View Full Version : Possible to thru hike without a stove?
Just wondering about this. I hiked about 1/2 of the PCT without one. Cooked on very small fires instead. This method might be difficult on the AT since it rains more frequently. Although now that I think about it, there are probably a greater number of established campsites on the AT that have existing fire rings to use which would reduce the impact and also make it more convenient to cook with a fire..
Has anyone thruhiked with food that doesnt require cooking and just got their hot meals every few days in town? Seems like it wouldnt be a very enjoyable way to go, just to save a few pounds by not having to carry a stove...
(I will be taking a stove on the AT this summer, just throwing this out there for discussion..)
Unless you need coffee or tea, I don't see why you couldn't hike without a stove. I, unfortunately, need my tea! ;)
Jack Tarlin
12-22-2005, 21:12
There are indeed more fire rings and established campsites.
There are also areas that have essentially been denuded of firewood by over use and too many campfires.
You're right about the AT being a wet trail....on many occasions, it will be impossible to make or keep a fire, even if you feel like foraging wood, building the fire and tending it....in the rain.
It also takes time and trouble to collect wood and get a fire going. Most folks want to eat right away at day's end and don't have the patience to get a fire going.
And lastly, building a fire every night isn't exactly keeping with Leave No Trace principles, which encourages minimal use of campfires, and certainly not DAILY use of them.
It is certainly possible to do without a stove and "eat cold" for long parts of the A.T.; I usually do this myself in periods of really hot weather. But most folks wouldn't want to do this every day, nor would they want to have to build a fire every day in order to eat.
In just about every case, I think hikers should pack some sort of stove.
I would never go sans stove on the AT, unless I was doing a short summer section where I could resupply often, and pick up deli sandwhiches or other treats frequently.
Not to say by any means that it can't be done, because it can and has, but I wouldn't choose to.
Spring in the Apps can be cold, rainy and nasty. Actually there is a good chance of precipitation in every state, at every month of the yr. Being stuck shivering in a shelter or tent without a hot cup of noodles or water could seriously be asking for trouble. Even when you get caught out unprepared in a freak cold spell of a night, there is always the fallback to boil water and leave it in a water bottle in your sleeping bag.
The other factor is that there are areas where fires are not permitted. New Jersey and Connecticut come to mind, and I believe NY may also fall under this category, and I know there are others.
RedneckRye
12-22-2005, 23:21
I did from just north of Duncannon to somewhere in MA without one. The prime deli-hiking states. It was alright for a while, but by the time I was in NY, it sucked. It was really kind of disturbing to stare longingly at someones mac&cheese as I ate cheese on a bagel for what seemed the hundredth dinner in a row.
I wouldn't do it again.
there is always something that can be used to build a self sustaining fire...at curley maple this year it snowed and i got there at 3pm while there were folks who decided to weather the storm since noon. they were shivering and miserable. i asked them why they hadn't built me a fire. "No dry kindling" what a joke....in 3 mins we were all roasting hot dogs i had packed out cause there is always something that will burn in the woods, no matter how wet it is. in this case, leaves that had not fallen during wind storms the previous fall were not even damp...one strike of a lighter and adding small twigs, our fire warmed the entire area at least 10 degrees and our spirits more importantly.
Squeaky doesn't carry a stove and doesn't cook. I've seen us regular hikers who don't cook either. But stoves are so light and convenient that I don't leave home w/o it. The zip stove might be a good "stove" for you as it runs on wood... and 2AAs Carry a small baggie of dry starter wood and your cookin rain or shine
justusryans
12-23-2005, 09:06
Squeaky doesn't carry a stove and doesn't cook. I've seen us regular hikers who don't cook either. But stoves are so light and convenient that I don't leave home w/o it. The zip stove might be a good "stove" for you as it runs on wood... and 2AAs Carry a small baggie of dry starter wood and your cookin rain or shine
Actually runs on one AA battery. I carry cotton balls soaked in alcohol for a emergency fire starter. Once you get any kind of flame going, turn on the fan and if its burnable, it will burn. Wet or not!:banana
the goat
12-23-2005, 10:07
i didn't carry a stove, not for weight issues (b/c my pack was still 50lbs), but b/c i got tired of cooking noodles & eating them & then cleaning up. i ate mostly bagels with salami & cheese for dinner.
Chef2000
12-23-2005, 10:08
There was aguy who started without a stove in March. Within a few days he had alienated a few hikers, because he kept asking them to boil water for him so he could drink coffee that he brought.
If you go stoveless, be prepared to watch everyone else eat a steaming hot meal on a 15 degree night at 4500 feet.
the goat
12-23-2005, 11:58
There was aguy who started without a stove in March. Within a few days he had alienated a few hikers, because he kept asking them to boil water for him so he could drink coffee that he brought.
If you go stoveless, be prepared to watch everyone else eat a steaming hot meal on a 15 degree night at 4500 feet.
yeah i agree.
i didn't always go stoveless. early on, before i ditched the stove there was this dude who ate nothing but PB&J. every time someone cooked, he would stand around like a vulcher saying stuff like: "mmmmm, that sure smells good." <awkward silence> "wow, that sure is a lot of food." <awkward silence> "man, you mind if i try that?"
....needless to say, his attempts to yogi other hikers were mostly futile, and resulted in his alienation.
icemanat95
12-23-2005, 12:13
Just wondering about this. I hiked about 1/2 of the PCT without one. Cooked on very small fires instead. This method might be difficult on the AT since it rains more frequently. Although now that I think about it, there are probably a greater number of established campsites on the AT that have existing fire rings to use which would reduce the impact and also make it more convenient to cook with a fire..
Has anyone thruhiked with food that doesnt require cooking and just got their hot meals every few days in town? Seems like it wouldnt be a very enjoyable way to go, just to save a few pounds by not having to carry a stove...
(I will be taking a stove on the AT this summer, just throwing this out there for discussion..)
Stoves are more ecologically sound than fires, more readily controlled and contained. This is one area where the quest for saving weight goes too far. The added safety and utility of a backpacking stove, be it alcohol, canister, white gas or wood burning, is a significant benefit.
There is a significant comfort factor in warm food at night and it can help you get started in the morning as well. The added weight is a small price to pay.
mogilews
12-24-2005, 16:30
Two problems: carb choice and cost.
I experimented with stovelessness on a week long section hike, and although I enjoyed it, I found that the 9 oz (pepsi can stove + stand + alcohol + fuel bottle) I saved was not worth it.
Without a stove, you are limited on most carbohydrates, as they do not have a whole lot of calories per ounce in a "ready-to-eat" state. A bagel is as good as it gets- 80 calories per ounce. Compare this with the baseline 110 calories per ounce for instant rice- and that's before you add your oils!
To compensate, you end up taking pretty heavy foods with a high calorie-weight ratio right out of the bag. In a perfect world, your stoveless hiker could chow down on 8 oz of fatty nuts and be perfectly satisfied. In reality . . . well, let's say that those nuts and candies and cheeses don't quite fill the belly in the right way.
Then there's the cost problem. Since you can't depend on cheap dried starches (noodle bags, mac and cheese, rice and sauce, etc), you start hitting the nuts, cheeses, and prepared meats extra hard. This can pump up the costs of a week's supplies by 2x or even 6x.
This is a personal reflection- you might find that stovelessness works great. If I were to through-hike, I would probably dump the stove during the deli relay through the mid Atlantic
Two problems: carb choice and cost.
Awesome post... Thanks!
mogilews
12-24-2005, 19:05
Glad to help out! Calorie consumption is one of those things I became mindful of when planning a possible through hike. Interesting tidbit: Fritos corn chips contain almost as many calories per ounce as straight oil. If you hold a lighter to one, it will burn. As such, it makes a great crunchy base for frito pie (Bear Creek Chili mix, cheddar, mmm)
When talking to thrus on my section hikes, I found it interesting how bashful they were about binges in AYCE places in town. There is no reason for them to be bashful. There is no way a through hiker can carry all the calories s/he needs on his back, unless s/he is doing very conservative mileage, and living on a LOT of fats, AND carrying a 30+ lb pack. The binges in town are no luxury- they're the key to keeping your weight up, not to mention availing yourself of all the foodstuffs that are lacking on the trail (fresh vegetables come to mind).
I hiked the entire AT without a stove. Ok, thats a lie, I carried my stove to the Walasi-Yi Center and mailed it home. Very small wood fire just too easy. Be willing to change. Bring love.
Food was no problem, sent the pot home the next week. I bought and ate whatever it was that I wanted, which was not what I thought I would want before I was out there. Steak, potatoes, salid, pies, whatever. I had one of the lightest packs out there.
I went "cold" for a good two months of my hike; although, I did keep my stove with me. Others were stoveless the entire hike. This is one of those comfort and experience things.
I wouldn't go out and urge inexperienced long distance hikers to go out sans stove, as some people really get a mental boost from a warm beverage or a liptons at the end of the day. An experienced long distance hiker that knows what they're in for mentally will have no problems logistically going "cold" 100% on the AT.
fiddlehead
12-26-2005, 16:58
On my 1st thru, my stove blew up and i went the rest of the way (about 1000 miles) without one. I found that if you grab some firewood aprox 10 minutes before you get to your camp, it's easy to find good, dry firewood. I got to be a real pro at buiding fires, even in the rain. So, it can be done without much trouble although with the beer can stoves out now, and alcholhol available in towns, it's not much weight at all to be able to at least have your coffee in the morning without rebuilding your fire.
I wouldn't worry so much on the east coast trails about de-foresting the trails by useing up firewood, there's lots of dead stuff laying around. You just will have a hard time finding any near shelters or popular camping areas.
nyushka42
12-30-2005, 15:17
Fritos corn chips contain almost as many calories per ounce as straight oil. If you hold a lighter to one, it will burn. As such, it makes a great crunchy base for frito pie (Bear Creek Chili mix, cheddar, mmm)
Sounds like cheep dry emergency kindling too me. :o
Interesting tidbit: Fritos corn chips contain almost as many calories per ounce as straight oil. If you hold a lighter to one, it will burn. As such, it makes a great crunchy base for frito pie (Bear Creek Chili mix, cheddar, mmm).
How is it that you didn't get the trail name "McGyver"?
That's good info about the fritos! Could be thought of as edible fire starter.
I use a Sierra Zip woodburner, no problem with the airlines or PO's. Have used it to boil water for drinking when the filter clogged, zero cost. Now have a mylar shower bag I hang, boiling a lot of water is no problem. That said, you could go without a stove, I think you'll probably end up getting one somewhere along the trail, though.
Wren,
I have gone without a stove. It's doable, especially if you are passing towns now and then to get a hot meal fix. On the other hand, sometimes all I want in the rainy, cold, dark, wet, dripping world is a hot cuppa something. Morale and all that.
My solution is to take a few Esbit tablets, a ring of expanded aluminum gutter screen and an aluminum bean dip can. Come to find out, I can do all the cooking I need with that.
Wren,
I have gone without a stove. It's doable, especially if you are passing towns now and then to get a hot meal fix. On the other hand, sometimes all I want in the rainy, cold, dark, wet, dripping world is a hot cuppa something. Morale and all that.
My solution is to take a few Esbit tablets, a ring of expanded aluminum gutter screen and an aluminum bean dip can. Come to find out, I can do all the cooking I need with that.
Tom Bombadill (of Maine and Guatemala, one of the great Gatewood-style packers) carries a small aluminum sauce pan - maybe 1.5 cups and uses fires. But he is one of those guys who can build a fire under any condition.
Footslogger
05-03-2006, 11:15
You could go without a stove. And, if you decided you needed on you could buy something along the way.
'Slogger
I started off in Georgia with a stove, quickly got rid of it, and cooked over small wood fires all the way to Katahdin. You learn where to find dry wood in the rain. On the ground at the base of large trees is a good spot (never breaking dead branches off the trunk, only picking dead sticks off the ground). Also, when you break dead branches that are wet on the outside and split them down the middle, there's usually dry wood inside. Use dry duff and dry splinters to start your fire.
The only weight in your pack is the matches. This is almost as ultralight as you can get.
You can get a small cooking fire going in a very short time. As Fiddlehead mentioned, you can pick up sticks 10 min before you arrive at your campsite/shelter. There's plenty of fuel along the trail. So you can easily avoid denuding a campsite area of wood.
There's nothing like the ambiance and warmth of a campfire when it's cold and raw. Nothing else comes close (whoops, forgot about a zip together sleeping bag and an attractive member of the opposite sex). It's not bad on cool evenings and chilly mornings either (the fire, I'm talking about here. OK, OK that's good, uh, VERY good, too).
Others, especially LNT zealots, may question your practice of cooking over wood fires. Remind them that there is also an environmental impact to the manufacture and transport of stoves and an impact to drilling/refining/producing/transporting the fuel. For oil based fuels, add a political and national security impact. [Not to mention that the noise that many stoves make is annoying and not conducive to enjoying a conversation.] Ask them if they have done a study comparing the impacts of the two cooking methods. Or perhaps they can cite such a study. Or perhaps, as is often the case, they need to remember to hike their own hike. As long as the forest fire danger is low, and it's not prohibited, you're not breaking any statutes. I would suggest that the "fire police" go play cops and robbers with someone who's actually violating the law.
Of course, alcohol stoves are quiet, and leave a very small environmental footprint. I have no problem with alcohol stoves, except the weight of the fuel is more than what I want to carry.
I'm using wood fires while section hiking the CDT. I always carry a few cold meals in case fires are outlawed, or for windy, dry, tinderbox conditions, or campsites that have no wood. No one's complained. Of course, there's virtually no one else out there to complain!
DawnTreader
05-03-2006, 17:00
I don't like this thread.. People will do what they want, but I am worried as I read about so many people ditching their stoves.. Sure its not a problem now, but what about down the road, when more and more UL'rs decide that 9 oz for stove fuel and accessories is just too much.. What will happen to the trail if say 2/3 of AT hikers think like this?? Seems like an irresponsible decision to me. IMO.. carry a stove, get over yourself and your skills.. I can build a fire in the rain too...Although both important, this issue goes beyond LNT, and fire prevention.. stoves are not only for cooking, they are emergency tools that could save lives, something many people overlook..
DITCH YOUR MP3 PLAYER, NOT YOUR STOVE
Footslogger
05-03-2006, 17:12
DITCH YOUR MP3 PLAYER, NOT YOUR STOVE
=================================
Well ...the thread wasn't worded as a choice between a stove and something else. But if it was a debate over the value of a stove versus an MP3 I'd have to agree with you. I love music but it doesn't make me all warm inside the way a good hot meal does.
'Slogger
Cedar Tree
05-03-2006, 19:26
I went from Bland, VA to Katahdin without a stove. Still carried my pot. Cooked occasionaly on a fire, very, very rarely made one for myself. If one was available I used it. Luckily I was, and still am, a huge lover of ramen. I ate countless packs raw, just crunching those babies down. I also ate lots of cold cereal with powdered milk, especially for breakfast. It is kind of bulky, but serves as a good staple.
CT
i'm planning on going stoveless my next section hike this coming summer. last section hike, it was fine to have it and eat my favorite trail meal: StoveTop stuffing w/dehydrated vegetables. but, my lovely food bag w/swiss cake rolls, fruit snacks, peanut butter, cholcate....was looking very delicious too......ultimately, i think "dry" food is just as delicious as cooked and requires no clean-up (what i dreaded most). plus, you get more variety as you can eat a little of a lot of things instead of just a big bowl of noodles...just a thot;)
I eat almost all cold food in normal "civilian" life, so when I eat all cold food when I'm on the trail it doesn't feel like a hardship to me. I don't eat cold food to cut down on the weight of a stove, fuel and cooking utensils, I do it because I find it to be less hassle. I live in the north (Iowa) and when I go outside on frigid days for extended periods in the winter, I'm no warmer if I've eaten a hot meal beforehand than if I've eaten a cold meal. I think consuming a hot meal or drink is of mostly psychological benefit when it comes to staying warm.
Now, whether you can find all cold foods over an extended period that still please your taste buds, that's another story. Luckilly, I have a very high tolerance for bland foods;) .
I didn't use a stove for the north 1500 miles of my trip--i simply didn't cook. It didn't really end up saving much weight, it just saved one more chore.
I didn't use a stove for the north 1500 miles of my trip--i simply didn't cook. It didn't really end up saving much weight, it just saved one more chore.
I suspect that is the key here. It perhaps saves more of a 'chore' than actual weight. Even though the weight of a stove/pot/fuel for a weeks cooking only weighs as little as less than one pound, much of the food carried for eating without the stove would be heavier, having some moisture content-dried fruit, for instance, power bars, even nuts, which would quickly overcome the slight weight advantage of not taking the cooking paraphenalia in the first place. It is an interesting thought, though.
longshank
11-04-2006, 10:48
Just wondering about this. I hiked about 1/2 of the PCT without one. Cooked on very small fires instead. This method might be difficult on the AT since it rains more frequently. Although now that I think about it, there are probably a greater number of established campsites on the AT that have existing fire rings to use which would reduce the impact and also make it more convenient to cook with a fire..
Has anyone thruhiked with food that doesnt require cooking and just got their hot meals every few days in town? Seems like it wouldnt be a very enjoyable way to go, just to save a few pounds by not having to carry a stove...
(I will be taking a stove on the AT this summer, just throwing this out there for discussion..)
Anything's possible, Wren, just follow your dreams..
sparky2000
11-04-2006, 11:17
Pull up wood stoves and see the developed methods of small fire cooking - i.e. bean can with holes punched around......
the goat
11-04-2006, 12:26
Has anyone thruhiked with food that doesnt require cooking and just got their hot meals every few days in town? Seems like it wouldnt be a very enjoyable way to go, just to save a few pounds by not having to carry a stove..)
i did. it was very enjoyable not to have to wait to eat mushy cooked food. i would often eat whole wheat bagels w/ tuna & cheese & cured meat.
i definitely missed my coffee though.
Rocketman, who hiked from The Shanendoah's to Katahdin this year says, "if you can eat it hot, you can eat it cold." He didn't warm a meal the entire way. He ate the same foods as the rest of us. Any food will rehydrate in cold water just as it will in hot water.
From reading this thread it seems most objections against going stoveless forgot about rehydrating (or just didnt consider it) and just concentrated instead on the obvious-eating "hand & finger" foods requiring no cooking like nuts,dried fruits, bars of whatever, etc. , gorp, etc. But I suppose those same meals asking for cooking & hot water (mac&cheese, zatarains rice &beans, etc.,)could conceivably reconstitute in cold water too-just taking a little more time to do it-and its consumption yields the very same caloric content as a hot one.
Now, I wonder, what would be a good rehydrating container to do it in? It would have to be liquid-:-? tight
Jan LiteShoe
11-14-2006, 09:49
i'm planning on going stoveless my next section hike this coming summer. last section hike, it was fine to have it and eat my favorite trail meal: StoveTop stuffing w/dehydrated vegetables. but, my lovely food bag w/swiss cake rolls, fruit snacks, peanut butter, cholcate....was looking very delicious too......ultimately, i think "dry" food is just as delicious as cooked and requires no clean-up (what i dreaded most). plus, you get more variety as you can eat a little of a lot of things instead of just a big bowl of noodles...just a thot;)
Stumpknocker (multi-thru, going SOBO currently) is stoveless right now, in this chilly weather, and claims not to miss the thing.
Cooking and Rehydrating are two different things.
UUHH, Yes, like night and day, but the answer?
i just don't want to carry a stove b/c i dislike cleaning up! :p plus, my stove and pot are so bulky that it's awkward to pack them comfortably in my pack:rolleyes:
Skidsteer
11-14-2006, 19:10
i just don't want to carry a stove b/c i dislike cleaning up! :p...
I always hated the cleaning up part too. Have you looked into freezer-bag cooking (http://www.freezerbagcooking.com/)?
yeah i agree.
i didn't always go stoveless. early on, before i ditched the stove there was this dude who ate nothing but PB&J. every time someone cooked, he would stand around like a vulcher saying stuff like: "mmmmm, that sure smells good." <awkward silence> "wow, that sure is a lot of food." <awkward silence> "man, you mind if i try that?"
....needless to say, his attempts to yogi other hikers were mostly futile, and resulted in his alienation.
:D i aint going jetboiless thats for sure:cool: neo
There was aguy who started without a stove in March. Within a few days he had alienated a few hikers, because he kept asking them to boil water for him so he could drink coffee that he brought.
If you go stoveless, be prepared to watch everyone else eat a steaming hot meal on a 15 degree night at 4500 feet.
Yea, I agree. I'm always willing to help another hiker or lend them my stove if they run out of fuel, or their stove breaks, gets lost, or if someone gets hypothermic, ect.
But, if you CHOOSE not to carry a stove don't bother to ask to borrow my stove. It's not happening, I'm not carrying my stove just so you don't have to carry around the extra weight all day. I'm not your sherpa.
Panzer
I was just reading in the Thru-Hikers' Companion that you cannot build a fire at the Blood Mountain shelter or the 3.3 mile stretch between Slaughter Gap and Neels Gap. Thats only about 28 miles from the start of the trail and you already have restrictions on building camp fires.
Also I have read this about the Blood Mountain Wilderness area in general:
"CAMPFIRES PROHIBITED
Prohibits building, maintaining, attending or using a fire or campfire or gathering woody material for a fire or campfire."
Panzer
???
Just adding water to things that need to be cooked, like regular rice or pastas won't cook them. If you add water to instant rice or other dehyrdrated foods, they will rehydrate, albeit more slowly and will obviously be cold, but cooked.
I think the the extra weight carrying re-hydrating food in you pack is more than a light sotve and pot. Unless you set food to rehyrate overnight for breakfast or while your making camp, etc.
I didnt think so, but, much to my chagrin, its true. If the food (Zatarain's rice & beans, for instance) needs to be cooked, it does apparently require the heat to rehydrate and want do it completely with cold water. I tried it. In 24 hours in the refrigerator the rice was still very crunchy. Hmmmm....:rolleyes:
mweinstone
11-17-2006, 01:14
bone pac had no stove and smelled like pbj goin down the trail.fire cooks. not pots. not lids. not soves,pumps and fuel. not fuel bottles or alcohol squirter nalges . not pot grips . not spoons. not forks. not knives. not stands . not screens.
fire cooks.bread, chease and butter can be grilled on a flat buttered hot rock . weenies can be cooked on a stick. foil covered anything can be burried in coals.marshmallows can be toasted over a candle.jiffie pop tin can be used again to boil water.
I went stoveless the three summer months of my thruhike. I usually ate ramen or tortelini for supper, both of which are easy to eat raw; and assorted foods that did not need cooking.
Turbo Joe
11-17-2006, 03:56
I can definetly see how many people may go for the notion of only having hot meals in town but What i prefer to doo is have really good extravagant meals on the trail and the eat the heaviest; cheapest; needs to be refrigerated immediatley, item in the grocery store which is usually Beer a can of Stew and maybe a watermelon if their on sale
Cherokee Bill
12-05-2006, 22:10
;) Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine, this year, featured a young female who cooked NO meals and lived on "BARS".
Different, YES, impossible NO! Last I heard she could not adjust to off-trail life and was headed to the "PCT"!
Different folks for different strokes! We are all different and we must hike ourown hike!
At 60 yo & having hiked for over 20+ years, one thing I have learned is how much I have to learn about the trail and others! :eek:
God Bless!
Appalachian Tater
12-05-2006, 23:46
You can't build a fire in a shelter when it's pouring rain but an alcohol stove works just fine inside, and it's on those cold, rainy days that you'll really want a hot meal or something hot to drink.
Don't overestimate the weight savings of not carrying fuel vs. the heavier food you'll have to carry if you're not cooking. There are some really light cooking setups, too, like the beer can pots and cat stoves. The whole setup plus fuel weighs as much as a couple of Snickers bars.
stumpknocker
12-23-2006, 21:49
Stumpknocker (multi-thru, going SOBO currently) is stoveless right now, in this chilly weather, and claims not to miss the thing.
I'm done now...finished December 7th. :)
I ended up walking the last half of the Trail without a stove and surprisingly I never missed it...in fact, I doubt I'll ever carry a stove again except on shorter walks.
Jan LiteShoe
12-23-2006, 22:05
I'm done now...finished December 7th. :)
I ended up walking the last half of the Trail without a stove and surprisingly I never missed it...in fact, I doubt I'll ever carry a stove again except on shorter walks.
Took you long enough!
Lack of brewed coffee slow you down?
:)
stumpknocker
12-23-2006, 22:17
Took you long enough!
Lack of brewed coffee slow you down?
:)
I coulda taken longer...I promise!! :)
soulrebel
12-24-2006, 13:07
Carry a stove if it's consistently below freezing outside and snow/ice. If it's 3 season, try carrying a cheap aluminum pot with a top handle and a piece of 4ft cord for a stick tripod and a 10 min cook fire.
By the time you get to the states that have campfire bans-you'll be eating mostly cold food anyways-for the places like shenandoah's etc...You'll have to plan 50/50 hot/cold dinners, but otherwise if done responsibly, building a 10minute cook fire and a tripod isn't going to be a big deal. For a few hundred miles, I ditched my lighter and just carried a flint, till I got that down to a science then went back to mini-bics-so you can improve your fire building skills which is appropriate in the woods and not in your neighborhood.
Ultimately, the primitive way is low impact and much more convenient than planning fuel resupply and the damage of petroleum refineries, leftover cartridges, and the overall amount of burnt up shelters and benches from stove usage.
If you're a regular hot beverage drinker than a stove might be choice, but it literally takes less than a minute to get a fire starter if you practice.
My cheap cookpot also doubles as extra water bag, rain catcher off the tarp for waterless stretches.
Eventually it will get sooted up to the point where it doesn't rub off "as much," but if you want just get a tyvek priority mail bag and keep it in there.
From what I've seen, the vast majority of hikers (including long-distance hikers) go for a hot dinner at the end of a day. Quite a few will forego breakfast (as do I.) I've tried some sections without a stove... it's not for me. Figure 8 oz (on average) for stove+fuel, and what that's worth to you.
Amigi'sLastStand
12-24-2006, 18:19
i just don't want to carry a stove b/c i dislike cleaning up! :p plus, my stove and pot are so bulky that it's awkward to pack them comfortably in my pack:rolleyes:
Get a Jetboil. Like Skids said, learn to freezer bag cook. My whole menu is now cooked in a bag, including eggs now thanks to sarbar. No muss, no fuss.
But, if you CHOOSE not to carry a stove don't bother to ask to borrow my stove. It's not happening, I'm not carrying my stove just so you don't have to carry around the extra weight all day. I'm not your sherpa.
Panzer
Friend. The above quote could not be any more succinct. And probably the best reason why you should carry a stove. If you start to get hypothermic in cold rain in the smokies do you really want to be begging people for a stove?
How is it that you didn't get the trail name "McGyver"?
That's good info about the fritos! Could be thought of as edible fire starter.
Cheese Doodles work real well as candles.;)
DeltaForce
11-09-2007, 01:57
have a zip-o or a flint matches
canerunner
11-09-2007, 09:05
I can start a fire very quickly and easily using flint and steel, and it's something I practice regularly. I carry a flint and steel set with me all the time when hiking. That's my emergency backup.
I also choose to carry a small alcohol stove setup with me just so I can have something hot to drink or eat, regardless of where I camp. Between the two fire making methods, I can be comfortable just about anywhere.
With that said, I also plan and prepare to be able to eat either a hot or a cold meal at just about any time. Sometimes, I'll choose to have a hot breakfast. At other times, I'll eat something cold. Same for dinner. It's a matter of my personal choice at the moment.
The one thing I do is plan for more meals that I know I'll need. I won't carry a lot of extra, but maybe one or two meals more than I'll need before I resupply. It may not be anything more than an extra ramen pack and some extra trail mix, but I always have something extra in the pack.
One never knows when they will have to take a zero day for one reason or another. You might sprain an ankle and need to rest it a day, or you may need to stay camped for an extra day due to weather conditions. Whatever the case, it is a lot more desirable to have the extra meals rather than being stressed about your situation, and being hungry too.