REASONS TO BUY
Durable
Excellent frying pan
Well-designed lid
Great value for the set
REASONS TO AVOID
Heavy
No non-stick coating
Stanley Adventure Base Camp Review
A high-value car camping cookware set, optimized for performance and compact carry, despite its heavier weight
The Stanley Base Camp has everything you need to cook for two.
Credit: Trish Matheny
RELATED: Best Camping Cookware Sets of 2024
Our Verdict
The Stanley Adventure Base Camp is designed to match the performance and function of your home pot and pan at an affordable price point. This functional, fully-loaded kit has everything you need for a car camping trip, including small plates, bowls, and sporks. It features an ultra-durable stainless steel design that offers average cooking performance. Surprisingly, the skillet does a fantastic job of browning meat, making it more versatile than your standard camp fare. Given that this set is heavy, it is best for folks seeking a four-piece set for car camping. When compared to the other sets in our review of the best camping cookware, it's easy to see how the Adventure Base Camp stands out in terms of overall value, considering this durable set could last you a lifetime.
Editor's Note: We recently retested the Stanley Adventure Base Camp and updated our review on December 31, 2023, with our most recent findings.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Stanley Adventure Base Camp | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best Value for Car Camping |  Best Two-Person Backpacking Cookset |  Best Cookware for Foodies | Best Ultralight Solo Backpacking Kit | Best Value for Solo Backpackers |
| Price | $90 List $90.00 at Amazon | $95 List $94.95 at Backcountry | $60.95 at REI Compare at 2 sellers | $79.95 at REI Compare at 2 sellers | $25 List $18.69 at REI |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | A wonderful stainless-steel set for the value-oriented car camper | A solid option for folks in the market for an efficient backpacking cookware set for two people | Heavy-duty cast iron prioritizes cooking performance, offering a gourmet cooking experience whether at home or on the road | This high-quality titanium cookware set features an intuitive design that's highly packable and easy to use | A high value stainless steel solo cook set intended for the backpacker |
| Rating Categories | Stanley Adventure B... | GSI Outdoors Pinnac... | Lodge 3.2 Quart Cas... | Snow Peak Ti-Mini S... | GSI Outdoors Glacie... |
| Cooking Performance (35%) | |||||
| Features (15%) | |||||
| Ease of Use (15%) | |||||
| Durability (15%) | |||||
| Packability (10%) | |||||
| Weight (10%) | |||||
| Specs | Stanley Adventure B... | GSI Outdoors Pinnac... | Lodge 3.2 Quart Cas... | Snow Peak Ti-Mini S... | GSI Outdoors Glacie... |
| Measured Weight | 4.8 lbs | 1.4 lbs | 12.3 lbs | 0.4 lbs | 1.0 lbs |
| Material | Stainless steel (pot and pan bottoms have additional layers) | Hard-anodized aluminum w/non-stick coating | Cast iron | Titanium | Stainless steel |
| Components | 3.5 L pot, vented lid, 7" 3-Ply frying pan, cutting board, ¹ spatula with extending handle, ¹ serving spoon with extending handle, ⁴ 6 in plates, ⁴ 22 oz bowls, ⁴ sporks, dish drying rack, heat resistant trivet, locking bungee | 1.8 L pot, strainer lid, ² 20 fl oz mugs w/ insulated sleeves, ² 20 fl oz bowls, ² sip-it tops, ² folding sporks, welded sink | 3.2 qt Dutch oven, 10" frypan/lid | 30 fl oz pot, 18.3 fl oz cup, lid, mesh bag | 1 L pot, ¹ folding handle frying pan, ¹ bowl, ¹ cup, stuff sack |
| Avg Boil Time (seconds) | 252 | 78 | 270 | 125 | 236 |
| 3 L Pot? (>2.4L) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 L Pot? (1.5-2.4L) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 L Pot? (0.5-1.4L) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Frying Pan? | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Frying Pan Lid? | No | N/A | Yes | N/A | No |
| Packed Size | 11 x 6 x 11 in | 5.9 x 6.4 x 5.9 in | 16.5 x 10.38 x 4.63 in | 5.2 x 4.25 in | 6.7 x 6.6 x 3.5 in |
| Weight of Pot Closest to 1.5 L (With Lid and Handle) | 1.9 lbs | 0.7 lbs | 5.9 lbs | 0.26 lbs | 0.74 lbs |
| Cooking Surfaces | Stainless steel | Hard-Anodized, non-stick coating | Cast iron | Uncoated | 18/8 stainless steel |
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Our Analysis and Test Results
The Stanley Adventure Base Camp makes a great, fully nesting, and nearly comprehensive car camping cookware set. All you need to add is a knife for chopping and drinking vessels of your choice. It excels in terms of durability, cooking performance, and overall value. Though the design is one of the heavier sets we tested, the features included are a worthy exchange. This cookware set quickly became a favorite of our testing team, especially when considering the amazing durability that'll last for many adventures to come.
Performance Comparison
An animal-supported base camp might be a good place for the Stanley Cook set. You can't go real crazy with weight on these tiny Peruvian donkeys, but they are more accommodating than your human back.
Credit: Jediah Porter
Cooking Performance
All cooking surfaces of the various parts of the Base Camp are comprised of stainless steel. When considering cooking performance, the thick stainless steel evenly distributed the heat within the pot and frying pan, though it required some extra elbow grease (and sometimes steel wool) for cleanup. The frying pan deserves special mention. The thick, 3-ply construction spreads heat evenly across the pan, dampening the temperature regulation swings of your camp stove and wind effects. It was one of the best cooking surfaces we've used for pan-searing a steak at camp.
One of the biggest caveats to this cookware set is the sticky surface when cooking eggs. Though we typically fry an egg with a little coconut oil and salt in a preheated pan, the eggs still stuck to the bottom and required a discerning flip with a metal spatula for best results. For attentive foodies, the Stanley Base Camp better approximates high-end home kitchen equipment than any aluminum-designed cookware. Unless you're after a non-stick cooking surface for improved cleanup, the stainless steel pot and frying pan offer a solid performance, whether boiling water or whipping up a meal for your sweetheart.
Testing the boil time of the Stanley Adventure Series main pot in a semi-controlled environment, but with a real camp stove.
Credit: Jediah Porter
Features
The Base Camp is designed to prepare and serve up to four people. However, depending on the preference of your group, thanks to the capacity of the main pot, you can easily get creative and cook for even more of your friends – just as long as they bring their own bowls and utensils. The frying pan capacity allowed us to cook up to four eggs at a time. But is small enough that you'll likely have to cook in rotation, depending on the group size.
This high-value set includes one 3.5 L pot, one vented lid, one 7" frying pan, one cutting board, one spatula, one spoon with extending handles, four 6" plates, four 22 oz bowls, four sporks, one dish drying rack, and one heat-resistant trivet (that certainly came in handy when handling the heated stainless steel!) Overall, our testing team appreciated this collection of features and consider this all-inclusive cookware set to be perfect when cooking for friends while on the road.
All the components of the Stanley Adventure Base Camp. The green circle with the sporks in it is the “dish drying rack”.
Credit: Jediah Porter
Ease of Use
With nearly full-size components and an intuitive design, the Base Camp is quite easy to use. Our testing team definitely appreciated the locking feature on the frying pan, which helped add stability to the design, and the single lid that is easily exchanged between the pot and pan. The dual handles on the main pot are rigid, symmetrical, and positive to grip. The vented lid also serves as a pasta strainer. The “drying rack” is an interesting addition that, at first, seems a little gimmicky. However, when we were attempting to air dry slippery little plastic plates, having a feature that separates them was a luxurious addition to the set.
Other backpacking cook sets we tested were designed for easy use while minimizing weight. However, the Base Camp prioritizes performance and durability. Rather than offering hinged and removable handles, the main pot on the Base Camp is sturdy and rigid, while the handle on the frying pan locks into place for additional balance and ease of use. Overall, this is a well-crafted set that is quite intuitive and easy to use.
The Stanley pairs well with a car camping stove on a car camping mission. These pots are too large and heavy for smaller stoves with a small surface area.
Credit: Jediah Porter
Durability
Stanley approaches the camping cookware scene from the sturdy insulated beverage perspective, where long-lasting quality is paramount. If you want to invest in one cookware set that will serve you for many years to come, the Base Camp is definitely an option for your consideration.
Though the stainless steel design is about as durable as it gets, the plastic bowls and cooking utensils included with the set can be damaged when exposed to heat. Overall, our testing team was impressed with the thick stainless steel design that is sure to stand up to many future adventures.
The spatula and serving spoon snap together with a joint that is kind of similar to a backpack strap buckle. The result is a secure and simple connection, just be cautious when exposing to the heat of the pan because the plastic is easily damaged.
Credit: Jediah Porter
Packability
Even though the Base Camp is designed to pack all of the pieces into the largest pot, the order of operations requires some getting used to. Luckily, Stanley included a couple of diagrams you can consult in case you don't remember the exact order from memory.
The entire set packs tightly into the pot and is sealed effectively with a locking bungee that easily stores inside our traveling cooking bin. Though it's not a great consideration for backpacking trips, this cookware set is the perfect companion for car camping. Even if it requires a little extra space in your rig, it will serve a small group very well.
Packing instructions, permanently etched inside the lid of the Stanley set. At first this seems gimmicky, but it proves to be real nice when repacking.
Credit: Jediah Porter
Weight
We were impressed with the overall value of this thoughtful design. But considering all of the additional features, along with the thick and durable stainless steel construction, the Base Camp is one of the heavier cookware sets that we tested.
Weighing in at 4.8 pounds for the entire set, this is far too heavy for any human-powered adventure. However, this is a great consideration for a mule-assisted base camp or an all-inclusive cookware set for car camping.
The Base Camp weighs 4.8 pounds for the entire all-inclusive cookware set.
Credit: Trish Matheny
Should You Buy the Stanley Adventure Base Camp?
The Stanley Adventure Base Camp is ideal for car campers who don't mind trading some additional weight for a durable cookware set. But if you're cooking for a group of friends on your tailgate, does weight even factor into your decision? Although we certainly wouldn't recommend this set for any human-powered adventure, it is actually a great option for pack-animal-supported base camping trips. This high-value cookware set offers excellent cooking performance with an intuitive design, all available at a price that won't break the bank.
The Stanley cook set is well-suited to something like a van kitchen. Where space is at a premium, but users are likely to make nicer food and weight is not a huge issue.
Credit: Jediah Porter
What Other Camping Cookware Should You Consider?
If weight is a concern, the GSI Pinnacle Camper offers a similar amount of cookware and dishes, but it is much lighter than the Stanley Adventure Base Camp. For those who are in the market for a smaller set for couples or backpacking trips, the GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Dualist HS is ultra-light yet still offers top-notch cooking performance. And if you're interested in another high-quality option from Stanley that is geared towards cooking performance versus an all-inclusive set, check out the Stanley Even-Heat Camp Pro. This set includes a larger pot, a saucepan, and a larger frying pan for traveling foodies who want to prepare gourmet meals for friends, whether on the road or even in the comfort of their own homes.
—
Amber King, Jediah Porter, and Trish Matheny
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