Options for plates?

[mkitchen]

bought a few from REI

I got tired of the speckle ware getting chipped and rusting, being hot on the lap and cooling food too quickly so I bought four plates from REI that are a blue plastic and nest quite nicely. I need all my gear to fit in as small a box as possible. I carry quite a bit of gear and as most of us, I have limited space.
I don't mind washing dishes as I have to wash my cookware and I do enjoy a nice meal on a real plate. By down sizing my gear, I am able to bring at least one dutch oven along without needing more space. Meals are a big part of my travels so utensils do matter to me.
Mikey

 

[Honu]

Water is a very precious resource when you're in the backcountry with a very limited supply. A package of 100 paper plates lasts me about two years, and the "waste" is an acceptable trade-off for conserving water. I use the heavy plastic utensils and stockpile the used (unwashed) ones in a ziploc bag. When I get home I wash them and put them back in my kitchen box. I am very much opposed to waste.

But by your logic one should never use paper towels, paper napkins, Kleenex, or toilet paper, so I'm going to assume you don't use any of those things. You're welcome to use whatever you want, and you won't hear any criticism from me. But when you accuse me of wasting resources for using a few paper plates, the only response I have is . . . BUL********!!

I am with ya we have paper plates at times with kids for lunch not wanting like you to waste water etc.. I know a lot of folks use only paper
I hate steak stuff on paper though but sandwiches are OK etc.

one thing we do with dishes is use wet wipes to wipe the plates quite clean then when we use water to finish up the last bit of cleaning use less water

 

[Woods]

I think it's worth combining two posts here. I think the plastic tableware from Target is the Melamine. At least that's what I bought from Target. Key word here is Melamine. It's cheap tough and you can cut on it.

I've tried the GSR stuff and was disappointed.

BTW, I use paper plates too. I don't consider it wasteful.

We use plastic tableware stuff from Target - it's cheap and doesn't rattle

Find your nearest dollar store and buy their cheap melamine stuff. It's nearly unbreakable, and it doesn't suck the heat out of your food like metal does.

Better yet, I use paper. It's a rare night in the backcountry that we don't have a fire. Makes "doing the dishes" simple and doesn't use any precious water. When I'm camping/exploring, I'm not out there to do domestic work like washing dishes.

 

[Flagster]

Another vote for Walmart/Target melamine...still going strong on 10 yr old set from wally world...
and paper is handy too...

 

[xplrn42]

Another Target "melamine" and paper plate user here. We looked at everything last summer when we bought a new rig and couldn't make up our minds. Found the cheap stuff at Target one day and thought..."it'll get us by until we can make up our minds". Haven't looked at plates since then, they work great. A lot ot times, I'll throw a paper plate on top of the plastic plate for insulation.

 

[HillbillyfromAL]

I really like the Sea to Summit X-Plate. They are sturdy enough to cut stake on and the sides keep everything on the plate for the kids to. They are expensive but worth it.

 

[Driver-Navigator]

It's not perfect but currently we use matching melamine plates and bowls from World Market. On the plus side they're cheap, durable, they clean up easily, and I don't have to worry about them breaking when they get banged around offroad. They are colorful and look nice.

Previously we used the blue enamel-coated metal plates, which honestly worked fine as well.

Generally speaking, I'd like to do away with plastic as much as possible for aesthetic reasons, but sometimes it just makes the most sense. If I come across a better option I'd consider switching.

 

[verdesardog]

I just use the cheap readily available enameled steel plates with paper plates on top for no dish washing.......