Securing your kitchen dishes during travel

  • HTML tutorial

spazegun2213

Rank V
Member

Advocate I

1,421
San Diego
First Name
ross
Last Name
miller
Member #

28854

Alright guys, how does one secure their dishes, pots, pans, etc so they aren't making a crazy racket? We did ~40 miles of washboard roads this last adventure and I nearly lost it listening to the dishes (steel enamel) rattle around.

That said, my wife made a good point that if I can hear the dishes I should probably slow down.
 

M Rose

Local Expert
Mod Team
Member

Advocate III

5,584
Northeast Oregon, United States
First Name
Michael
Last Name
Rose
Member #

20990

Ham/GMRS Callsign
W7FSB
Service Branch
US ARMY Retired
Alright guys, how does one secure their dishes, pots, pans, etc so they aren't making a crazy racket? We did ~40 miles of washboard roads this last adventure and I nearly lost it listening to the dishes (steel enamel) rattle around.

That said, my wife made a good point that if I can hear the dishes I should probably slow down.
1 pot, 1 Skillet, 1 griddle... I can cook everything with those three items... paper plates and plastic flatware... 1Travel mug/person... no noise.
 

Billiebob

Rank V
Launch Member

Member III

2,835
earth
First Name
Bill
Last Name
William
Member #

18893

Wrap everything in dish towels etc. Pack everything like you were moving house.
All my cutlery, utensils are rolled together.

IMG_0065.jpeg
 
  • Like
Reactions: El-Dracho

El-Dracho

Ambassador, Europe
Moderator
Member
Supporter
Investor

Inventor I

13,232
Lampertheim, Germany
First Name
Bjoern
Last Name
Eldracher
Member #

20111

Ham/GMRS Callsign
DO3BE
We pack everything form-fitting in a box. Plates go in a canvas bag. What could still rattle is somehow wrapped or padded. Best with things that come along anyway, like kitchen towel and dish sponge. By the way, I only take one real glass with me, my whisky glass. I made a specially padded protective cover for it.
 

Shokgoblr

Rank III
Launch Member

Off-Road Ranger I

676
PA, USA
First Name
Shok
Last Name
Goblr
Member #

25276

Ham/GMRS Callsign
Ihave1
1 pot, 1 Skillet, 1 griddle... I can cook everything with those three items... paper plates and plastic flatware... 1Travel mug/person... no noise.
Me too.
I am not like a lot of other people here. I am a minimalist at every point I can be. I regularly carry only one 8" Cast Iron pan, one 10x6 grill grate and one Ti 1 qt pot. If more people are coming to eat, they better bring their own pot.
 

Alanymarce

Rank IV

Trail Mechanic III

1,392
Colombia
Me too.
I am not like a lot of other people here. I am a minimalist at every point I can be. I regularly carry only one 8" Cast Iron pan, one 10x6 grill grate and one Ti 1 qt pot. If more people are coming to eat, they better bring their own pot.
Why so many? We have one pan which serves as a frying pan, saucepan, etc., all in one. Two plates, two mugs, KFS each.
 
  • Like
Reactions: M Rose

spazegun2213

Rank V
Member

Advocate I

1,421
San Diego
First Name
ross
Last Name
miller
Member #

28854

We don't have a ton of stuff. 2 pots (one deep, one cast iron), 4 plates, 4 bowls, 2 mugs, and thats everything that rattles. The silverware is in a bag, as are the cooking utensils, so no noise there.

I think I'm going to head to uhaul and get a "dish pack" of foam and pack a few things in there as a start. Sadly I think things would be less noisy if the beast had drawers (its all cubbies). We do pack towels around the dishes, but if we clean dishes in the morning and break camp, all the towels are wet and hung up, or on the dash drying.

But I wanted so see what you all were doing.
 

spazegun2213

Rank V
Member

Advocate I

1,421
San Diego
First Name
ross
Last Name
miller
Member #

28854

I'll have to take some pictures, but a neighbor made a a fabric bag with 4 fabric dividers for the plates. NO MORE RATTLES!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Alanymarce

uncompromise

Rank V
Member

Advocate I

1,421
Buzy, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France
First Name
Cameron
Last Name
Burgess
Member #

29202

  • carry as little as humanly possible; make sure every item can do double, if not triple duty
  • when it comes time to replace any of your kit, swap it out for titanium or heavy duty plastic - weighs less, and makes considerably less noise
  • treat cutlery and cooking utensils as tools, and if you need more than the basics, put them in a tool roll
  • put heavy duty foam on the base interior of the chuck box, another layer of heavy duty foam on top; and something heavy on top of the foam to keep everything in place (if you have a cast iron pan, that's heavy enough to compress the foam and stop everything else from moving about
We now travel exceedingly light, like @Alanymarce - so we don't have anything to rattle, but we've used each of these approaches, and they work. As I've mentioned elsewhere, we buy lightweight and strong items, and carry little more in the car then we would for backpacking (with the exception of a few more basecamp luxuries like chairs).
 

Advocate III

1,653
King County, WA, USA
First Name
Brian
Last Name
Aurich
Member #

26163

Ham/GMRS Callsign
GMRS: WREY362
Kiazen Foam, various size and thicknesses. cut to fit to box/storage , This fits up and seals, never a rattle and dust proof.





View attachment 187996View attachment 187997View attachment 187998
That is next level there Jeff! Nice job!

I have plastic camp plates and such. My wife likes the disposable stuff for ease of cleanup, but when it's just me with our kids, I do prefer not to create excess waste. I don't mind doing some dishes when camping.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Things

Things

Rank IV

Enthusiast III

1,116
Prescott Arizona
First Name
jeff
Last Name
mcallister
Member #

28839

That is next level there Jeff! Nice job!

I have plastic camp plates and such. My wife likes the disposable stuff for ease of cleanup, but when it's just me with our kids, I do prefer not to create excess waste. I don't mind doing some dishes when camping.
That entire unit comes out and I store my winter gear there. If I bring my Skottle am am cooking for a larger group I put that in as a unit. For my dog and I we keep it very simple as stated elsewhere.
 
  • Like
Reactions: outside.perception