what does expierienced thru hikers recommend for thru hiking the at.im leavinv for the trail april 2012.trying to get my gear list established
what does expierienced thru hikers recommend for thru hiking the at.im leavinv for the trail april 2012.trying to get my gear list established
stoves are as diverse as hikers are. alcohol stoves are pretty popular, but there are many of those to choose from. DIY types, to commercially made. Canisters stoves like the jetboil or pocket rocket, and other varieties.
It's all in your preference, really. Do a search on youtube for backpacking stoves and check a few out. See what catches your interest and give it a try.
I have a jetboil that I love. I also have a soda can alcohol stove that I really like too. I would be hard pressed to say which would work best for you. That's something you'll have to consider.
I'm sure you are about to get a ton of posts with other's preferences here...have fun wading through all that and deciding.
Check out antigravitygear for your kitchen needs.
Suggest going to Mountain Crossings anytime in the next 30 days and observing the hikers as they pass thru. Also, talk with the knowledgeable staff.
Also suggest going to Trail Days in May. There will be many vendors there plying their wares.
See you on the trail,
mt squid
some observations
I think this might help:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...423#post197423
Right here on this site along with a wealth of other info.
L Dog
AT 2000 Miler
The Laughing Dog Blog
https://lighterpack.com/r/38fgjt
"The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness." - John Muir
Some VERY experienced LD hikers don't even carry a stove (e.g., garlic08).
We carry a MSR Pocket Rocket. It's light, durable, simple, efficient, and packs small. Canisters were readily available around the AT.
That man is the richest whose pleasures are the cheapest. Henry David Thoreau
All depends...
Want simplicity? Ease of use? Cooking many meals? Long time between resupplies?
This may help...
http://www.pmags.com/stove-comparison-real-world-use
(Even if I wrote it )
The canister stoves is an all around favorite.
If you go more minimalist and cooking one meal a day, the alchy stove works.
...and so on.
Paul "Mags" Magnanti
http://pmags.com
Twitter: @pmagsco
Facebook: pmagsblog
The true harvest of my life is intangible...a little stardust caught,a portion of the rainbow I have clutched -Thoreau
I use the Primus ETA Express. Similar to the JetBoil in terms of "all-in-one" stove/1L pot setup. I used it on my 10 day section last year and it performed flawlessly. It probably registers as "heavy" to many backpackers at 14 ounces for the whole setup.
I started my thru with a MRS Wisperlite stove. Most days I cooked in the morning and night. It worked fine and I had no problem obtaining fuel on the trail. When I got to Erwin I switched to a soda can stove that burned alchol. I did this to lighten up some. That also worked fine, heating water most mornings for coffee and cooking a meal at night. If I was to do it again I would just go with the alchol stove.
Grampie-N->2001
MSR pocket rocket. Although this year I bought the newer ul Snowpeak stove, have yet to use it.
Backcountry Boiler
Basically, it "boils" down to convenience. Can it be easier than a canister stove? Doubtful, but you gotta carry enough so that a "almost empty" canister doesn't leave you hungry. Canisters are easy to find along the trail. Alchohol is for the gram-counters (I'm one). (Very) slightly more hassle in finding alchohol (or Heet) along the way. The biggest concern for me is the temptation to cook in a tent when the weather sucks - and it will. If you use alchohol, sooner or later, your stove is going to tip over from a too-heavy pot, a clumsy trailmate, or just trail gremlins and everything near it will burn. I ended up choosing weight over convenience; the discipline is still a hassle for me. You probably can't go wrong with either; you'll probably end up trying both.
Nothing wrong with the trusty SVEA either, if you want to actually cook. Even better for two or three. Your choice.
"It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how." ---Dr. Seuss
I went the second half of my thruhike without cooking equipment. On my next hike in 2013 I don't plan on taking cooking gear.
Thanks for all the great info.i was thinking pocket rocket or jet boil.i just wasnt sure available the cannisters were along the way.
Caldera Cone with esbit graham cracker stove here....
MSR pocket rocket for me, but as others have said, there is no perfect stove.
There are so many miles and so many mountains between here and there that it is hardly worth thinking about
If someone could tell me how to get a HOT cup of coffee every morning on the trail without a stove, I'd save lots of ounces....
If your like most backpackers out here who have been enjoying the sport for sometime, you will most likely end up with 3,4 ,5, 10 stoves over time. I have "several" right now and use different stoves for varying hikes. If I am going for a week solo and want to go very light, with freezer bag cooking, an Alky stove is in order. If I am with someone and the intent is to do some cooking I grab the Pocket Rocket, or a white gas stove in the "colection" of which some have been retired. The truth is whatever stove you pick today, you may well choose another before your hike starts, there are some very good suggestions here but you will have to experiment a bit to find what meets your needs. HYOH