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View Full Version : long distance hikers not cooking at all?



skooch
01-20-2011, 00:12
Sorry I can't seem to find this subject using the "search" on this site.

Please let me know how many of you prefer not to bother with cooking or fire on the trail. My hike will be the 3months of summer so I'm not sure I need hot food until I get to a town or hostle. Also I haven't seen a packing list without a stove or firestarter on it. it seems like it may be easier to pack the tuna packets, peanut butter, gorp and such and just go.

swamp dawg
01-20-2011, 00:28
I hiked through a good section of Va. in May for about thirty days and did not cook at all. I found it so much eaiser to eat a power bar or break open a package of tuna after a long day on the trail. It is nice just to have to get water and kick back and relax.
The only thing is I did carry a small metal cup and esbit stove but did not use. I was, most of the time, a few days from any resupply so the hike went real easy.

JEBjr
01-20-2011, 00:29
Check out Garlic's trail journal. I think he does most of his hiking without a stove.

leaftye
01-20-2011, 01:02
I don't carry cooking equipment.

I think it would be foolish to go without any sort of firestarter.

skooch
01-20-2011, 01:14
summer hike. no cooking. why would no fire be foolish?

Trailbender
01-20-2011, 02:38
summer hike. no cooking. why would no fire be foolish?

A basic rule of survival skills is that you always need to have a way to start a fire. I always carry a small firesteel and a magnesium rod on my keyring. I have also practiced bow drill and flint and steel firestarting.

Aside from that, I tried no cooking, and prefer a hot meal at the end of the day. My stove is a bent piece of sheet metal with an esbit tab on it. The pot sits right over the flame, so I can get 2+ boils off one tab, which translates to 24+ burns for around 7 oz, completely worth it to me. I also used a fire twice a day for 3 weeks on my thru, and I got to the point where I could get my boil with 2 fistfuls of sticks.

Graywolf
01-20-2011, 03:36
I too thought about going stoveless, but I love my hot tea in the morning too much. My alcohol stove handles that just fine..

garlic08
01-20-2011, 10:27
I've been stoveless for the last 8000 miles or so, but it took a couple thousand miles of trial and error to figure out that works best for me. My first long hike I would bounce my cook kit ahead a few hundred miles, then pick it up and carry it for a few hundred, until I became convinced that, overall, stoveless is my favorite.

My favorite part is not having to mess with fuel resupply, and it's a little easier to resupply at small convenience stores at highway crossings. Sometimes I'll end up with two days of hot dog buns and peanut butter, but it will save me from going into town, saving an entire day of logistics and sometimes a night or two under a roof.

Many will point out that there's no real weight savings on the average, and that's true. You'll be a little heavier on the first day, but you'll be a little lighter on the last day. I tend to eat more fresh veg and fruit, justifying the extra weight because I'm not carrying fuel. So I think I eat a little better than those who subsist on pasta.

Hot coffee is usually the sticking point for most.

10-K
01-20-2011, 10:39
I'll go stoveless as soon as I can figure out how to make a hot cup of coffee without one.

garlic08
01-20-2011, 10:58
I forgot to mention that I always carry something to start a fire with, at least a Bic lighter. I've never needed it.

Also, on my AT thru I met about half dozen other thru hikers going stoveless. Considering how few people I talked to about stoves, that's a pretty sizable percentage.

And here's my typical diet: http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=213108

the goat
01-20-2011, 11:23
i roll stoveless on longer hikes. i prefer a sandwich or two at the end of a long day, rather than boiled mush that i have to cook & then clean up after.

Sickmont
01-20-2011, 12:00
I'll probably carry one anyway, but only because of the hot tea/coffee factor only. And for the occasional ramen and hotsauce thing i like to do.

Spokes
01-20-2011, 12:07
I'll go stoveless as soon as I can figure out how to make a hot cup of coffee without one.

hehehehehehehee

Wise Old Owl
01-20-2011, 12:25
regular box of rolled oats
a half pound of walnuts
pound of raisins.
(3 qt) box of powdered milk,
instant mashed potatoes
fig newtons,
Wheat Thins
Beans/legumes
Jerky/sausage
Dried fish/meat
Instant Breakfast
Seeds/nuts
Peanut butter
Cheese
oil
HIGH CARBOHYDRATE
Drink mix: cider, gatorade
Pudding mix
Soup/Gravy mix
Cereals (hot or cold)
Rice or couscous
Ramen noodles (10 pkgs.)
Potato flakes
Baked cookies/breads
Crackers/chips
Granola bars/PopTarts
Flour/baking mix
Dried vegetables
Dried fruit
Candy
Mocha flavored energy bar.
Gatorade
Hard candy
*Dried apples
*Prunes
*Dried apricots
*Dried figs
*Fruit leather
*Pretzels
*Fig bars
*Graham crackers
*Plain bagel
*PopTart
*Saltines
*Granola bar
*Peanut butter Granola bar
*Cracklin' Oat Bran
*Natr. Valley G’ola



pastries for first breakfast out of town.
cashews, raisins, crackers
Fritos and a 3 ounce can of chicken salad and an occasional fresh avocado.
10 inch tortillas for dinner. sliced cheese (imported Swiss being my favorite). I'll carry pre-sliced hard salami
Rotisserie chicken in a Baggie. Swiss cheese toritilla
herbal and fruit teas
garlic summer sausage
single pouches of Spam
tortillas along with the cheese.
fruit and yogurt

__________________

Wise Old Owl
01-20-2011, 12:26
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=66638

lilricky
01-20-2011, 12:28
On my AT hike, I met up with a guy that went stoveless, but everytime I fired my Jetboil up, he was right there, begging for a piece of bacon, pancakes, or coffee. I guess its all depends on how important comfort food/drink is for you. For me, its almost vital on those grueling PUD days. Makes me start the day with new vigor! I can't do that with a power bar.

sarbar
01-20-2011, 12:51
You could hike for a lifetime and never need a fire but that one night you do, you will appreciate having the skills.

Couple years back I was on a PCT trip with my friend Hoosierdaddy. It was October and had never broken above freezing the whole day. We hiked from before sunrise to nearly sunset. When we got to camp he could not get warm (turned out he came down sick the next evening bad). I made him a fire out of scavenged branches and downed wood (no saw, had to be what I could break by hand). Got it blazing, got him warm and then made him a ton of hot drinks.

A stove isn't necessary, one can eat plenty variety with no cook (you would be surprised how many dehydrated foods can be done with cold water and taste great) but having fire skills and something to heat water in IS IMPORTANT! You never know - especially with storms that can kick up even in summer.

Luddite
01-20-2011, 13:06
I don't know if I could go stoveless. I guess its possible since most food backpackers cook is junk, i.e., Ramen, Mac and cheese, instant mash potatoes, and freeze dried crap.

Hot food just seems much more satisfying to me. I never feel full no matter how many power bars I eat.

MuffinMan11
01-20-2011, 13:10
Hot food just seems much more satisfying to me. I never feel full no matter how many power bars I eat.


That is why I cant go stoveless, I have to eat hot food or I will consume everything I have and and still have a rumbling belly.

skooch
01-20-2011, 15:48
thanks guys. awesome answers. I feel encouraged. won't forget my bic. I probably will go stoveless and eat better/healthier. I'll bring along a bowl and spork for mooching lol. seriously I can always pick up an alcohol stove along the way if I want it.

double d
01-20-2011, 16:17
I used to carry the pocketrocket stove, fuel canisters, pot, etc. (I hated the time it took to clean everything, especially after a long day of hiking), but now I eat cold food and as Wise Old Owl wrote above, you can find alot of good food that will supply you with enough taste and energy. But...............do a shake down hike without a stove and see if you like it.

Trailbender
01-20-2011, 16:32
I eat hot food and don't have cleanup. I just pour the boiling water into the rice pouch, fold it up, and wait 10 mins. Potatoes are easy, after I am done eating, I bang the pot against a tree to get the excess out, then run cold water over it, then soapy water, then cold again. I bang it against a tree away from camp and don't wash it in the creek, obviously.

maybe clem
01-20-2011, 17:12
Any vegetarian hikers done a thruhike without a stove?

daddytwosticks
01-20-2011, 17:16
I love these type threads...listening to all different options/point of view. I agree w/the goat. Even a plain old balony sandwich on white bread is more appealing than a bowl of sticky mush. Aslo agree about coffee...need hot coffee in the AM to get going. :)

Sickmont
01-20-2011, 17:39
Any vegetarian hikers done a thruhike without a stove?

I'm pretty certain Garlic08 has. More than once i believe too.

garlic08
01-20-2011, 19:19
I'm pretty certain Garlic08 has. More than once i believe too.

Yep, I'm vegetarian. Or I should say "flexatarian". I'll have good greasy fish and chips in towns when I crave it. I won't turn down stew if someone offers it. If I ever crave a cheeseburger, I'll eat that too, but that hasn't happened yet. I think hikers should in general satisfy the cravings, within moderation.

bear bag hanger
01-21-2011, 18:46
I've been hiking without a stove for a couple years, but think on my next hike I'll start carrying it again. Getting hard to find foods that do not need cooking. Gorp and candy bars are OK for a day or two, but don't work in the long run. But, if you're hiking the AT, you can get find a place to eat every other day and so maybe don't need to carry food to cook. During my 04 thru hike, we hiked with a guy who seemed pretty good at finding a restaurant every day. Didn't loose much weight while I was with him.

Wise Old Owl
01-21-2011, 19:14
Any vegetarian hikers done a thruhike without a stove?

You know Clem that should be a separate thread, I don't know enough about it and feel a bit clueless. I am sure we would all learn a lot.

wornoutboots
01-22-2011, 11:55
You could hike for a lifetime and never need a fire but that one night you do, you will appreciate having the skills.

Couple years back I was on a PCT trip with my friend Hoosierdaddy. It was October and had never broken above freezing the whole day. We hiked from before sunrise to nearly sunset. When we got to camp he could not get warm (turned out he came down sick the next evening bad). I made him a fire out of scavenged branches and downed wood (no saw, had to be what I could break by hand). Got it blazing, got him warm and then made him a ton of hot drinks.

A stove isn't necessary, one can eat plenty variety with no cook (you would be surprised how many dehydrated foods can be done with cold water and taste great) but having fire skills and something to heat water in IS IMPORTANT! You never know - especially with storms that can kick up even in summer.

I like this! I night hiked into Davenport Gap Shelter a few years ago & there was a SOBO in there with a fire going & his pot with water in it heating up on the fire. I like this option, eating mostly cold but when you need/want a hot meal you have this optiion, a good grease pot can serve many other useful purposes as well. Got love foot travel through the wilderness, so many ways of doing your own thing & listening & learning what to do & not to do from fellow adventurist :)

Different Socks
01-24-2011, 21:08
No matter the weather, temperature, landscape, trail, etc......I always bring a stove for hot meals. Only cold meal I will eat is a sandwich at lunch.
BTW, when I am frying up hamburgers on the trail, don't even think about trying to barter with what little you have in your food bag.