A standard food service industry item, these heavy-duty plastic bus pans do not bend or fold when loaded up with dirty dishes, camping equipment, or gallons of soapy water. I've found the 7.6-gallon variety are the perfect size to use as wash basins for handling all your dishes while camping. Water doesn't slosh over the high sidewalls, yet they are still portable enough to carry to a dump station without too much effort. They also do double duty as carrying containers, and can nest (one inside the other) to save space. I have used several other containers at camp to wash dishes, most recently a plastic tote, which would bend as I carried it when full of water. I have also used collapsible sinks which are next to useless in my experience. I have not used other bus pans, but the ones I have from Rubbermaid are sturdy, well-made and seem to pretty much withstand almost anything I throw at them. Even though the Sam's Club web site says an individual pan costs $12, when I purchased mine at my local store, I paid the same price for a pair. I'll likely get a couple more to keep tools together in the back of my truck.

-- Brad Reese

Bus Boxes
$9
Available from Ace Mart

Manufactured by Rubbermaid