Ok guys and gals, a question for the forum. What do you think are the basics for a backpacking trip in terms of stove and pans etc ? I tend to go hill walking in all seasons, but my kit for two is pretty much the same:

Primus 96 and 71, or 96 and a Turmsport

one or two sets of British army rectangular mess tins (great bit of kit)

Sometimes a Trangia kettle

Insulated stainless steel mugs

knife fork and spoon plus a G.Ibberson & co fishing knife

Lighting depends on the season and weight of pack, these days I tend to go for an LED head torch and candles.

If I was using the car as a base a Tilley or two would come along (and a Primus 5 and 2)


Rik

I haven't really got out in a while but my preference is to carry as little as possible.

Kit for 1
For a weekender:

1tr water bottle you need more water than this but i don't want to carry any more!

One stove, trangia pot with lid, spoon and a cup. You can do away with the cup I suppose if you like drinking your tea from a hot bowl!

If being a bit less minimalistic:
Stove, trangia pot with lid, cup and Trangia Kettle, spoon and fork.

I prefer the Trangia pots as A: I already got them.
B: they are an easy shape to clean. The lid can act as a frying pan a shallow bowl or a plate as well as a cover for the pot.

Lighting: Maglite Solitaire

Incidentals: Turbo Lighter & matches.
Leatherman plier thing


Generally, when on my own the stove is a Trangia 27 (Sometimes the Optimus Nova) I'd rarely carry both pots but almost always take a spare burner which means I never have to wait till one cools to refill it - I can just pluck the hot burner out with the pot handle, putut the second one in and relight. Hardly ever necessary but safer and more convenient than waiting on the old one to get cold or risking a refill while it's still pretty warm.

If cycling I'd probably take the Nova -if you stop for a cup of tea you want to be on the road again before you (your legs) cool down too much sometimes the Trangia might be just too slow. Maybe LPG is the answer (awaits thunderbolt!!)

The first message I wrote was a little rushed, and to be honest, my son and I have recently used a couple of ex Swedish Army Trangia kits and these have proved to be 100%. However,,,,,,,,,the smell of kero still brings the 96 into play

Rik

The maglite range are really good torches, but I have been using a couple of LED torches via ebay, head and hand lamp, and both go on for ever, giving a good spread of light.

Rik

For weekend backpacking I always take the Trangia 27. I have dispensed with the frying pan & use one 1 litre pan & the kettle. I have a lid of an old, cheap stainless pan set that fits the Trangia pan. My diet is pretty much the same all year round - some sort of cereal or porridge for breakfast with tea. With a kettle you can be brewing the second cup while still eating your breakfast. Same principle applies at lunch if I'm having super-noodles. Evening meal is a Pasta Choice Macaroni Cheese or similar. I love the Mac & cheese so much I can eat it for days on end - mixed in with a small tin of tuna, mayo & sweetcorn. Followed by cake bars & custard - no washing up in between! The kettle provides enough water for the custard & another brew. If I'm organised I take my own home dried meals - leftovers are rare in my house so food has to be cooked for the purpose!
One spoon - no knife or fork. I have a titanium MSR spoon which I bought for use with my GK on a Norwegian trip (I didn't know they also did a stainless steel version otherwise I'd of got that!) However my preferred spoon is from a cheap stainless Chinese knife-fork-spoon set. It is lighter than my titanium spoon & the redunant rivet that was used to clip it to the long gone knife & spoon is perfect for resting on the edge of the pan. I use a plastic insulated mug as I'm a bugger for letting my tea go cold otherwise & I tend to break the normal plastic mugs.
When I backpack with our lass the kits the same - she just takes a plastic bowl to eat from. I can just manage 2 mugs of tea from the kettle & I actually half my normal ration for the evening meal between us as she doesn't eat as much as me. I guess this would indicate that I over-eat when solo! Use the same diet all year around (always solo in winter) but may forego the pudding in summer or have it for breakfast.
I have a basic Swiss Army knife wih a can opener for the tuna.
I still use my 23 year old Petzl zoom. I had a Petzl Tika for a while but swapped it for an old stove! I found the light a bit weird especially outside of the tent. I know the Zoom is heavy but I like it. I don't carry any surplus kit so my pack never seems that heavy. Inside the tent I use a candle.
I've never heard of anyone carrying a spare Trangia burner until this thread & I know a lot of users. As soon as I'm happy the flame is out I'm happy to refill the burner - just like double priming a Primus - it may hiss & spit cos it's hot but I've never had meths ignite without a naked flame. Thats just me - I'd advise everyone else to follow the manufacturers instructions.

Your a man after my own heart in many ways,,,,,,,noodles and pasta,,,nectar of the gods for a camper. However, If I can spare the load the odd tin of bully beef goes down well (or tuna, sardines, pilchards etc). If I use dried food (like the trusty Vesta beef curry) I bring it to the boil, knock off the stove and wrap my mess tins in a plastic carrier bag and pop it in my sleeping bag. Cooks in its own heat (like the old boy's scouts "hay" box cooker.

Rik

Rik,
Lightening my load is something I am striving to do. I find that I can no longer haul a heavy pack.
I am lightening eveywhere I can. I bought an 2 cup aluminum coffee perculator to make coffee and boil water. I don't object to making the coffee then filling a mug and then filling the pot and boiling water again for what ever else I need. Usually rehydrating food.
Right now my Optimus 80 and a fuel bottle are the stove combo. I have a pending Optimus 00 enroute. I have a plastic bowl 8 inches by 2 1/2 inches with a lid that is a recycled Chinese takeout bowl (hey who said Americans don't recycle) The lid fits tight to aid in the hydrating process. I also have a snow*peak titanium spork. The other titanium kits just didn't make sense for the price and the percolator does double duty. Also I use a lightweight thermal mug that keeps liquids warm and will not burn my lips. A lightweight pack http://www.granitegear.com that weighs two pounds is under consideration. My tent weight has been cut to 3 lbs and I carry two 32 oz (1000ml) nalgene water bottles. My flashlight is a Brunton LAMPLIGHT™ LED FLASHLIGHT AND LANTERN http://www.brunton.com/catalog.php?item_id=247&subcategory_id=43&category_id=3&old_item_id=247&old_subcategory_id=43&old_category_id=3
It was a bit pricey but 3oz is a small amount to carry.
I carry just the swiss army cadet knife but, I may move down to the next smaller size.


Chuck

I wrangled horses for a big-horn sheep guide on the Cody side of Yellowstone back in the '80's. These permits are highly sought after and can be the hunt of a life time. Terry Bangart would leave the horses with binoculars, spotting scope, pistol, space blanket and a candle. Him and the hunter could be gone for days. His theory is "We didn't come up here to sit in camp, we came here to shoot a big-horn". Alot of hunters couldn't take it. Those that could will never forget the experience. Above timber-line in Sept/Oct can be fierce at best. Nights are long, and the candle was to warm the hunter. No open fires for the sheep to see. I spiked out with him several times, and as I lay there shivering and shaking, he'd sleep like a baby. He didn't need to drink but every couple days, and food was 'when we get back to camp'. If you were smart, you'd take a granola bar or two, and a tin cup to melt snow over the candle for a drink at night. Terry was impervious to the elements, but he is still the best sheep guide on the mountain. So I guess it depends on what your goal is. Just having a good time, or something closer to true survival. I still hunt elk with him every year, and hope I always will. You don't know what your limits are until you hit them head on. I rooted thru his saddle bags one time thinking he had freeze dried meals hid in there for himself. I found a a little jar of Lawry's Season Salt. And thats all. I asked him about it later, and he said, "It ain't too bad on a pinecone, Baggsy!", with a wry grin on his face. He is one tough hombre. He has taught me more about myself than a hundred other people. You don't go up and have a good time, you come down off the mountain a different person after each trip. It adds perspective to our lives. And guess where he is this very moment???

He sounds like the last of the cowboys, a real character. The nearest person to him I know was an old mate of mine who spent every weekend climbing in North Wales. He would hitch hike there, climb all day, have a couple of pints in a local pub, then curl up and sleep in one of the old red phone boxes we had here at the time (30 years back). His diet consisted of sardines with curry powder, bread and sweetened condensed milk (with a little water). These were his student days and when he got his degree and earned some money, he spent it on silly things like a landrover, tent and Primus stove......even his menu improved, he dumped the sardines and ate "normal" food.

Rik

All depends on what I am doing, where I am going and what time of year.

My basic kit would include most of the following. Frame pack, down bag, space blanket, gramps gave it to me 35 years ago and still going strong but with a few burn holes, USGI poncho liner(lasted 20years+ so far) for cold nites. Optimus 8R(35 years old and still going strong), fuel, an aluminum pot/pan set unknown brand(also 35 yo)made up of 2 pots about 2qts, nested, with a fry pan with useless teflon coat(a little olive oil fixes that), small 1/2qt pot and pan for my traditional chili beans and rice nitecap, titanium fork and spoon or a spork. Or sometimes I will take my USGI "kidney" messkit with GI utensils(35 yo). I also take a titanium Sierra cup and my USGI canteen with cup on a belt kit. A Gaz GT lantern(30 yo), running low on cannisters so I may have to switch over to the Coleman Tiny Expedition(maybe 10 candle power) or the Gaz 270(?) which gives about 100cp, but weighs a lot with fuel.

Now that I am over ffffforty, I find that lugging a 60# pack is no longer my idea of high entertainment in the woods. So I am starting to consider going much lighter. Now I might use a candle lantern and I just bought an Optimus Crux stove, pocket sized(I could hide 2 or 3 in my closed hand) but fuel cans still in the way. Notice that much of my gear is well over 20 years old, so I know what it does and that it always works, but still they are a bit heavy. I have one of those (4)LED head lamps but find that the quality of light doesn't seem to fit my seeing spectrum well, ie not much range and colors don't stand out. Still perfect for doodling around camp.

If I get really desperate there is a website with mostly nuts on it that go to extremes, like hiking barefoot, "no cook" eating, drinking water from whatever source etc. Still they do have some good ideas on light weight gear and they even have "how to make its". Their site is ... http://hikinghq.net/

I like my luxury in the woods so I will always have a stove and a pot and lantern at least.

My two boy scouts are still a bit small for any heavy duty pack animal duty so I may have to suffer a few years till they hit their growth spurt or until I can use their macho against their better judgement.

Jim Henderson

I always freeze a big steak, wrap it in plastic and then roll it in my sleeping bag. I take a small backpaker grill to cook it on, or just use some oil in my old fry pan. Nothing like a hot steak with salt and pepper in the woods the first night. I usually also take along a small bottle of sauce.

I may do that this week end when my youngest scout and I attend Webelos Woods, a training session for cubscouts. Beats the heck out of beenie weenies.

Jim Henderson

Baggsy's tale of his hardened outdoorsman is paralleled by an article in our local paper this morning about Washington State's plans to put small cabins and yurts in some state parks; no toilets or sinks, but electricity and bunks. The parks people say that overnight tent camping use is down in this generation. I know that Oregon has many state parks with yurts.
Today's article is accompanied by a photo of a mom and son in one of these little 1-room cabins: the boy is watching tv. Sad.
I'm 55, but I still like to sleep in a tent on the ground; the main stipulation is a good pad. As I reported earlier this summer, I finally got my wife to go camping (she stayed home for breaks when I took my kids camping when they were at home), given that we had some kids and grandkids along. What made it work well was one of those inflatable real mattresses, four inches deep.
I'm just not the RV or trailer type. It's either hotels and B&Bs for remote and foreign travel, or tent and sleeping bag, with liquid fuel stove and light! But I'm not tough enough for Baggsy's scout.
The stove collecting has really recharged my camping enthusiasm. That and the proliferation of grandkids; most folks aren't lucky enough to camp out with grandchildren. But we had graduated three of our kids from high school by the time we were 40 and grandchildren started by 45. Wish I could be as tough as that sheephunter, but I'm working hard on the mountain man legend for them to remember!

Hello,
I also recently purchased a self inflating ultralite therma-rest(23oz) to go on top of my closed cell pad. I want to be able to take the best stove possible so cutting the weight everywhere else counts. My biggest problem is selecting the one I want to take with me.

Chuck

I am going on a 5 day solo backpack trip the first part of October. My best guess to my gear is something like this; Optimus 80 stove, 1/2 liter of white gas, Sigg 1.5 liter pot with lid and pot gripper, plastic bowl, spoon, insulated mug, my very old REI headlamp and a folding lockblade knife.

My menu will be oatmeal and something hot to drink for breakfast, trail food for lunch, and dinners of either dehydrated ground beef-dehydrated hashbrown-cheese surprise or dehydrated ground beef-pasta-red sauce-cheese surprise.

I think the Optimus 80/Sigg pot is my lightest combination of stove and pans. Since I have to lug all my gear I am really paying attention to weight. I am taking a tarp instead of a tent to save 2 pounds.

I need to bring many layers of clothing as the weather can be cold and wet. The weather can range from unseasonably warm and dry to cold wet snow and there is no way to predict it.

I guess there's not much I could add to the gear list - you guys covered pretty much everything I usually take:

Westwind-Trangia, Pot with lid, Princeton-LED-headlight or Mitylight, tarp (never liked tents), down-bag, Pad, Gerbertool.

My favourite food is still mashed potatoes, some oil or butter and a can of thuna or turkey. Perfect for winter.

Past experience has made me a 'pro closed cell pads'-person, though. My self-inflating mattress always seemed to get those unfindable pinholes the very first night on a multi-day trip. As well, I found it (a Thermarest Ultra) a tad chilly in winter (below -15*), which forced me to take an additional thin foam pad with me.
Ripped my last pad open when tripping on snowshoes and sliding along a fir-tree. Total loss.

Nowadays I use a 25mm closed cell pad for winter, and 15mm for summer. No maintenance, no problems.

BTW: never try to get ice off a selfinflating mat using an open fire!! Whop! Outer material seperates from foam, whole thing goes round and is useless.
Was in a hurry...and quite dumb, too.

Blue skies.

The only portable electric device i trust is my 1 AAA maglite. You can get a little rubber grip so you can hold it in your mouth while using both your hands.

Also, it's very reliable and not flimsy and hardly ever breaks.

Has anyone tried one of the headbands that holds a AAA maglite and becomes similar to a headlamp? If so, does it work well?

BTY, my trip starts on Thursday, I leave tomorrow afternoon as it is an 8 hour car ride. I lifted my gear last night and almost bust a nut. Tomorrow night I need to come to Jesus and decide what I can live without. I turned 40 earlier this month and packs seem heavier than they used to. The weather can be so variable it makes it hard to pack; anything from warm and sunny to snow, rain and colder than a witches t_ _.

I used a AAA for a while, but am now converted to the LED headlamp I got off ebay for a few pounds (less than the cost of a maglite). It has 5 LED's and lasts the whole weekend on 2AAA

Rik

Hello,
My hiking buddy has the same rig. It works well for him. Just remember to check for the spare bulb under the batter cap. It is just under the spring. His blew out just this last weekend. It was raining and dark. But, he was able to get the bulb replaced.
40lbs and turning forty. Hey!! I know that feeling. I just got my pack down to 27 lbs. made a world of difference. I was able to move much faster and felt good the nest day.

Chuck

Seems like you're packing quite a bit of kit there...

I have a simple rule for packing my kit:

If it's vitally essential, pack it. If it only adds to your comfort, leave it.

Amazing how much stuff you can throw out...without really missing anything in the end. My experience at least.

Regarding Flashlight:
I used to use Maglites, too, but froze on to one in winter (with my lips!) . Using AAA-Mitylite since (or 3xC) when needed) - it's plastic. No spare bulb, though.

Good trip and like weather, Alan.