View Full Version : Going Stove less any advice?
chefbrian1
03-19-2014, 16:58
I'm doing a really long section hike and I am thinking of going stoveless this time.
The benefit is no stove weight and no need to prep food.
I had all manner of stove and food (whisper lite, and an alcohol stove). I found that I only made one meal a day and that meal was mac and cheese with some foil tuna. It's a nice treat, but I figure why not bring bread and foil tuna instead.
I'm pretty new to the idea. My thoughts are making a power mix of granola with nuts, seeds, dried fruit, seaweed nori, doing the nut butter, honey and bread, and foil meat and bread.
I'll load up in town on fruits and veggies and take a piece of fruit and hard boiling eggs with me leaving town. Hostel usually have stoves too.
Any thoughts and advise?
Brian
The Cleaner
03-19-2014, 19:25
Better have good teeth......
takethisbread
03-19-2014, 19:36
I am going stove less as well, but am carrying a foldable wood stove that takes up no space in my pack, and using a titanium drinking cup that I can cook in. that way if I really want to cook something , I can.
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chefbrian1
03-19-2014, 20:10
That's Take. Can you take me through a basic stoveless day on the trail?
ChinMusic
03-19-2014, 20:17
That's Take. Can you take me through a basic stoveless day on the trail?
We have had lots of threads on this on WB. If you do a search you can find them.
I am not as imaginative as many. My strategy is very simple.
Breakfast: Tortilla, peanut butter, honeynut Cheerios, honey. repeat as needed.
Lunch: no lunch. I just eat snacks all day. (GORP, bars, whatever I feel like)
Supper: Tortilla, lunch meat (in packets that say "refrigerate when opened"), cheese, maybe a packet of mayo. sometime precooked bacon.
Wise Old Owl
03-19-2014, 20:24
I'm doing a really long section hike and I am thinking of going stoveless this time.
The benefit is no stove weight and no need to prep food.
I had all manner of stove and food (whisper lite, and an alcohol stove). I found that I only made one meal a day and that meal was mac and cheese with some foil tuna. It's a nice treat, but I figure why not bring bread and foil tuna instead.
I'm pretty new to the idea. My thoughts are making a power mix of granola with nuts, seeds, dried fruit, seaweed nori, doing the nut butter, honey and bread, and foil meat and bread.
I'll load up in town on fruits and veggies and take a piece of fruit and hard boiling eggs with me leaving town. Hostel usually have stoves too.
Any thoughts and advise?
Brian
Over the years its a give and take - going stove-less isn't a weight savings. the food is heavier and is precooked or prepared.
Hense we have had threads in the past of the merits of fatty high calorie foods... Those that go vegan or vegetarian - don't get enough calories to make the trip. It can be done, its just harder. So we have seen a back and forth on fat vs calories and vegetarian... the real question is (what's right for you)
garlic08
03-19-2014, 20:59
Here (http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=213035)and here (http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=213108) are my journal entries on the subject. I've been hiking the long trails without a stove for ten years now and it's a better way to hike for me. I don't quite understand the teeth comment above. Don't try to eat dried beans or pasta and you'll be fine. Also, I've been vegetarian for about 25 years and I seem to get plenty of calories. Cheese and nuts are your friends.
takethisbread
03-19-2014, 21:00
That's Take. Can you take me through a basic stoveless day on the trail?
lots of tortillas , pbj, or some variation of it. tuna fish , canned shrimp or sardines, bagels, energy bars, pop tarts, cereal dry, cheese and crackers and pretzels and nuts . it's more of a buffet than traditional meals for me. some folks here get pretty elaborate. I just do a ton of wraps. more snacks less meals.
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chefbrian1
03-19-2014, 21:42
Thanks Garlic. I like the idea of working on a good ratio of food weight per miles hiked. This will take some time to figure out. I have a lot of extra fat storage on my body.
chefbrian1
03-19-2014, 21:42
So far coconut oil is the highest calorie food I've seen per once, but hard to find on the trail.
Starchild
03-19-2014, 22:19
...
..I'll load up in town on fruits and veggies ...
Curious why you would load up on things of low protein and low caloric value and think this is a good thing for such a hike?
Kc Fiedler
03-19-2014, 22:27
Curious why you would load up on things of low protein and low caloric value and think this is a good thing for such a hike?
I think he meant he will just eat them in town. Not load them into his pack.
Here (http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=213035)and here (http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=213108) are my journal entries on the subject. I've been hiking the long trails without a stove for ten years now and it's a better way to hike for me. I don't quite understand the teeth comment above. Don't try to eat dried beans or pasta and you'll be fine. Also, I've been vegetarian for about 25 years and I seem to get plenty of calories. Cheese and nuts are your friends.
I also am vegetarian and find no difficulty in getting my protein or calories. In fact through all my experimenting and research (pre and post vegetarian conversion) I find very little merit in having meat on the trail.
daddytwosticks
03-20-2014, 07:23
I'm almost 100% caffeine free! When I'm finally done with my hot coffee in the AM addiction, I will be trying a stoveless hike this summer. :)
Starchild
03-20-2014, 08:38
I'm almost 100% caffeine free! When I'm finally done with my hot coffee in the AM addiction, I will be trying a stoveless hike this summer. :)
Yes Hot coffee is hard to let go of, some have done with cold coffee to make the stoveless transition.
I'm almost 100% caffeine free! When I'm finally done with my hot coffee in the AM addiction, I will be trying a stoveless hike this summer. :)
That's my main issue with going stoveless as well. Caffeine in other forms just hasn't been the same as hot coffee for me.
garlic08
03-20-2014, 09:14
Curious why you would load up on things of low protein and low caloric value and think this is a good thing for such a hike?
I also think what KC Fielder said, but it's also good to remember that nutrition isn't all about carbs, fat, and protein. I try to carry at least one fresh item for every day on the trail, if only a carrot or stalk of celery. (Mainly that fools me into thinking I'm eating well.)
There's the old argument, hard to refute, about stoveless food containing more water weight than the cooking equipment weighs. That's likely true for the first day, but it's hard to beat the feeling on the last day before resupply with a nearly empty pack. That makes it all worthwhile.
tsgosnell
03-28-2014, 17:18
Had a friend who did 7 days on cliff bars and salmon in foil packets in March...
I did the Long Trail stoveless and am starting the PCT w/o a stove soon. Its such a long trek I may have one mailed later. I'll take a big empty peanut butter jar with lid so I can rehydrate (slosh around) things like minute rice, cous cous, refried beans, tabouli, potatoe buds etc for an hour before I stop to eat dinner. Its always good to have a little spices handy--makes up for a heated meal. As Garlic said nuts are good for snacking midday. The mixed nuts that CVS sells contain canola oil and are way up there on the high calorie per gram scale. They also have VIT E. Powdered milk is good to add for Calcium or you can get a dry electrolyte mix (also at CVS) that has added Calcium and Vit D. Cascadian Farms sells an organic granola (breakfast) at Wal Mart that is nutritious, high calorie and good when mixed with cold water. You need complex carbs (oats, potatoes, grain, veggies) to replenish glycogen for sustained energy not simple sugars (sweets). Snickers in my book are above this rule! TVP, salmon, tuna, chicken, ham, beans in packets or lightweight cans will supply the protein.:)
Oh yes FAT. You will burn lots of it--both from your body and what you eat. Its calorie dense which is good. Its also energy dense and slows down burning carbs. Nuts have fat. Olive oil is the best source and can now be bought in smaller bottles to carry. Cheese is another good source of fat. Peanut Butter also.
squeezebox
03-28-2014, 20:48
stoveless costs more , and weighes more, doesn'ts make sense to me.
stoveless costs more , and weighes more, doesn'ts make sense to me.
Any facts to support this statement?
astrogirl
03-29-2014, 18:32
I've done a bunch of sections that way, usually in May in southern VA or TN/NC.
It makes eating MUCH simpler for me and saves me more time than weight, probably.
I usually make a protein shake in the morning with instant coffee, whey powder, cocoa powder and water. Sometimes I use milk powder too.
During the day and for dinner I eat summer sausage, cheddar cheese, nuts, jerky, dried fruit, tuna/chicken in foil pouches (I bring mayo and mustard packets). I have not come up with a good solution for a GF bread or cracker that holds up on the trail. I usually bring some rice crackers of some kind, but I might try corn tortillas again to see if I have better luck with them than I have in the past.
Wise Old Owl
03-29-2014, 20:01
Any facts to support this statement? I think Squeezebox is quoting earlier non-cook threads over the years.
Keeping this on topic how would someone do Baked Beans - stoveless?
Carryless
03-30-2014, 02:16
Eating food that is appetizing and warm is good for your spirit. Cavemen figured that out a long time ago. Stove-less may save time and weight, but there is plenty of time and food preparation for me is a process of relaxation as well.
Stoveless may mean different things to different people. To me, it doesn't mean NO cook. It also doesn't mean NO stove, but using one less. My advice is thinking in hybrid terms.
In general, I don't want hot foot in the summer, so I am eating a lot of cold food like people describe. I do end up cooking some though, but just on a small twiggy fire made in an established fire pit. I do bring a small alky stove with a small amount of fuel for a quick water boil under my tarp if desired. On a ten day no resupply trip a few years ago I used my stove once for a quick cup of coffee one AM. An alky stove with a couple of oz of alky is a small/light backup for me.
Lone Wolf
03-30-2014, 06:19
stoveless folks like to mooch hot water from folks with stoves when it's cold and rainy
daddytwosticks
03-30-2014, 06:30
I think Squeezebox is quoting earlier non-cook threads over the years.
Keeping this on topic how would someone do Baked Beans - stoveless?
Just bring a small can of baked beans. Bush's brand for me. Put the can next to a campfire to warm up. Heavy, but good eating. :)
Starchild
03-30-2014, 07:56
...
Keeping this on topic how would someone do Baked Beans - stoveless?
Answer: Yogi
Wise Old Owl
03-30-2014, 15:11
Here (http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=213035)and here (http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=213108) are my journal entries on the subject. I've been hiking the long trails without a stove for ten years now and it's a better way to hike for me. I don't quite understand the teeth comment above. Don't try to eat dried beans or pasta and you'll be fine. Also, I've been vegetarian for about 25 years and I seem to get plenty of calories. Cheese and nuts are your friends.
Garlic, ya peaked my attention, but eating a pound of raw oatmeal daily, well for me is insane. But I like your spirit - tell us more... walk us thru a three day pack from a trail town... Or give us an idea how you supplement this or provide the variety... Honest I want to read more!
Wise Old Owl
03-30-2014, 17:30
Answer: Yogi
crap tis easy breezy - thin go-gurt wit beans, (philadelphia style) quick patent that!
garlic08
03-31-2014, 08:46
Garlic, ya peaked my attention, but eating a pound of raw oatmeal daily, well for me is insane. But I like your spirit - tell us more... walk us thru a three day pack from a trail town... Or give us an idea how you supplement this or provide the variety... Honest I want to read more!
Sure.
First, since I wrote that journal I learned that rolled oats are not raw. They are parboiled in processing and thus are easy to digest.
Second, I don't eat a pound a day--that would be insane. My muesli is over 50% by volume nuts and raisins and I can't eat out of my 8 oz cup when it's completely full, so my four or five cups on the trail is less than 2 cups dry volume of oats, or about 5 oz dry weight. Still, that's a lot for many, and the recommended serving is 1/4 cup. My typical serving on an active day at home is at least a full cup of oats, and has been for decades (I commuted about 5000 miles per year by bicycle). Maybe I've built up an immunity.
Except for the fresh fruit and vegetables I eat every day, everything else I eat during a hiking day is less healthy than my muesli. Tortillas are probably the worst--white flour and fat. But they taste so good, almost like cake. Same with crackers. When I start from home or find a health food store (a grand total of about three times in 10,000+ miles of long trails) I carry dried hummus or other bean mix--that's a nice variety.
Key for me is to not think about "meals." I hike for two hours and stop and eat something--a cup of cereal, a tortilla and cheese, a handful of cashews, a carrot. My typical summer day is 12 or 14 hours of travel, say six am to eight pm. Sometimes I stop for a long break or a nap. I eat down my food bag in rough proportion to the percentage of trail completed to the next resupply. If I'm halfway there and I'm not halfway through my food (the usual case), I eat more. Everything in my bag is in bulk packaging so there's some judgment involved and there are harder days of climbing when I eat more or easier days in rain when I eat less. I try to finish off my bag five or ten miles from town. I really enjoy that last stroll with no food, cook kit or fuel, and usually no water, a total pack weight of under ten pounds. That's part of the payback for going stoveless.
On the AT, there was a ten day stretch in the mid-Atlantic I called the "diner-a-day" tour. At that point I was easily hiking 25 to 28 mile days, so I could stop at a restaurant every day for a nice meal. Sometimes that meant an extra mile or two into a town, but with essentially no pack weight that was fun in its own way and it became part of the trail experience for me. No stove needed there, for sure.
cheetahgeek
05-17-2014, 21:55
I ended up stoveless for most of the hike. Stopped using after I realized I wasn't using it, and then picked it up again toward the end of the hike because hot tea was a treat. Foods - cheese, pita bread, tuna, crackers, cheese with peanut butter crackers, wheat crackers with cheese, skittles, protein bars, protein powder, nuts, dried fruit, fresh stuff from the grocery in town. I'm a slow hiker and wanted time at camp to get settled in and cleaned up. Many a night I pulled in as the sun was going down or already down. Cooking was a hassle.
WILLIAM HAYES
05-17-2014, 22:35
my stove is an alcohol tea light I made weighs about one OZ weight in not a concern eight OZ of fuel lasts almost a week I cook one meal a day usually carry powdered PB, power bars,humus,ramen,mac and cheese ,tea, mini bagels food weight is not a big issue for me. I have thought about going stoveless it would save about 9 OZ for me and maybe a liitle more with a change in the type food I would carry but I dont see a lot of weight savings by doing so.