Judging by how much cool camping gear we see that’s designed in Sweden, those Scandinavians must love the outdoors. Or they could just be clever designers. The Camp-a-box from Wildo is one such example. They manage to make it compact, yet still has plenty of features.
Each Camp-a-box contains a plate which has a lid that could do double-duty as a second plate. Inside the lid is a handy cutting board with small holes along one corner, so you can use it as a strainer. If you spring for the fancy colored kit, a three compartment salt and pepper shaker lets you kick things up a bit by bringing along your favorite spices (the military colored options don’t include it). Two sizes of Fold-a-cup (our favorite feature) nest in each other. Naturally, there’s a Spork for eating too.
The Fold-a-cups were the biggest surprise. At first glance, they look like bowls about an inch deep, with a tab on the inside. Pull the tab, and you’ll realize that the sides were folded over and in, so they double in height, and the tab becomes a handle on the outside. Perfect for hot or cold drinks, soup, or serving food from a bowl. Combine that with your different seasonings, and this little mess kit is ready to serve up a multi-course meal, camping style.
With the plate and Fold-a-cup Big, you’ve got enough volume for a man-sized meal, out of a kid-size mess kit. The lid and cutting board help with prep work too. If there was a weak link, it’s that the Spork has a spoon, fork, and knife edge all in one, but it’s tricky to cut even veggies when they slide around the slick plate or bowl. Adding a second utensil is a simple and inexpensive solution. Overall, there’s a lot to like here, and we suspect that this should be a popular kit. A dozen color options make it easy for even large families to assign each member their own kit by color, rather than writing on them. We’ve found kids really like that too. Check out Wildo for more info.
– Brian
Disclosure of Material Connection: We received the WILDO Camp-A-Box for free from Wildo in consideration for review publication.