How to Cook While Backpacking

Using a backpacking stove is the most convenient way to cook when you are backpacking, whether you're boiling water for coffee or whipping up a nice hot meal at the end of a long day on the trail. Bringing a backpacking stove does add weight to the pack, but campfire cooking is more difficult, and from time to time, they are banned because of seasonal fire dangers.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Backpacking stove of your choice
• Lighter or matches
• Pans and utensils
• Food

1. Find an area that is pretty flat and out of the wind. You will waste less fuel if you cook in an area where the air is still.

2. Set up your backpacking stove by following the instructions provided by your stove's manufacturer.

3. Get out the food that you want to cook. If you are using lake or river water to rehydrate your food, make absolutely sure you boil or treat the water first so that you do not get sick.

4. If you are cooking from scratch, put the food that takes the longest to cook in the pan first. If you are using dried backpacking food, start with the part of the meal that will take the longest to rehydrate. Dried meats, for example, take longer to absorb water than potatoes or carrots.

5. Make sure you stir your food frequently, so you do not scorch it or cause it to stick to the bottom of the pan.

6. Turn the backpacking stove off once your meal is cooked. It will save on fuel, which means you will have to carry less of it in your backpack.

7. Once you have eaten, wash your utensils, plates and silverware. You can heat water in the cooking pan to wash the dishes, and if you are using river or lake water, make sure you treat the water, just as if you were going to use it for cooking.

Tips & Warnings

• Cooking outside when backpacking can be a fun skill to learn. There are lots of ways to carry lightweight equipment that will help you cook delicious meals in the great outdoors.
• Practice cooking one-pot meals at home before you go on your backpacking trip so you can plan a tasty menu while enjoying your hiking trip.
• Bring foods that are in packaging that can be burned in a campfire. Leaving cans behind is a real no-no. Lots of products are now packaged in paper that will readily burn.
• Unfortunately, no water can be considered pure enough to drink anymore, so purify it before you use it for drinking, cooking, or washing dishes.
• Do NOT cook in your tent, no matter how bad the weather might be outside. Cooking inside a tent is a fire hazard, and the fumes from the stove are a health hazard.

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