Getting Started · The Camp Log

The Best S'mores Sticks (and the Catch With the Fancy Ones)

There are three ways to roast a marshmallow at camp — a stick you find, a cheap bundle of wood or bamboo skewers, or a set of telescoping metal forks — and which one is "best" comes down to one thing nobody writing these guides mentions: whether your family likes their marshmallows neat or flaming.

Our pick: MalloMe 32" roasting sticks (10-pack)

For anything on a stick — s'mores, hot dogs, bannock — this is what we pack. The MalloMe 32" bamboo roasting sticks are long enough that kids stay back from the fire, wooden so the end stays cool enough to eat a flaming marshmallow right off the stick, and cheap enough to toss after a messy trip. Ten in a pack, so nobody waits their turn.

The honest tradeoff (the thing nobody tells you)

Telescoping metal forks are genuinely good for neat s'mores — two tines, even roast, slide the marshmallow onto the graham without a mess. But the metal heats up, so you can't eat the marshmallow straight off the fork without burning your mouth. That's the whole flaming-marshmallow-off-the-stick experience, and wood wins it every time.

So which should you get?

Our default for camp — the MalloMe 32" sticks above. S'mores, dogs on a stick, biscuit-wrapped dogs, bannock — one bundle covers the week.
If your family only eats neat s'mores — roast, slide onto chocolate, sandwich — telescoping forks can make sense for even roasting. Just know you're trading away eat-off-the-stick.
The free, original option — find or whittle a green (living) stick at the campsite. Costs nothing, and the kids will tell you it's the best part.

What matters if you're buying

Get them long — roughly 30 inches or more — so kids aren't leaning over flames. Wood or bamboo is one-and-done; you don't wash them. Buy enough that nobody's standing around waiting.

Now go make some

However you roast them, the payoff is the same. Here's our take on the classic campfire s'more (and the two small tips that matter), plus the rest of our easy campfire desserts.

Common questions

Are metal or wood s'mores sticks better?

It depends on how you eat them. Metal telescoping forks roast evenly and are great for neat s'mores, but they get too hot to eat the marshmallow off — so you miss the flaming-off-the-stick experience. A plain wood stick stays cool enough to eat right off. Plenty of families keep both around.

How long should a s'mores stick be?

Long enough that kids can roast without leaning over the fire — roughly 30 inches or more. Telescoping forks that extend are ideal for mixed-age groups, since you can set the length per kid.

Can I just use a stick from the ground?

Yes — that's the original way. Find or whittle a green (living) stick rather than a dry, dead one, which will catch fire. It's free, and half the kids think it's the best part of the night.

Are telescoping marshmallow forks worth it?

For even roasting and keeping kids back from the flames, yes. Just know the metal heats up, so they're built for roast-and-slide-onto-the-graham, not for eating the marshmallow straight off the fork.

Dragonfly Supply is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission — at no extra cost to you.