View Full Version : cooking in the rain
squeezebox
10-26-2013, 14:04
How ?? How ??
hikerboy57
10-26-2013, 14:08
mostly under the eaves of a shelter. i try not to cook in the tent vestibule, but if no choice is available, i might. or just eat cold .ive also cooked in the rain. makes no difference if it gets wet.
MuddyWaters
10-26-2013, 14:10
Just like any other time.
In light rain it doesnt matter, the flame is under your pot, its not affected.
Heavy rain may require a shelter or under tent fly or something.
cooking in the rain
Possibly the best part it it saves on hauling water to a campsite. the world becomes your cooking and dish water.
If your pot has a lid, what is the problem? You're going to get wet out there. Many people cook in shelters or in the vestibule of their tent.
The rain is the few times I use my alky stove, else I use a twiggy fire. I use the stove while sitting in my hammock under the tarp.
Did you just say "twiggy fire?' Sounds like a brand name. You should get the rights to the domain name www.Twiggy Fire. The Twiggy Fore hiking stove? I beknight upon you the trail name "Twiggy Fire."
As my post indicates it's not yet taken. www.Twiggy has though.
johnnybgood
10-26-2013, 14:49
Bring stoveless meals to eat for such occasions.
max patch
10-26-2013, 15:08
Twiggy wants a sammich.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pyB-qi080qI/T5tltN_i10I/AAAAAAAAAB4/Gw2wvzShTUQ/s1600/twiggy.jpg
Pitch tarp. Low end upwind, high end downwind. Build small fire under downwind high side. Enjoy yourself immensely.
Twiggy wants a sammich.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pyB-qi080qI/T5tltN_i10I/AAAAAAAAAB4/Gw2wvzShTUQ/s1600/twiggy.jpg
Nice boots. Nothing like practical footwear on the trail.
hikerboy57
10-26-2013, 15:13
Nice boots. Nothing like practical footwear on the trail.
she needs a good hiker feed
she needs a good hiker feed
Considering becoming a trail angel.
hikerboy57
10-26-2013, 15:30
here she is today
24630
here she is today
24630
"Oh I believe in yesterday."
I'll just have the small salad no dressing, no croutons, or cheese. Whoa that's way too many pieces of tomato. What's wrong with you people? Tomatoes are too fattening you know. Excuse me I don't feel like eating anymore. I have to go the the ladies room.....to powder my nose .....again.
johnnybgood
10-26-2013, 15:36
here she is today
24630
Obviously not enough trail feeds.
I'll just have the small salad no dressing, no croutons, or cheese. Whoa that's way too many pieces of tomato. What's wrong with you people? Tomatoes are too fattening you know. Excuse me I don't feel like eating anymore. I have to go the the ladies room.....to powder my nose .....again.
Nose powdering does tend to get to be a habit.
hikerboy57
10-26-2013, 15:43
Nose powdering does tend to get to be a habit.
http://pollystreaming.com/Seinfeld-Season-5-Episode-4-The-Sniffing-Accountant_v7901
here she is today
24630
Looks like she got fed
If your pot has a lid, what is the problem? You're going to get wet out there. Many people cook in shelters or in the vestibule of their tent.
+1
if you are in a group for multi-day trip. A small tarp can be worth the weight.
if not in a shelter, most hikers will just sit in the door of their tent and cook, right?
WingedMonkey
10-26-2013, 19:54
Eat tomorrows lunch.
MDSection12
10-26-2013, 21:40
I cook under my hammock tarp frequently with no issues. I'd be reluctant, but not totally opposed, to cooking in the vestibule of my tent. As was said, when with a large group a tarp to set up a dining area is worth the weight.
Wise Old Owl
10-26-2013, 23:16
Sometimes I don't feel like "Cooking" But when I do... Rain is not an issue... If you are tenting... Use the top as a tarp! Vestibules are awesome too. Make sure you have enough foil for a wind block that is so key - you need a lid on the pot too... Don't forget the simmer ring or the pot cozy!
Dont forget its when the big three kick in... Rain - wind - cold that's what you have to plan for - Wind Chill and sub temps in June and October.
Ditto on the shelter when available during the day or the tent vestibule.
garlic08
10-27-2013, 09:41
Bring stoveless meals to eat for such occasions.
Ditto this, and the suggestion to eat tomorrow's lunch (or breakfast even). When I hike, the concept of meals goes away pretty quickly. I just eat whenever I stop for a break. Lately I haven't even been bringing a stove, that system works so well.
There are some normally cooked foods that are fine uncooked. Couscous, instant mashed potatoes, instant refried beans, rolled oats, and ramen noodles can be eaten cold.
An old, very experienced climbing buddy of mine always plans his meals based on not being able to cook, for whatever reason. He's seen a lot of reasons--broken stove, out of fuel, inclement weather, laziness....
squeezebox
10-29-2013, 14:09
cold food- My son used to eat ramen dry. got his friends started on it also.
Now he's in cooking school. go figure !
perdidochas
10-29-2013, 14:42
cold food- My son used to eat ramen dry. got his friends started on it also.
Now he's in cooking school. go figure !
The Scouts in my boys' troop do this. We adults were convinced they'd get a tummy ache. They had no problem with it.
Yet another reason I prefer hammock camping. Lounge in the hammock while food is cooking under the tarp. Cat in the Hat
Monkeywrench
10-29-2013, 16:05
I use the stove while sitting in my hammock under the tarp.
Same here. Dry and comfy.
I've actually had very few times when I've had to cook in the rain, despite never using a tent vestibule or tarp. It's a rare rain that comes down hard for hours, and I've been lucky during about finding shelter in some of them. (Memories of 8 inches leading to flash floods but finding a pavilion come flooding back as I write this.) Generally, I'll adjust my eating schedule to match the rain. It's easy to find a water source in a storm, so when it breaks and it's near mealtime, stop, pump water from whatever rivulet you can find and cook. Then pack up and hike again, hopefully after you've eaten and before the rain picks up again.
I've also taken shelter in overhangs, dense pine growths and on the leeward side of cliffs to help the cooking, or just give myself a break. Previous posters are correct about a lid, windscreen and placing the pot on the stove. Sometimes the harder part is eating, as your food can get cold very quickly when rain keeps landing in it.
All in all, I'd say to be flexible, both with what you eat (dry ramen, etc.) , when you eat (an hour or two early or late), and where you eat (fix dinner at noon if you hit a shelter and eat a no-cook supper if you'll be camping out that night.) It's very rare that you actually have to cook in the rain unless you're visiting one of the wettest places on earth. Even when I went backpacking on an island that gets at least 10 inches of rain a month, I didn't have to cook in the rain (they had shelters!).
nickgann
10-30-2013, 10:13
Usually I just cook under my tarp but I am a hammock man...
FarmerChef
10-30-2013, 10:52
I cook under my tarp or on the lip of the shelter or any other covered area where I'm not going to potentially catch anything that shouldn't be on fire well...on fire.
Come to think of it, I've only had to cook in the pouring rain once (sprinkles many times, no big deal and still had a fire going). That time there was a table built around a tree trunk. The leaves sheltered the table and I cooked on that while sitting in the shelter. No problemo. Otherwise, when we're wet and tired, cold dinner or tomorrow's lunch or breakfast is always a good decision.
Hollywood hoity toity version of cooking in the rain 1) don't cook, send for take out of lobster tail and filet mignon, have your private helicopter fly it in 2) have one in your entourage, probably a sherpa, hold up an umbrella, uhh over yourself, while Giada dressed in(never mind) whips up a meal
Slo-go'en
10-30-2013, 11:32
As Bati noted, it usually doesn't rain all day and all night. Rain has a pattern to it and if you learn the pattern, you don't often have to cook in it, set up camp in it or hike in it.
Unless the rain is associated with a cold front (which are typically fast moving and can come at any time of day or night), there will nearly always be a lull in the rain between 9 AM and 3 PM. it may not stop entirely, but it will slacken off a lot. This is due to the action of sun heating the clouds and making them lift. If it's raining in the early morning, I'll sleep in a bit and by the time I'm ready to roll about 9, the rain is usually about over. Then I'll catch up with the ones who left early in the rain, as they try to dry stuff off...
Then there will be a few hours of rain in the late afternoon, between 3 and 6 as the mosture in the air is purged. When that's over, there will then be an early evening lull in the rain, at which time you should set up camp and cook.
Then as the sun sets and the clouds loose thier lift and cool off, it will start to rain again and the cycle repeats.
hikerboy57
10-30-2013, 11:40
Hollywood hoity toity version of cooking in the rain 1) don't cook, send for take out of lobster tail and filet mignon, have your private helicopter fly it in 2) have one in your entourage, probably a sherpa, hold up an umbrella, uhh over yourself, while Giada dressed in(never mind) whips up a meal
it seems you know the story of ozjacko, invisible man and army ant.
I use the stove while sitting in my hammock under the tarp. My set up is pretty luxurious, with a 10x12 tarp, so I can be very comfortable, and have loads of room to cook, sit, stand, under the tarp in most weather conditions.
Yet another reason I prefer hammock camping. Lounge in the hammock while food is cooking under the tarp. Cat in the Hat
I cook under my hammock tarp frequently with no issues....
I met two different UL espousing AT hangers who had large duct tape patches on the bottoms of their hammocks. Seemed kinda strange since it added wt. I didn't know what was going on. I was wondering what was the cause behind all the duct tape. They each burned large holes in their hammocks cooking under them LOL. I thought it was a riot.
Slo-go'en
10-30-2013, 14:49
I met two different UL espousing AT hangers who had large duct tape patches on the bottoms of their hammocks. Seemed kinda strange since it added wt. I didn't know what was going on. I was wondering what was the cause behind all the duct tape. They each burned large holes in their hammocks cooking under them LOL. I thought it was a riot.
Yeah, that's why I don't cook near flammable matterials - like under the vestibule of my tent. It only takes one careless moment or poory timed gust of wind to have a disaster...
Make friends with a hammocker. They always have a tarp.
Make friends with a hammocker. They always have a tarp.
Tarps are a man's best friend. No leash, no food, no barkin".
I met two different UL espousing AT hangers who had large duct tape patches on the bottoms of their hammocks. Seemed kinda strange since it added wt. I didn't know what was going on. I was wondering what was the cause behind all the duct tape. They each burned large holes in their hammocks cooking under them LOL. I thought it was a riot. Really??? Someone actually built a fire directly under their hammock. I'm skeptical....usually even small tears in the bottom of a hammock lead directly to complete and total failure and I don't believe duct tape is enough to prevent it. If you really meant the tarp...what the hell were they cooking with.....a flame thrower. Other than the occasional spark from a woodstove I can't see how you could burn a hole in your tarp with a conventional backpack stove. And really....who in their right mind would ever cook directly under their hammocks. If true then I would suggest the Darwin Award for the two of them. Cat in the Hat
I met two different UL espousing AT hangers who had large duct tape patches on the bottoms of their hammocks. Seemed kinda strange since it added wt. I didn't know what was going on. I was wondering what was the cause behind all the duct tape. They each burned large holes in their hammocks cooking under them LOL. I thought it was a riot.
Yeah, somebody told me that you could cook inside your tent if you brought a piece of cardboard wrapped in aluminum foil to set your stove on. It was pouring down rain so I thought I'd try it and it was so cramped in the tent I bumped the stove over and spilled alcohol (burning) on the tent floor, wall and part of my sleeping bag. By the time the fire was out I had burned 2 holes in the tent and one in my sleeping bag.
Yeah, somebody told me that you could cook inside your tent if you brought a piece of cardboard wrapped in aluminum foil to set your stove on. It was pouring down rain so I thought I'd try it and it was so cramped in the tent I bumped the stove over and spilled alcohol (burning) on the tent floor, wall and part of my sleeping bag. By the time the fire was out I had burned 2 holes in the tent and one in my sleeping bag.That's why that when I use alky stoves, I use one of Zelph's Starlyte stoves or one similar to it. By design they have a material under a wire mesh that will soak up the fuel in the stove not unlike a sponge. If you tip it over it will stay lit but will not spill any excess fuel. It is MUCH safer than the the standard alky stoves where the fuel simply sits in the bottom of an open stove. Imagine spilling one in a shelter and having the lit alcohol run down through the cracks. Goodbye shelter. That wouldn't happen with a Starlyte or similar stove. Cat in the Hat
Tri-Pod Bob
11-01-2013, 06:37
After too many yrs as a ground sleeper, I've also had a lot of challenges with trying to get a hot meal in me during miserable weather unless I was carrying a tarp...which rarely ever happened. Then, I found the joys of a great night (or day) of hammock sleep this past July. Now, my hammock gets wrapped into snakeskins & can be tied off to 1 side of the tarp. It seems like I could put a commercial Viking stove under my Hex tarp! It's even roomier if I use Dutch's clip-on side pullouts. No more cold meals if a hot one was on the menu!
In a shelter, under heavy tree cover, just in the rain with my rain gear, using the tent fly as a porch with me under it and the pot just outside, after a cook-less snack after the rain tapers off, ....