Best Camping Tables of 2023 (2024)

The REI Camp Prep Table isn’t the lightest table on our list, nor is it the biggest. But did it hit the perfect middle ground for all of our criteria for best camping tables? It sure did. The durable materials were what drove home the win first — the aluminum tabletop allowed us to use our Coleman cook stove without worry about damaging or melting through the table, while the steel legs could handle the dinner for four that we cooked on it, easily. (It’s rated for up to 100 pounds, and although our testers tried to push that in s’more supplies, we fell short of that lofty goal.)

We really appreciated the slat-design to the table top, which allowed rainwater to drip through and not collect during rainstorms. (Simultaneously, the slat design does allow crumbs to fall through easily, so if you’re a hardcore LNT-er, make sure you put a tarp down to collect the micro-remnants before you start cooking!)

The adjustable height was also great to switch between kitchen mode and dining mode, allowing the table to drop to a comfortable height to match our camping chairs while we ate and played cards. The flip-latch holding the legs is easy to use, but held up to the challenge when we tossed a hard-sided cooler full of ice and drinks on the table top.

Related: The Best Camping Coolers

The setup was easy to figure out and simple to break down, while the carrying sleeve not only protected the table during storage (aka being thrown into the bed of a truck with the rest of the camping gear and dragged over a beach by an enthusiastic 6-year-old), but made transport one-handed easy. So easy, in fact, that the author’s younger brother could easily carry the table across the yard with his other arm in a sling.

The materials REI chose and the construction of this table point towards a long and sturdy life for the Camp Prep Table. We loved its versatility, its ease of use, its sturdy and well-crafted design, and most of all — its capacity to seat up to four people comfortably. This all stacked up to make the REI Camp Table the Best Overall Camp Table for most outdoor activities.

Related: The Best Camping Chairs

Interested in camping gear? See our Camping section for our most popular stories.

The Best Camping Chairs
The Best Camping Coolers
The Best Camping Coffeemakers
The Best Camping Hammock

The Best Camping Lanterns

Best Cook Station Camping Table: GCI Outdoor Outdoor Slim-Fold Cook Station

Surface area and Height: 52 x 21 x 32"

Folded Dimensions: 27.2 x 24.2 x 3.5"

Weight: 18.9 lbs

Material: 1-piece powder coated steel frame

What we liked: three levels of storage racks, cookstove/grill compatible aluminum table top, cup holders and hooks, good value price, easy folding and portability

What we didn't like: we wish the side tables were also aluminum, lack of table height adjustability, requires securing legs

You want options? The GCI Outdoor Slim-Fold Cook Station gives you plenty of ‘em. GCI thought of just about everything when it comes to this kitchen cook station table — it sports three levels of storage racks or table tops, has a cookstove/grill-compatible aluminum tabletop at the top, utilizes cup holders and hooks built into the side tables for extra pizazz, sits just under the $100 mark, and folds down to the size of a collapsed beach chair, all in one foldable piece. (You read that right — all of those side tables are already attached, so no losing a wing to the depths of your closet between now and next camping season!)

COMPARE PRICES OF THE GCI OUTDOOR OUTDOOR SLIM-FOLD COOK STATION

The GCI Outdoor Slim-Fold Camping Station’s side tables alone are a camp kitchen master’s dream. The cupholders can house marinade and ketchup bottles (or your beverage), while the “hooks” serve a myriad of purposes. Did you bring your camping-couture stemmed wine glass with you? Rest the stem in the hook to hold your glass in place. Need a place to keep the paper towels from blowing away? Put a string through the roll and attach each end to the hooks. Need a place to hang your tongs, or a tableside garbage bag? Each side table sports these inward-curving hooks so you can have every option at your stove side.

Related: The Best Camping Tents

The metal grate on the bottom level served us well holding the dish bin and keeping our soft cooler full of meats and veggies handy, and held up well despite several bumps from curious dog noses.

The aluminum countertop withstood a camp stove easily, although we would have liked the side tables to be made of the same material at times. (Juggling several hot pans and pots when cooking for 6+ people would have been easier with a place to put the pans that wasn’t plastic.) However, when taking on an ambitious meal like steak and risotto or biscuits and gravy for 6 folks, the four plastic side tables were nothing short of miraculously helpful.

All in all, it’s the considerate design that won us over with the GCI Outdoor Slim-Fold Cook Station — the extra space that can be folded up or tucked away as needed, the cookstove-safe top, the durable steel braces, the clever cut-out hooks to hold all of our accessories elevated our camp cooking experience to a new level.

Our testers’ minor complaints were about the lack of adjustability (one taller tester felt like he had to stoop down to use the camp table) and that the table could be tippy if not “dug in” or set on a flat surface properly, which adjustable legs would have helped. However, with forethought and good planning (bury the two legs in the rocks, if your campsite has gravel!), the GCI Outdoor Slim-Fold table will rock your camping world.

Best lightweight portable camping table: Helinox Table One

Surface area and height: 16 x 23.5 x 15.5 inches (length x width x height)

Packed dimensions:

Weight: 1 lb 8 oz

Material: Aluminum, durable mesh and rip-stop polyester

What we liked: Less than 2 lbs, sunken cup holders mid-table, holds over 100 lbs of weight, super fast set-up, 5 year warranty

What we didn't like: Low height

We were nearly convinced that the Helinox Table One should take the Overall Best Camping Table Winner slot thanks to its mere 1.5 pounds, its great packability, its 110-pound weight rating, its strong weather-resistant mesh top, and its snap-in-place easy setup. The only reason it didn’t? The lower height profile works well between two camp chairs or next to the campfire but isn’t the best for bigger groups or standing up to cook. However, when it comes to out-on-the-trail camping, no table made a better impression on us than the Helinox Table One, making it the winner for best camping table for those who value weight over height.

COMPARE PRICES OF THE HELINOX TABLE ONE

view at helinox

The Helinox Table One packs down to a mere 4.5 by 4.5 by 16 inches, making it easy to store in a pack while you’re trekking to the campsite or to tuck into a tote bag for the day at the beach. When you’re ready for set up, shake out the spider-legged aluminum frame to line up the rods, attach the two runner rods that run lengthwise for support, and clip the weather-resistant, durable tabletop fabric into place at each corner.

Once set up, this folding camp table measures 23.5 by 16-inches on top and can hold over 100 pounds. Each side has an in-set cup holder that's handy for beverages standing steady, but the crescent-moon fabric design on each side (which helps steady your drinks) also makes it easier to balance other objects over top without losing them into the cupholders’ depths.

Related: The Best Camping Coffeemakers

Our testers have taken an older model of the Helinox Table One on road trips, camping trips, living out of an old Tacoma, and on backpacking trails from the Adirondack Mountains of New York to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado to the Coastal Mountains of Alaska and British Columbia.

One tester has kept it in that Tacoma for at least the last five years, where it comes in handy for apres ski parking lot feasts and for dinnertime prep on a weekend rafting trip. He loves the pack-away case that has kept the Helinox Table One in good, durable shape through all of his travels but loves how versatile it’s proven — from playing cards in the sand while dinner finishes after a rafting trip to a prep station for pancakes in Colorado’s high country.

The mesh has survived campfire embers, rocks, mud, silt, and dogs knocking it over at camp (with the cups still staying in the cupholders, mind you), as well as being kept in the bottom of a raft for days on end. While the grime can make the table more difficult to connect, one quick rinse has cured any difficulties over the years.

Not one piece of the Helinox One has failed him in over 200 days of use — “I’d like to never buy another camping table again,” he says, “and I don’t think I’ll have to.” If that doesn’t convince you of the Helinox Table One’s worthiness as our Best Lightweight Portable Table Pick, we don’t know what will.

Related: The Best Camping Hammocks

Interested in camping gear? See our Camping section for our most popular stories.

The Best Camping Tents
The Best Camping Sleeping Bags
The Best Camping Mattresses
The Best 4-Season Tents

Best Camping Table Under $75 : Lifetime Adjustable Height 24”x48” Folding Table

Surface area and height: 48 x 28 heights: 24, 29, 36"

Folded dimensions: 48 x 24 x 2.3"

Weight: 19.2 lbs

Material: Table Top Material Injection molded plastic, Legs are powder-coated stainless steel

What we liked: Ample space, simple set-up/breakdown, sturdy, affordable, adjustable height, carrying handle

What we didn't like: Weight

Simple, spacious, durable, and affordable. One look at this folding table and you know its value — you’ve seen it at every camp craft corner, every picnic, every school fundraiser, every sports game, any event you could think of utilizes this table. But what makes the Lifetime Adjustable Folding Camping Table stand out from every other camp table you’ve carried and set up at every family reunion? Three characteristics: the adjustable legs, the carrying handle, and the middle-fold design. Why else did we love this table? Because of its affordability.

COMPARE PRICES OF THE LIFETIME ADJUSTABLE HEIGHT 24”X48” FOLDING TABLE

view at Home Depot

The Lifetime Adjustable Folding Camping Table is certainly not our lightest table pick, nor is it our most decked-out. However, its price for its capacity swept the board for any of our other options.

Eight square feet of tabletop gives you plenty of surface area for the whole family to gather around and eat, ample space to cook and serve, or tons of real estate for games. Four adjustable height settings make it easy to fit this table to whatever chair height (or standing height) you may need. Plus, it holds one of our top weight capacity titles at 200 pounds — bring on the potato salad competition.

The powder-coated stainless steel legs and frame, plus the high-density polyethylene plastic hard top, give this folding camping table a sturdy, durable, waterproof edge. It can not only handle heat and cold but will withstand rain, snow, hail, sand, rocks, mud, and enthusiastic canines with ease, thanks to impact-resistant corners and a wide leg stance which helps with balance. For a solid, sturdy folding camping table that won’t break your budget and will last you through several camping seasons to come, the Lifetime Adjustable Folding Table is a great pick.

Related: The Gear we like for Backyard Camping

Best camping table with sink: Goplus Folding Fishing and Hunting Cleaning Table with Faucet and Sprayer

Surface area and height: 23 x 45 x 37 inches (length x width x height)

Packed dimensions:

Weight: 22 lbs

Material: Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, High Density Polyethylene, Iron

What we liked: Included sprayer, faucet, and drainage hose, sink on the side, prep surface area, lots of table space

What we didn't like: No adjustable height, weight, easy storage size

Cook like you’re at home while you’re camping in the woods or on the coast. The Goplus Folding Table with Faucet and Sprayer allows you to connect a garden hose to both a sink and a sprayer for directed water flow and allows you to collect your wastewater in a bucket or gray water tank. No more dumping gallon jugs over your vegetables or fileting a fish next to the stream — your workspace awaits you right at your campsite with as much ease as if you were standing in your own kitchen.

COMPARE PRICES OF THE GOPLUS FOLDING FISHING AND HUNTING CLEANING TABLE WITH FAUCET AND SPRAYER

View at Walmart

View at Home Depot

This somewhat unconventional folding camping table is a great middle-ground for kitchen prep — it’s spacious with a flat prep surface area next to the sink — and even has knife storage on the opposite end to keep you safe from blades.

The faucet rotates 360 degrees, so you can fill up a water bottle just as easily as you can wash a dish. The drainage hole and plug make it easy for you to catch bigger pieces from going down the drain or fill up your sink to soak a dish.

However, it’s the sprayer that we really loved — not only was it helpful for washing dirt off of fruits and veggies that spilled from a bag, it was great for rinsing out dishes, hosing down dirty feet, and spraying off tough burned pieces from a dinner left too long on the stove.

There were a few things we didn’t love about the Goplus Folding Table with Faucet and Sprayer, but they were to be expected — the lack of adjustable height was one issue, as the camp table stands on the taller side.

While the sturdy plastic hard top is great for meal prep and cleaning, it didn’t give us the ability to cook on top of the space with a grill or stove.

Last but not least, this is not a very “packable” table in terms of size — unless you have a space tall enough or wide enough to hold this table, it can be difficult to tuck it away when not in use since it’s a whopping 45-inches by 23-inches.

However, for its intended use — a big prep area with a functioning sink — the GoPlus Folding Table with Faucet and Sprayer knocks it out of the park.

Just make sure you have a water source and a garden hose handy, and you’re good to go!

Related: The Best Beginner Fly Fishing Combos

Best roll-top camping table for grills: ALPS Mountaineering Dining Table (Regular)

Surface area and height: 28 x 43 x 28 inches (length x width x height)

Packed dimensions:

Weight: 12 lbs

Material: Aluminum

What we liked: Entire tabletop is able to handle hot pans/cook stoves/grills, spacious, easy to set up

What we didn't like: Can unhook roll top with one good bump

We love an entire camp table that can take on the chaos of cooking for a group of people — especially one that can handle hot pots, pans, stoves, and grills sitting atop it. The ALPS Mountaineering Dining Table won our top pick for grilling for exactly that reason: we had plenty of space to utilize, and none of it was off-limits to hot items.

VIEW THE ALPS MOUNTAINEERING DINING TABLE (REGULAR)

View at Walmart

At just over 8 square feet of tabletop, we had no problem with space to use while cooking up pancakes for 6 people using multiple pans (because no one should wait on fresh blueberry pancakes on a beautiful summer morning in Maine).

We rotated through 3-4 pans from our two-burner stove to the tabletop to keep breakfast rolling and were able to put the hot-off-the-stove pans directly onto the tabletop for hungry campers to scavenge from.

Cleanup was easy with one good wipe from a damp paper towel, and we could pack up the table and head out for a hike. For dinner, we pulled out a small grill and cooked up kebabs with ease — just beware that the table underneath will stay hot for a while after you turn the grill off!

While we wouldn’t recommend leaving this camp table out in direct sunlight (the aluminum heats up quickly, and you might burn a finger if you’re not careful), it held up beautifully to the elements when left in the sun and rain for 5+ days.

It took a good look at the directions for our testers to intuit how to set up and fold up the base correctly, but after one good try, everyone could do so with ease. The slat-design roll top was easy to fold like a paper fan, and an included rubber band keeps the whole top together easily. (The storage bag didn’t hurt, either.)

The ALPS Mountaineering Dining Table is available in three sizes — square (31" W x 31" L x 28" H), regular (28" W x 43" L x 28" H, which we tested), and XL (28" W x 55" L x 28" H). While none of these options is on the cheaper end, ALPS used quality aluminum to build a sturdy, durable roll-top table for all of your grilling needs. Fire up the coals and get cooking!

Related: The Best Camping Sleeping Bags

Read More: The Best Camping Mattresses

Best camping table with storage: Camp Chef Sherpa Table

Surface area and height: 28 x 43W x 28 inches (length x width x height)

Packed dimensions: 15.75 x 27 x 18.25"

Weight: 12 lbs

Material: Aluminum

What we liked: Entire tabletop is able to handle hot pans/cook stoves/grills, spacious, easy to set up

What we didn't like: Can unhook roll top with one good bump

Outdoor Gear Lab called this table set “an organizer’s dream,” and we have to concur — the Camp Chef Sherpa Table is the ultimate organization for your camping kitchen set up, despite its lack of height and tabletop space. (In full disclosure, we were not able to test this table ourselves, but gathering the meta-review material for the Camp Chef Sherpa Table left us with no doubt that the reviews were right, and it is the best camping table with storage )

COMPARE PRICES OF THE CAMP CHEF SHERPA TABLE

view at walmart

view at campchef

The Camp Chef Sherpa Table comes with one table that utilizes a zippered storage pouch underneath the tabletop to hold the four included storage cubes and telescoping legs for a maximum height of 28 inches. Certainly not our tallest table option by any means, and this being one of the reviewers’ biggest gripes, there were other advantages to the lack of height — the Camp Chef Sherpa Table was easy to throw on a tailgate or a campsite’s picnic table to provide both a little extra height and a lot of extra storage. The camp table was also great for cooking at a Crazy Creek chair height or from a picnic table.

However, the magic lies within both the storage cubes and the zippered bin below the tabletop. Each primary-colored storage cube is crafted from 600-denier fabric, which does well with the wear and tear that comes from tossing these cubes on the ground, in the sand, and over rocks and splintered wooden tables. The blue cube is even rubber-lined, designed to be used as a wash bin or even a cooler.

A plastic label shield on the foot of each cube lets you mark precisely what belongs in which cube, so (in theory) you should never have to go digging for the spatula ever again. (The handle helps with the grabbing of a pair of tongs right before the kebabs burn, too.) Each cube is 12 inches by 11 inches by 6.5 inches, for a total of 3.7 gallons of storage space. All four cubes stack within the zippered compartment for easy transport or storage post-meal.

Overall, professional testers, as well as everyday Amazon users, remarked on the organizational genius and stability of this table, even with unevenly distributed weight on the tabletop. While the height was a definite bummer, the Camp Chef Sherpa Table was hands-down everyone’s favorite when it came to camp kitchen storage.

Related: The Best Portable Solar Panels

Best camping side table: Nemo Moonlander Table

Surface area and height: 19 x 15 x 16 inches (length x width x height)

Folded Dimensions: 14.5 x 9.5 x 1.5 inches (length x width x height)

Weight: 4 lbs. 14 oz.

Surface area:

Material: Tabletop Material(s) Nylon Frame Construction Aluminum

What we liked: Picnic table height and side-table height options, twist-in legs for stability, carrying case, high-quality materials, simple setup

What we didn't like: price

Our editor-in-chief has tested this camp table to its limits and sings its praises from the summits. The Nemo Moonlander Table packs away to the size of a laptop, sets up in a snap, sports two heights, and weighs little enough to easily pack for all but the lightest of backpacking trips. She and her partner used it on a 2,300-mile National and State Park road trip when no other portable camping table would have fit with the other gear (and an extra friend plus full backpack mid-trip) along the way. Thanks to its light weight, stability on uneven terrain, and compactability — plus the double height options — the Nemo Moonlander made the trip exponentially more enjoyable.

COMPARE PRICES OF THE NEMO MOONLANDER TABLE

VIEW AT nemoequipment

What she — and other testers and user reviews — appreciated the most about the Nemo Moonlander was its stability at either height. Black wings unfold on aluminum hinges and snap into place for the picnic table height option, which gives you both a stable surface and a raised platform from dirt and insects. When you’re ready for a side table for your camp chair, Crazy Creek, or fireside log, twist-lock in the aluminum/carbon fiber legs for a 16-inch lift and stabilize your snacks and beverages wherever you camp — whether it's a developed or undeveloped campsite. (Read: uneven ground like desert sand, half-buried boulders, shrubs, and soft dirt — all which aren’t an issue when your apres hike beverages are perched on top.) Our testers were impressed by the low-effort setup (not having to read the instructions is a major plus), although the twist-lock legs can take a moment to get used to.

Tuck this table between camp chairs, beside the fire pit, or on top of the picnic blanket for easy use in any scenario. When you’re ready to pack up, zip the whole table back into its carrying case and pop it in the trunk or your pack. This is the kind of carrying case you’ll want to hold onto, too, says our editor-in-chief tester: “I often have the worst time getting gear back into its stuff sack, and the Moonlander is the one piece of gear where that isn’t a struggle.”

Overall, although the price can be a hindrance, the Nemo Moonlander is a durable, compact table option that will last you for years to come. This table is time-tested, easy to use, a breeze to pack, and a compact option that can serve you in any context. For the best side table pick on our list, the Nemo Moonlander won us over from the start.

Related: The Best Camping Lanterns

Other camping tables we tested

Coleman Outdoor Compact Table

Dimensions: 8 x 8 x 28.5 inches (length x width x height)

Packed dimensions: 18 x 18 x 2"

Weight: 10 lbs

Material: Aluminum slat top and strong steel frame

Another good runner-up to our Best Roll Top/Grilling Table, the Coleman Outdoor Compact Table is a smaller, lighter, and cheaper table but just as effective.

Ultimately, it didn’t make it to our list of best camping tables because of the smaller table space, but for a space-saving option with a strong steel frame, grill- or stove-proof aluminum top, and easy set-up table, you can rest assured that the Coleman Compact Table earned our stamp of approval. The snap-held design keeps the table secure while the non-slip legs steady the contents on the tabletop. (Note, the legs don’t adjust in height, so choose your table site appropriately.)

COMPARE PRICES OF THE COLEMAN OUTDOOR COMPACT TABLE

View at walmart

View at coleman

Tailgater Tire Table Original Steel Table

Dimensions: 1.5 x 29 x 23 inches (length x width x height)

Packed dimensions: 29 x 24 x 3"

Weight: 13 lbs

Material: steel or aluminum options

While we didn’t quite know how to categorize this table, it was easily one of our favorites, if only for the novelty of it.

A car camper’s dream, this table fits over truck tires and the spare tire on the back of a Jeep for a little extra space when the tailgate filled up.

The screw-down clamps make it easy to adjust and maneuver for different tire sizes, while the adjustable stabilizing leg gives you added security and stability. Available in both a steel and an aluminum option (we tested the steel version), both options are durable with a few key differences — the weight and price.

The steel version is $120, weighs 13 pounds, and supports up to 70 pounds, while the aluminum version weighs only 5.5 pounds, sports a $170 price tag, and holds up to 50 pounds. Ultimately this table was a little too niche for us to grant it a full winner’s spot, but we never want to take this out of the Jeep just in case an adventure arises. (Just make sure you take it off the tire before driving away, or you won’t get too far.)

VIEW THE TAILGATER TIRE TABLE ORIGINAL STEEL TABLE

GCI Outdoor Compact Camp 2.0

Surface area and height: 20 x 18 x 24 inches (length x width x height)

Folded Dimensions: 18 x 18 x 2 inches

Weight: 4 lbs.13 oz.

Material: Aluminum Frame Construction Steel

The GCI Outdoor Compact Camp 2.0 was one of our most affordable and easiest setup options that we love for a camper, keeping in the truck for the campsite or afternoon by the lake, or having around the back yard. We tested this table on a long weekend at York Beach in Maine, and it worked perfectly for lunch, snacks, beverages, and sunscreen in between jaunts through the waves.

As one whole piece, the GCI Compact Table slides down into a slim, easy-to-carry unit and sets up just as quickly. It settled in well in the sand and kept everything stable and secure throughout the weekend, no matter how many kids ran past it or sand got into the crevices. The height is perfect for camp chair usage but worked well to keep devices and books out of the sand from towel-on-the-beach level, as well.

COMPARE PRICES OF THE GCI OUTDOOR COMPACT CAMP 2.0

view at sportsmans

Overall, we loved the durability, bigger tabletop, and lighter weight of the Nemo Moonlander more for our Best Side Table pick, and the even lighter set up of the Helinox Table One for our Best Lightweight Portable Table pick. However, for the car camper, road tripper, backyard barbecuer, and beachgoer, the GCI Compact is a great (and affordable) camping table option.

Mountain Summit Gear Heavy-Duty Roll-Top Table

Surface area and height: 37 x 28 x 28 inches (length x width x height)

Packed Dimensions: 31 x 9 x 6 inches

Weight: 14 lbs

Material: Steel frame, aluminum tabletop

While we really appreciated the easy setup, the durable materials, and the price for what you get, we couldn’t justify the Mountain Summit Gear Heavy-Duty Roll-Top Table over the ALPS Mountaineering Dining Table. In the end, we (and the reviewers) liked the ALPS Mountaineering Dining Table just a bit more for its ease of setup and lighter weight. However, the Mountain Summit Gear Heavy-Duty Roll-Top Table has some major perks — it’s more table space, it’s cheaper, and is designed to be sturdy. If that sounds up your alley, this roll-top table is a great addition to your camping kitchen gear — especially for grilling!

COMPARE PRICES OF THE MOUNTAIN SUMMIT GEAR HEAVY-DUTY ROLL-TOP TABLE