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bangorme
05-17-2015, 20:51
So, I'm setting up camp in the pouring rain. I've got a one man tent with a small vestibule (llbean microlight). I'd LOVE a hot meal, and have an alcohol stove and freezerbag meals. Any ideas or experiences?

BirdBrain
05-17-2015, 20:56
One word: Cone.

If your stove and pot are in cone, it could be hailing or snowing and it would not matter. You might get wet. However, if you have been on the trail more than a week, you have already gotten used to getting wet.

MuddyWaters
05-17-2015, 22:20
Thats what shelters are best used for on AT. Eat at one, then hike another hour or so to where you want to camp. Or since its raining, just stay there. Its easier to start the next day if you dont have to pack up a wet shelter.

Spirit Walker
05-17-2015, 23:01
And if you're on a trail that doesn't have shelters, eat cold. We've had Oreos for dinner more than once. If we're lucky, it's cereal or sandwiches. Missing dinner won't kill you. I've also sat outside and cooked in a light rain, but I'd rather not.

brianb2
05-17-2015, 23:29
+1 on the cone. Even one made out of heavy duty tin aluminum foil can help. Thicker stuff like you find in the disposable baking pans is better, but it doesn't need to be as thick as flashing.

couscous
05-17-2015, 23:33
30768
For those who don't know what a cone is like.

LoneStranger
05-18-2015, 06:45
First option is cook at shelter as has been mentioned. If that's not possible I carry a small tarp with a piece of string already attached so I can hang a diamond pitch from a tree in ten seconds and crawl under it to cook. Far too heavy a luxury item for the UL folks, but it has many uses including sit pad, hail shield, pack cover, and more besides making a nice kitchen.

Offshore
05-18-2015, 07:09
So, I'm setting up camp in the pouring rain. I've got a one man tent with a small vestibule (llbean microlight). I'd LOVE a hot meal, and have an alcohol stove and freezerbag meals. Any ideas or experiences?

Another vote for cone or shelter. Don't cook in your vestibule, especially with a smaller vestibule with stove that you can't readily extinguish. Its a recipe for disaster (fires, carbon monoxide, infusing your tent with food smells that may attract unwelcome forest visitors, etc.).

susiegear
05-18-2015, 07:54
I would use my umbrella. it allows me to squat down and keep a small area free from the rain and allows me to cook.You can usually find a way to rig it up so you have both hands free.

bemental
05-18-2015, 07:59
I'm curious what everyone is using for a shelter on the trail that they can't cook in a little (or a lot) of rain?

I'm a tarping ground-dweller with a jet boil so I guess I don't have this problem.

(Not an invitation for a flame war of the merits of an alcohol stove or a hammock, please!)

garlic08
05-18-2015, 08:03
This is one of the reasons to have something other than freezer bag meals available for dinner. Like Spirit Walker says, eating cold under warm dry shelter is often preferable to being out in the cold and wet. There are some normally cooked meals that can be eaten cold--instant mashed potatoes, Ramen, couscous, rolled oats. And there's nothing wrong with two lunches a day, or an extra handful of Oreos, once in a while. Meals like this are also good to have in case of fuel shortage or stove malfunction.

The heat energy gained from a warm meal is less than the calories in one Snickers bar. It's a psychological gain and a valuable one, especially when served by a caring partner, but it's not worth getting (or staying) wet and cold over.

Sarcasm the elf
05-18-2015, 08:22
I'm curious what everyone is using for a shelter on the trail that they can't cook in a little (or a lot) of rain?

I'm a tarping ground-dweller with a jet boil so I guess I don't have this problem.

(Not an invitation for a flame war of the merits of an alcohol stove or a hammock, please!)

Since you ask, my answer is that I don't allow any open flames near my silnylon tent. My understanding is that the stuff is more flamable than traditional tent fabrics and I'm not willing to take the chance.

BirdBrain
05-18-2015, 08:30
I'm curious what everyone is using for a shelter on the trail that they can't cook in a little (or a lot) of rain?

I'm a tarping ground-dweller with a jet boil so I guess I don't have this problem.

(Not an invitation for a flame war of the merits of an alcohol stove or a hammock, please!)

A shelter is just a choice. I find myself often more envious than critical about what others choose. I don't boil water or freezer bag cook near my shelter. A huge manmade wooden shelter will suffice. Others are leaving crumbs everywhere already. Boiling water won't hurt.

Water falling can be avoided away from shelter by timing. If it has not been raining long, there is protection under trees for some time. You only need a few minutes to boil water. After it stops raining or if there is a break in the rain, the trees will cry for a long time. During said lulls, seek an open area. You only need a small window of time and space.

Rain can be a multiuse item. I love the peace of walking in the rain. As a young man that used to run 7 miles a day, I looked forward to rainy days. I loved running in the rain. Rain fills the rills and provides a free shower. I bath daily. Often waters I swim in are much colder than the rain. Don't view the rain as an obstacle. Embrace it. It is okay to get soaked while cooking. It is okay to be chilly while cooking. Just dry off before you climb into your shelter. Take a nap while it is pouring. It is all good.

LittleRock
05-18-2015, 08:34
I just use a wide (8"), shallow (2") pot - basically a mini umbrella. If it's really windy, I might have to use my body as a shield.

Walkintom
05-18-2015, 08:53
I have, with great care and attention, used my canister stove inside my tent more than once. Not just outside under the vestibule, but actually inside the tent.

This is not something that I would generally advise. You're opening yourself up to all sorts of risk, extra condensation on the light end, burning to death wrapped in flaming nylon on the worst case scenario end, with destroyed tent and 2nd degree burns somewhere in the middle of the spectrum.

It ain't smart. But neither are a lot of other things I've done. And this one at least lets me eat a hot meal I cooked inside of my tent.

bemental
05-18-2015, 08:57
I have, with great care and attention, used my canister stove inside my tent more than once. Not just outside under the vestibule, but actually inside the tent.

This is not something that I would generally advise. You're opening yourself up to all sorts of risk, extra condensation on the light end, burning to death wrapped in flaming nylon on the worst case scenario end, with destroyed tent and 2nd degree burns somewhere in the middle of the spectrum.

It ain't smart. But neither are a lot of other things I've done. And this one at least lets me eat a hot meal I cooked inside of my tent.

Thanks Tom,

That's what I was getting at. That there are opportunities, not perhaps directly inside the tent with all the flaps closed, per se (not that that's what you did!), with most shelters to get 3-5 minutes of flame in a rain to boil, or at least make warm, a pot of water, when another form of shelter is not available and the rain is not abating.

4eyedbuzzard
05-18-2015, 09:12
Alpine climbers, mountaineers, many winter hikers, etc., cook inside their tents and/or vestibules all the time. It's a skill that needs to be learned if you do those things. It's inherently more dangerous with little margin for mistakes. You simply can't mess up - so you don't. Most these days will use a canister stove. Many companies even sell kits, like Jetboil's and MSR's hanging kits, but many in the past made their own hangers to use with white gas stoves as well. I'm sure it can be done with an alcohol stove, but there is the spill danger with any uncontained liquid fuel, and when the weather is so cold or bad that you really need to cook inside a tent, alcohol is probably not the best fuel to be carrying/using anyway. And remember to keep the tent well ventilated!

LoneStranger
05-18-2015, 09:23
I've made morning coffee outside the front door more than once on a winter trip while my toes stayed tucked under my quilt , but that is as close to cooking in a tent as I want to get. Fire and food are two things I don't want to mix with my shelter. With the rain and bugs I see I can't risk holes in my tent. More importantly the places I go tend to be swarming with black bears and I want them to smell my feet, not lobster marinara.

Bronk
05-18-2015, 09:28
Just set up your tent, get in it, unzip your door and set up your stove right outside. Your stove won't care if it gets wet. The pot and windscreen should keep the flame from going out. This is really a non-issue.

bangorme
05-18-2015, 10:19
30768
For those who don't know what a cone is like.

Thank you! I was wondering what the "cone" was. I use a pot stand that I bought years ago that clicks together, but doesn't provide rain protection.

BirdBrain
05-18-2015, 10:44
Thank you! I was wondering what the "cone" was. I use a pot stand that I bought years ago that clicks together, but doesn't provide rain protection.

I prefer to make my own. Trail Designs does great work. However, they do not make a two piece cone for a KMart grease pot that provides a 2.5" ground to pot gap. I also tuned my cone to provide the proper air flow for my stove. DIY is a fun obsession for me.

illabelle
05-18-2015, 10:45
Thank you! I was wondering what the "cone" was. I use a pot stand that I bought years ago that clicks together, but doesn't provide rain protection.

It's funny how we form opinions of one another - people we've never met, and perhaps never directly communicated with. I tend to think that those with lots of experience know pretty much everything (of course, that's not true). Somewhere I got the impression that you were one of those. So it surprised me that you didn't know what a cone was. I didn't know what it was either, but I already know that I'm ignorant! :)

bangorme
05-18-2015, 11:12
It's funny how we form opinions of one another - people we've never met, and perhaps never directly communicated with. I tend to think that those with lots of experience know pretty much everything (of course, that's not true). Somewhere I got the impression that you were one of those. So it surprised me that you didn't know what a cone was. I didn't know what it was either, but I already know that I'm ignorant! :)

Thanks. Although I've been backpacking for many years, I am a loner and never stay at shelters. I also avoid the AT when it is anywhere near crowded. Therefore I don't get to learn from others in person. I have learned a great deal from this website. There are a lot of people here that are on the cutting edge and really want to help. I'm on the 1960's edge lol. What's ultralight? Just kidding... already learned that here.

rocketsocks
05-18-2015, 12:18
Just set up your tent, get in it, unzip your door and set up your stove right outside. Your stove won't care if it gets wet. The pot and windscreen should keep the flame from going out. This is really a non-issue.
This is exactly my thought. One caveat is to let the rain subside a bit, usually with an hour you'll always find a lull. Bon apatite

10-K
05-18-2015, 12:33
Umbrella...

Tipi Walter
05-18-2015, 13:05
So, I'm setting up camp in the pouring rain. I've got a one man tent with a small vestibule (llbean microlight). I'd LOVE a hot meal, and have an alcohol stove and freezerbag meals. Any ideas or experiences?

Get a bigger tent with a bigger vestibule.


Thats what shelters are best used for on AT. Eat at one, then hike another hour or so to where you want to camp. Or since its raining, just stay there. Its easier to start the next day if you dont have to pack up a wet shelter.

Shelters are rat boxes and are best avoided by everyone. What happens when you get addicted to having these shelters around and then spend a month backpacking in the Cohutta/Big Frog where there are no shelters? Or spend 20 days on the Benton MacKaye trail? Putting up a tent in the rain is normal and packing up a wet tent in the morning is perfectly acceptable.


And if you're on a trail that doesn't have shelters, eat cold. We've had Oreos for dinner more than once. If we're lucky, it's cereal or sandwiches. Missing dinner won't kill you. I've also sat outside and cooked in a light rain, but I'd rather not.

Cold no-cook food is easy to do, I just pulled an 18 day trip with no stove and ate everything cold.


Another vote for cone or shelter. Don't cook in your vestibule, especially with a smaller vestibule with stove that you can't readily extinguish. Its a recipe for disaster (fires, carbon monoxide, infusing your tent with food smells that may attract unwelcome forest visitors, etc.).

As others have said, it's okay to cook in your tent vesti if the vesti is big enough and depending on the type of stove used, like esbit. Heck, I've cooked in my vestibule hundreds of times and I even use a white gas MSR simmerlite stove that needs to be primed. Just be careful, know your stove, and don't screw up.

http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpack-2014-Trips-152/17-Days-Tallassee-Mountain/i-JBTtXWv/0/M/TRIP%20155%20245-M.jpg
Here's an example of my simmerlite cooking in my Hilleberg tent vestibule. For white gas flare up during priming, place the pot of cold water on top of the stove to disperse the flames.


http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpack-2014-Trips-152/Halloween-Snowstorm/i-vzQpRdt/0/M/TRIP%20160%20352-M.jpg
You can unzip the fly door DUH to get some ventilation.


http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2010/10-Days-In-The-Cold/i-MCKvr8P/0/M/TRIP%20117%20077-M.jpg
Cooking in the vestibule is one thing and something I do almost on a daily basis, but it's another thing entirely to cook inside the tent, as pictured here. Extreme caution must be done but I was in a smaller tent with a smaller vesti than in the above pics and was caught in a 0F blizzard.

Rex Clifton
05-18-2015, 16:09
Cooking in a tent or tent vestibule is asking for trouble. If you do so, keep a sharp knife handy since you may need to make a door quick out the back. As far as cooking in the rain, I have no problems since I use a hammock with a large fly.

bangorme
05-18-2015, 22:12
I'm real nervous about cooking with alcohol, in a tent especially. I had a time a couple years ago when my tent blew over and knocked my stove (which was about 10 feet away from the tent) over. Fortunately the tent wasn't damaged, but what I noticed was how hard it was to tell where the alcohol was an what was on fire. I'm trying imagine what it would have been like if that had happened near, or in the tent.

bemental
05-19-2015, 05:35
I'm real nervous about cooking with alcohol, in a tent especially. I had a time a couple years ago when my tent blew over and knocked my stove (which was about 10 feet away from the tent) over. Fortunately the tent wasn't damaged, but what I noticed was how hard it was to tell where the alcohol was an what was on fire. I'm trying imagine what it would have been like if that had happened near, or in the tent.

I'd say with the alcohol stoves it's probably not a good idea whatsoever, and with the canister stoves, you need to be extremely careful, and quick about it.

----

You back in town yet BME?

rocketsocks
05-19-2015, 06:41
A white gas stove can produce quite a mushroom cloud if not careful and the valve is open to long before it ignites...don't panic, be ready with something non-nylon to smother if need be, like an over sized cotton banana. As far as alcohol goes, you just can't fug up, you can't, or it would be disastrous, second chances on this one...none!

Tipi Walter
05-19-2015, 07:20
I have, with great care and attention, used my canister stove inside my tent more than once. Not just outside under the vestibule, but actually inside the tent.

This is not something that I would generally advise. You're opening yourself up to all sorts of risk, extra condensation on the light end, burning to death wrapped in flaming nylon on the worst case scenario end, with destroyed tent and 2nd degree burns somewhere in the middle of the spectrum.

It ain't smart. But neither are a lot of other things I've done. And this one at least lets me eat a hot meal I cooked inside of my tent.

Yes, I advise Newbs never to cook in their tents or tent vestibules, period. This has to be my standard disclaimer because there are many idiots out there who are clueless around gear and stoves. DON'T DO IT!!


Alpine climbers, mountaineers, many winter hikers, etc., cook inside their tents and/or vestibules all the time. It's a skill that needs to be learned if you do those things. It's inherently more dangerous with little margin for mistakes. You simply can't mess up - so you don't.

Count me in as part of this group who cooks inside his vesti all the time. And occasionally a mountaineer's tent goes up in flames. Oops, sorry about that. NEWBIES DON'T DO IT!! EAT A SNICKERS AND GO TO BED!


A white gas stove can produce quite a mushroom cloud if not careful and the valve is open to long before it ignites...don't panic, be ready with something non-nylon to smother if need be, like an over sized cotton banana. As far as alcohol goes, you just can't fug up, you can't, or it would be disastrous, second chances on this one...none!

As mentioned, with a big enough vestibule a person can cook but it's not recommended for your standard neophyte. Here's how a backpacker should cook in crappy weather---and don't follow my other examples---

http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2002-2004/13-Backpacking-Trips-Of-2003/i-Pm6g5sz/0/L/Scan13-0001-L.jpg
Stuck in place for 5 days at 5,300 feet at 10F in a series of blizzards near the Smokies. Cook by the tent door and keep your tent and gear safe.

bemental
05-19-2015, 07:35
EAT A SNICKERS AND GO TO BED!

Classic. .

rocketsocks
05-19-2015, 07:42
Yes, I advise Newbs never to cook in their tents or tent vestibules, period. This has to be my standard disclaimer because there are many idiots out there who are clueless around gear and stoves. DON'T DO IT!!




I think this is the best advise here...just one of them thangs.