Cooking Gear
Cooking Gear
Cooking includes the ability to cook gourmet foods while car camping and
heating up water for dehydrated bag meals on backpacking trips.
Disclaimer
The following
information includes common products and practices used by backpackers.
These products and practices may
violate food handling practices or expose the handler or consumer to
pathogens or chemicals that may be unhealthy.
Your troop hopefully has stoves for camping use. But if you want your
own stove, you have many options. That said, before you run out an
purchase a stove for your scout, come talk to our Hiking and Backpacking
Team. They hopefully can point you in the right direction.
Stoves
- Stove is vital in the winter for cooking, providing emergency heat and
for melting snow to drink
- There are many types of stoves to consider
- Isobutane Stoves
- Propane Stoves
- White Gas Stove
- Alcohol Stoves
- Hexamine Stoves
- Wood Stoves
Stoves Recommended for Scouts
- There is a lot that goes into stove selection
- If you are looking for a basic all around stove for your scouts,
consider a basic Isobutane/butane over the canister stove such as:
- If you want to know more about stoves...read on
Isobutane Stoves
- These camping stoves are easy to use and generally work down to
freezing temperatures
- Isobutane Camp Stoves are use a variety of fuels
- Isobutane vaporizes at 10.85°F (-11.75°C)
- This fuel becomes problematic in subfreezing temperatures
- With good technique, this can be used in most environments we will
visit
- Note: Special training requires for use in subfreezing
temperatures
- Butane vaporizes at 33°F (0.6°C)
- This fuel will fail to work at near freezing temperatures
- This fuel is less expensive than isobutane, but is not suitable
for winter camping
- Propane vaporizes at −43.8°F (−42.1°C)
- Propane will continue to work far below temperature we will
experience
- Some stoves can use propane with a special adapter
- Use of fuels not approved by the stove manufacturer is NOT
recommended
- Big cans are too heavy for summer time use
- Use in subfreezing temperatures
- These types of stoves requires special techniques to operate in the
cold
- Talk to your Winter Adventure Team about this
- Specialty stoves that use a remote fuel line, inverted a fuel
canister and generator tube
- Consider specialty fuels with a higher mix ratio of Isobutane and/or
Propane
- Examples of Stoves
- MSR
Pocket Rocket 2
- Simple over-canister stove
- Jetboil
Zip
- Cook System - comes with pot
- Great for boiling water for dehydrated meals and hot drinks
- FluxRing improves heat transfer to pot - theoretically improves
fuel economy and decreases boiling times
- Example of Isobutane Stoves better suited for Winter Camping
- MSR
WindPro II Stove
- Remote canister feed design has several benefits
- Allows for inversion of fuel canister
- Vaporization pressure is used to push liquid fuel into stove
- This minimizes vaporization in canister and reduces icing of
canister
- This significantly improves cold temperature performance
- Remote canister means you can have lower and more stable stove
- Less likely to tip over pot compared to stove-over-cansister
setups
- Generator tube on stove preheats fuel fed to stove
- MSR
WhisperLite Universal
- Expedition Quality Stove
- Also allows for use of White Gas
- Heavier duty design mean more durable and heavier
- Remote canister feed allow you to invert canister
- Wait for sales before Holidays to purchase this
- This is more stove than most scouts will need
Propane Stoves
- Best option for site/car camping
- Easy to use
- Too Heavy for Backpacking Use
- Option for snow camping as propane vaporizes down to −43.8°F (−42.1°C)
- Example:
White Gas Stoves
- Several hazards and problems are associated with White Gas Stoves
- Flare ups can burn scouts or set gear on fire
- Spills are toxic and messy
- Fumes are toxic
- They require maintenance
- They require a certain level of skill to operate
- Not recommended for general use by scouts
- Not recommended for use by younger or less mature scouts
- We recommend against this type of stove, except for snow camping
- Use of Gasoline in these stoves is PROHIBITED, toxic and dangerous!
- White gas stoves requires maintenance and finesse to use - avoid
if these aren't your strong point
- So why use a White Gas Stove
- White gas stoves are not as effected by subfreezing temperatures as
Isobutane and Butane stoves
- Fuel is less expensive than gas fuels stoves
- These can pump out some HEAT!
- These are what are used on Polar expeditions
- Examples of White Gas Stoves
Alcohol Stoves
- Uses various fuels
- Denatured Alcohol
- Methanol (HEET antifreeze)
- Isopropanol Alcohol (generally creates a lot of soot)
- Low heat output
- Slower cook times
- Poor option for large groups
- Not ideal for melting snow
- Lightweight/environmental option
- Used by may ultralightweight hikers
- Option for solo/duo hike with freezerbag meals
- Renewable fuel
- Potentially dangerous fuel
- Requires certain level of maturity to use
- Spill hazard
- Flame hazard - invisible flame
- NOT recommended for scouts per BSA
- Per 2022
Safe Guide to Scouting: "Chemical fuels not
recommended—Unleaded gasoline; liquid alcohol
fuels, including isopropyl alcohol, denatured ethyl
alcohol, and ethanol; and other flammable chemicals that are not in
accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions for chemical-fueled
equipment. "
- DIY stoves are Prohibited by the BSA
- Per 2022
Safe Guide to Scouting: "Prohibited chemical-fueled
equipment—Equipment that is handcrafted, homemade, modified,
or installed beyond the manufacturer’s stated design limitations or
use. Examples include alcohol-burning “can” stoves, smudge
pots, improperly installed heaters, and propane burners with their
regulators removed."
- Example
Hexamine Stoves
- Uses Haxamine Solid fuel - such as ESBIT
- Low heat output
- Slower cook times
- Poor option for large groups
- Not ideal for melting snow
- Lightweight option
- Used by may ultralightweight hikers
- Option for solo/duo hike with freezerbag meals
- Examples:
Wood Stoves
- Maximizes efficient use of bio fuels and wet/damp fuels
- Requires locally found wood/biomass or for you to haul it in
- Fires requires a certain amount of supervision and these are generally
not suitable for scout trips (with some exceptions)
- Can't be used during burn bans
- Produces waste
- Smoke
- Ash
- Partially burnt fuels
- Examples:
- Portable stove (breaks down into portable unit)
- Foldable stove (fold or breaks down flat)
Unconventional Stoves
- There are a number of Unconventional Stove options available
- There is a reason these are not in mainstream use
- These are NOT recommended for scouts
- Examples:
- Solar Stoves
- Slow cook times
- NO cooking if no sun!
- Wax/Candle/Paraffin
- Excellent potential heat output per gram of fuel
- Impractical and often dangerous to use
- Chemical Stoves
- Heat output is generally low
- Produces a lot of waste
- Some are potentially dangerous or toxic
- Woods Stoves that use electricity
- Generally impractical for what we do
- Canned Heat
- Low heat output
- Flame hazard
- There are better options
- Electric Stoves, Cookers and Immersion Coils
- Nice to have on certain trips
- Not suitable for most camping - due to lack of electricity
- Not suitable for hotel cooking - due to fire risk
- Internal Combustion Engine Powered Stoves
- Includes those that use engine exhausts to operate
- Impractical for what we do
- Homemade, Improvised and other Survival Stoves
- The ability to fabricate and use these are invaluable in a zombie
apocalypses
- We do NOT go on outings in designated zombie apocalypses zones
- Use is PROHIBITED by the BSA
Pot
- A pot is required to boil water or cook food
- Use for boiling water
- May be used as a bowl if not eating out of bag
- Ideal size for Scout: 750-1600 mL
- Examples:
- Cup/Pot the nestles around water bottle (38oz
Nalgene, 40oz Klean Kanteen, Stanley Pot, etc. )
- Expedition/Survival Grade Pots
- Zebra Bill Pot - 12cm
- Zebra Thailand - Satien Stainless Steel Public Company Limited
- Capacity: 1.5 L (44 oz)
- 18-10 Marine Grade Stainless Steel
- fireboxstove.com
has a Thailand made Zebra pot with SS clips
- Solo use
- Zebra Bill Pot - 14cm
- Zebra Thailand - Satien Stainless Steel Public Company Limited
- Capacity: 2.5 L (64 oz)
- 18-10 Marine Grade Stainless Steel
- fireboxstove.com
has a Thailand made Zebra pot with SS clips
- Duo or long term camp use
- Screw Lit Pot
- Allows for cold hydration of food
- Add dehydrated food and water, seal, let sit
- Some meals will take hours to rehydrate - so plan ahead
- Can heat up later on stove or campfire
- NOTE: many foods can not be adequately Cold Soaked:
- Mountain House meals that contain pasta and rice
- Quinoa
- Instant rice
- Pasta
- Cold-soaking will soften pasta but you won't be able to digest
much of it unless cooked at 130-185° F
- You can cook pasta, dehydrate and cold-soak - but it's mushy
- Vargo 700 BOT
- Plastic jar
- Favorite amount many hikersPlastic
- Talenti Gelato jars are a favorite
- Peanut butter jars are also a favorite
- Can't place cook food on a fire with them
- Freezer Bags
- Works - but can burst if you hike with them full of water
- Some try - 'Crotch Pot' technique
- Place bag with water and food in crotch to warm up
- Issue - if it bursts, you smell like your food
Pot Cozy
- Used to insulate hot pot
- Keeps food warm - allows for less fuel use
- Insulates hot pop from bare hands
Mess Kit
- Scouts will need a mess kit for site/car camping
- Kit should be easy to pack away and clean
- Should ideally include
- Spoon and fork - or Spork
- Bowl
- Mesh bag for storage and to allow kit to hang dry
- Example Mess Kits
Special Shout Out to: Troop 60 - Home of High Adventure
