One of our favourite things is a couple of slices of good bread, toasted and buttered, with a cup of coffee on the side. A simple pleasure, and even more of a joy when you’re sitting in your campervan or tent looking out at the sea.
So, how do we make perfect toast when camping? We’ve been testing all the camping toasters. Read on.
Latest update: March 2021
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OUR TOP PICK
This little Primus camping toaster folds flat and is about as neat as you can get. Here we are toasting hot cross buns over our trusty Campingaz Bivouac stove.
You can, in theory, toast two pieces of bread at a time (on one side) with this Bright Spark toaster. It’s designed to fit onto the portable cooker, but you could use it on any of these gas canister style campstoves. Would you want to, though? We weren’t that impressed by the uneven cooking. Very inexpensive, so worth a shot.
Also…have a look at the warning about these types of stove in our camping stove feature.
Sandwich toasters are a bit bulky for lightweight camping, but very versatile if you have the space. You can make toast in the morning, a toasted sandwich for lunch and cook a meal for the evening. Use them to heat up pies and pasties too. .
Opt for one with a bag to keep things clean.
For detachable handles, go for the Ridgemonkey Connect Compact or XL, which include a neoprene bag and utensils.
If you’ve got hook-up and the space, a low wattage electric toaster might be the answer. Most of these are VERY small, though, and you won’t be able to fit a decent-sized piece of bread in the slots. Note: that this toaster does not work at 12v.
If you want more information on power options for camping, have a look at our special feature on hook-up, solar and portable camping power.
Quite a few gas camping stoves, like this Campingaz Chef, come with grills underneath. They’re a bit tricky because they always look as if you get full width toasting, when it’s a just small section in the middle that heats up. They tend to be very slow. But alot of people love them, so it's only our opinion!
The ‘Just don’t bother’ toaster
Save your money and don’t buy one of these. We haven’t met a camper yet who’s managed to make brown toast in less than half-an hour. However, check the comments below – Chris thinks it works. Maybe some people have the knack. Ours, though, was pale and dry bread rather than toast after a VERY long time
Other Camping Toaster Ideas
Use a frying pan?
Thanks to the readers who reminded us you can make toast in a dry frying pan. Even better, we use the griddle plate on our Cadac campstove to make tasty toast with those lovely char lines!
Simple Toast
You don’t want to make a production out of your toast, so how about this for the lowest-tech answer? A simple toasting fork. OK, go high-tech, and get one with an extending handle if you must!
Toasties without the mess
If you want to make toasted sandwiches without mess, then you’ll need some reusable toastie makers. Cheap and very easy to use. This pack of two bags costs a few pounds and the bags can be used 100 times.
Now all you need is the right camping kettle. Pop along to discover our recommended campstove kettles.
Here are a couple of ideas for more delicious tea and coffee for your camping breakfasts.
Assuming you’re not a fan of instant coffee, have a look at the Wacaco Nanopresso for cafe-style, barista-quality coffee. Small, neat and makes delicious coffee.
We’ve often fallen back on shop-bought coffee bags because they’re so easy to use. BUT, there’s a lot of waste and plastic wrapping with them.
So, make your own coffee bags (and your own teabags) before you go. Buy a pack of paper teabags, fill with tea leaves or ground coffee, fold over the top or pull the drawstring and store in a tub. Easy, economical and less waste. Oh, and you can even use these bags for herbs and spices. Brilliant!
