Camp Sink??

S

soapboxpreacher

Joined
Apr 3, 2010
Messages
955
I was looking at some camp sinks for this coming season and dont even know where to begin. I have seen some seattle sports one which get ripped in the reviews as well as some sea to summit...which seem to do better in the reviews. Then there is also the method of cleaning...some actually boil some water so they have hot water to wash with, some use two sinks one to wash one to rinse, and everyone seems to like the soaps like campsuds or wilderness wash...because they are mild and dont take tons of water to rinse clean. I hope (if my membership gets granted) I will be doing a lot of lake camping on the shores of lake Michigan this year so this will see some action. I would like to get a nice camp setup...mostly car camping in this regards but would consider taking one of the sinks with on my hiking at 2.5oz...it isnt much weight. Looking for your thoughts and your setups.
 
For backpacking.... I use whatever boiling pot i brought along to heat water. Then i wash off my spoon/mug with one of those fast-dry "towels". Finally, rinse with clean water and GTG!

For slam-door camping i simply bring along a small plastic wash tub.
 
If you are going to be on the shore line, I like using sand or gravel to scrub clean at the waters edge with a little camp suds. Actually gets things clean really quickly.
 
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For car camping, the wife and I bring a 5 gallon bucket (that is dedicated for clean water, contains a plastic cup with handle for scooping/pouring) and a large round tub (that we got at a dollar store) for our sink setup. The tub is large enough for a few gallons of hot water. We wash what needs it, the use the clean water and cup for rinsing. Works well for our setup and only cost a few dollars.
 
Silica content in dried 'horsetail' if it grows near camp makes for a good scrubber, not unlike using grit. Notably used by First Nations for cleaning and even for refining the sharp edge of rudimentary tools. Inexpensive collapsible camp sink or or bucket is my choice for weight and simplicity ... starting light and let the need tell you in your chosen environment. There are lots of biodegradable soaps to choose from. Unclear if sink is for utensils or persons - camping it is likely for both? Camp showers (solar - hang from tree) are inexpensive and most welcome at the end of the day if you can provide privacy.
 
I've toyed with the idea of buying and carrying one of the collapsable sinks for multiday canoe trips when I an going to be doing more serious fresh food cooking. But mostly, I boil water for prepackaged meals that only need rehydration, usually in their own packages. When I do fry or cook fresh foods in my camp cookware, I generally use the biodegradable soap, a green scrub pad or washcloth, or the sand and gravel method, rinsing with more water heated in the container. Most camp suds come in small squeeze bottles that last me several trips, and work for hands, bath and hair when needed.

I have a mesh and nylon zippered kitchen bag with compartments that carries these items (in baggies), eating utensils, folded foil sheets, paper towels (no core), small spice containers and other cooking related items. I don't have to search for things when packing to go, making a meal or packing to leave camp. I just have to remember to replenish between trips.

So far I haven't sprung for a sink. But I do still eye them occasionally. And a lot of other dodads. But besides saving money, adding less gear means less to clean, pack up and carry, even in a canoe where weight isn't a primary concern. Sometimes you have to know when to say "when".
 
I have the steel camp kitchen from cabelas. I bought it to make camping more attractive to my lady and our friends.

Turns out that it is a great piece of kit. It's big and heavy but if your car camping, who cares. It really makes cooking, food prep, and clean up a breeze. It also add's a bit of a Kitchen/hearth feel to the camp site.

I don't always bring it if its just her and I, or a couple of buddies on a guys trip, but when car camping, I do take it more often then not.
 
PortableKitchenCase.jpg


Most amazing "setup in a box" I've ever seen.

Yes, when you're done, you turn it into a sink.
 
DISH WASHING

Step 1: As close of meal approaches, start heating cleaning water in a clean pot. (Heat more as needed.)

Step 2: Eat all the food.

Step 3: CRITICAL: Scrape the dishes to as food-free a state as humanly possible (Scrapers can be fabricated to pot shapes from more-or-less stiff plastic. Several three-ring binders gave their lives to that end.)

Step 4: Place a couple of cups of hot water and some soap in the largest, dirty pot ="wash tub". (How much? Experience will tell you. Start "small." You can add more as needed.)

Step 5: Using dish brush, clean out this large pot/wash tub, leaving the wash water in the wash tub.

Step 6: Wash another item in the "wash tub."

Step 7: Using a clean cup (A "Sierra Cup" is great.), rinse off the cleaned item, allowing the rinse water to run into the "wash tub." Thus, the amount of soapy wash water will increase as more dishes are washed, but the rinse water, coming from the hot water pot, will remain clean.

Step 8: Repeat until all dishes but wash tub are cleaned and rinsed.

Step 9: Pour wash water from wash tub and dispose of properly.

Step 10: Rinse out wash tub and dispose of last rinse water properly.

Using this method and with experience, dishes for six can me washed and rinsed with a gallon of hot water. Our "wash pot" was a 8-qt "billy pot." Wash water was heated in a 4-qt pot.

A higher degree of safety can be obtained by a cold, chlorine rinse after hot rinsing. This rinse can be done in a hole lined with a piece of plastic.

Air drying in sun also increases safety.
 
Thomas Linton said:
DISH WASHING

Step 1: As close of meal approaches, start heating cleaning water in a clean pot. (Heat more as needed.)

Step 2: Eat all the food.

Step 3: CRITICAL: Scrape the dishes to as food-free a state as humanly possible (Scrapers can be fabricated to pot shapes from more-or-less stiff plastic. Several three-ring binders gave their lives to that end.)

Step 4: Place a couple of cups of hot water and some soap in the largest, dirty pot ="wash tub". (How much? Experience will tell you. Start "small." You can add more as needed.)

Step 5: Using dish brush, clean out this large pot/wash tub, leaving the wash water in the wash tub.

Step 6: Wash another item in the "wash tub."

Step 7: Using a clean cup (A "Sierra Cup" is great.), rinse off the cleaned item, allowing the rinse water to run into the "wash tub." Thus, the amount of soapy wash water will increase as more dishes are washed, but the rinse water, coming from the hot water pot, will remain clean.

Step 8: Repeat until all dishes but wash tub are cleaned and rinsed.

Step 9: Pour wash water from wash tub and dispose of properly.

Step 10: Rinse out wash tub and dispose of last rinse water properly.

Using this method and with experience, dishes for six can me washed and rinsed with a gallon of hot water. Our "wash pot" was a 8-qt "billy pot." Wash water was heated in a 4-qt pot.

A higher degree of safety can be obtained by a cold, chlorine rinse after hot rinsing. This rinse can be done in a hole lined with a piece of plastic.

Air drying in sun also increases safety.
Click to expand...

Thanks...what are you using to clean in? Camp sink, bucket, pot? Let me know sorry if I missed it reading on the iPad.
 
I HATE washing dishes at a camp site. The first few times I went car camping, it was something I thought to be a necessary evil. Eventually I decided to reduce dish washing as much as possible. Here is my advice:

Buy one of those grills that can go over the camp fire. Cook on that.
Use aluminum foil to cook things like potatoes, mushrooms, etc. It can even line a pan to cook eggs, bacon, etc.
Use paper plates and plastic cups.
Wet wipes work to clean out most everything else.
 
Now, I notice you guys mention chlorine (bleach). What if you are getting your water from an msr or sawyer filter for your cleaning? And combine with a mild antibacterial dish soap? Scrapper, I have an old plastic one that was a buck and it is great! I do like a brush so this will go with. I would like to keep my gear as compact as I can without losing function much...so I am still leaning towards a collapsible sink...like a 10l and maybe a 5...or 3) 5l sinks...wash, rinse, and sanitize.
 
Ortlieb folding bowls seem to work well. I have seen them quite often while camping, never used one myself though.
 
For multi day river trips, we used two plastic and two galvanized metal buckets. The first bucket in line was a pre-rinse bucket to get most of the food off of the dishes, this was not heated water. The two metal buckets are next in line, the nice thing about these is that they could be heated on either a stove or the fire. The first metal bucket (second in line) had hot soapy water. Use just enough soap (dawn was our soap of choice) to get a few bubbles on the surface of the water, add a little more as needed. The second metal bucket (third in line) is just plain hot water for a rinse. The second plastic bucket (fourth in line) was un-headed water with a couple of ounces of bleach in it for a sanitizing rinse. We carried one of the cheap wood folding dish racks to allow the dishes to air dry. I use pretty much the same system for car camping, but sometimes skip the pre-rinse bucket as we use paper plates and only have pots and pans to clean up.

Bruceter
 
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