Melmac vs. Chinet?

[PackRat]

Back in the day when we wuz kids, we camped in Yosemite each year for two weeks in Camp 7. We camped out of our station wagon and slept in tents....we had a Preway stove and ice chest and managed just fine with good ol' Melmac plates and real flatware.

Later on, when I grew up I got lazy and went with plain paper plates...all the food slid together and you needed two or three plates because they were so cheesy. Even later camping out of the Alaskan my wife and I used either the three-divided Chinet paper plates or the Melmac stuff.

That was my MO with the Lance...Chinet or Melmac...did I want to do dishes or was there enough water in the tank or was I just lazy.

There are a lot of modern options for plates these days but I don't use plastic anything like flatware and certainly if I want a nice meal to stay where it should, the Melmac stuff is great. The Chinet gives you just the 50%, 25%, 25% divided segments so your meal may not even fit.

What do you guys think about old school Melmac vs Chinet or other paper products and what about some of the modern options?

 

[Ronin]

We use a combination of our good old green enamelware plates and oval Chinet paper plates. I like the oval plates because they're not as tall( easier storage) and Chinet's are plenty thick. As much as possible we prefer to use our washable plates but sometimes it's just to cold to think about washing or we're in a rush to get outta Dodge.

 

[Mighty Dodge Ram]

I much prefer “real” over any paper/plastic/disposable plates, but increasingly we find ourselves using the disposable type due primarily to water concerns...amount, disposal of, etc. But we always use real flatware...with various methods of cleaning.

 

[JaSAn]

Stoneware plate, bowl, mug and stainless utensils from thrift store. Beagle pre-wash; greatly limits amount of water needed, usually just spray with a mixture of bleach and water and wipe.

jim

 

[klahanie]

For us the primary downside to disposables is, well, finding somewhere to dispose of them. That's not always convenient in the bush and I don't like to burn "trash" or carry more around than I have too.

Believe it of not we've come to using corelle ware - and no, it is not "unbreakable". But the simple bowl shape we favour for meals has been tough enough so far to keep us from eating directly from the pot (usually).

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

We use the dishes & bowels that came with a "camp set" of black ,spatter enamel. I can't think of the company's name but it's such an old company they advertise that their product was used by Billy the Kid or Jesse James.

Way back when I worked for Frito-Lay I won the set. It must be at least 30 years old and still going strong.
We use some of the "old family" silverware. We like the feel of a sturdy fork,knife,spoon in our hands.And if it doesn't get used daily it just sits around in a drawer,waiting for the kids to inherit it.

We do carry "paper" plates and only use them for a quick meal,but mostly use the Granite-wear" .
It just feels good and easy to clean.
Frank

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Stoneware plate, bowl, mug and stainless utensils from thrift store. Beagle pre-wash; greatly limits amount of water needed, usually just spray with a mixture of bleach and water and wipe.

jim

I love my dog, but there's something about a 'beagle prewash' that just doesn't do it for me .

 

[PaulT]

I love my dog, but there's something about a 'beagle prewash' that just doesn't do it for me .

+1 on the canine prewash caution. As was discussed in a thread a year or so ago, paper towels applied before the food dries reduces water consumption for washing dishes.

We carry some old Corelle plates, bowls, & flatware from an old set, plus the disposables as well. When travelling, and stopping for a quick meal, the disposables work best but we prefer the real ones once camping.

Pau

 

[ntsqd]

Stoneware plate, bowl, mug and stainless utensils from thrift store. Beagle pre-wash; greatly limits amount of water needed, usually just spray with a mixture of bleach and water and wipe.

jim

I have nothing to add except: "Clean as Cold Water can get it!!!"

 

[PackRat]

Yup...We went with the option of Chinet and the melmac stuff when camping. If there was a fire pit, burning paper plates would not be an issue and certainly burning corn cobs, steak bones and the like would cut down on trash that would attract Mr. Bear. If you don't have the luxury of a fire pit you can go with minimalist washing of cooking/dining gear if keeping garbage would otherwise be a lure for Mr. Bear. If you have a good source of water then washing plates is more ecologically the thing to do, but where you dump the grey water and what kind of soap (biodegradable?) is an issue. If your rig has a grey water tank or just a bucket will determine that and if the campground has a dump station.

Keeping recyclables like beer cans is a no-brainer, bottles with or without a deposit are also. What to do with the plastic wrap and foam tray your T-bone came on is the issue here...

It all depends on where you are, what your rig can handle and what your menu is as well as your choice of kitchenware. Bottom line is I think people on this website are probably more eco-cognizant than most and will do the right thing out of habit.

 

[JaSAn]

. . . certainly burning corn cobs, steak bones and the like would cut down on trash that would attract Mr. Bear. If you don't have the luxury of a fire pit you can go with minimalist washing of cooking/dining gear if keeping garbage would otherwise be a lure for Mr. Bear . . .

Don't count on burning trash to keep bears away. The fire pit at our family cabin in Northern Minnesota regularly gets torn up by black bears looking for food scraps and we have big, hot fires.

The biggest thing I like about the beagle pre-wash is it eliminates food scraps from the grey water, of which I seldom have any because of the excellent job Simon does. I'm not worried about attracting bears as much as skunks and raccoons. If bleach doesn't kill what Simon leaves on the plate I'm not sure I would want to have him around.

jim

 

[klahanie]

... If there was a fire pit, burning paper plates would not be an issue and certainly burning corn cobs, steak bones and the like would cut down on trash that would attract Mr. Bear.

...What to do with the plastic wrap and foam tray your T-bone came on is the issue here...

If you are not burning the latter than I admire your restraint. I've seen a lot of remains in fire pits, sometimes of worse things, such as disposable diapers. We rarely have a fire anyway so burning is not a solution for us. For garbage if there is no pick up then it's the "pack it in pack it out" policy. Now ... would a few plates make a difference to me ? IDK. I simply like to minimize garbage (and food waste).

... but where you dump the grey water and what kind of soap (biodegradable?) is an issue

This is a good point and I can see someone using paper plates solely because of it. Of course the questioning could continue on to personal washing water but that gets into things that are best not talked about in polite circles, like camping hygiene and being overloaded.

I will say that some less-serviced camp spots have pit toilets but no garbage pickup...

 

[Smokecreek1]

Seems like the older I get --the lazier I get. I spent years backpacking and truck camping and I bought my pop-up when i retired so I could still "enjoy" the outback as I got older and slower and not really worry about how much does something weigh or how much space does it take-sorry . While I still carry and some times use my old back packing cookware, I find myself using my "IGA" compostable natural based plates and bowls more and more. These plates also licked by my dog "Bob" before getting put in the trash bag or fire (when I have one). I save my hot water for my silverware (a mishmash of old backpacker and more newer stuff) and the pots and pans. The paper stuff just seems more convenient and I'll deal with storing them and the other junk in the the garbage, building fires and/or dealing with.bears and other critters on a case by case situation.
\
Smoke

 

[The Unshaven]

When I first saw this post I thought it was gonna be about Alf’s home planet and the hate speech crowd condemning the asiatic reference in the name “chinet”. Guess I was wrong...

For me it depends on length of trip, venue, alone vs with extra people, menu plans,etc. For me doing a couple extra dishes doesn’t matter, especially if I’ve already dirtied a couple pots preparing a meal. I love one pot meals where everyone grabs a spoon and dives in, communicable diseases be damned! Liberal doses of post meal whiskey cures a lot[emoji6].

I also like letting the dog help with dishes, its a real win-win situation. Any squeamish types, refer to whiskey comment above. It’s also a real hoot to be with new comers and let them see you put the dishes directly back in the cupboard after fido is done, then say “dishes are done.” Looks on their faces can be priceless...

 

[Tuff Guy 62]

We go either way. Depends on the situation, it it gets to late we'll use paper. Otherwise it's a good dry wipe down with paper towels and splish-spalsh with a bit of biodegradable soap & water.