I'm not stoveless but I eat a lot like I am. One of the things I eat that I didn't see mentioned is jerky. Red meat is a much more complete protein than most plant based protein. 3 oz of jerky each day makes the peanut butter ramon combo seem more complete. BTW the cheapest store bought jerky I have found is at the Dollar stores.
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22 posts and nobody has talked about lack of HOT COFFEE in the morning...incredible!
Seriously, I agree that going stoveless is an attractive alternative. I like to try and keep it simple when I hike. But I need my coffee fix in the morning, preferably hot, sweet, and with creamer. It helps get things "moving" in the morning, if you know what I mean. If I ever were to do a seriously long hike, I'd probably try and give up hot coffee in the AM
Good thread. I went into no-cook mode a few years ago. I eat well off the trail, am a section hiker, have met several thru hikers like Trek and Eric D who don't cook..............to met its simpler, easier, a bit lighter but to me the #1 benefit is that I can camp anywhere, and I have had some superb camping spots. As long as I have enough water to drink I am fine.
Dinner
Spam and pita bread, requisitioned mustard packets
Split peas soaked in water from lunch break
Cheese
Gorp
Hard pretzels
Dried edamame
Instant potatoes
Refried beans
Dried hummus
Ramen noodles, soak in a bag with water from your lunch break.
Dates
New favorite - HAM jerky
Corn Nuts
Sunflower seeds
A few bites of everything, spam single serving with pita, mustard and cheese is my staple for dinner.
Pig out in town...................of course!!
I'm also a big coffee drinker at home but don't drink it on the trail even if I'm carrying a stove.
I am not young enough to know everything.
wondering how not cooking changes anything? If there is a flat spot to put my tent down I can probably cook there.
+1 on the ham jerky though.. a SOBO thru hiker Anchor gave me a small piece of some homemade stuff and i was impressed.
Never been a coffee person.. never even tried it. have never regretted that.
Going stove-less was basically just a natural extension of how I already ate. During one large section hike from Springer to Old South Mountain Inn, Maryland, I used my stove maybe a half dozen times. It was just dead weight in my pack.
Honestly, the last thing I want is a steaming pot of noodles on a hot, humid day after hiking 20 miles. I always hated cleaning stuff up afterwards, too. Not to mention the fact that on the AT I was getting a hot meal every 3-4 days on average, if not more frequently.
I've been doing chicken salad wraps with chunk chicken and ranch dressing. I've added Old Bay to it and its quite good wrapped up in a tortilla.
Trailcooking.com has a good recipe I am going to try sometime.
http://www.trailcooking.com/recipes/...ken-corn-wraps
This one I have done and it's pretty good.
http://www.trailcooking.com/recipes/...-chicken-salad
I love them because I can stuff a lot of calories in a short period at the end of long day. They only take a couple minutes to prepare. The only downside is that you have the stinky chicken container/quart bag to pack out, so I always search for the nearest trash can after eating this.
Greek Frappe Coffee http://greekfood.about.com/od/mezeth.../ht/frappe.htm
if you use a jar to re-hydrate stuff you're all set
I got a serious coffee hound friend (whose name will not be mentioned, but it rhymes with "mags") converted to stoveless on an Arizona Trail hike. We hiked into the town of Patagonia one morning and he stormed the coffeehouse before it was even open--pretty funny.
As an aside, one of my goals on a long hike is to "detox" in a way--I make a concerted effort to remain caffeine and alcohol free. I'm just no fun out there. It's semi-athletic endeavor for me and I just feel better, in the long term, without the added chemicals.
As far as site selection goes, I think stoveless camping gives more options too. I use much less water, often less than a liter overnight, so it's easier to dry camp. I don't have to plan around water as much, or carry as much from the last known source before camping. Out here in the desert, where it might be two nights between water sources, it really makes a difference.
"Throw a loaf of bread and a pound of tea in an old sack and jump over the back fence." John Muir on expedition planning
Garlic you're my hero. On my stoveless trips I pack 2 no doz tablets for each morning I expect to be out.
Without my morning caffeine fix I move real slow and bump into things.
I'm an avid coffee drinker off the trail but really don't miss it much while at camp. I try to stay well hydrated largely due to my knack at fostering kidney stones and water, not coffee, helps me in that regard.
Getting lost is a way to find yourself.
I'd walk up and hug an Arab terrorist wearing a bomb vest before I'd consider giving up coffee.
I did a 120 mile section this summer and only used my stove at night for dinner, thinking I could substitute a Chrystal Light Energy powder (which has caffeine) in the morning for my coffee.. - - - WRONG~~~ Things didn't move right. And, it just didn't give me that "pick me up" first thing in the morning. Next time, even if I end up going stoveless(or not use it in am), I plan on bringing instant coffee to mix with my water in the morning.
FWIW: I did my first attempt at going stoveless this past May for a 12 day trip along the AT through New England. I carried all of the above listed items, plus a protein shake which ended up being wayyyyyy more of a hassle than it was worth. Here's my two cents on going stoveless: it just wasn't worth it. I had difficulty finding enough food variety to keep me satisfied, and it WAS actually a bit demoralizing to get into camp at night, soaking wet, and not have a hot meal or even hot beverage to look forward to. I know that EVERYBODY has a different opinion on this one, but especially in northern New England where being cold and wet is pretty standard, a 3 ounce alcohol stove is worth its weight in gold. If you do end up going stoveless, absolutely make sure that you find some way to get variety into your diet. Peanut butter, tortillas and granola gets very very repetitive after only a few days.
Ranger
even in the winter for breakfast i have 2 packs of Fruit N Cream oatmeal w/raisins and nuts in it. i just put water in and wait about 10 min while i pack. for drink: water with 2 scoops of instant coffee, 2 scoops of coco mix, 4 scoops of instant milk. oh, a bagel w/peanutbutter.
i just cook dinner, but even 2 of them could be eaten not cooked, but i would need a few hot meals
i don't always summer hike,
but when i do,
i go stove-less.
I'm so confused, I'm not sure if I lost my horse or found a rope.
I sometimes use the coffee bags and just put a couple in a 20 oz bottle of water with some creamer and sugar...by morning it's iced coffee.