Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
Campfire Gear I Pack So Every Kid Gets Their Own Roasting Stick Safely
35
items Camping with multiple kids used to mean one adult hovering over the fire pit while three kids fought over two sticks. Someone always grabbed the hot end, someone always cried, and the marshmallows ended up in the dirt. I spent two summers testing gea...
Sections
7
Telescoping Marshmallow Roasting Sticks That Actually Lock
Fire Pit Safety Gear for Families With Small Kids
S'mores Kits and Ingredients Worth Packing
Campfire Cooking Tools for Beyond Just Marshmallows
Seating and Setup So Kids Stay Put Near the Fire
Lighting and Ambiance That Makes Campfire Night Feel Special
Telescoping Marshmallow Roasting Sticks That Actually Lock
Our old sticks would collapse mid-roast and dump a flaming marshmallow onto someone's shoe. I only buy ones now that click into place and stay put, even when a six-year-old is waving them around like a lightsaber.
Grab the 8-pack so every kid AND every adult gets their own. No more sharing, no more arguing. They extend to 32 inches, which kept my youngest far enough from the flames that I could actually sit down and relax for once.
8 Pack Extra Long Telescoping Marshmallow Roasting Sticks
Use these if your fire pit runs hot. The extra length means tiny arms stay way back from the heat. My neighbor's kid burned his knuckle with a shorter stick last summer. Switched to these the next weekend and zero incidents since.
Jolly Green Products Rotating Marshmallow Roasting
Perfect for the family that always ends up hosting the whole neighborhood. Ten sticks means you won't scramble to find random twigs for the extra kids who show up uninvited. The carrying bag actually fits them all too.
Marshmallow Sticks(175)
Try these if you want forks instead of single prongs. Two tines hold the marshmallow steady so it doesn't spin and drop into the coals. My daughter went from losing every single marshmallow to perfect golden ones on her first try.
Marshmallow Sticks(175)
Snag these for big fire pits or bonfires on the beach. Forty-five inches of reach is no joke. I bought them for a beach bonfire and my kids roasted marshmallows standing up without getting anywhere near the heat.
Summercome Marshmallow Roasting Sticks
Fire Pit Safety Gear for Families With Small Kids
After my son tripped near the fire ring and I aged ten years in two seconds, I started packing actual safety stuff. It takes five minutes to set up and saves you from a nightmare scenario.
Keep this over your fire pit when nobody is actively roasting. Sparks pop out constantly and kids don't notice. I watched a spark land on my daughter's blanket once. Never again. This screen catches everything.
Sunnydaze, Fire Pit Spark Screen Cover
Bring these so kids can see where the fire pit boundary is after dark. We used to rely on the firelight alone and someone always wandered too close. Now I set two lanterns as visual markers and it works every time.
Ozark Trail Lantern - 180 Lumen's LED Mini Camping Light
Toss a pair of these in your camping bin for handling hot grates or adjusting logs. My husband grabbed a log with bare hands last July and couldn't hold a coffee mug for a week. Lesson learned the hard way.
Ozark Trail Mens Fleece Gloves, Black, L-XL
Keep one in the car or near the fire pit. Sounds dramatic until you need it. A friend's tablecloth caught fire at a campsite and everyone just stood there. Don't be that group. It's small enough to fit in a camping tote.
First Alert Kitchen Fire Extinguisher
Wear this when you're the designated fire-starter. Sparks and popping embers hit your chest and stomach more than you think. I ruined two favorite flannels before I started throwing this on. Looks ridiculous, works perfectly.
US Forge 99406 Leather Welding Apron with 42 Inch Bib
S'mores Kits and Ingredients Worth Packing
Buying s'mores stuff at the campground store costs triple and the chocolate is always that weird waxy off-brand. I pre-pack everything in a container at home and it takes maybe four minutes.
Get the family size box because you will go through more than you think. My kids break half of them trying to snap them apart, so I started pre-breaking at home. Saved us from a meltdown at the campfire last trip.
Honey Maid, Graham Crackers, 19.2 oz, Family Size Snack
Swap your regular marshmallows for these flat ones. They fit perfectly between graham crackers without squishing out the sides. My kids used to bite into regular round ones and the whole s'more would explode. Problem solved.
Jet-Puffed S'moreMallows Marshmallows, 17.5 oz Bag
Stick with the original. I tried fancy chocolate bars once and my seven-year-old literally said ‘this tastes wrong.’ Fair enough. These melt at the right speed and taste like every campfire memory you've ever had.
Hershey's, Milk Chocolate Candy Bars, 1.55 oz, 6 Pack
Use one of these to pack all your s'mores ingredients together. Keeps ants out, keeps crackers from crumbling in your cooler, keeps chocolate from melting against the ice packs. I label mine 'S'MORES' so nobody opens it early.
Sterilite Small Gasket Box, 19 Quart IP68 WaterProof Clear
Try these instead of plain chocolate for the adults. Peanut butter plus toasted marshmallow plus graham cracker is genuinely life-altering. I made one by accident and now I can't go back to regular s'mores.
Reese's Milk Chocolate Snack Size Peanut Butter Cups
Campfire Cooking Tools for Beyond Just Marshmallows
Once the s'mores are done, kids get bored fast. Having a few extra cooking tools means you can roast hot dogs, make banana boats, or toast bread over the fire. Keeps everyone entertained for another hour.
Get a few of these so dinner and dessert both happen at the campfire. My kids think cooking their own hot dog over a fire is the greatest achievement of their lives. Way more engagement than handing them a paper plate.
Rome Industries Hot Dog Fork
Pair this with canned pie filling and bread for campfire pies that taste like actual dessert. My daughter made one at age five with minimal help. She still talks about it two years later. Worth every penny for the memory alone.
Customer reviews for Camp Chef Square Pie Iron
Bring this for campfire nachos, eggs the next morning, or just warming up baked beans. I set it on the grate over coals and it heats evenly every time. Cleans up fast and it's practically indestructible.
Lodge, Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet, 10.25 inch, Black
Toss potatoes, corn, or banana boats wrapped in this directly into the coals. Kids love unwrapping food from foil like it's a present. My son calls them ‘fire presents’ and honestly that tracks.
Reynolds Wrap Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil Roll
Use these to move coals around or pull foil packets out of the fire. Long handles keep your hands far from the heat. I used regular kitchen tongs once and singed my arm hair clean off. Never again.
Weber 6610 Original Tongs for sale online
Seating and Setup So Kids Stay Put Near the Fire
Getting kids to sit still near a fire pit is half the battle. Comfortable seats in the right spots mean they stay planted instead of running circles around open flames while you have a heart attack.
Grab one per kid in different colors so there's no 'that's MY chair' drama. They fold small enough to fit in the car and the cup holders keep drinks off the ground where they get kicked over constantly.
Ozark Trail Quad Folding Camp Chair with Cup Holder, Black
Try the low-profile version for smaller kids. Their feet actually touch the ground, which means they stop swinging their legs and tipping backwards. My four-year-old fell out of a regular-height chair twice before I switched.
Ozark Trail Low Profile Event Chair, Adult, Green Nylon
Keep your firewood stacked and off the wet ground with these. Nothing kills a campfire night faster than trying to light damp wood. I used to just pile logs on the dirt and wondered why everything smoked and sputtered.
Outdoor Firewood Rack Bracket Kit x Firewood Storage
Set this up next to the fire ring for s'mores assembly. Without a table, everything ends up on the ground, in the dirt, or on someone's lap. This folds flat and weighs almost nothing.
Trademark Innovations Portable Folding Picnic Table
Pair this with your fire pit so you have a stable surface for skillets and pots. Balancing a pan on rocks is how you end up with chili in the ashes. Learned that one at 11 PM on a Friday in October.
2-Pack BBQ Grill Cooking Grates Replacement Parts
Lighting and Ambiance That Makes Campfire Night Feel Special
Kids remember the vibe more than the food. A few lights and small touches turn a random Tuesday backyard fire into something they'll ask to do every single week.
String these between two trees or along a fence near the fire pit. My kids started calling our backyard ‘the camping spot’ after I hung these up. They set the mood without being so bright that you lose the campfire glow.
Brightown Indoor/Outdoor LED String Lights
Bring one of these for the table. It gives off a warm flicker that feels more authentic than LED. My oldest said it looked like ‘a tiny campfire for ants’ and honestly that's the best product review I've ever heard.
UCO Original Candle Lantern Value Pack with 3 Candles and Storage Bag
Toss this in the sun during the day and it charges itself for nighttime. No batteries, no cords. I keep one in the tent so kids can find their way back from the bathroom without tripping over guy lines.
Mpowerd Luci Pro Outdoor 2.0: Solar Inflatable Lantern
Use this to let older kids practice starting the fire themselves. My ten-year-old spent 20 minutes striking sparks and when the tinder finally caught, you'd think he won the Super Bowl. Great skill-builder and it lasts forever.
Light My Fire Swedish FireSteel 2.0 Army Review
Snag this for backyard s'mores nights when you don't want to deal with a full fire pit. It sits on the patio table, runs on rubbing alcohol, and gives just enough flame for roasting. Perfect for weeknight use.
Better Homes & Gardens Rockport Rectangular Propane
Cleanup and Pack-Up Gear So You Actually Want to Do This Again
The reason most families stop doing campfire nights is because cleanup is miserable. Sticky marshmallow hands, ash everywhere, gear thrown in a pile. These things make the after-part painless enough that you'll say yes next time the kids ask.
Keep a pack of these within arm's reach of the fire. Marshmallow hands on everything, the car seats, the tent zipper, your phone. I hand these out before anyone touches anything and it saves me from scrubbing the steering wheel later.
Wet Ones Antibacterial Hand Wipes, Fresh Scent
Toss one in your camping kit for scrubbing burnt marshmallow off roasting forks. Warm water alone does nothing. I used to soak sticks overnight and still had crud on them. Ten seconds with one of these and they're clean.
Scotch-Brite® Heavy Duty Scour Pad | 3M United States
Bring two, one for trash and one for ash once the fire is fully cold. Leaving ash in the fire pit attracts animals and makes your next fire smell weird. These are thick enough that nothing pokes through.
Hefty Strong Lawn & Leaf Trash Bags, 39 Gallon, 20 Count
Spray this on your grill grate and cast iron after cooking. Cuts through grease without harsh chemicals. I used to leave my grate crusty and wonder why everything tasted like last week's hot dogs. Five-minute cleanup fixes that.
Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner Concentrate 32 fl oz
Use this as your dedicated campfire kit box. Everything, sticks, forks, gloves, wipes, s'mores container, goes in here and stays together. I wasted three trips hunting for scattered gear before I got one of these. Total sanity saver.
Plano Storage Trunk with Wheels, Large