View Full Version : cooking for two
my friend and i will be hiking the ATthis spring, and i have the trangia westwind stove, will this stove be powerful enough to boil a pot thats about 2 liters big?
LIhikers
02-07-2008, 15:16
Yikes, that's a lot of water, 8 cups if I've counted right on my fingers :D
My wife and I use a 4 cup pot.
Lone Wolf
02-07-2008, 15:17
we carry separate pots
I can't stress enough having our own seperate gear, especially cooking equiptment. Do what you feel is right, but I'd have a stove and pot each, for so many reasons.
I hiked some 2000 miles on the PCT with my hometown buddy and thank god we had our own gear. We ended up bickering a lot, becoming notorious for this, and ultimately finishing the trail seperately. Even if you guys get along all the time (good luck with this) you may not ALWAYS want to eat at the same exact time. We had great freedom in hiking alone, eating, cooking alone, when we felt like it. Only when we were sharing a tent in the Sierra (for weight) were we restricted.
Lastly, for safety alone I'd have seperate cook set ups. What happens if your buddy gets injured and is a bit behind you, and ends up with no stove or way to boil water in cold/bad weather? You may think you'll be in lockstep the whole way, but things change.
Footslogger
02-07-2008, 15:25
Like Lone Wolf ...we carry separate pots and sometimes even cook on separate stoves (Trangias) to make things go faster.
'Slogger
Two Speed
02-07-2008, 15:54
my friend and i will be hiking the ATthis spring, and i have the trangia westwind stove, will this stove be powerful enough to boil a pot thats about 2 liters big?Yeah, I think so, provided you're not in a hurry. FWIW I've used an Evernew 1.3 liter for two and found it to be just fine. Tried a 2 qt pot and thought it was too big.
(Yes, I am a certified Trangia cultist,)
take-a-knee
02-07-2008, 15:58
A cannister stove is a consideration for two people, not much heavier than two trangias though those would certainly work. If you already have a trangia, the cheapest route would be to buy another, or even cheaper make your own stove from one of Zelph or Skidsteers' designs.
I use an alcohol stove only if I'm going solo. If I'm with someone else, then I'll usually bring the whisperlite. Alcohol doesn't put out enought heat for the quanitity I cook for two (or more) people.
For my kid and I we use around a 1 liter size pot (4 cups). It can make a dinner needing 2 cups water and hot drinks. He usually wants cold drinks so it isn't an issue.
With friends though, we all carry our own gear.
If you are making meals for two adults you will want separate gear. Just faster overall.
Blissful
02-07-2008, 20:13
If you're friends, might be wise to get your own cooking gear, esp if one has to bow out or you end up going different paces. I saw that happen to several hikers last year where a friend quit and they had been sharing gear.
For us - we were a family unit, so we stayed together. We had the Titanium trek 1400 pot (47 oz - about 5 cups) and used the pocket rocket. Worked good and plenty big enough for 2.
I use an alcohol stove only if I'm going solo. If I'm with someone else, then I'll usually bring the whisperlite. Alcohol doesn't put out enought heat for the quanitity I cook for two (or more) people.
I agree alcohol is more a 1-man stove. I do the same, only I take my Svea 123, not a Whisperlite.
Farr Away
02-08-2008, 00:01
:confused: I cook for two on my alcohol stove. Never had an issue with it.
My pot holds about 3 cups, so if we both want hot drinks (rare), I do a second boil. I'm still using the pot from my Girl Scout cookset, but expect I'll go a little bigger when I get around to replacing it.
Alchy stoves do good for up to 4 cups water..after that it just makes sense to do 2 stoves if for instance you both want 3 cups water each :)