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Over time I have managed to get my weekend backpack down to around 25-30 pounds. I am not an fully anointed apostle of the ultra-lightweight sect but I have certainly benefited from a lot of their ideas. The backpacking cook kit described here weighs in at well less than two pounds depending on your choice of stove.
Without the stove my choices will cost you somewhere between $20-25.00 – a pretty good deal.
I highly recommend the Solo Stove – it’s a viable replacement for a gas canister stove, I’ll be posting a more complete review of it soon.
GSI Outdoors Infinity Insulated Mug
A simple, handle free cylinder of plastic with an insulating sleeve. Not much to see here, and that’s how it ought to be.
It’s a worthy addition to any kit. The mug holds 17 fl. oz. and measures 3.7″x 3.7″x 4.4″.
Available at Amazon
MSR Superfly Stove
Fits almost all self-sealing butane canisters, including MSR IsoPro, Camping Gaz, Primus and Epi.Priced from $40-60, fuel is around $5-6 for a small canister that should take one person through a weekend of cooking with a bit left over.
I like the fast boil time, the ease of use and reliability.
I don’t like using a disposable gas cannister.
One fuel canister weighs 10 oz
Available at Amazon
Solo Stove
Solidly built, light, and burns like a little furnace creating a source of heat that rivals or exceeds a gas stove.
I have tried a number of wood burning options and they all have been, in one way or another too finicky, too heavy or too unreliable. A handful of sticks boils a quart or two of water in minutes – it’s really quite something. No fuel canister required. The two down sides are soot (I have a bag for my pot and a bag for the stove is included in the purchase, so no big deal there) and you can’t light it up and walk away. The stove burns so well and so quickly you’ll need to feed the flame regularly.
Costs from $60-80, which seems pricey, but you’ll never need to buy fuel.
Solo Stove
Open Country 2 qt kettle
If you are familiar with the ‘standard’ camping pot kit most Scout troops use you’ll recognize that this is the smallest pot. Measures 4 1/8″ x 6″.I can pack my stove and other cooking gear inside this pot. It’s a little large for one person, but I usually end up cooking with several others anyway. At $11.00 it’s inexpensive. A titanium pot of similar capacity (the Snow Peak 1400) weighs slightly more and costs 4 times as much!
Available at Amazon
GSI Outdoors Cascadian Bowl
Truth be told my camping bowl of many, many years is a plastic rice bowl I bought in Washington D.C.’s Chinatown for a couple of bucks. The Cascadian bowl weighs a svelte once and a half and is basically indestructible. 6.4 in. x 6.4 in. x 1.7 in.
GSI Outdoors Tekk Cutlery
I never carry the fork and knife backpacking, just the spoon. I’ll pack the fork and knife for car camping but rarely use them, the spoon works just fine.
Buy the set, and take only what you need backpacking, take the rest for other camping trips.
Available at Amazon
I’ve always been a fan of the Kmart grease pot at approximately 2.5oz and costing about $6.
You can find ultralight backpacking cannister stoves by JOGR on Amazon for about $9. The reviews are decent and the price is right.
I have the GSI Halulite Minimalist cookset which is basically an aluminum mug similar to the Infinity Mug. It costs more than the Infinity Mug but I can remove the insulated sleeve and make coffee in it on backpacking trips.
Fantastic post! I must admit that as a huge camping fan , the cooking is something I often neglect but your post has definitely given me something to think about! Many thanks for the useful advice!