View Full Version : Cookin' in the Rain, I'm Happy Again. . .
How hard is it to cook in the rain?
Let's assume 1.) pretty hard downpour 2.) watertight lid on the pot 3.) propane canister stove.
Also, is cooking in the vestibule of the tent an option? Cooking inside the tent proper is right out, of course.
No tarp available? We rigged up rain gear above a cooking area and used a whisperlite to stir fry. No problem. This was our first night of a very rainy 4 day hike in Maine.
One nice thing about shelters. :) You can cook and eat in comfort, while it pours outside. Seriously... if I'm caught in heavy rain with just my tent... I expect to be eating cold food until the weather improves.
I often carry an umbrella in bad weather. If windy, I sit with the wind blowing on my back, and the umbrella behind me. If rainy, I find a tree and sit there with my umbrella over me. Works pretty well!
(Also works well for getting out of your tent in the rain to go pee. The umbrella keeps water from coming in as you get out.
bigcranky
01-12-2007, 08:22
Under the vestibule can work, if you are careful. The two big problems are CO poisoning and burning down the %^$ tent, both of which would be suboptimal. You really want some sort of cover over your cooking area -- trying to cook out in the open in a downpour is just an exercise in frustration, IMO.
If the weather is that bad, I'll stop in at a shelter and cook dinner. Then I have the choice of continuing to hike for a while before camping, or just staying in the shelter. Either way I've had a hot meal.
SergeStorms
01-12-2007, 19:54
If you cook in the tent vestibule, be careful. Don't use a whitegas stove that might flare up on you. Leave the door to the vestibule open to avoid carbon monoxide build up, and allow fresh air to enter. Stoves suck up the oxygen faster than the small vents in a tent allow it back in. Cooking in a decent sized tent vestibule in a downpour can be done quite easily as long as you are careful. If you are outside with no shelter, I wouldn't bother trying to cook in the rain. Just eat cold food.
saimyoji
01-12-2007, 22:13
How hard is it to cook in the rain?
Let's assume 1.) pretty hard downpour 2.) watertight lid on the pot 3.) propane canister stove.
Also, is cooking in the vestibule of the tent an option? Cooking inside the tent proper is right out, of course.
1) Won't matter. Keep the stove element dry, get it lit, and you'll cook.
2) Don't keep the lid tight. As the liquid vaporizes it will need to escape or your food will "burp" out of the pot. Let it breath
3) see 1)
Try to get some kind of cover over the stove: your jacket, an extra shirt. Rig it on some tree/bush branches if need be.
Best idea: eat something else till the rain lets up. Though in a cold hard rain, there's nothing like a hot cup of whatever you please.
Seems to me... the last thing you want is for your tent (and everything inside it) to be steeped in cooking smells. Even something as simple and innocuous as tea or hot chocolate. Wouldn't that make the tent a magnet for wildlife?
hopefulhiker
01-13-2007, 02:24
I cooked on occassion with an alcohol stove under the beaks of a tarp tent. in the rain.. It was no problem.. just had to be extra careful.. would never cook inside the tent.....
Pokey2006
01-13-2007, 05:28
You can eat cold stuff like summer sausage, peanut butter, whatever you have. Or, if you have a Mountain House-type dinner, it's not too bad to jump out of the tent just to boil water. Not like you're out there in the rain for 10 minutes stiring your Liptons sides. Boil the water while you're setting up your tent, pour it into the dinner bag and put the bag in your tent, then, by the time you've stripped off your wet clothes and climbed inside, and gotten everything organized, dinner is ready. Easy!
This is one the reasons why I often tried to carry ONE Mtn. House dinner at all times, for the just in case you're caught in the rain away from a shelter. It worked out well.
Actually, now as a section hiker who is back in the working world, I use Mountain House all the time.
Finally, don't sweat the rain as much as you are. Rain is miserable, but you'll learn how to deal with it after your first rainy night or two.
Two Speed
01-13-2007, 06:21
Propane and other canister stoves do not produce carbon monoxide (CO). Wrong, and possibly dead wrong. Anyone who uses ANY fueled device in a confined space without adequate ventilation risks CO poisoning. By fueled device, I mean a device fueld with natural gas, gasoline, diesel fuel, alcohol, wood, paper or any other combustible fuel.
NICKTHEGREEK
01-13-2007, 09:57
Try a small light tarp pitched with your hiking poles, convenient trees, etc. The groundsheet from your tent is a good candidate, a sheet of tyvek with some tape reinforcement at the corners is another and a silnylon tarp is a third light alternative.
white rabbit
01-13-2007, 10:07
Get the stove lit and it will cook with no problem. Keep the vestibule partially zipped so you can sit under it and stay somewhat dry but leave the stove and pot out in the rain within your reach. Cook your meal then eat it under your vestibule. Don't eat in the tent. If you have a spill in the tent...
When I've had to cook in the rain at a location where there is no shelter, I set up my tent, and then set up the stove just outside the tent and vestible. I reach out while I'm inside the tent. It's not preferable, but better than bringing the stove into the tent or vestible.
Finally, don't sweat the rain as much as you are. Rain is miserable, but you'll learn how to deal with it after your first rainy night or two.
I'm not sweating it too much, but I figure the more I know now, the easier it'll be to get the hang of it. Not to mention, having a warm meal on a cold day could be important. The tent question was basically just to make sure that I wouldn't ruin it by packing it up wet. We really can't afford to mess up anything too stupidly.
Thanks for the good advice, though. I hear you re: having one freeze-dried meal along.
Wrong, and possibly dead wrong. Anyone who uses ANY fueled device in a confined space without adequate ventilation risks CO poisoning. By fueled device, I mean a device fueld with natural gas, gasoline, diesel fuel, alcohol, wood, paper or any other combustible fuel.
Yeah, that's what I thought. Now, our tent has two doors, both of which have screens, both vestibules can be lifted up (one completely or partially, the other only partially), plus there is a vent at either end of the tent and I think one up top too. So I think as long as one was paying attention, ventilation wouldn't be too much of a problem. On the other hand, Terrapin raises a good point about impregnating the tent with food smells, and Nick brings up a good idea about using a small tarp. That might be the way to go.
saimyoji
01-14-2007, 01:00
If you cook within 50 feet of your tent, you'll still be reaking of food to animals that might be interested. Don't let the rain fool you, don't let distance fool you (using a small tarp will only make the tarp smell tasty). If you are wary of cooking near your tent, you should be wary of bringing the clothes (or any other gear) you cooked in into your tent as well. The rain won't put that much of a dent in your cooking schedule. Cook when you need to. IMO its not that big a deal. Just do what you gotta do. If you have visitors in the night, consider yourself lucky. :D
Pokey2006
01-14-2007, 04:46
Certainly be careful of animals -- don't leave food out, clean everything up, try to cook away from your tent -- but on most parts of the AT, there's not need to be RIDICULOUS, as in hanging the clothes you cooked in, or not eating a Mountain House dinner inside your tent during a pouring rain.
However, be a little anal in some places, like the Smokys and Shenandoah, where bears are numerous and have lost their fear of humans. Otherwise, no need to go too crazy. Be careful, without being obsessive.
Seems to me... the last thing you want is for your tent (and everything inside it) to be steeped in cooking smells. Even something as simple and innocuous as tea or hot chocolate. Wouldn't that make the tent a magnet for wildlife?
Terrapin good point. Certainly if you are going to cook in or right next to tent chances of meeting up with a rodent or a bear are greatly improved!
Say, I love the picture you used next to your handle in your post. Could you tell me where that scene is?
DavidNH
Terrapin good point. Certainly if you are going to cook in or right next to tent chances of meeting up with a rodent or a bear are greatly improved!
I've not had any bear encounters at camp, knock wood. I've munched down a few cooked dinners in my tent, but I generally make it a point to cook at least a few yards away from the tent (and downwind.) Never cooked in a tent. Just doesn't seem smart.
Say, I love the picture you used next to your handle in your post. Could you tell me where that scene is?
The lake reflection scene is from somewhere in the Adirondacks. I can't recall the name of the lake right now... but it was on the southern side of the park, nowhere near the ADK Loj.
GlazeDog
01-20-2007, 19:40
Once lit, which is easy with a cannister stove with any lighter, the pot resting on the stove acts as a rain umb rella of sorts. Waterproof tight fitting lid isn't really necessary for functioning--but a regular lid will help with boil times. A few rain drops in your ramen or lipton or cereal won't hurt you. In other words--it is mostly psychological. The sooner you accept the rain the happier you'll be.
GlazeDog