Why we take a stainless bucket camping (you want one too)
A good friend of mine suggested some time ago that we buy a stainless steel bucket for camping, and I looked at him like he was mad. That is, until he explained how many ways you can use them, and we bought one off eBay not long after.
It’s been an amazing camping accessory, and we’d happily recommend them to anyone. We ended up with a 16L one, which is perfect for a family, but you’d get away with something slightly smaller for a couple or individual.
What can you use it for?
Hot showers and Dishes
Being stainless steel, you can throw the bucket on a stove, gas burner or the fire with no ill effects. This was one of our favourite ways to have a nice, long shower in the bush that costs nothing at all.
If its fire season, you simply grab some water from a creek or stream, balance the bucket carefully on or near the fire and warm the water until its the right temperature for a shower. From there, using a 12V shower pump you can have a perfect camping shower. If you want a bit of privacy you can get a heap of different shower tents. We run the Quickpitch Shower Tent which has been amazing.
Alternatively, you can heat water up for dishes, and if the water source nearby isn’t good enough, fill it with your own water and you still save on gas by using the heat from the fire.
On another note, we’ve got a DIY hot water system that you might find interesting!
Fishing
Everyone takes a bucket fishing. Whether its to throw some gear in, or to put your fish in with a bit of water, a bucket is essential, and ours now doubles up to do this as well.
Cooking crayfish and crabs
There’s lots of different ways to cook crayfish and crabs, but boiling them is a common method. Unfortunately, most people don’t have a pot big enough when camping, except us. They fit very well in our stainless bucket, and can be cooked on a gas burner, or on a fire if its allowed.
If you can’t boil them, you have to use a weber, or cut them up and do it in a camp oven or frying pan, and its not nearly as simple.
Storing items
We love having another container to throw things in. Sometimes it will take the kids toys, and others we’ll use it for other gear. These take up a fair bit of room, so filling them is something you learn to do out of habit. You have to be a bit careful if its been used on the fire though, as they can get pretty grubby on the outside.
General bucket uses
We’ve used the bucket for building sand castles on the beach, collecting grey water, taking rubbish to a bin, sitting on and a multitude of other things. Most people travel with a bucket, so why not make it a stainless one that is far more versatile? If we had a Caravan Grey Water Tank we’d have less uses, but we specifically don’t have one.
