The Best Cast Iron Dutch Oven for Camping

A cast iron Dutch oven is the ultimate piece of cookware for your camping trip. It’s indestructible, has excellent heat retention, and can basically make anything from hearty stews to perfectly baked bread rolls.

If I were to live in an RV of any kind, I would bring my Dutch oven over any other cookware. In fact, I wouldn’t even need a skillet, because it’s perfectly capable of searing any type of meat and vegetables too because of the thick cast iron bottom.

For this article we’ve been researching and reviewing the best Dutch ovens for a camping trip, all made of cast iron, and one particular brand stands out as THE preferred brand by us and camping enthusiasts in general.

We based our picks on the overall build quality, the design, and additional features.

Below are the best cast iron Dutch ovens for your next camping trip:

Our Top Picks

What we like: Lodge is American-made, and it’s one of the most popular cast iron Dutch ovens for a reason.

It’s durable, and the simple design makes it especially useful for a camp fire with its wire bail attached to the pot.

The handle has a special coil that doesn’t only enable you to lift it easily, but holds the Dutch oven in place when it’s hanging from a camping tripod.

All in all, we believe this is the best choice for both long-term and short-term camping.

All you need to know: The Lodge Cast Iron Dust Oven With Bail Handle is made in the USA, and comes in three different sizes: 5-, 7-, or 9 quart.

While the 5 quart option is more than enough for most camping trips, a bigger model could work well if you plan on making a large meal that will feed a bigger group of people.

The dimensions are as follows:

• 5-quart: 11.8 x 5.4 inches, 13.49 lbs
• 7-quart: 14.15 x 5.65 inches, 18.06 lbs
• 9-quart: 15.8 x 5.7 inches, 22.83 lbs

See how it works in this video.

Features:

• Sizes available: 5-, 7-, or 9 quart
• Weight: 13.49, 18.06, or 22.83 lbs
• Pre seasoned: Yes

What we like: This is the perfect cast iron dutch oven for your camping trip. It is designed for camp fire cooking, and has legs underneath to keep it stable when placed directly on top of the fire.

There’s also a practical stainless steel wire handle with a small indentation that will keep it in place as you cook up a meal.

One more important feature is the tall edges along the lid, because it enables it to hold charcoal really well. That way you can cook anything from the top, which is really useful if you want a nice crust on a pizza or give your roast a finishing sear on all sides.

All you need to know: The Texsport Cast Iron Dutch Oven has legs, that enable it to stand directly over charcoal.

There’s also a wire handle for easy and safe carrying of the pot, and it holds one gallon (4 quart).

It weighs just under 12.5 pounds in total, and it’s 11.5 inches wide, and 7 inches tall (including the legs).

This type of Dutch is not made for cooking on a stovetop, but instead it’s specifically designed to stand over charcoal and remain stable while the charcoal burns out.

Features:

• Sizes available: 4 quart
• Weight: 12.41 lbs
• Pre seasoned: Yes

What we like: This classic Lodge Dutch Oven is not only suitable for camping trips, but can be used on any stovetop as well.

It’s a best seller for many reasons, and literally has thousands of positive ratings scattered across multiple online retailers. Users are super happy with this, and so are we.

This Dutch oven is perfect for a lone traveller as well as a larger group, as it is available in a 2 quart, -quart or 7 quart size.

Needless to say, the 2-quart size is perfect for a single (or double) serving, while the larger options are suitable for a family of 4 or more.

Lodge takes pride in manufacturing their products in the USA, and has always done so.

All you need to know: The classic Lodge Dutch Oven works on any heat source, and can either be placed directly in a camp fire or placed on top of any cooking grate or rack.

It’s works just like any regular pot, but since it’s made from cast iron it’s heavier and retains heat very well.

You can also place it in the oven at home to make a roast or bake bread rolls, and with the silicone handle holders (sold separately), you can pick it up without burning your fingers.

The dimensions are as follows:

• 2-quart: 9.8 x 3.6 inches, 6.99 lbs
• 5-quart: 11 x 5.4 inches, 12.78 lbs
• 7-quart: 12.7 x 5.5 inches, 17.63 lbs

Features:

• Sizes available: 2-, 5-, or 7 quart
• Weight: 6.99, 12.78 or 17.63 lbs
• Pre seasoned: Yes

What we like: This cast iron Dutch oven has a clever design, with the lid functioning as a skillet at the same time.

If there’s one thing most campers wish for, it’s space saving items, which usually translates to double-duty items.

You can either use the Cuisinel 2-In-1 Multi Cooker separately, or place the skillet on top of the pot to use it as a lid. It’s up to you, and depends on the meal you’re cooking.

All you need to know: The Cuisinel 2-In-1 Multi Cooker is a cast iron Dutch oven and skillet in one.

It is able to seal tightly when the skillet is placed on top of the pot, and the 3 quart capacity is more than enough for 2-3 persons.

You can either use them separately to cook two different meals, or you can use one or another as a lid.

Like other cast iron Dutch ovens, it comes pre seasoned.

Features:

• Sizes available: 3 quart
• Weight: 12.45 lbs
• Pre seasoned: Yes

Recommended Cooking Gear for a Camp Fire

Besides your cast iron Dutch oven, there are a few things that are really nice to have in order to make cooking over a camp fire a lot easier.

Below is a list of essentials, that are recommended for cooking over a camp fire.

1. Dutch oven lid lifter

This is basically just a heavy duty steel bar, that has been bent and shaped into a long carrying tool.

It enables you to carry out following tasks in a safe manner:

• Lifting the lid of your Dutch oven to check on the food.
• Carrying your Dutch oven away from your camp fire.

You can also use it to poke your camp fire, and rearrange the charcoal if needed.

2. Stainless steel cooking utensils

You can use any type of cooking utensils for your cast iron Dutch oven, and below are the recommended utensils to bring a long for camp fire cooking:

• Tongs
  Easiest tool for gripping and rearranging ingredients.
• Whisk
  Whatever needs mixing, a whisk is recommended.
• Spoon
  Recommended for casual stirring and serving of a stew.
• Skimmer
  Whatever you’re frying, a skimmer allows you to pick it up while leaving the oil in the pot.

3. Camping tripod for camp fire cooking

This is a super simple lifehack for any type of cooking on a camp fire, and should be on any recommended list of cooking gear.

It’s basically just three steel legs that are assembled into a tripod, with a chain hanging from the top joints.

The chain is designed in a way that it allows you to adjust the height of your Dutch oven, and since everything is made from steel, you can place glowing charcoal on top of any Dutch oven hanging from the chain.

4. Storage bag for your Dutch oven

It’s no secret a cast iron Dutch oven has rough edges on all sides, and if you’re on a camping trip you should probably consider storing it in a safe manner to keep it from scratching or ruining other equipment stored within the same container.

You can get a storage bag that fits most cast iron Dutch ovens, or you can wrap it in a fleece blanket instead. Just make sure no edges are left exposed to other items (or to your car), because otherwise you may end up with unwanted scratches.