Backpacking Stoves

Arctic Ian said:
Hi LoriB
Could I ask how you dehydrate you home made meals please. Sounds interesting. I have been thinking about buying a small vacuum pack machine to make my own meals so that when Im out I just need to drop the pack into boiling water but the packs would be quite heavy due to the water content .
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I started by looking up some recipes....then studying up on dehydration....then I simply adapted the meals to my taste! I found one for unstuffed peppers that I particularly love after tweaking the sauce so that is what I use on my own stuffed pepper recipe....I keep my meats that I dehydrate in the freezer until I'm ready to go and I put my meals together as much as possible in a quart freezer bag....rice and peppers can store together, my sauce leather though I put in a separate little baggie inside the rice/pepper baggie...I measure out the meat and put it into another small baggie inside with the rest (that way if somehow my meat was rancid when I open it I can get rid of it and simply eat the meal meatless...when I'm at camp ready to make the meal I combine everything and cook it! Voila!! I made up another from a box of Suddenly Salad (Ranch & Bacon)...precook the pasta until almost done, rinse in cold water, drain and put in the dehydrator....I split the box into 2 meals, but next time I will probably make it into 3 because when I added chicken to it...it was too much for me...I split the sauce packet that comes with it into 2 small baggies and put them in with the macaroni/veggie mixture, added a couple tablespoons more of dehydrated mixed veggies I had too...I got mayo packets enough for each meal and packed those in with it too...at camp I opened a packet of chicken and split it between 2 of the meals for my friend and I, took the sauce packet and mayo packets out first....added boiling water and stirred it, sealed it and put it into my cooking pouch I made from that foil/bubble insulation...let it cook (rehydrate) for I think 20 min, while that was cooking I mixed the mayo with the sauce in the little baggie and when the macaroni part was done I added the sauce and stirred it up....that one was very good too. Since I've been back I've thought much about this subject since my trip this summer is 12 days....I've already started dehydrating veggies and I'm going to try dehydrating chicken next to save a little weight there....I already know I can do almost any sauce into "leather" as long as it's not dairy based so I'm simply going to work on adapting a few home recipes into backpacking ones!! Stroganoff....coca cola chicken....not sure what else yet!! I do have a full recipe for the unstuffed peppers (my way) if you'd like to try it....that one does cook in the pan for a few min before going into the cozy,but if you're a fan it's well worth the trouble of washing the pan!! :)
 
Thanks @LoriB , you gave me some good ideas! Especially making a insulation bag! Last summer I tried a meal with dehydrated veggies and zatarain's rice. I poured the hot water in and stuck the ziplock bag in my beenie cap and then wrapped that in my down jacket. 20 minutes later the water was still really hot, but I found my beenie cap and jacket now smelled like my dinner. Not a good thing in bear country...
 
I got an Esbit stove a couple days ago. Haven't even lit a tablet yet, will get to that when I can. Figure I'll need to fashion a wind screen of some sort too. It's dang sure hell for lightweight though! Stove is about half an ounce, fuel tabs a half ounce each, figure maybe six for a three day trip at 3 oz. total for fuel. Not bad.

That fuel though... Holy Hell does it STINK!!! I had read that it smelled bad and was expecting it to be so. But, I wasn't prepared for just how strong of a rotten putrid dead fish stink it has. I ordered it online and could smell it before I even opened the shipping container. Had it shipped to my office so put the shipping box in my car. Went out to go home a few hours later and the stink inside the car was pretty bad. Took it home, put the box in my gear room and forgot about it. Until then next morning, when I walked in the gear room and was greeted by a strong rotten dead fish stink.

And I haven't even opened the packaging yet, mind you!

Fortunately, I had an OpSack in my pile of gear and I put the still unopened box of Esbit tabs inside it and that did contain the stink.

Like I said, have not even opened the package yet, let alone lit one and tried a boil. Hoping to find time for that soon. But I can see this fuel will have to be handled and contained very carefully. I would absolutely HATE to get this smell into my sleeping bag!

- DAA
 
Thanks for the info Dave. I wonder if it smells like food/fish to other animals? For example, will you be attracting bears with the smell of the tablets?

That's some good press for the OpSack. I need to get a couple.
 
HomerJ said:
Thanks @LoriB , you gave me some good ideas! Especially making a insulation bag! Last summer I tried a meal with dehydrated veggies and zatarain's rice. I poured the hot water in and stuck the ziplock bag in my beenie cap and then wrapped that in my down jacket. 20 minutes later the water was still really hot, but I found my beenie cap and jacket now smelled like my dinner. Not a good thing in bear country...
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LOL....yeah...your coat smelling like your dinner would NOT be a good thing in bear country!!! :)
 
LoriB said:
Thanks, headlamps over the heavier flashlight or the chintzy hat lights were one of my next research projects!! We crave the solitude...food is generally only fuel while we are there...but we aren't eating freeze dried...LOL I tried that stuff and was NOT impressed...nope we have dehydrated good food and adapted everyday recipes to our liking so that they are very tasty and yet can be done usually in a freezer baggie...12 days will be a long time to be cut off from my daughter, but other than that I could probably stay out forever...LOL Only getting to go once a year...gotta make the very most of it...my everyday life is incredibly stressful and I just need the peace.
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Lori, I know this thread was several months ago, I think I went into hibernation through the winter but am now ready to get out with all the warm weather. So I was catching up and reading your post and am very curious about what kind of dehydrated meals you do and how? I have a dehydrator that I do fruit, jerky etc. Can I do a full meal in it too? Anyone else do homemade dehydrated meals?
 
Thanks Nick, guess I have a lot more to catch up on in here. The reason I love it here, anything and everything you could possibly want about the outdoors!
 
Eric Christensen said:
Lori, I know this thread was several months ago, I think I went into hibernation through the winter but am now ready to get out with all the warm weather. So I was catching up and reading your post and am very curious about what kind of dehydrated meals you do and how? I have a dehydrator that I do fruit, jerky etc. Can I do a full meal in it too? Anyone else do homemade dehydrated meals?
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I'm by no means an expert (yet) but yes, you can do full meals if you make the meals with the right things...so, if you make something that takes milk use powdered milk...powdered eggs....etc....the closest thing I've done so far is to make my dehydrated ingredients and mix them in the field to make my meal....I have dehydrated hamburger (with bread crumbs mixed in) successfully for my Unstuffed Peppers recipe, but that's the only meat I've tried so far....I have a new dehydrator coming this week (one with an actual temp setting) so I will let you know on that as I intend to start experimenting. The pasta dish I made was easy....required only to be cooked before I dehydrated it...the rest of the mixing took place in the field....I plan to dehydrate chicken next to see how that turns out so I can eliminate a little more weight this year. My friend and I are taking a 12 day hike out in Canyonlands again and I am determined to have decent meals to eat while we're out there!! Maybe we should start a whole thread devoted to just backpacking meals. :)
 
FYI....we're still hibernating here in good old Michigan....last night was our coldest yet at -22.....nonetheless I have been ready to go for months!! I like to focus on everything hiking I can to get me through the nasty winter. We still have 164 Days until we can again visit your beautiful state!!
 
Yeah, I see that!!! We have Alaska weather this year!!! I just sit here and watch my Utah slideshow go by and dream of warmer times...LOL
 
Old thread, and maybe redundant info.. but let me chime in:

Most stove/fuel systems have their place where they shine and outperform the others. None is the best/lightest/most efficient for all circumstances.

Non pressurized stoves cannot be exposed to wind or freezing temps without further modifications.

My preferences:
Just about any type trip of more than a week: white gas/Whisperlite
All winter outings: as above
Large groups with common kitchen (i.e. guided trips): as above
Alpine climbing w tiny bivy spots and possible in-tent cooking: hanging canister stove like Jetboil.
Shorter trips with small groups in above freezing temps: non pressurized alcohol stove.

The last one on the list represents pretty much all our trips in the last many years, making alcohol our preferred fuel. DIY aluminum can stoves are what we use.

30 years ago I spent some time in the army of another country. We used Esbit fuel tablets. Today my lack of tolerance for noxious fumes makes this option a no-go.



 
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ProbablyNotNick said:
Though on my solo trips, I usually just take a catfood can with some holes punched around the top. Pour in 3/4oz of denatured alcohol and you're good to go.
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Just a note, I found that my "Super Cat" alcohol stove sometimes struggles to keep up in cold wet weather. BUT there is nothing more peaceful than a silent alcohol stove. (No butane hiss)
 
Mark said:
Just a note, I found that my "Super Cat" alcohol stove sometimes struggles to keep up in cold wet weather. BUT there is nothing more peaceful than a silent alcohol stove. (No butane hiss)
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I quite enjoy the sound of a jet with its afterburners on two feet from me when I'm in the wilderness. :roflmao: LOL!
 
I love my jetboil. A really good general purpose solution. I still can't believe how fast it boils water, sometimes I am tempted to get it out instead of boiling water on the stove at home.
 
LoriB said:
LOL....yeah...your coat smelling like your dinner would NOT be a good thing in bear country!!! :)
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I always take a small ziplock bag with 1/4 full of baking soda. I use it for getting rid of smells, soap, cleaning dishes, and so on. Just dusting with some baking soda usually takes care of smells.
 
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I love my homemade fancy feast stove. It was simple to "build" and even simpler to use. It cost less than a dollar, weighs less than an ounce (including windscreen) and it works.

Full disclosure, I rarely boil more than 3 or 4 cups of water per day. If I was cooking for a group, and not just for me, I would want something that boiled water more efficiently. I only need to carry about 2 oz. of fuel per day out. My entire cook kit (including pot, stove, screen, fuel, ignition and spork) for a 3 -day trip weighs about 9 oz.
 
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