no stove
if one has no problem eating all cold food , has anyone thru hiked with out using a stove at all?
Yep, folks do so frequently. It can get old, but what doesn't. It is not difficult to get all the nutrients you need without cooking. Bachelors do it all the time.
I did portion of California, and a large section of Arizona without a stove, but I still cooked my ramen. I opened the bag, poured water into the bag and let it sit in the sun. I actually had a stove on both trips but one time was out of fuel and the other I had broken my stove.
My question though is as light as a stove is, why not bring one?
I wouldn't go stove-less in cold weather though.
I did a few days in Harriman a couple of years ago on all cold food. I didn't want the hassle of shipping my stove. It worked out fine but for most hikes I pack the trusty SVEA and eat hot meals.
"It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how." ---Dr. Seuss
Jen Pharr did the PCT without one.
It's not the weight of the stove that made me leave it behind.
Partially it's the fuel--weight and logistics.
And I like to hike simply, with easy resupply, and not looking for or mailing fuel is one less thing to worry about. Cold food is easier to resupply, too. I can usually resupply at convenience stores with bread, tortillas, cheese, peanut butter, crackers, cookies, deli sandwiches, fruit, etc, so I go into fewer towns and spend less time there if I do.
For me, hiking is more fun without cooking--no clean up, less water needed, less time not hiking, and easier to eat under shelter in inclement weather.
"Throw a loaf of bread and a pound of tea in an old sack and jump over the back fence." John Muir on expedition planning
I am considering going stoveless for the first part of my hike next year in Mid-April and see how it goes. I might pick it up again in the later months...not sure yet though.
With 8 oz. of fuel, stove, and the little things that go along with it, it weighs just over a pound for all of it.
I agree that it is easier to re-supply cold foods. I think when I get to towns, I will go for the hot foods.
Here's a pic of the set up. I didn't need the measuring syringe and the condiment bag is not there either.
http://www.trailplace.com/photopost/...m/IMG_0759.JPG
Sorry Skids, don't shoot me.
Georgia Shuttling Website www.atsurvivordave.com
[quote=garlic08;846546]I can usually resupply at convenience stores with bread, tortillas, cheese.....
Hate to go off subject, but what kind of cheese are hikers eating on the trail? Most require refrigeration. Cheese-Whiz, Kraft singles?? I can live off tortillas and cheese weeks on end if I had too!Appreciate any advice! W-W
[quote=World-Wide;846585]Originally Posted by garlic08
I can usually resupply at convenience stores with bread, tortillas, cheese.....
Hate to go off subject, but what kind of cheese are hikers eating on the trail? Most require refrigeration. Cheese-Whiz, Kraft singles?? I can live off tortillas and cheese weeks on end if I had too!
I just got back from Big Bend and took some string cheese with me. It says to keep refrigerated but ... I obviously didn't. It tasted fine and I'm in good health.
[quote=Wrangler88;846591]
Thanks!
Cheese is the old world's solution to how to store milk without refrigeration. So the new world comes along and says you must refrigerate cheese. Go figure. Cheese lasts a long time in a pack, up to six days in hot weather for me. The best stuff I found on the AT was the Cabot cheddar with the black wax coating--fantastic. Do yourself a favor and get the best cheese you can find and try to stay away from the over-processed stuff. String cheese works well in hot weather because you don't get oil all over.Hate to go off subject, but what kind of cheese are hikers eating on the trail? Most require refrigeration. Cheese-Whiz, Kraft singles?? I can live off tortillas and cheese weeks on end if I had too!
"Throw a loaf of bread and a pound of tea in an old sack and jump over the back fence." John Muir on expedition planning
Yep, hard cheese carries well. Sure, it will get soft and oily but is fine to eat. To keep longer cut into 1 ounce chunks, then dip in paraffin or beeswax a couple times to seal. Or carry a big chunk of cheddar but make sure you use clean hands/knife to cut it. Your grubby hands are your worst enemy ;-)
Just don't carry soft cheese in hot temps, that can go bad. Though cream cheese will carry fine for a day or two.
You can also get many cheese types in shelf stable these days. For example, Laughing Cow wheels of the foil wrapped wedges are shelf stable, though sold in the chill chest at the store.
As far as meats go, pepperoni sticks are probably a good way to pack the protein.
Not bringing a stove is an interesting concept but isn't the weight savings from not bringing a stove and fuel offset by the need to bring hydrated food, like cheese and peperoni as opposed to dry pasta foods?
I did an article for ALDHA-West a few months back on stove-free food ideas.
It is here if anyone is interested:
http://www.onepanwonders.com/stovefreehiking.htm
I have a Bic lighter that is my stove. Seldom have I had a problem starting a fire, even in the rain. If it's downpouring or extremely windy I will eat cold, but that does not occur that frequently. I never have to worry about running out of stove fuel or finding someplace that sells those canisters that are filling up landfills. I find it quite odd that people need the latest, greatest technology to go out and commune with nature. Seems a litte contradictory to me. I'll stick with a wood fire for cooking, sticks for hiking poles, and continue not filtering my water. I do have a tent and a sleeping bag, but that is about as far as I'll go.
A guy from MS did the AT on nothing but honey buns, peanut butter, cheese and tortillas a few years back (not counting town stops) in about 4 1/2 months. Yes, it can be done.
Yes. But some hikers like the efficiency of no-cook hiking. I've tried it -- for summer hikes it's fine, but I like hot meals and drinks in cool weather.
On my next section hike I'm going to try stove-less meals, but bring along an Esbit stove with some tabs to make hot drinks if any nights are cold. I agree with BigCranky; stoveless in warmer months, bring stove in colder months.
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