[pct-l] IDEAS on what stove to use when cooking for 4

[David Ellzey]

Charles,

Sorry to jump in late but I was actually out on a long hike with my wife and daughter!

I usually hike with my wife. We maintain speaking distance between us the entire hike and although we are fairly fast hikers, it affects our overall speed since a quick stop for one is a stop for all. It does add up. However, we enjoy this style of hiking together and it works for us. If you want to discuss opinions on group hiking, I'd be happy to share my experiences and opinions.

On to your question; I recommend using 2 Jetboil personal systems with the freezer bag cooking method. As mentioned previously, each person usually requires 2 cups of boiled water so 2 Jetboil systems will get you that boiling water in just a few minutes. If one system fails, you can all share the remaining one sequentially. What's more, I actually sat down with Andy Skurka one day and did the math (because that's the kind of guy he is) and it appears that if 2 people share a Jetboil to freezer bag cook, it is actually lighter than 2 people carrying alcohol stoves due to the differences in fuel weight. 

Freezer bag cooking is essentially pre-preparing all your meals components, dehydrating them then mixing them up in freezer bags. You then boil water (usually 2 cups, but portion dependant) and pour it into the bag. The bag sits inside a cozy for about 10 minutes until reconstituted. This way every person can choose whatever they wish for that nights meal. And the best part? Eat right out of the bag with a long spoon, no dishes to clean up, just zip up the bag when finished.

Anyway, that's my recommendation based on what works for me. You'll need to weigh in with the your own experience and requirements and plan out a solution that's best for you guys.

Dave (BigToe) 

-----Original Message-----
From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net] On Behalf Of Charles Doersch
Sent: Tuesday, May 03, 2011 5:23 PM
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: [pct-l] IDEAS on what stove to use when cooking for 4

Hi everyone,

Since there's four of us in my group next year, we've presumed the MSR canister would be our quickest, hottest, most efficient way to heat water. 

I've read some advice that alcohol-burning stoves might not work particularly well for four guys together (quantity of water being heated, etc.)-- but I'm wondering what your experience has been. 

Of course, availability of the canisters at stores along the trail could be a problem. Is it an important problem?

We have had enough experience cooking over wood-flames (chaparral flames, dried cow dung flames, etc.), that we thought of utilizing that as a fall back or regular alternative to the MSR canister. 

Thoughts?

Cheers,

Charles Doersch


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