The dutch oven is the mother of all cast iron cookware. If you enjoy the succulent juices of a long and slow cooking process then this is a must! My favorite thing to cook in a dutch oven is a beef stew that just falls off the bone after a few hours of cooking! If that isn’t to your taste you can even bake everything from the more traditional stews and soups to pizza and biscuits. The possibilities are endless with the Dutch Oven which is why it tops my list as the best piece of campfire cooking equipment.
You can pick up an aluminum dutch oven but this, in my opinion, spoils the slow cooking experience. Instead, invest in a cast-iron option that keeps heat in and gets those juices flowing. The only reason you may decide to go for the aluminum option is that it is lighter and easier to transport. Cast Iron by its nature is heavy to carry.
However, in return for this extra weight, the best camping cast iron dutch oven will last a lifetime. My dutch oven is 6 years old and hasn’t shown any signs of wear and tear, my parents have one which dates back 29 years when they got married and they still use it each year whilst camping. Therefore, you should see this as an investment in a product you are going to be using year after year!