Backpacking without a stove

there are tons of options for lightweight stoves, but on extended trips, the weight tends to come in the form of fuel. so if you are out a week, even if your little soda can alcohol stove weighs 2 ounces, the fuel you have to carry to boil x amount of cups over that much time tends to weigh more than a more efficient stove.

the best options are probably the wood burning stoves, if you don't want to carry fuel. still 8 ounces though for most of them (with a pot).

two years ago on the PCT i gave up on a stove. for one, i was hiking close to 30 miles a day, so I didn't need hot food to get me going in the morning. i just needed food i could shove in my mouth while hiking. (i will probably never hike like that again, it's pretty boring.) however, going without a stove is great. i loved the simplicity, never had to worry about it. and it saves you around a pound when you consider fuel and the stove over a week's time. pretty sweet!

sometimes i did the cold starbucks thing, or cold chai. i don't really crave caffeine that much though, so no big deal. in the summer, it tends to be warm enough you don't need the comfort of a hot drink. ymmv.

anyways, it can be done quite easily if you are into it.
 
Here's another lightweight option at only 0.4 oz for the stove.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002AQET2C/?tag=backcountrypo-20

I have a few stoves similar to this(http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005CB7FM8/?tag=backcountrypo-20) that I have used with trioxane tablets and they work well to heat water.

I skip the esbit stove and get a empty cat food can from my grandmother in law with the plastic lid, put some air holes in the side and store my exbit inside of the new free stove :) Then use a Heineken can as a pot/cup and you have a seriously light coffee making setup :)
 
wheres the back country burner?​

Still not here! He promised that everyone would have a shipping notice by leap day but I didn't get one. To top that off, I emailed him to make sure he wasn't shipping to my old work address and he hasn't responded! :mad:
 
I have been taking packets of Starbucks Via instant, which I find to be pretty good, just dumped in my water bottle first thing in the morning with a couple of Splendas, and drinking it cold. It gets me going. To each his own.

Thanks for this advice John. I've been doing the Via straight up, no heat, no splenda, no sugar, etc. and I actually like it as much or better than when it's hot. Scratch that. Much better. Backpacking without a stove is great, I love the simplicity of it.
 
I have the lightest option, although the stove burner is a really great idea ... invite a friend who can't live w/out coffee and you know will carry a burner so you can borrow it. Perhaps in return you carry something he/she wants - like the coffee. Make it a win/win!

I don't drink coffee, but really like the no stove choice when it's warm enough to not have a hot meal at dinner. I love the jerky, nuts, honey, peanut butter, and maybe an apple approach.
 
So I'm starting to lean towards option #4...

4. Get whoever I'm backpacking with to heat me up 2 cups of water in the morning - PRICELESS! :lol:


ah great, now my coffee is now all over my computer screen. thanks man.
 
I just completed my first backpacking trip without a stove, and it actually worked out pretty nicely. Starbucks also makes Via iced coffee packets, so I used those for my morning brew. Not bad!
 
Similar threads
Thread starter Title Forum Replies Date
B 3P Backpacking Tent Recommendation and Nemo Aurora feedback Gear 3
TrailScot Capitol Reef NP - 5 Day Backpacking Adventure from Chimney Rock to Burro Wash - October 2023 Backpacking 10
Mikjik86 Backpacking Indian Peaks Wilderness - King Lake - August, 2023 Backpacking 0
J Backpacking in the UK Backpacking 1
2eez4life Suggestions: Uintas Backpacking with some rock climbing routes Trip Planning 0
M Backpacking 50 miles in the Uinta Mountains for 5 days with ~50 pound pack Backpacking 4
forest dweller What do you think are the most essential nutrients while backpacking? General Discussion 17
B 2P Backpacking Tent Recommendation Gear 17
forest dweller Favorite backpacking foods...convenient, easy, delicious, nutritious? General Discussion 20
forest dweller You guys keep a backpacking gear checklist in Microsoft Word you don't mind sharing? General Discussion 13
forest dweller I have tons of backpacking food past it's expired by date... General Discussion 10
maisweh Backpacking Maze - Please Critique Trip Planning 11
DrNed Backpacking Light Memberships Resource Discussions 6
ANelson Backpacking with a 600MM Lens General Discussion 13
E Weeklong+ backpacking recs in Yellowstone NP? Trip Planning 11
mikejones3 New Backpacking / Hiking Weight Calculator App Gear 0
R Backpacking in the Pacific Northwest Trip Planning 7
NorthwestWanderer Backpacking Grand Teton National Park : Fossil Pass,Fox Creek Pass,Indian Lake,Alaska Basin,Hurricane Pass,Ice Floe Lake,& Snowdrift Lake Backpacking 19
Mikjik86 Backpacking The Wind River Range - Wyoming, September 2022 Trip Reports 3
norwegianxplorer 6 days Backpacking Norway in the Fall (Part 2) Backpacking 4
V four day backpacking trip in southern Utah starting this weekend Trip Planning 4
norwegianxplorer 6 days backpacking Jotunheimen in the fall Trip Reports 4
Desertratgal Backpacking/Packrafting Needles and Maze Districts of Canyonlands Trip Planning 3
BJett Amazing Appalachians - Backpacking/Packrafting the AT and Nantahala River Backpacking 5
kwc Backpacking on the Northville Placid Trail (NPT) Backpacking 13
norwegianxplorer 7 days backpacking Breheimen/Glacier Home National Park in Norway Backpacking 2
SeanIsADesertRat Old guys backpacking in Dark Canyon Backpacking 17
norwegianxplorer Backpacking the Lofoten archipelago in arctic Norway Backpacking 6
Mikjik86 4 Days Backpacking Grand Teton Wilderness/Teton Crest Trail - Wyoming, July, 2021 Backpacking 0
T Southern Utah Backpacking ideas for MLK Weekend? Trip Planning 21
norwegianxplorer Backpacking SAREK NATIONAL PARK, Arctic Sweden, Camping Above RAPADALEN delta. Backpacking 7
TrailScot Canyonlands NP Needles backpacking permit in winter General Discussion 5
ghsmith76 Looking for best multi-day Backpacking Trips near Livingston, MT Trip Planning 6
norwegianxplorer Finding Hidden Glacier, 9 days backpacking Jotunheimen National Park Pt3, Norway. Trip Reports 0
norwegianxplorer Highest Mountain in Norway, Galdhøpiggen, the start of a 9 day backpacking trip in Jotunheimen national park Backpacking 0
montanaclimber Americans: where was your favorite international backpacking trip? Trip Planning 25
norwegianxplorer 5 days Backpacking Rondane National Park, Norway Backpacking 3
norwegianxplorer Backpacking Norway, Femundsmarka National Park Pt 3, Grand Scandinavian Hiking & Backpacking Tour Ep4 Backpacking 0
norwegianxplorer Backpacking Rogen Nature Reserve, Sweden & Femundsmarka National Park, Norway Pt2 Backpacking 2
norwegianxplorer 10 days Backpacking Femundsmarka National Park and Rogen Nature Reserve, Norway and Sweden Backpacking 8
norwegianxplorer Backpacking Scandinavia, Norway & Sweden June-September Backpacking 4
andyjaggy A couple of Backpacking Trip Report Videos Backpacking 0
NorthwestWanderer Backpacking Idaho's Cecil D. Andrus-White Clouds Wilderness : O'Calkens Lake & Bighorn Basin Backpacking 2
forest dweller How did you meet most of your backpacking companions? General Discussion 83
LarryBoy World's Wimpiest Backpacking Trip Trip Planning 19
Jamesoutside life Looking for backpacking buddy montana aug/sept Noobs: Introduce yourself! 0
RyanP Snowy Range (WY) easy backpacking recommendations? Trip Planning 4
norwegianxplorer How a Reindeer herd w/calves invaded my camp & started fighting over turf, backpacking Femundsmarka NP Norway Backpacking 2
D Backpacking Advice in the Winds, Teton Wilderness and the Washakie Wilderness Trip Planning 8
JuddOutdoors What is a good backpacking single person tent? 4 Season Gear 14

Similar threads

Back
Top