View Full Version : campfire cooking
kappy0405
02-29-2008, 22:30
i see all this talk about which stove setup to use.. how to make an alchahol stove.. etc.
how many of you just cook on a campfire everyday? I'm planning on just bringing a small pot to boil water and a really small rack to setup over a small fire.. Is this really that uncommon? just wondering.
I don't want to have to mess with gathering wood and disturbing the area for enough to make a sustainable fire, so I carry a Pocket Rocket. I don't bring anything but a titanium cup for water boiling either, all my meals are in freezer bags.
LIhikers
02-29-2008, 22:35
Well, it depends. If you're talking about a thru hike yes it's uncommon because over the course of 6 or so months you'll have days when it's too wet, too cold, too windy, or too dry to make campfire cooking practical.
Now, if you're going out for one, two, or a few nights and you know conditions will be good then it may work out well.
I have a friend (wasabbi) who thu hiked in 2000 and he tried to cook on a fire everynight when he got up into the northern part of the trail and he said it was way to hard. Problems like LIhikers said.
Blissful
02-29-2008, 22:44
You do need a stove as a back up. But I know a guy on the hike last year who liked to cook his veggie soup in this big pot by a cmapfire. Esp when it was cold. Later on, no one was in the mood to make a campfire. Too worn out.
On my first overnighter on the AT a few years ago, I started a fire, A SOBO thru-hiker came up around dark, and cooked over the fire to save fuel. I say if the fire is there, by all means use it.
FYI: Campfires on the AT are not permited at all in NJ or CT as well as many campsites in various states.
shelterbuilder
02-29-2008, 23:35
I have to laugh at some of the Boy Scouts (Tenderfeet, I hope) who build a campfire of respectable size, then try to set their pots and pans over the FLAMES to cook...they are always astounded when I pull a pile of hot coals to one side of the blaze and proceed to cook a meal without burning anything!
The difference between white Man and Native American:
White man builds big fire and sits far away to stay warm.
Native American builds little fire and sits close to stay warm :D
shelterbuilder
02-29-2008, 23:54
The difference between white Man and Native American:
White man builds big fire and sits far away to stay warm.
Native American builds little fire and sits close to stay warm :D
Yep, bigger is NOT always better...good things DO come in small packages:D
karadactyl
03-01-2008, 00:45
I thru-hiked last year and cooked on the fire often enough. It saved on fuel and I happened to be hiking with a partner who LOVES building campfires and gathered wood and built them to relax while I sat and rubbed my feet. :) In any case, if you're not to tired to be gathering the wood and tending the fire, go for it. Just keep in mind that there will be times you can't --- horrible weather, no wood to use, and many many areas on the trail (especially up north) where you just aren't allowed to build a fire at all. I would bring a stove (something light, like a pop-can one) or at least have it in a bounce box.
-Bucket!
I guess the most important thing you need to tell us is, are you going on a thru hike or just a weekend hike. We need to know that to answer your question.
Panzer
ChinMusic
03-01-2008, 01:13
I was under the impression that unless you were near the front of the "wave" that firewood was often a scare commodity.
kappy0405
03-01-2008, 01:45
to answer everyones question, i am doing a thru hike.. well maybe not, but I'll definitely be out for atleast a month or two. So I guess i will make myself an alchohol stove for backup.
...who build a campfire of respectable size, then try to set their pots and pans over the FLAMES to cook...they are always astounded when I pull a pile of hot coals to one side of the blaze and proceed to cook a meal without burning anything!
lol, yeah i was just planning on a very very small fire.. just to get water boiling for a few minutes.. of course, if its cool, i'd definitely make a nice fire to relax by.
The difference between white Man and Native American:
White man builds big fire and sits far away to stay warm.
Native American builds little fire and sits close to stay warm :D
lolol but BIG fires are soooo much more fun.. but of course, i AM a white man.
thanks for the advice guys... i'll definitely bring a small alchohol stove. I just didnt see the point of adding more weight (fuel/stove/alchohol) and taking up more room in your pack, when a small fire could just be put together pretty easily... but I guess it would be pretty annoying, though possible, trying to start a fire in the middle of a rain storm. hmm.. never thought of that.
shelterbuilder
03-01-2008, 08:58
I was under the impression that unless you were near the front of the "wave" that firewood was often a scare commodity.
Firewood is often a scarce commodity, period, especially at shelters and popular campsites, which are used year-round by locals. We are definitely white men: we seem to LOVE our big fires. But big fires require LOTS of fuel, and even one or two big fires a month can quickly strip an area of firewood - and then the tree chopping begins!:eek:
That's one reason that I've always liked the ZipStove - it encourages the use of smaller pieces of wood, and smaller "fires". And a really thrifty person can even "recycle" charcoal (from old campfires) into the ZipStove and get even more use out of what is usually only an "eyesore".:)
I always love a good campfire and use to always cook with one.(When car camping) and even this becomes a hassle after a while,because it is not always quick and easy. When you've been hiking all day,you want a quick and easy way to prepare your meal and then if the opportunity presents itself,relax by a campfire.
Tipi Walter
03-01-2008, 10:12
Basically, when push comes to shove and you're out on the trail all day, the last thing you want to do is gather wood and nurse a fire to life just to cook a meal. The backpacking stove is much more convenient.
The biggest problem I have with fire is making sure it's totally out when I leave the next day. I've got enough weight to carry, I don't want to worry about leaving a hot coal in the wind. And so putting out a fire really means dousing it with water, and water is sometimes a precious commodity at a campsite. You can hump in enough for yourself, but an extra liter or two to drench a fire?
And nowadays forest conditions verge on extremely dry to tinder-ready, any fire combined with a bit of wind and the worry factor goes up. Why bother with it?
kappy0405
03-02-2008, 13:26
I don't want to have to mess with gathering wood and disturbing the area for enough to make a sustainable fire, so I carry a Pocket Rocket. I don't bring anything but a titanium cup for water boiling either, all my meals are in freezer bags.
thanks, i just went out and bought a pocketrocket for backup yesterday. Its amazing.. together with the fuel, it barely weighs a pound. and it takes up hardly any room. :)
dessertrat
03-02-2008, 16:47
thanks, i just went out and bought a pocketrocket for backup yesterday. Its amazing.. together with the fuel, it barely weighs a pound. and it takes up hardly any room. :)
As a backup, consider carrying the jetboil cartridge instead of the big MSR one. It will weigh even less.
Campfire cooking used to be the norm, back in the old days. Earl Shaffer's first thru-hike that was the norm, though he often wrote that he couldn't get a fire started in the rain, and went hungry. . . something to think about.
hammock engineer
03-03-2008, 00:35
Put a bail on your pot. That way you can hold it on the end of a stick over the fire. Works way better. My plan is to make one out of a large tin can.
You might want to consider carrying at least an alcohol stove. The tin can pot and alcohol stove is going to be my new summer setup. That way in the morning or on rainy nights I don't always have to have a fire.
I hikes southbound with a guy that hiked the trail a few times and always cooks over a fire. I put a bail on my jetboil and use it over a fire whenever possible. I did that for the last month or two of my hike, December and January.
Plus having a fire is fun. If that is what you want to do than go for it. There is plenty of wood for fires if you look around. More than enough if you don't stay at shelters.
tomsawyer222
03-03-2008, 06:41
When people talk about making a fire they always use the fact that it takes time to gather wood and its annoying to start a fire going. But is that not what the new ultralight craze is about? Having this that are a little less easy to use and lighter? Using a fire to cook could save quite a bit of weight in fuel and stove parts... Same goes with the ultralight backpacks less weight but more difficult to use. So remember the more you carry the better you like being in camp the less you carry the more you like hiking. If hiking is what you really like you should not get "tired" of doing it.
BirchBark
03-03-2008, 21:57
After considerable thought, copious reading and numerous fumblings with flammable liquids and metallic packaging, there is a very strong possibility that I will devolve back into my inner hairy man and embrace campfire cooking on my upcoming thru attempt.
My recent thinking was based on the idea that I would use an home made alcohol stove to heat water for the odd warm lunch, then at every evening's camp I'd cook a hearty, proper meal on a campfire (which I enjoy almost every night anyway- usually to fend off monsters). The problem is, I just can't seem to find a way to like alcohol stoves.
I was planning to carry my trusty Zip, but then yesterday I built a Supercat stove and it boiled enough water to revive a bagfull of potato flakes and preservatives in short order atop my kitchen range. But out in the backyard today I built a windscreen- and after 5 alcohol refills and as many screen re-designs it didn't boil s**t.
Since my intention is to use the stove merely to heat water suffiently to prepare the odd hot lunch (i.e. Liptons, mashed taters, etc.), the stove needs to be easily, quickly and reliably lit. Better still if it is light. I plan on at least half of my lunches to be cold, or otherwise non-cooked.
Sorry that I have little to add to the discussion.
BTW, does anyone know the melting point of aluminum tent stakes, and do they indeed make good tripod legs?
Frolicking Dinosaurs
03-03-2008, 22:18
A proper cookfire is made using small piece of wood - up to the size of your fingers. Wood this size isn't in short supply much of anywhere on the AT.
Before there were all of the new-fangled stoves - back when stoves weighed a ton - many used the small cookfire. The trench method works well - dig a trench about three inches deep, two inches wide and about 6" bigger than your pot. Build the fire in the trench, place pot on ground above trench, feed tiny pieces of wood in until done. Remove unburnt fuel from fire and let it burn out while you eat dinner. Pour on a small amount of water (can use drain water from noodles :D). Cover trench and replace duff. LNT
I carried sticks under my poncho on rainy days so I would have some dry wood to cook with back in the day. I also carried a small emergency candle or some used birthday candles to help get the fire going. Crayons also work - so does vasoline, olive oil and alcohol fuel.
The difference between white Man and Native American:
White man builds big fire and sits far away to stay warm.
Native American builds little fire and sits close to stay warm :D
The way I heard it, is that the white man keeps warm hauling wood....
On my section hike this coming April & May I plan on supplementing my fuel by cooking on wood fires from time to time. Very likely only when there is already a fire at hand, but its not necessarily set in stone. I do know how to start a fire myself :p
Gee you cant't start a fire well take 5 year old with you:confused::confused:A Match whole box full them some
Wise Old Owl
03-04-2008, 11:37
A proper cookfire is made using small piece of wood - up to the size of your fingers. Wood this size isn't in short supply much of anywhere on the AT.
Before there were all of the new-fangled stoves - back when stoves weighed a ton - many used the small cookfire. The trench method works well - dig a trench about three inches deep, two inches wide and about 6" bigger than your pot. Build the fire in the trench, place pot on ground above trench, feed tiny pieces of wood in until done. Remove unburnt fuel from fire and let it burn out while you eat dinner. Pour on a small amount of water (can use drain water from noodles :D). Cover trench and replace duff. LNT
I carried sticks under my poncho on rainy days so I would have some dry wood to cook with back in the day. I also carried a small emergency candle or some used birthday candles to help get the fire going. Crayons also work - so does vasoline, olive oil and alcohol fuel.
Best answer so far, building "cookable small fires" is a lost art even for the boy scouts - Most fires - even the old dutch oven cooking can be accomplished with sticks less than 1" that are simply snapped into small pieces. No you don't use logs - unless that is your pot support or wind break. Be very careful in Pa as wet slate or stones when warmed will explode if heated around a fire. The previous post on cooking on coals not flames is the way to go. Up north you mix in tree sappy pine branches into you fire builds, the sap is the fuel to keep it going. Unless you are using a wood stove, the amount of collected branches is three times the size of the wanted fire. You build it and set 1/2 on the side to be added later.
Watch this guy - He is on target - skip the part on Fuel Wood
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBFeWUcWfKE
Wise Old Owl
03-04-2008, 11:39
On my section hike this coming April & May I plan on supplementing my fuel by cooking on wood fires from time to time. Very likely only when there is already a fire at hand, but its not necessarily set in stone. I do know how to start a fire myself :p
There is noting to stop you from practicing in the back yard. Spend a hour collecting and burning well away from the nearby bushes and house.
I spent several days in the backyard showing my son how to dutch oven cook, and building fires.