Cast iron pans come in a wide range of sizes and you don't have to be packing a #8... I have a #2 cast iron pan that will cook a meal for one, it weighs about a pound and can handle the heat of a campfire as well as a stove and can double as a hammer to pound tent stakes and serve as a defensive tool against rabid squirrels.

I use cast iron at home and when I camp by car and no-one will ever convince me that there is a better choice than this for most cooking... over a gas stove the heat distribution is perfect and well seasoned cast iron beats teflon coated pans every single time.