Cooking Set for a Couple?

[glimmermarielea]

My husband and I are planning a thru-hike in 2009. (Been my dream for over 10 years) We have 2 pepsi can stoves and 2 windscreen/stove stands. My question is should I take both sets and should I take one or 2 pots? Thanks.

[Bob S]

No one can answer this as we don’t know what you will be cooking, your style of cooking, what you feel you need for cleanup.

I would suggest you plan your food that you intend to cook on the trail and buy it and cook it at home for a few days. Use your stoves, trail food and cook sets while at home. Include cleanup in this also as you will have to do that while on the trail no cheating and throwing things into the dishwasher. Do it all as you would on the trail. This will tell you what you need better then any of us could.

[Lone Wolf]

seperate pots, same stove

[Sailor (The other one)]

Mudpie and I are in a similar situation. We've been experimenting on short trips and we are taking both stoves (a Trangia and an Ion), with stove stands and windscreens, and 2 titanium pots ( .85 L MSR and a bigger Snow Peak) on a two week section hike this fall to test them in the field, with a variety of cooking methods, including in the pot, pot cozy for simmering, freezer bag and just add hot water. Short of field tests like this, I suggest taking the advice of Bob S.
Good luck.

[glimmermarielea]

Thanks for the replies. Your right I should try everything out and see what we'll need. A guess a big question too is whether or not we'll be doing freezer bag cooking because then we'd probably only need one pot to boil water with. Thanks again, looks like I have some cooking to do.

[glimmermarielea]

Ok, how do I edit. I meant to say I guess, not a guess.

[Skidsteer]

Ok, how do I edit. I meant to say I guess, not a guess.

Donating members (http://www.whiteblaze.net/index.php?page=donating_member) have edit privileges along with some other perks.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

We Dinos use a 2 liter antigravity gear pot (http://www.antigravitygear.com/proddetail.php?prod=MK2QNS) and cozy (http://www.antigravitygear.com/proddetail.php?prod=AGCZAG2Q) with a neoprene cover (http://www.antigravitygear.com/proddetail.php?prod=AGNEOC2Q). We have two 28 oz reusable plastic food storage containers inside the pot along with our Vargo Triad stove (http://vargooutdoors.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=119&products_id=998). The plastic containers have a strip of heat tape around them so we can hold them when filled with hot food or liquid. They are our plates and coffee cups. The final items are two Lexan sporks.

[take-a-knee]

We Dinos use a 2 liter antigravity gear pot (http://www.antigravitygear.com/proddetail.php?prod=MK2QNS) and cozy (http://www.antigravitygear.com/proddetail.php?prod=AGCZAG2Q) with a neoprene cover (http://www.antigravitygear.com/proddetail.php?prod=AGNEOC2Q). We have two 28 oz reusable plastic food storage containers inside the pot along with our Vargo Triad stove (http://vargooutdoors.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=119&products_id=998). The plastic containers have a strip of heat tape around them so we can hold them when filled with hot food or liquid. They are our plates and coffee cups. The final items are two Lexan sporks.

I'm glad someone found a use for that Vargo Triad stove, I guess it would work okay for boiling a larger quantity of water. I never could get mine to light with less that one ounce of HEET in it. What do you use for a windscreen?

[Blissful]

We used one snowpeak titanium set (pot with lid) with a pot cozy and the MSR pocket rocket canister so we could control the flame we used and the meals we could eat (no control like that with alcohol and cooking for two on an alcohol I wonder about with fuel consumption?). My son also brought along one orakasi dish. All worked well for us.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

I'm glad someone found a use for that Vargo Triad stove, I guess it would work okay for boiling a larger quantity of water. I never could get mine to light with less that one ounce of HEET in it. What do you use for a windscreen?I use a piece of heavy aluminum foil and a metal paper clip.

The Triad isn't a stove I would recommend for a solo unless he / she was a big eater. While you can blow it out and pour the fuel back into your fuel bottle, it is a PITA to do.

[rafe]

Do you have actual on-trail experience with either set at this point? In my experience, even a solo hiker needs to be patient when cooking with alcohol. Also: in most cases one's cook pot is also one's serving dish. So you'd each want one, in that case.

[Bob S]

For a windscreen I use an MSR foil windscreen. It’s 5-years old and while it’s very light weight & flexible it seems to hold up great. it’s about the only thing I like from MSR.

[The Solemates]

we use one 1L pot. seems to work great for us.

[jesse]

... in most cases one's cook pot is also one's serving dish. So you'd each want one, in that case.

I agree. I mostly do freezer bag cooking, and place the hot freezer bag in the pot for eating.