View Full Version : 2 person cook set?
When first planning my upcoming thru, I purchased a snowpeak mini solo ti kit. I'm blown away by the feather light weight of this kit, but now that I happily have a hiking partner for the trip, its time to re-think some of the gear.
I know, its just a pot... I feel pretty silly asking for recommendations on here. Just wondering what has worked for duo's on the trail in the past. We'll mostly be using the freezer bag method, so I have contemplated just keeping the solo kit and boiling 2 batches of water. Or upgrade to a 2L pot?
Suggestions are welcome - thanks folks.
Megapixel
01-12-2012, 01:41
I found for my wife and I a 2L Evernew titanium non stick pot worked well. We use the one with the frying pan lid, which not only doubles as a second bowl so we can eat at our own pace, but also makes a mean steak frozen from town the day b4. The handles function well with my alcohol stove, making it easy to cook and eat from right away. We could usually boil enough water for freezer bag meals, + tea, + enough left over to do the dishes with... nothing like hot water on a cold night to wash up the pot with.
I am looking to go smaller since I will be going solo this year... prolly will go two sizes down on the same rig...if you are interested let me know I may be willing to part with it to make money for my solo pot purchase... i'm guessing it's more weight than you want to carry though:
http://www.evernewamerica.com/ECA419.htm
+1 on what Megapixel said but....
Rethink your gear modifications well. I've never thought sharing equipment was a good idea for thru hikers. What if you and you partner hike at different speeds, get separated one day, or one of you bails out due to injury or because you're pissed off at each other? Hmmmmm......
Old Hiker
01-12-2012, 08:08
I'd think that when you roll into camp (if you are hiking together), one person could start their meal and one could be setting up their camp. Turn about when each person finishes.
Would 2 smaller amounts of water boil faster and use less fuel? Would it make up for twice the water and twice the time?
I don't like relying on someone else especially for cooking food. If you carry a 2 person cook set for sharing and the other hiker bails out then your stuck carrying (even worse if not) an over-size pot and no telling what else.
Sharing stuff sounds like fun when you're sitting around your living room but can quickly turn into a nightmare when the reality of the trail kicks in.
I don't like relying on someone else especially for cooking food. If you carry a 2 person cook set for sharing and the other hiker bails out then your stuck carrying (even worse if not) an over-size pot and no telling what else.
Sharing stuff sounds like fun when you're sitting around your living room but can quickly turn into a nightmare when the reality of the trail kicks in.
This is exactly what I was going to say - I think sharing fuel is fine but each hiker should be a able to easily transition to solo mode -- one person might want to lay out a day and catch-up or whatever -- not sure what kind of shelters you have but I would recommend 2-solo vs 1 duo. That said, I have used MSRs 2 quart TI pot - it's real light and you could just trade out the pot part of your cookset for something like it.
thx for the replies. As far as my hiking partner - its my lady. So while this doesn't negate the possibility of one of us bailing, I think we will be sharing a tent. Wondering about the timing of double the water vs two batches is an interesting thought though... sounds like I need to test that out.
if you do carry independent systems for cooking for the times when you are separated (few hiking "partners" of any type are together 24/7) consider 2 types of fuel, in case an expected source is out of one (not uncommon during the season)
thx for the replies. As far as my hiking partner - its my lady. So while this doesn't negate the possibility of one of us bailing, .........
Hmmm, this thread can go in all different directions now.
jacquelineanngrant
01-13-2012, 16:04
Sharing a tent is usually fine, but my bf and I find that each of us having our own stove and pot is a better option as far as cooking goes. We like to have our meals together, but don't always want to eat the same thing. Two stoves and solo pots also means if one of our stoves breaks we can still have hot food.
An Evernew 1.3L would be my choice for two. Has worked well for me in past, but it kind of depends on how you like to cook. We would heat up water for hot beverages first, then heat water for our meal, which we would make in the pot and eat out of plastic bowls or margarine tubs. Some unconsumed hot beverage (coffee in the morning or tea at night) would be used to clean the pot (human sump method).
redheadedhiker674
01-14-2012, 14:27
REI has the GSI outdoors cooking sets microdualist and pinnacle dualist on sale for about $20 cheaper than normal. Here's the link:http://www.rei.com/search?page_size=109&cat=4500001&search=Camping+Sale+and+Clearance&cat=4500001_Camp+Kitchen&hist=cat%2C4500001%3ACamping+%26+Hiking%5Esearch%2 CCamping+Sale+and+Clearance%5Ecat%2C4500001_Camp+K itchen%3ACamp+Kitchen
schnikel
01-14-2012, 16:53
My wife and I use the Snowpeak 1400. We rehydrate/cook our food and just eat out of the pot. It has worked well for us on all our trips together including a JMT thru hike this past summer.
Schnikel
LIhikers
01-14-2012, 21:34
My wife and I use the black, grease pot you get from K-Mart. You know, the one with the lip rolled outward. We cook in it and then eat right out of the pot. We do each carry our own spoons though.