Hiking & Camping cooking/equipment

[320icar]

there was a bunch of talk about it in another thread about some hiking and camping foodstuffs and figured it could use its own thread.

got a great DIY for a stove? a cutlery set you never leave home without? feel free to post up your thoughts.

can't forget the recipes and delicious food ideas for out on the trail. doesn't matter how hard you are, everyone gets sick and tired of trail mix, peanut butter and beef jerky day after day.

i know for myself ive been looking into some motorcycle camping for the summer with the girlfriend and myself, which has ultimately lead me to the backpacking/hiking crowd since both pretty much require you to shove everything into your (or a friends) backpack. i started looking into and found that god damn, small and light shit is expensive!

now, just because something is expensive does not mean it is overpriced. if the quality, ingenuity, reliability and performance of a certain product exceed the initial cost of the item, then it can be seen as a good investment or whatever. but when i see sets of "folding chop sticks" for $29.99, i laugh my ass off. so i started googling and looking at what can be done on the cheap.

how affordable could someone build a small cooking set that they could bring with them camping? everyones needs are different of course, from how many people will use the set, to what kind of food will be prepared (just boil water and add? other ingredients or spices?). i looked at it from my own perspective. if i were strapping a container to the back of my motorcycle, what would i bring for my girlfriend and i?

so after a bit of thought, this is what ive come up with so far (about two weeks of collecting so far)

Untitled by 320iCar, on Flickr

Untitled by 320iCar, on Flickr

Untitled by 320iCar, on Flickr

Untitled by 320iCar, on Flickr

so what i have so far is most of the needs. there is plenty of room for spices, tea and condiments and a few other things i have not bothered to try to get together yet, but it gives you an idea so far.

free: heineken keg, cloth, sponge, dish soap, bic lighter, plastic cutlery, chop sticks
paid $2 each (or less): 750mL pot, 500mL pot, frying pan, 500mL cup x2, measuring cup, pot gripper, silicon pot holder, 2L water bag, large silicon bowls, small silicon bowls, 500mL stove fuel

i tried to have almost everything nestle together, the only things that did not really do that were the two mugs, so i'll be keeping my eye out for a better mug. but as is it does stack quite well. dish cloth on the bottom, water bag around the inner circumference of the mini keg. then the 750mL pot, with the large silicon bowls inside. then the 500mL pot with small bowls inside. then one mug with the gripper, lighter, sponge and stove. then the other cup above with another cup and measuring cup inside. then 150mL of fluid on the ouside with the larger pot grippers and dish soap and stuff. the only thing different in this example is i have my vargo triad alcohol stove in there instead of a DIY popcan stove.

in the future i will be able to refine and hone the design, but as a first draft its not bad at all. total cost so far (not including the vargo stove) ~$30

[320icar]

and just a few other things i've picked up, to throw around ideas and to use with other sets. i made the cheapo set, and now im trying to purchase a more expensive set from proper stores, but still trying to keep price in mind. the vargo triad alcohol stove (very happy with so far) runs better than 10 cent popcan stoves, but not enough to justify the price difference. pop can stoves really are nearly free, whereas the vargo is $28. then i got some sports (or foons, whatever) and a few other better things like folding silicon bowls.

Untitled by 320iCar, on Flickr

also just to point out, the nesting pot set (optimus terra weekend HE) is very nice, but just those two pots cost AS MUCH as everything pictured in the post above... crayz

and lately ive been trying it out at home, getting use to it and practicing making a few things. dollar store instant noodles (they were aweful by the way), some instant mashed potatos (surprisingly not shitty) and some good ol' tea and beans. all with this little stove.

Untitled by 320iCar, on Flickr
Untitled by 320iCar, on Flickr

Untitled by 320iCar, on Flickr
Untitled by 320iCar, on Flickr

Untitled by 320iCar, on Flickr

[TOS'd]

awesome thread! looking forward to more ideas etc.

[sdubfid]

Have you been to advrider?

[320icar]

ive been to their website a long time ago, thanks for remind me! so much info there.


so today was pretty quiet at work. gave me time to let my mind wander and think about food stuff while hiking or backpacking. im thinking about possible multi night excursions but NOT full on camping camping. if you can bring a cooler, then im not interested! if you have space for a cooler, a mini bbq and a two burner propane stove then you can cook and prepare anything you damn well please. so i thought of a few things.

K.I.S.S.: keep it simple, stupid! you have to bring things in your backpack. everything you need to eat, cook and prepare. want an elaborate roast beef dinner with gravy and all that? go check into a hotel. try to keep it to "just add water" ideas and you should be fine. dont bring bulky packaging and shit like that

Carry in/out: if youre out on the trail there aren't going to be convenient garbage cans for you. keep in mind that everything you bring in HAS to be brought back out with you. this is where ziploc bags come in handy. pack as much as you can in those little baggies because when its done, you can just stuff each one into the next bag and keep things super compact.

clean ass water: bc has some of the cleanest most fresh drinking water in the world. that does not mean that you can take a swig out of your nearest creek. if you have limited resources like fuel, boiling all your water can be quite time consuming and use all your fuel. either bring a fancy pants filter or UV light, or just keep a bunch of water tablets in your food prep container and clean your water a half our before you intent to use it.

no refrigeration: think of things you dont need to keep cold. you can go swing by a local shop (or diner) and swipe a handful of single serve butter packages as they keep very well. even the coffee/milk creamers you can get at 7-11 dont need to be kept cold as they are pasteurized, though fragile and squishable. you can get powdered milk or even powdered eggs. dont forget packets of things like ketchup, salt and pepper, soy sauce or hot sauce etc. anything you need to zing up some potentially boring food.

dehydrator: if you have a food dehydrator, then really your imagination is the only limitation. dehydrate some ground beef and make some awesome hamburger helper on the trail!

thats really the main tips. if you think of just some simple heat and add water meals, you can eat great the entire camping time! here are a few really simple things ive been thinking of. its always a good idea to maybe try cooking it at home first before a disaster happens when you least want it.

G.O.R.P.: good ol' raisins and peanuts. trail mix is delicious and is a great on the move snack. you can always buy it from a store, but i find mixing it yourself out of bulk-bins at superstore or whatever is better. that way you can add exactly what you like and to the ratios you prefer. raisins, peanuts, cashews, almonds, smarties, dried pineapple or mangos, craisins too. so many possibilities!

instant oatmeal: literally add hot water and wait 2 minutes. any flavour you want and you have a filling hot meal first thing in the morning. what else is there to say.

stovetop pasta or linguini: you can get those cheap stovetop noodles just about anywhere, and almost all of them just require some milk and to heat. this is where milk powder starts becoming useful. on its own its not very tasty, but when used in a cooking dish its really hard to tell.

instant noodles: these can be quite nice. can get dollar store cheap ones (which taste like shit) or some nice yakusoba (sp) noodles. bring some dehydrated veggies and toss it in with the flavour powder. just remember if you bring ones that come in their own plastic or styrofoam bowl, you have to carry that for the rest of the trip

mashed potatoes: i wouldn't normally recommend this unless i tried it for myself. definitely a winner and gets the thumbs up. just go buy some powdered instant mashed potatoes and add boiling water. to make it extra delicious, bring a tiny pack of butter to add in for creamyness, with some salt and pepper. if youre feeling extra baller, you can also throw in some garlic powder or even some bacon bits for an extra hearty, high carb lunch to keep you going.

Mac n' cheese: the college kid staple. so simple you can even follow the directions on the box. just cook the noodle, throw in a butter portion and some powdered milk. should make enough for two people too. just remember to put the noodle in a ziploc bag before you go so you dont have to carry the cardboard box around

pancakes: most pancake powders are really just add water and go. some ask you for an egg, but you can find a shit load that just say add water. if you really wanted you could bring syrup and stuff but i'd just eat it dry. cook extra in your pot (thicker the better) and you can make a bread substitute for later on in the trail. throw it in a ziploc and have it as a walking lunch.

fried rice: this is definitely more ambitious, but doable. cook your rice like you normally would. an option is to buy the instant rice that cuts down on the time necessary to cook. after thats done, throw in some spam (or pepperoni sticks you brought with you) and some dehydrated veggies like peas, corn or carrot bits. throw in a packet of soy sauce and again, you have a high carb, tasty meal for two.

canned foods: i hesitate to put this one on the list mainly because the cans are heavy and cumbersome. after consumed you WILL notice those cans still in your pack. if you can find a ziploc bag or similar that you trust to not rupture in your pack, then a can of beans, chili, chef boyardee or whatever can also be a very flavourful addition.

drinks!: everyone loves a hot cocoa or tea on the trail. coffee drinkers sometimes struggle as instant coffee can sometimes suck. there are percolators and espresso contraptions you can get for camping, but really just go buy some starbucks via and it will be better than some safeway freezedried shit. tea drinkers is easy, just add a bag and go!


will update more when i start thinking of more stuff. what do you guys love to eat while hiking, camping or out fishing?

[OTG-ZR2]

You can see my kettle and stove in the corner. Coleman white gas stove, fill it up and you'll make a weekend full of meals on one tank, no need to bring extra fuel. Kettle has a nesting cup and bowl, can't remember brand but I got it at MEC.

This was at Lindeman lake in Chiliwack

[320icar]

i almost bought that same kettle on sunday. those coleman duel fuel stoves are great too. can run on virtually anything.

beautiful picture by the way

[320icar]

scored a new mini stove and mini lantern on CL. very compact. ended up buying some fuel tanks to refill later on once they get spent.

Untitled by 320iCar, on Flickr

Untitled by 320iCar, on Flickr

Untitled by 320iCar, on Flickr


also made a simmer-ring for the vargo triad stove. the main problem with alcohol stoves, they only really have one setting. fully on!. so this is a common mod for the DIY stove, so i adapted it for my own. i tested it with a pot full of water and it makes a big difference, even though it doesn't really look like it.

without
Untitled by 320iCar, on Flickr
Untitled by 320iCar, on Flickr

and with
Untitled by 320iCar, on Flickr
Untitled by 320iCar, on Flickr
Untitled by 320iCar, on Flickr


so i decided to make grilled cheese. best i could do with the size of the pan.

Untitled by 320iCar, on Flickr
Untitled by 320iCar, on Flickr
Untitled by 320iCar, on Flickr