mess kit

American  

noun

1. a portable set of usually metal cooking and eating utensils, used especially by soldiers and campers.

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mess kit British  

noun

1. formal evening wear for officers

2. Also called: mess gear.  eating utensils used esp in the field

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Etymology

Origin of mess kit

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

It was filled to the brim with everything from Army Air Corps documents to his portable mess kit and even — though I didn't know it then — his pistol and bullets from the war.

From Salon • Apr. 26, 2023

On separate tables are some of the artifacts that were among the remains: combat boots, a 1940s penny, a mess kit with three plastic spoons and a helmet.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 11, 2018

In December 1952, having visited the Korean front, mingled with US troops and eaten outdoor from a mess kit, President-elect Eisenhower made a statement on the Korean war.

From The Guardian • Apr. 17, 2017

I bought one of those Army surplus utility belts and armed myself with a gravity knife, different size screwdrivers, an Allen wrench, plus my Boy Scout mess kit, canteen, and compass.

From Slate • Oct. 14, 2016

The agent added some dehydrated foodstuff packets, an aluminum mess kit, kissed Marilyn again, and left.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols