View Full Version : bakepacker
This is by far one of the best pieces of equipment you can buy for under $20.00. You will never have to wash a bowl or dish again. You can also bake with this. Nothing like hot muffins in the morning or cornbread with supper. And it only weighs about 4 ounces. Fits in just about any pot. Has anyone elese used the Bakepacker before and if so do you have any good recipes?
MisterSweetie
12-06-2005, 16:34
http://www.bakepacker.com/
theurbansuburban
12-06-2005, 16:59
Thats very interesting. I've been doing the same thing for a few years by just putting rocks in the bottom of the big pot, to hold the smaller baking pan. Does this do any that rocks can't?
fiddlehead
12-06-2005, 17:27
I remember when bakepackers were the craze. (around 1988) But then we found out that you can do exactly what theurbansuburban (above post) says and save the money. You do need 2 pots though.
You can bake anything that can be baked although it never browns.
we made pancakes, cakemixes, those chicken helper bake things you buy, all kinds of stuff.
Never thought about putting rocks in the bigger pot. Do you have to scrub out the smaller pot when you have finished baking? Or do you use the freezer bags to cook in like the bakepaker? I cook all my meals with the bakpaker and dont really do any dishes, which I like.
This gadget usually involves more time and fuel than the typical thru-hiker is willing to carry. Note that all prior replies have been from section hikers.
I guess section hikers dont run into the same problems as through hikers do.
Ramble~On
12-07-2005, 03:45
I've been using a Bakepacker for years.
Take a look at www.Adventurefoods.com (http://www.Adventurefoods.com)
They offer all sorts of meals designed for the bakepacker.
Do I have any recipes....Yes...TONS
Glad Food Storage bags work great and anything you want to cook.
Muffins and breads....any of the instant Bisquick mixes or Martha White
just add water mixes....
Chocolate Chip cookies hot out of the oven seem to get everyones attention around a campsite and people always want to know how I made cookies in the woods...or cake...or pizza.
Lipton Dinners, Mac and Cheese....anything works great in the bakepacker.
No dirty pot to clean and you can eat directly from the bag.....which when empty becomes a garbage bag in itself.
Experiment at home with anything that you want...
Adventure Foods has some pretty good dinners...pre packaged...all you have to do is measure water...add water and blend.
Great Thread and Great questions...I'm glad to see that other people have discovered the Bakepacker.
I worked for a few years leading backpacking trips for youth and we used the Bakepacker for 90% of our meals. We got our food entirely from Adventure Foods. Good Stuff...easy to use.
Aside from Bakepackers and bakepacker food Adventure Foods also has cook books for the bakepacker...... The Bakepacker's Companion is a great start to making your own bakepacker meals.
Ramble~On
12-07-2005, 03:57
I didn't use one in 1996. If I were gonna thru hike again I'd probably take mine along...Just becuase you have it doesn't mean that you have to use it everymeal. For the weight....I'd carry mine for those times when I felt like cooking a bit on the fancy side.
I really like the muffins in the morning...chocolate cake after dinner and cookies on the trail always seem to be a hit.
As far as using more fuel I disagree. it depends on what you are cooking..
I begin with more water than I need for coffee and whatever and don't notice needing more time or fuel for most things.
NICKTHEGREEK
12-07-2005, 08:37
I wasn't thrilled by the results when I tried one, but perhaps I was spoiled by the excellent experiences I had with the outback oven system.
fiddlehead
12-07-2005, 09:28
well, yes you would need to clean out the smaller pot. unless you don't clean up after meals.
seems to me that using plastic bags instead would give you a lot of garbage to carry. up to you of course.
I guess i've been a section hiker lots of times but i've used the 3 rock method many times on thru's also.
are we discrimminating now?
I also think the outback oven makes a better pizza. It does more to brown the food as per a real oven.
But they are more bulk. but if you have a 2 person team, perhaps you can afford the weight.
I hiked with Blister Sister and Rainman when they carried one and we had lots of good pizza among other things.
i :)love both my bakepacker in use the ultralite version for me.
i use the larger standard version when i go with my boys
on kayaking trips:cool:neo
Here's a backcountry baking system that works:
http://www.trailquest.net/baking.html
I tried it a few years ago and made some brownies from a mix. Watch carefully to avoid burning.
Feral Bill
10-24-2009, 15:25
bakepacker works great with small trout, too. Put cleaned fish and some breading/seasoning in a bag, shake and bake. I must start using mine again.
Ramble~On
10-24-2009, 15:32
:eek: Wow! This thread has been dead since Dec. 7th, 2005 and kabam! here it is again.
Things change! I wouldn't thru hike with one of these but might consider throwing one in a bounce box once in a while.
The only issue with them is the amount of stove fuel needed for the long cook times. It is possible to cook just about anything in a bakepacker though. Martha White muffin and cookie mixes do well as do almost any of the Bisquick mixes. Rocks on the bottom of a pot do not do the same thing as the heat exchanger of the bakepacker. Freezer bag "boil in the bag" meals and bakepacker meals are similar in principle but the bakepacker concentrates the heat.
The bakepacker is a cool gadgit though if you wanted to show off and bake a chocolate cake in the middle of nowhere...the cakes are awesome and pizza is sure to turn some heads if you bust one out while everyone else is sitting around slurping ramen.
Wise Old Owl
10-24-2009, 17:07
I went with the "other" manufacture and the mylar tent cover and it works, so does nested pots and three same shaped rocks and an inch of water. And no theres no scrubbing and no browning, but excellent results if you don't peek.
i :)love both my bakepacker in use the ultralite version for me.I cut down the ultralight to fit a greasepot, and use it occasionally with about 1/3 the recipes for the full size. Still, uses a lot of fuel so it's a luxury item even though its own weight is insignificant.
The big tragedy is that AdventureFoods is out of business, maybe trying to reorganize. They had great stuff for the BakePacker. Also, they had bulk ingredients I've not been able to find elsewhere. Great powdered whole milk and eggs, honey granules. Freeze dried shrimp!!!! Backpacking is impoverished for me without freeze dried shrimp. Where can we get it now!?
Procras108r
10-25-2009, 12:30
I wonder if you could create one of these units that could also serve another purpose. For example, what if you modified TWO of the same make and model cooking pots. These must stack inside each other and have lids.
1 - Cut the first pot to be about two inches tall.
2 - Take a ribbon of copper sheeting and fold accordian style. This ribbon can be stored easily when folded, but can be expanded to fill the bottom of your cut pot to work as the heat exchanger.
3 - Fill cut pot with water.
4 - Stack or insert your baking which is your second pot into your cut pot. Now you have an oven.
5 - When the baking system is not needed, your cut pot can be used as a secondary eating or preparation dish so it is not a just seldom used luxury item.
Could you also make one by using metal boxes like an Altoids tin. This could make a single serving brownie, cookie, bisquit, etc. if you use self rising flour or prepackage mixes.
Just a newbie hiker thinking online. Curious to hear if these would work or would be functional? Yes, some weight, but could be manageable.
I cut down the ultralight to fit a greasepot, and use it occasionally with about 1/3 the recipes for the full size. Still, uses a lot of fuel so it's a luxury item even though its own weight is insignificant.
The big tragedy is that AdventureFoods is out of business, maybe trying to reorganize. They had great stuff for the BakePacker. Also, they had bulk ingredients I've not been able to find elsewhere. Great powdered whole milk and eggs, honey granules. Freeze dried shrimp!!!! Backpacking is impoverished for me without freeze dried shrimp. Where can we get it now!?
:)you can still buy them here:cool:neo
http://www.bakepacker.com/
MintakaCat
10-26-2009, 20:48
Okay, you guys sold me on this...I just ordered one. :D
Ramble~On
10-27-2009, 00:45
Okay, you guys sold me on this...I just ordered one. :D
You'll love it. Experiment with it at home on the stove.
Oven bags from the store work great..especially the kind you cook a turkey in but smaller if you can find them. Try making muffins, breads and pizza. Cookies are really easy. It's pretty cool to be out on the trail and cook up some killer cookies or a cake, bread etc. this is a whiz bang gadgit but it does use a lot of fuel and the cook time is insane...but for short hikes and the enjoyment of "baking"..it kicks butt. Enjoy.
Martha White has some powder mixes for muffins and cookies that you just add water to...powdered milk isn't that heavy for the mixes that require it.
Try making an omelette...use fresh eggs and whatever you'd normally put in one and pour the mix into the bag and watch what happens. Good Bye Oatmeal!
you can still buy them hereI don't see any freeze dried shrimp there, no food at all.
?
MintakaCat
11-02-2009, 18:59
Okay, I got the BakePacker today and made a apple coffee cake. It came out excellent!:D
Thanks guys for posting this. I'm going to try a few more items, but I got to say, I am impressed with this device.
Okay, I got the BakePacker today and made a apple coffee cake. It came out excellent!:D
Thanks guys for posting this. I'm going to try a few more items, but I got to say, I am impressed with this device.
Gingerbread is a hit around here this time of year. I've had my bakepacker a couple of years. It's a nice piece of gear.
The big tragedy is that AdventureFoods is out of business, maybe trying to reorganize. They had great stuff for the BakePacker. Also, they had bulk ingredients I've not been able to find elsewhere. Great powdered whole milk and eggs, honey granules. Freeze dried shrimp!!!! Backpacking is impoverished for me without freeze dried shrimp. Where can we get it now!?
I just called Adventure foods to ask what was going to happen. The owner told me they have retired from the business. Someone in Florida was considering buying the business. No takers as yet though. It is down but not dead. Perhaps next year.:confused:
Mrs Baggins
07-15-2010, 19:41
Okay...I looked it up and read the directions. I don't quite get how it bakes. It seems to me that it just steams. Wouldn't "baked" items just end up sort of doughy? No crispy brown tops or edges on things? I think I'd rather do without biscuits and brownies and all if they're just sort of steamed. I can see it's usefulness for regular meals.
Okay...I looked it up and read the directions. I don't quite get how it bakes. It seems to me that it just steams. Wouldn't "baked" items just end up sort of doughy? No crispy brown tops or edges on things? I think I'd rather do without biscuits and brownies and all if they're just sort of steamed. I can it's usefulness for regular meals.
Yes you are right, it just steams. When you can get to town every few days this is probably weight you will never justify. This cooking method really shines when you are a long time out, like a ten day trip in the Boundary Waters. After a week or so all the bread is eaten or far too moldy to face, you can't bear the thought of another pancake, and the crackers are only good for breading fish. That is when a steamed muffin is to die for.
You can improvise with a small pot on rocks inside a large pot. Cover the batter, which should be just a bit thicker than you would do for the oven at home, but crack the lid with a small twig so that steam can get out of the baking batter but water cannot drip onto it. Cooking time with a gentle boil is about the same as at home. When you smell it, it is almost done. Don't let the pot boil dry.
You can make a birthday cake. Use the candle from your fire kit and small squeeze icing tubes-good any time even without the cake.
Any muffin or cake mix works. Those little microwave cakes with all the fixin's are perfect-repackage or use the bowl as a bowl.
jeepcachr
07-18-2010, 14:22
Okay...I looked it up and read the directions. I don't quite get how it bakes. It seems to me that it just steams. Wouldn't "baked" items just end up sort of doughy? No crispy brown tops or edges on things? I think I'd rather do without biscuits and brownies and all if they're just sort of steamed. I can see it's usefulness for regular meals.
if you make a muffin it tastes like the inside of a muffin. It's true it doesn't have crispy edges or a crust on it but it still tastes done, it does not taste doughy or soggy or anything like that. I really enjoy it.
Tmerrill
05-22-2017, 13:07
I'm reviving this thread! Why did the bakepacker become non-existent!? An old friend has one of these and let me use it but you can't find anything like it anywhere! I can cook noodles, rice, cakes, anything which the bakepacker and not have to clean anything. Did it go out of style because you had to pack around the plastic bag after? It's less weight than carrying an extra pot to have a similar effect with rocks underneath it. I would much rather buy a $1 noodle dinner and add $1 of chicken then pay $10 to have dehydrated food in a bag that's going to clog me up. Even the expensive route of buying a $10 dehydrated food bag is going to require me to pack around the dirty bag right? What am I missing!?
Google knows.
http://www.ldpcampingfoods.com/BakePacker_Accessory.htm
Is this what you can't find? Or am I missing something in your rant?
Wayne of
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Feral Bill
05-22-2017, 15:35
Google knows.
http://www.ldpcampingfoods.com/BakePacker_Accessory.htm
Is this what you can't find? Or am I missing something in your rant?
Wayne of
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk "Out of stock, do not order" they say on the website. Also absent on eBay, sadly.
Maineiac64
05-22-2017, 16:36
Would it work with titanium pots? Seems like plastic bag would melt.
Google knows.
http://www.ldpcampingfoods.com/BakePacker_Accessory.htm
Is this what you can't find? Or am I missing something in your rant?
Wayne of
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
You missed it :D
39385
some additional info:
The BakePacker is placed in any pot (the closer the fit to the diameter the more efficient) and about one inch of water is poured into the pot. The Ultralight BakePacker fits in a 6" pot, and the Standard BakePacker fits in a 7.5" pot. Your food (entrees, breads, muffins, even soups and desserts) are prepared in the one gallon "Glad plastic food storage bags" (Not zip types) and placed on the BakePacker.You just add your food to a bag, add the water (Note: reduce the water recommendations by 25%. They expect a lot of evaporation to occur while cooking.), blend and put it on the grid. The top of the bag is then folded down to keep most of the moisture in, the pot is covered, and the water in the pot is brought to a boil. A rapid boil is not necessary, but make sure steam continuously escapes from under the lid.The grid holds the water in columns, which act very much as heat pipes do, intensifying heat transfer, and they rapidly cook your food. Breads, depending on the dough type (density), are ready in 15 to 25 minutes boiling time. Entrees are ready more quickly, even when uncooked items (dry or fresh) are in the bag.No accessories are required for BakePacker Accessory use other than a supply of bags. They cost about $3.00 for 75 at any grocery store, and please don't use any zip lock bags or food storage bags other than Glad, the other plastics can't handle the heat.For other foods with very high fat content (some meat stews for example) or lots of sugar (soft brownies for example) use Reynolds Oven Roasting bags. They are larger and more expensive, but can be cleaned and reused and will withstand the heat concentrated by the fat or sugar.Never let the water in the pot get too low or run dry! The pot itself may be damaged and the Glad bag will melt into the BakePacker grid. That is a genuine mess to clean up.If you must peek at your food, do not remove it from the stove (keep it boiling), open the lid away from yourself (because of the steam), and test the dough for resilience or by carefully unfolding the bag and looking at the center of the dough.Some dehydrated items (most noticeably potato shreds and slices) can easily puncture the Glad bag. Use care in adding water and blending in the bags and carry some extra Glad bags in your pack.
My bad. Sue me. The problem with full size monitor web pages on a phone. Sorry.
Numerous DIY solutions here and YouTube and many places online.
Wayne
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I've seen folks use these online. Select a size to suit your pot.
http://www.target.com/p/chicago-metallic-baking-cups-12-piece-silicone-orange-brown-fuchsia/-/A-15714831?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Kitchen+Shopping&adgroup=SC_Kitchen&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=m&location=9027104&gclid=CIPHxPHUhNQCFUK4wAodK44B5w&gclsrc=aw.ds
Good luck.
Wayne
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Greenlight
05-22-2017, 19:55
The Caldera Cone bundle I bought includes the Evernew 900 ML short pot and frying pan. I can boil water in the frying pan with the short pot on top and bake anything. I've been experimenting with it over a JetBoil because of the fuel versatility and the ability to eat like a freakin' hobbit on the trail instead of just boilign water. This week on the AT I've been experimenting with soups for dinner with good results. Wish I'd have brought along some biscuit mix now that you got this thread going! Next time out...
I remember when bakepackers were the craze. (around 1988) But then we found out that you can do exactly what theurbansuburban (above post) says and save the money. You do need 2 pots though.
You can bake anything that can be baked although it never browns.
we made pancakes, cakemixes, those chicken helper bake things you buy, all kinds of stuff.
Wise Old Owl
05-22-2017, 20:41
I wasn't thrilled by the results when I tried one, but perhaps I was spoiled by the excellent experiences I had with the outback oven system.
like anything else it requires a few tries to make it golden... if you have that's OK, but you did not post the trail and error.
Old Hillwalker
05-23-2017, 05:49
I still have my Bakepacker standard. Anyone want to buy it?
Tmerrill
05-23-2017, 09:08
I do. I don't know why they stopped making them.
Old Hillwalker
05-23-2017, 09:39
I still have my Bakepacker standard. Anyone want to buy it?
I just went down to my equipment locker, and it's a Bakepacker Ultralight (6" pot)