Mesh Camp Dish Drainer

Washing up at camp is easy. Drying is the problem. Plates stacked on a towel on a camp table stay wet, pick up grit, and blow over; wet dishes packed back into a bin come out smelling like a wet dog by the second night. This mesh drainer hangs or props up, lets the water and the air straight through, and then folds flat to nothing.

The whole panel is open mesh, 22 x 16 in, which is enough surface for a family's worth of plates, pans, mugs and silverware at once rather than in two shifts. Air moves through both faces so dishes dry from underneath as well as on top - the reason a solid rack or a dish towel takes twice as long. Attachment points let you hang it over a sink, prop it on a counter, or tie it to a camp table so a gust does not put your clean plates in the dirt. It is also the right tool for rinsing and draining fruit and vegetables, thawing meat or ice packs without drips through your kit, and air-drying hand-washed clothes. When it is dry, it folds flat and slides into a camp bin or a backpack panel.

What to know before you buy

This is a flexible mesh drainer, not a rigid rack. It supports dishes across its surface - it does not stand up on its own and it will not hold heavy cast iron in mid-air. Hang it or lay it on a surface and it does its job; expect it to sag under a loaded Dutch oven.