View Full Version : Cold soaking meals on the AT
Anyone make the shift to cold soaking/stoveless on the AT?
hell yeah dude - for the whole trail - no regrets. it's awesome and saves so much time, hassle, and clutter! use plastic peanut butter jar to soak any foods you "need" to boil - it just takes a bit longer at room (haha) temperature
I don't give up the stove, but I do use cold soaking for lots of things - pre-soaking dehydrated veggies in particular, or making tabouli
I have only done it for a 200 mile hike... It went well, and I don't carry a stove anymore. However, I am not sure I would want to do that for an entire thru-hike...
I guess the only thing I’d miss is morning coffee. I have read mixing carnation with instant coffee for your caffeine fix.
I can see myself cold rolled oats (not instant oatmeal), mixing in dried fruit and nuts. Then cold soaking some ramen noodles mixed in with tuna pack added for lunch or dinner.
What sounds appealing is being able to get a quick jump on the hiking day and coming into a campsite at end of day, but not having to cook.
Am looking at the Vargo Ti Bot....pricey, but I like that it is made for cold soaking, but should I be near a campfire, I can always use it. Plus, I remove a lot of bulk from the cook system I would have used.
Add: Vargo pot is 147g
Remove: MSR stove 73g
MSR canister 190g
Pot, mug and cozy for pot 200g
Cozy for mug 53g
BuckeyeBill
05-03-2018, 22:18
After two PCT thru-hikes and a CDT thru-hike I tried eating cold a few times for dinner/supper what ever you call it and realized not only does hot food tasted better but I had more energy when I woke up the next day. You are also right about morning coffee, much better hot. I carry a 16 oz nalgene bottle with a cozy around it just for coffee. Why don't you try a alcohol stove, very light weight and you can still have that hot cup of coffee?
cliffordbarnabus
05-03-2018, 23:22
cold soaking is money. yes, robby...pb plastic container. everything. coffee to couscous to oats to lipton to ramen (or...just eat ramen crunchy!).
no stove worries. no fuel worries. no pots. no pans.
i did "ice" mocha every morning with whatever instant i could find, plus swiss miss hot chocolate, in my peanut butter jar. so good. almost wanna do it when i'm home, but the extra sugar makes me fat when i'm not hiking 20 miles/day
garlic08
05-04-2018, 08:27
I've been stoveless since my 2004 PCT hike, and it has improved my hiking. I hiked the CDT and the AT, among others, without a stove. But I don't cold soak anything, except maybe instant mashed potatoes, and rolled oats, and those are only for a few minutes.
Best issues for me were the reduction in pack volume and one less chore to do in town, finding fuel. And faster meals leave more time for hiking, which is why I'm out there.
I have never used a stove on any section hike so far. We generally do ~100 miles at a time. I use a peanut butter jar to make my protein shakes, pre-mix the whey and a veggie mix, add instant oatmeal and boom ready to go in a couple minutes after adding water. I eat pb either in the to-go cups or if a longer resupply stretch, just a 1lb jar. I have been carrying either pringles or fritos scoops but making the switch to macadamia nuts for the higher calorie to weight ratio. 230 calories per ounce of macadamias.
QuietStorm
05-04-2018, 19:57
I go back and forth but go mainly stoveless. Wraps, Clif squeeze energy foods, Trail Butter, cheese, tuna, Spam singles, Via cold coffee in a 16 oz. Nalgene, and oatmeal or cereal in a PB jar.
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Last Call
05-05-2018, 10:24
How do you sanitize the peanut butter jar after you eat from it?
How do you sanitize the peanut butter jar after you eat from it?
Swish with water, then wipe with a couple of sheets of toilet paper. That goes in the trash bag.
“Sanitizing” doesn’t really exist, nor is needed on the trail, IMHO.
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How do you sanitize the peanut butter jar after you eat from it?I wash it when I go into town for resupply. Personally, I mix my protein shake in the pb container, drink it, fill it half full again with water and get the remainder out. Sometimes I go ahead and put the next shake contents in there and soak it as well.
Starchild
05-05-2018, 13:22
I've tried it on a 4 nighter. Mainly to give it a fair shakedown. I didn't expect to like it, but it seemed survivable. What I really missed was my morning cup of joe. Cold doesn't work well for that and I felt deprived. Missing hot dinner seemed to wear on me over time too, also some hot breakfasts. As I found on my thru, food is morale, it can boost ones spirits or crush them. One can take the occasional hit, but multiple times a day and it does take it's toll.
I concluded that no-cook hiking is not for me, it is part of my enjoyment of the experience, and I miss it when it's not there. I also love to cook, and trail cooking is sometimes inventive, which is something I enjoy.
Lots of great feedback.
One comment I read a lot is missing a hot meal. Others counter that by putting the container on inside of jacket and let body heat warm it up.
While I could have gone with the next to nothing cost of a PB jar, I did get the Vargo Ti Bot. It has a screw top lid, perfect for cold soaking, drinking out of, and should there be a campfire, I can use it.
Been testing it...cold soaking oatmeal...that worked out well. Added dried fruit and a honey packet.
Now trying pasta to see how long it takes to soften the noodles. I’d say after 30 minutes thus far...still a bit of crunch.
Alternative to a peanut butter jar. Stolen from a 2018 PCT gear list video I watched recently.
https://www.talentigelato.com/product-category/talenti-gelato-flavors?gclid=Cj0KCQjwrLXXBRCXARIsAIttmRNSItaUQ3I3 sh943dU8S3v5XpJV8op9PtBGB1hfAIDWWHqoGWx0t1YaAvDoEA Lw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
Wayne
Two Tents
05-05-2018, 19:59
I like that Vargo mug type not. I'll mooch in on the fire or I'll carry an esbit tab or two and use it to cold soak.
Lots of great feedback.
One comment I read a lot is missing a hot meal. Others counter that by putting the container on inside of jacket and let body heat warm it up.
While I could have gone with the next to nothing cost of a PB jar, I did get the Vargo Ti Bot. It has a screw top lid, perfect for cold soaking, drinking out of, and should there be a campfire, I can use it.
Been testing it...cold soaking oatmeal...that worked out well. Added dried fruit and a honey packet.
Now trying pasta to see how long it takes to soften the noodles. I’d say after 30 minutes thus far...still a bit of crunch.
Two Tents
05-05-2018, 20:03
Spell check changed bot to not.
Talenti gelato jar is a good size jar and lid, and is a smooth slick plastic.
Two Tents, This one? https://www.vargooutdoors.com/titanium-ti-lite-mug-750.html (https://www.vargooutdoors.com/titanium-ti-lite-mug-750.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwodrXBRCzARIsAIU59TKxljLX7Cl P23G1WQ48aSIq62YrYzYdcO_ntLIwbbrnA7BfanLETq0aAo22E ALw_wcB)
I picked up a couple of 4 cup capacity aluminum containers and modified them into Bot's. Added a stainless steel bail for easy handling if i decide to heat contents. I'm going to try cold soaking some goodies and see what it's like.
My creation weighs 2.8 ounces. When the weather changes for the better, I'll hang it over a wood fire and go thru the motions of heating some water.
42694
Kaptainkriz
05-13-2018, 13:10
That is an interesting container!
I picked up a couple of 4 cup capacity aluminum containers and modified them into Bot's. Added a stainless steel bail for easy handling if i decide to heat contents. I'm going to try cold soaking some goodies and see what it's like.
My creation weighs 2.8 ounces. When the weather changes for the better, I'll hang it over a wood fire and go thru the motions of heating some water.
42694
TMathers
08-10-2018, 10:12
I think i would rather go completely stoveless rather than try eating cold mush on the trail
I'll just throw this out there. I normally go stoveless and occasionally soak meals during the warmer months. But when the days get shorter and the nights get colder, having a warm meal because a moral booster, so I start to at least cook some of my meals.
Tipi Walter
08-10-2018, 11:57
After two PCT thru-hikes and a CDT thru-hike I tried eating cold a few times for dinner/supper what ever you call it and realized not only does hot food tasted better but I had more energy when I woke up the next day. You are also right about morning coffee, much better hot. I carry a 16 oz nalgene bottle with a cozy around it just for coffee. Why don't you try a alcohol stove, very light weight and you can still have that hot cup of coffee?
I pretty much agree with this. I pulled an 18 day backpacking trip on the BMT recently and did it "cold"---in the rains of April 2015---without my beloved Simmerlite stove. Back in the 1990s I also did many no-stove trips and discovered the neato Oatmeal-with-raisins-in-cold-water trick. Definitely edible. BUT . . . .
There's a certain daily ritual I like to perform with my stove---morning peppermint/spearmint or nettle tea with honey---and of course evening home dehydrated dinners reconstituted with boiling water. It's a premiere comfort item.
I've tried it on a 4 nighter. Mainly to give it a fair shakedown. I didn't expect to like it, but it seemed survivable. What I really missed was my morning cup of joe. Cold doesn't work well for that and I felt deprived. Missing hot dinner seemed to wear on me over time too, also some hot breakfasts. As I found on my thru, food is morale, it can boost ones spirits or crush them. One can take the occasional hit, but multiple times a day and it does take it's toll.
I concluded that no-cook hiking is not for me, it is part of my enjoyment of the experience, and I miss it when it's not there. I also love to cook, and trail cooking is sometimes inventive, which is something I enjoy.
Agree. FOOD IS MORALE . . . true. I'm amazed at the hard core backpackers here who love the no-cook method, day in and day out. Way tougher than me! Like robby and garlic08 and JC13.
I'll just throw this out there. I normally go stoveless and occasionally soak meals during the warmer months. But when the days get shorter and the nights get colder, having a warm meal because a moral booster, so I start to at least cook some of my meals.
Yes, deep winter trips and "stove" go hand in hand in my opinion. When it's 0F or below it's always excellent to have plenty of white gas and a good stove to melt snow for water and to thaw out a devilish white world---and to cook hot liquids and meals. And to cup your cold hands around a hot Nalgene.
Then again, realistically speaking, even though I carry a stove on 95% of my trips---it doesn't mean I don't go stoveless a couple days here and there. Which means---I don't cook at all and just snack all day. "Snacking" means, simply, that you eat out of hand whatever you pull out of your food bag---bread, bagels, cheese, nuts, granola, energy bars, peanut/almond butter, honey, crackers, chips, rice cakes, sunflower seeds, raisins, dates, cookies, ETC you name it. Sometimes during a trip I don't want to cook so I "go stoveless"---and eat the above.
Drawbacks? Snacking constantly puts a greater strain on the teeth---eventually you'll crack one and it might break---while cooked food is softer and easier to chew. Constant snacking is tough on the teeth---and this is more apparent the older you get.
Agree. FOOD IS MORALE . . . true. I'm amazed at the hard core backpackers here who love the no-cook method, day in and day out. Way tougher than me! Like robby and garlic08 and JC13.
Drawbacks? Snacking constantly puts a greater strain on the teeth---eventually you'll crack one and it might break---while cooked food is softer and easier to chew. Constant snacking is tough on the teeth---and this is more apparent the older you get.I appreciate the compliment but I'd argue that carrying a 80-100lb pack is much tougher than eating no-cook.
As to the drawbacks for snacking, that is a good point on the teeth issue as you age.
Starchild
08-10-2018, 15:03
I appreciate the compliment but I'd argue that carrying a 80-100lb pack is much tougher than eating no-cook.
As to the drawbacks for snacking, that is a good point on the teeth issue as you age.
No cook is not really a way to save weight. In practice it is usually a wash Sometimes no cook is heavier due to food choices and soaking requirements.
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Tipi Walter
08-10-2018, 16:10
No cook is not really a way to save weight. In practice it is usually a wash Sometimes no cook is heavier due to food choices and soaking requirements.
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This is very true especially on long trips without resupply. 20 or so dehydrated dinners are much lighter than 20 no cook dinners . . .
HooKooDooKu
08-10-2018, 16:54
For those that want to tinker with cold soaking, I saw a recent you tube gear video I thought had a clever idea.
(Forgive me if I don't have the exact products and details right, but here's the gist of it...)
The video was by 'Darwin On the Trail' who is currently hiking the PCT. He plans to cold soak, but he also wants to leave open the option of doing some cooking. So he's using the Vargo Titanium BOT (https://www.vargooutdoors.com/bot-700.html) and the ultra tiny BRS canister stove (https://www.amazon.com/BRS-Ultralight-Camping-Portable-Titanium/dp/B01AKF4USW). For now, the BOT (at <5oz) will be used for cold soaking, and the BRS is an added 1oz of dead weight to his pack. But if he decides he wants to do some cooking at some point, all he has to do is pickup a canister in the next town. He can then use the BRS stove and switch to using the Vargo BOT to a cook pot.
Well for me, my cooking setup is ~3oz which includes 550ml pot, windscreen, lighter, and an alcohol or esbit stove. So other than the fuel weight, carrying a stove isn't really a big deal other than taking up a little more space in my pack. And a lot of no-cook meals that I prefer to eat, aren't saving me any weight over dehydrated food as they definitely have water weight in them. The reason I normally go stoveless, is purely because I'm really lazy about camp chores. I hate doing anything that seems like work on the trail other than the walking part which I love. Don't want to cook, don't want to clean a pot (so when I do cook, its' freezer bag style), don't want to set a shelter up unless its raining so I cowboy camp etc.
GankenBerry
12-06-2018, 18:10
i've cold soaked a few times. not my preferred choice but i hate cooking.
LazyLightning
12-06-2018, 18:39
I'd add a frying pan to my set up before I started going without a stove.
A stove, or heating water to use in cooking isn't just about consumption of warmed food it's also a way to treat water which on the AT overall might be an added good way to treat water seeing it's level of usage.
Yes, I've made the shift to incorporating cold(tepid) soaking into hikes. I tend not to make it an always all or nothing cold or hot food dichotomy of choices or approach. Summer desert hikes are typically tepid soaking times. I like amending the cook and no cook approach to the hike letting the hike dictate to me what options are appropriate. I'm not one so obsessed with time or letting a little clean up dictate whether or not to boil water. For me, it can be a satisfying aspect of backpacking. I'm already not primarily a camper but do enjoy that aspect of backpacking too. Part of staying warm after I stop is addressed in warming water with my hands around the flames and around a warmed 750 ml or so Ti "pot." Right after or during I'm reviewing the day's activities, journaling, and reviewing the next days anticipated agenda on maps or SmartPhone.
When incorporating cold soaking not always totally dependent on it it provides options of eating cold or warm, using less fuel leading to less consumable wt, less potential clean up, leads to carrying less water wt needed for cold soaking, etc. It's the same way i approach the wake up break bread get up and go period of nutrition. Options rather than rigidness of routine. Doesn't have to be an all or nothing choice.
fastfoxengineering
12-06-2018, 23:52
You can fit a MSR Titan cup and an esbit/alcohol setup into a talenti container with the lid.
Pretty snazzy.
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For those that want to tinker with cold soaking, I saw a recent you tube gear video I thought had a clever idea.
(Forgive me if I don't have the exact products and details right, but here's the gist of it...)
The video was by 'Darwin On the Trail' who is currently hiking the PCT. He plans to cold soak, but he also wants to leave open the option of doing some cooking. So he's using the Vargo Titanium BOT (https://www.vargooutdoors.com/bot-700.html) and the ultra tiny BRS canister stove (https://www.amazon.com/BRS-Ultralight-Camping-Portable-Titanium/dp/B01AKF4USW). For now, the BOT (at <5oz) will be used for cold soaking, and the BRS is an added 1oz of dead weight to his pack. But if he decides he wants to do some cooking at some point, all he has to do is pickup a canister in the next town. He can then use the BRS stove and switch to using the Vargo BOT to a cook pot.
That's most often my approach. BUT, to each their own.
wordstew
12-08-2018, 10:30
Take a look around at some of the studies... If you go on keto diet you'll need less food therefor saving weight.