Is the $700 Camping Table Worth It?

I don’t think much about camp tables. I obsess over coolers, and I have very strong opinions about camp chairs. Coffee cups are important to me. Sleeping bags, tents, inflatable mattresses…all of these pieces of gear occupy space in my brain when I’m going car camping, but the table is an absolute afterthought. I bring a cheap, folding table that can barely support my car camping stove and say a prayer that it will be able to withstand the abuse I throw at it during a weekend in the woods. But then the all-knowing algorithm started feeding me videos of the Pecos Table, a burly work surface that claims to be more robust than the cheap camping tables most of us have been using for years. I watched videos of people throwing construction tools on the Pecos, cleaning fish on the Pecos, waxing surfboards on the Pecos…I watched a video of someone taking a Pecos and smashing through one of the cheap plastic folding tables I’ve used while camping in the past.

The goal of this marketing is obvious: Pecos is hoping to redefine our expectations of the humble camp table in the same way that Yeti redefined our expectations of coolers. This new table is robust and over-engineered and expensive as hell ($700) in all of the same ways that define the Yeti cooler. I was skeptical of the Pecos in the same way I was skeptical of the Yeti cooler decades ago. A cooler just keeps beer cold, and a table just holds things—why do I need a burly and expensive version of it? So naturally, I had to test the Pecos out.

My skepticism turned to enthusiasm as soon as I took the Pecos out of the box. I was immediately impressed with the quality materials and the thoughtful attention to detail. I was so smitten with the Pecos that I started using it as a standing desk in my office before I had a chance to put it in the field. My fondness for the table has only grown the more I’ve used it.

What I Love About the Pecos Table

Let’s start with the design of this table. It is truly burly as hell, with aircraft grade aluminum legs and a high-density polyethylene top, all of which can hold up to 3,200 pounds of static weight. That’s like a small car. I get nervous when I put my heavy two-burner car camping stove on my current camping table, but I literally stood on top of the Pecos and it felt perfectly stable.

There are some really thoughtful details that make the Pecos surprisingly user friendly, even when you consider its hefty weight (30lbs). First, the legs store on the underside of the table, clicking securely into place so you can carry it easily in one hand and load it flat in the back of your truck or van. And those legs are super easy to attach as they lock into their sockets with just a quarter turn. I feel weird saying this, but it’s a very satisfying action that hits all of the ASMR buttons.

And probably the best part about those legs—the feet on the legs swivel to adjust and even orbit around in their sockets, so you can fine tune the length of each leg to level out the table on uneven surfaces. I’ve never once camped on perfectly flat ground, so my camping table is always wobbly unless I find the perfect sized rock or stick to wedge beneath the airborne leg. That’s no longer an issue with the Pecos.

The tabletop is great, with a ridge running around the edge that traps water or “meat juice,” and the size is ample for prepping a meal or cooking for an entire family. The Pecos is 35 inches tall (countertop height) which is the perfect height for a work station. If you’re on a job site and working out of the back of your truck, or maybe doing some fishing and you want a surface to set up your rod and reel, or if you’re prepping a meal for an outdoor dinner, you’re going to really appreciate the height of this table.

Oh, and the accessories are genius. Pecos uses a patented “trigger clip” system so you can easily attach really handy tools like a paper towel holder, or sundry basket, or cupholder to the side of the table. Obviously, the cupholder is useful but my favorite accessory is the trash bag loop which gives you a smart place to hang a bag. These accessories free up surface area while keeping practical tools, like my beer, handy at all times.

What I Don’t Love About This Camp Table

We have to talk about the price here. $650 is a lot of money to spend on a table. Can you justify it? I think it depends on how often you’ll use this thing. I don’t think it’s necessary if you’re only using it for car camping a couple of times a year.

The justification for an expensive cooler is that you’ll use it often for years to come. You can divide the high price tag by the number of times you’ll use it over the life of the cooler. The same goes for this table if you have the kind of job/hobbies where you often find yourself needing a work station out in the wild. I think this table might actually outlast me, so there’s that.

The hefty weight is also an issue—30 lbs isn’t nothing. The fact that it folds flat and doesn’t take up much room in the back of my truck is a bonus (you can stack a loaded cooler on top no problem) but I’m not going to carry this table a mile into the woods.

But my biggest issue with the Pecos is that it’s only countertop height. It’s perfect for a work station, but considering the price, I would love it if this table also adjusted to dining room height, maybe with telescoping legs, so that I could use it in multiple scenarios. I would even sacrifice some of the sturdiness for the added use.

Final Thoughts: Is the Pecos Table Worth the Price?

The Pecos table won me over, and I’m certain it’s going to basically live in the back of my truck moving forward…when I’m not using it as a writing desk in my office. Given the price tag, I’m not going to tell you it’s something every adventurer absolutely has to have. But if you like to cook outside, car camp often, or have a job where you need a portable work station, and you don’t mind dropping seven Benjamins on a well-designed piece of gear, I highly recommend you check it out.