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What is the Best Dinner Set to Use for Caravanning?

Last Updated: January 16, 2023 . By Annette . CARAVANNING

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A question that comes up frequently in our group – Planning a Lap of Australia – is, what is the best dinner set to use for caravanning? Generally speaking, most people use one of the following three types – Corelle, Melamine or Bamboo. Very few people choose to use china or crockery sets because of their weight and the likelihood of breakages when using their caravan plates.

So which one of the three four is the best caravan crockery and the best lightweight plates for caravans, and which one should you choose?

We say four as there is now a new kid on the block and we think it’s the best caravan tableware on the market! Introducing…

Daisy Graze Caravan Dinnerware

Daisy Graze dinner sets for caravanning and camping
Daisy Graze Dinnerware

Daisy Graze is the brainchild of local Brisbane-based businesswoman Janelle who loves travelling and adventuring as much as you do. Janelle searched for eco-conscious, ocean-friendly and high-quality dinnerware to take caravanning and camping. As the type of dinnerware she was looking for didn’t exist and seeing a huge gap in the market, she set about designing and creating her own.

The earth-friendly grazing range is 100% compostable, freezer, dishwasher and microwave safe. With the added bonus of anything in the range also being drop-proof. Daisy Graze is like all your old favourite camping dinner sets rolled into one! Plus it looks so much better in the soft pastel shades of Peach, Marine, Lilac and Cloud.

The Daisy Graze products are made from a bioplastic called Polylactic Acid (PLA). PLA is made from renewable sources such as bamboo, wheat, cornstarch and potatoes. Not only are all the products Biodegradable they are also fully compostable and don’t have a coating!

Not only that the range has no PVC, BPA, melamine, mercury, lead or phthalates. The resin used to bind all the products together is also food grade. How cool is that?

Another huge bonus for caravanners and campers is that the PLA is super lightweight and won’t weigh down your caravan, camper or 4×4. And if you have kiddos, it’s easy for them to pick up and carry. Did I mention there’s a little grazers (kids) range too?

Other items in the range include a 4-place dinner set with 4 dinner plates, 4 side plates, 4 bowls and 4 beakers. You can also buy crockery and each of the plates, bowls and beakers are sold individually.


Click here for more information and the price for Daisy Graze Dinnerware


Corelle Dinner Set Australia

Corelle dinnerware for caravans is made of a three-layer thermally bonded glass laminate called Vitrelle glass and is one of the most popular caravan dinner sets. The Corelle caravan crockery has been around since the 1970s. According to my research, it is non-toxic and contains no BPA or lead. It can be bought as a set or as individual pieces to make up your caravan crockery set.

PRO’S

  • Light Weight
  • Chip and Crack Resistant
  • Thin, so takes up less space
  • It comes in both round and square
  • It comes in a variety of patterns
  • Microwave, oven, refrigerator, freezer and dishwasher safe
  • Doesn’t stain
  • Scratch-resistant
  • Moderately priced

CONS

  • Heavier than either Melamine or Bamboo
  • Will still break if dropped on hard surfaces
  • Reports of cups being of poorer quality
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One of the many Corelle patterns available.

Melamine Dinner Sets For Caravan

Melamine is an organic-based, nitrogen-rich compound used to manufacture cooking utensils, plates, plastic products, and more. Melamine is also a favourite for crockery for caravans.

Some melamine products may contain small amounts of BPA but the FDA considers them safe for use. However, it does caution against using melamine products in the microwave.


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PRO’S

  • Very lightweight
  • Comes in a huge variety of colours and patterns
  • Available in round and square
  • Virtually unbreakable
  • Inexpensive

CONS

  • Can scratch
  • Can’t be used in microwave
  • Not as ‘nice’ to eat off
What is the best dinner set to use for caravanning?
A square Melamine dinner set, with a modern pattern.

Bamboo Dinner Sets For Caravan

The only relatively new addition to the market is Bamboo tableware. Bamboo is a sustainably grown fibre that amongst other things is naturally anti-bacterial. Most Bamboo dinnerware products are made from Bamboo fibre, resin and cornstarch and are all BPA-free.

Bamboo is fast becoming a popular caravan crockery choice for many caravanners. However, these types of plates for caravan may scratch depending on the quality and how they are used.


Adventure Awaits Banner 728 x 90 PNG

PRO’S

  • Eco-friendly
  • Come in a variety of colours and patterns
  • Available in square or round
  • Lightweight dinner sets for caravan
  • Durable
  • Doesn’t stain
  • Dishwasher safe
  • Inexpensive to moderately priced

CONS

  • Not microwave safe
  • May scratch
  • May break if dropped
Bamboo Plates
We love the bamboo plates available from Adventure Awaits.

ENAMEL DINNER SET CAMPING

An oldie but a goodie are the blue enamel camping dishes. If you did any camping back in the day when you were camping with your parents, no doubt you would have come across this type of camping crockery.

They have been “updated” from the old white with blue trim and there is even a complete enamel cookware set.

If you are like me one of the first questions I asked was: “Is enamel camping crockery safe to use?” Thankfully the answer is yes it is! No harmful fumes are released from the surface when heated making enamel crockery non-toxic. Plus, enamel crockery and cookware are made by fusing metal with a type of glass.

What We Have

Mel and Brenden’s (All Around Oz former owners) dinner set consisted of bamboo caravan dinner plates and bowls. The main reason for this choice was they were lightweight crockery for caravans, they were square and they were available in the colours that they wanted. Theirs are the Decor brand so they were only very cheap and they scratched when they used steak knives on them.

Kev and I will use the Daisy Graze dinner set in Cloud…to match the van, whenever it’s delivered (18 months since ordering and counting!) 😊 Update: It’s now here! (Jan 2023).

We hope this post has helped you decide which caravan tableware best suits your needs and lifestyle. What do you think is the best dinner set to use for Caravanning?

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15 thoughts on “What is the Best Dinner Set to Use for Caravanning?”

  1. We have Melamine dinner ware in our van and I was very disappointed at the tea stains in the cups . I seem to have to be soaking them frequently to keep them stain free. Otherwise it’s very good.

    Reply
  2. Thanks for all great advice and helpful information I will definitely looking in.to Corelle dinners ett and a lot more goodies that will come along Me and my husband just bought our caravan and will be travelling around Australia in mid next year,but before that we be doing small trips around NSW and we feel a bit like greenhorns so all advice will come in handy Thanks from Ulla and Bruce

    Reply
    • Thanks Janelle

      We love Daisy Graze, it ticks all the boxes for caravanning and camping! Our readers can grab a 10% discount by using ALLAROUNDOZ at checkout.

      Reply
  3. What about food grade silicone? From what I’m reading its meant to be really good? Light weight, collapsible or stackable.

    Reply
  4. I’m also new to this too we are just setting our new van,what sort of dinner set is the best I don’t like plastic so if you could help me out also would I need anymore than a frying pan and a couple of saucepans we will probably do a lot of cooking outside on the BBQ any hints on what we need would be good,thanks

    Reply
    • We have bamboo plates but have been a bit disappointed that they scratched really easily. We have 2 small saucepans and a wok style frypan. Otherwise we just use our Weber pans.

      Reply

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