use. The handle of this kettle is made from silicon, which is one of the best materials for making a kettle handle.

The REDCAMP 1.4L Outdoor Aluminum Camping Kettle comes with an exciting feature called the heat exchanger fitted to its base. This heat exchanger allows for a faster-boiling operation and thermal efficiency. The increase in thermal efficiency caused by this heat exchanger amounts to about 30%. This means that you use less fuel while boiling water.

You can put the REDCAMP 1.4L Outdoor Aluminum Camping Kettle into many uses. You can use the kettle as a coffee pot and teapot. You can also use them for heating and holding a soup and for boiling water. Apart from the 1.4L capacity, there are other sizes and capacities for the REDCAMP Outdoor Aluminum Camping Kettle.

Pros

  • It uses anodized aluminum, which means that it is resistant to scratch
  • It is useful for many purposes
  • The heat exchanger feature ensures that you conserve fuel

Cons

  • It is a bit too heavy and bulky (due to its size) and may be difficult to fit into your backpack

Takeaway

The REDCAMP 1.4L Outdoor Aluminum Camping Kettle is an ideal camping kettle that would fulfill many campers’ needs. It is large enough to cater to a sizable camp party’s water or tea needs at once. It also uses features such as a heat exchanger and anodized aluminum.

Odoland 4L Camping Kettle Set

This camping kettle takes the crown as the camping kettle with the largest capacity out of reviewed kettles. Thus, if you plan to go camping with family and friends, this may be your best bet. This is not only because the kettle has a large capacity. It also comes with four cups, meaning that you get to serve many people at once.

The Odoland 4L Camping Kettle Set is made of stainless steel, making it one of the best stainless steel tea kettles. Due to its stainless steel material, the camping kettle is durable, efficient with heating, and resistant to corrosion.

As surprising as it may sound, the 4L capacity camping kettle only weighs 2.4lbs. This means that it is relatively lightweight and perfect for those moving from one camp to another. Hikers will also find the Odoland 4L Camping Kettle Set ideal options. The four cups can easily get stacked and placed inside the kettle while not in use.

Pros

  • Its large capacity can cater to a lot of campers at the same time
  • It is lightweight for a camping kettle that measures four liters

Cons

  • While it is lightweight, it is still bulky due to its capacity and may need another container, if you packed a lot of things in your backpack

Takeaway

There is nothing as sweet as having an outdoor or camping time with family and friends, and the Odoland 4L Camping Kettle Set ensures that you have a swell time while at it. The capacity of the camping kettle is the major impressive feature that the camping kettle has.

What’s more, the Odoland 4L Camping Kettle Set is lightweight despite its capacity. But this doesn’t mean that you can easily fit it into your backpack as it is still bulky.

Kelly Kettle Camp Stove

This camping kettle is arguably the most popular in the market. Almost every hiker or camper has outdoor memories connected to a camping kettle from this brand. It is somewhat difficult to put the finger on what makes the Kelly Kettle Camp Stove such a success in camping kettles. It could be the innovative design that the camping kettle has or the fact that it is suitable for backpacking.

Kelly Kettle Camp Stove is an anodized aluminum camping kettle that measures 1.5lbs in weight and 10 inches in length. Because of its long and slender design, you can easily strap the kettle to your backpack and save the backpack space for other things.

With the Kelly Kettle Camp Stove, you have a bottom compartment for putting for heating water in the kettle. But apart from holding fuel, the bottom compartment also allows you to rest a pan on top and cook meals using the kettle. Thus, you will agree that the Kelly Kettle Camp Stove provides a total solution to campers and hikers’ hot water and meal heating needs.

Pros

  • The kettle has a classic design which allows for its portability
  • It is environmentally friendly as it allows for the usage of only fuel found around the camp
  • Due to its classic design, it boils water very fast
  • It is lightweight and easy to pack

Cons

  • The capacity of the Kelly Kettle Camp Stove is small, meaning that a large camping party would need multiples of the kettle

Takeaway

As one of the most popular and historic brands in the market, the Kelly Kettle Camp Stove kept up the quality that the Kelly Kettle is reputable for. The kettle combines features such as lightweight, portability, classic design, and many more. The only drawback is in its capacity, which is small for a large camping party.

Overmont Camping Kettle

This kettle makes the best camping kettle list in 2023 due to its many impressive features. These features include compact design, heat efficiency and faster boiling time, and high-quality materials. As a kettle made from anodized aluminum, it adds scratch resistance and durability to its teeming list of features. It is also easy to use, as the kettle works on both open flame and camp stove.

As if these features are not enough, the Overmont Camping Kettle is foldable and collapsible. This means that you can easily pack it into your backpack for that hiking or camping activity. It uses an insulated plastic as its handle, protecting your hands from getting scalded by the hot kettle.

As with its uses, you can use the Overmont Camping Kettle to hold and heat anything from water to tea, soup, and coffee.

Pros

  • The kettle comes compact design with impressive features
  • It is foldable and collapsible
  • The Overmont Camping Kettle uses an ergonomic and insulated plastic handle for protecting the user
  • It is useful for holding and boiling many things apart from water

Cons

  • While using under open fire, it may affect the plastic handle of the kettle

Takeaway

The Overmont Camping Kettle is a durable and compact camping kettle that gets the job done. Without fussy and extra features, the kettle comes with the needed features to make it one of the best camping kettles in the market.

Stanley Adventure Camp Cook Set

This camping kettle is made from stainless steel, which means that it is resistant to corrosion and heat damage. The Stanley Camping Kettle also comes from two portable ceramic cups, meaning that it is suitable for a camping party of two. It is also lightweight and comes with a compact design.

Pros

  • It uses durable and resistant material
  • It is lightweight and easy to clean

Cons

  • Its capacity is very small

Takeaway

This kettle also made it into the list of top camping kettles as it comes with many features that are required of an ideal camping kettle.

Buying Guide

It is not enough to identify the best camping kettle available in 2023. You need to know how to select the best kettle for your outdoor activities. To this end, we will discuss important purchase factors and guides to consider when shopping for a camping kettle.

To start with, here are some of the factors to consider when buying a camping kettle

Material

As stated at the start of the article, the major difference between a camping kettle and a regular kettle is in the material. Because camping kettles are used outdoors, and as such, they require those strong and durable materials that can withstand harsh weather conditions without affecting their functionality. Therefore, it becomes very important that you check for the material of the kettle before buying it.

There are two primary materials acceptable for a camping teapot. These materials are Anodized Aluminum and Stainless Steel. Both of these materials are resistant to corrosion and can withstand the heat from the campfire used for cooking.

Between the two, Anodized aluminum is the lighter material. Thus if you are looking for a quality backpacking kettle that’s light, you may want to go for aluminum kettles. Despite the lightness of aluminum, the kettle’s capacity and size will have more effect on the weight than the material. As an example, an anodized aluminum kettle with a 1.4L capacity will be heavier than a 0.8L stainless steel kettle.

There are other two materials that manufacturers use for camping kettles. These are glass and cast iron. Cast iron has the durability and strong feature of stainless steel. The only downside to it is that it rusts. As a result, cast iron is not a recommended camp kettle material.

Glass kettles are also as lightweight as those made with aluminum. It also has an impressive feature known as gradual heating. However, this material is not recommended for the camp kettle because it breaks easily.   

Capacity

After the construction material, the next important factor you want to consider is the kettle’s capacity. The larger the kettle, the more its ability to cater to your needs. However, you should remember that a large-capacity kettle is heavier than a medium or small-capacity kettle. So if you are big on lightweight and portability, you may choose a small capacity kettle.

At the end of the day, your preference is the primary determinant. If you are camping with a lot of people, then a large-capacity kettle is your best bet, although you’d have to manage with the heavyweight. On the other hand, if you are camping alone, a small-capacity kettle that fits right into your budget is the best option.

Handles

One of the important components of the camping kettle is its handle. It provides a means of carriage and also serves as a protection against the scalding heat of a campfire, over which the camping kettle is usually used. Due to the importance of the kettle handle, we must consider it while buying a camping kettle.

There are two popular materials used for handles in camping kettles. These are plastic and silicon. Both of these materials are safe and suitable as handles for a camping kettle. However, regardless of the material that the kettle handle is made of, you need to ensure that the campfire over which the kettle is used is kept down. If the fire should rise to the kettle’s sides, the fire may melt the kettle handle.

Lastly, there are camping kettles that do not have handles. These kettles are dangerous and not fit for use around campfires.

Weight

We have said something about the weight of the camping kettle under the materials factor. However, it is also an important consideration that we need to discuss on its own. The weight of a camping kettle affects the ease with which campers use them.

If you have a kettle that weighs a bit much, you may have a problem on your hands if you want to move from one camp to another. It also means that you will need extra baggage for it, as it may not fit into your backpack. A camper with a lightweight camping kettle will not have any of these problems.

The two determinant of the weight of a camping kettle is its capacity and material. The capacity, however, has a greater effect on the weight than the material used. Therefore, the capacity (which is a function of the camper’s needs) will determine whether you would go for a heavy or light camping kettle.

Why Do You Need a Camping Kettle?

After identifying the factors that you must bear in mind when choosing the best camping kettle in 2023, it is important to understand the need for a camping kettle. Why do campers have to get a special type of kettle for their camping activities? Why can’t you use the normal kettle used at home during camping? This section seeks to answer these questions while establishing the need for camping kettles.

Suitable and Ideal Material

The outdoor life is not only that is protected and sheltered. While out camping in the woods, both the campers and their things get exposed to the vagaries of nature and weather elements. This means that any utensils or accessories used in the camp must be well-protected.

The camping kettle passes this test of adequate protection by using strong and durable materials in its construction. You cannot go camping with just any type of kettle because the kettle needs to be well-protected against adverse use and weather conditions, a feature only possessed by camping kettles.

Ease of Use

Another reason why you need a camping kettle for your outdoor activities is the ease of use. Camping kettles come with design and features that make them perfectly suitable for outdoor use. These features include the ability to boil or heat foods and drink fasters than a normal kettle.

Also, the camping kettle, unlike the conventional kettles, comes with a non-reactive and non-slip surface. These types of surfaces are easy to clean and maintain, reducing the stress of cleaning a camp kettle.

Lastly, the camping kettles have heat-resistant handles and foldable parts. These features make them easy to use, compact, and easy to pack.

Precautions When Using a Camping Kettle

There are loads of benefits associated with the use of a camping kettle. However, just like every other camping accessories, there are certain precautions that you must take with its use if you are to get the best out of it. In this section, we will examine some of the important precautions that you should bear in mind while using a camping tea kettle.

  1. Avoid filling your kettle to the brim. When you fill the kettle with water, water can expand during heating. Thus, in the case where the kettle is filled to the brim, the expansion of the heated water may cause an overflow, affecting the campfire.
  2. On the other hand, you want to avoid placing an empty kettle on the fire. Doing this can cause a split, damaging the kettle. Ensure that there is water in the camping kettle whenever you place it on fire.
  3. Avoid touching the top of the kettle when it is on fire. Placing your hand on a kettle on fire can cause burns of various degrees.
  4. Avoid using kettles with lids or corks. Or, if your camping kettle has this feature, ensure that you do not use them. The lids and corks block steam from coming off the boiled water in the kettle. The steam’s inability to escape causes a precarious situation where the steam would force its way out, leading to the occurrence of injuries, such as burns.
  5. Keep children away from the camping kettle, especially when the kettle is on fire.
  6. After using the kettle, you should ensure that it cools down perfectly, before storing them away.

FAQs about the Best Camping Kettle in 2023

The following are some questions that campers and other users of camping kettles have asked in recent times. The answers to these questions may prove useful to you and other campers.

Which material is the most durable for making a camping kettle?

The stainless steel kettle is the best material in terms of durability and resistance to adverse conditions. Camping kettle made from this material usually lasts longer than their counterparts.

What is the distinction between a camping teapot and a camping kettle?

The camping kettle has only one job, and the job is to heat and boil water. The teapot, on the other hand, holds tea leaves, upon which the boiled water is poured to make tea.

What to do when there is rust in the kettle?

Rust is harmful to your health, as it contains dangerous particles that can cause serious damage to your health. Thus, whenever you see rust in the kettle, you should move to correct it or stop using the kettle altogether.

However, it is important to state that you may find a stain looking like rust in your kettle. This stain is known as limescale and is a harmless substance. If you are not comfortable with it, you can easily clean it out.

Which brings water to boil faster; a camping kettle or a pan?

If you have ever tried to boil water with both the camping kettle and the pan, you will find that the camping kettle boils water faster and better than the pan. The camping kettle has features that ensure that you use the shortest time possible when boiling water.

The pan has the disadvantage of not having a lid. And even if it did have one, it would still never be as fast as the kettle. Not to mention that the kettle has the added advantage of whistling when the boiling is done.

Conclusion

This article reviewed some of the best camping kettles in 2023 and explained some of the factors that could affect purchase decisions when making your choice on the camping kettle to get. It is almost impossible to make a wrong decision on camping kettles if you follow the buying guide discussed in this article. While every camper’s needs are different, this article factored in the difference in taste and reviewed different kettles for different camping needs.