What is in your solo kitchen kit?

[Guest]

My entire "kitchen" is a JetBoil stove and a spork.

My solo kitchen contains a bit more, but it still fits in a small ditty bag.

Jet Boil. My stove cooking needs when solo are largely* down to boiling water. The isobutene/propane can be a PITA in cold weather, but for my usual winter temps I just store the fuel canister in the tent and tuck it in my still warm sleeping bag when I get up. It’s good to go by the time I’m ready for breakfast.

Long spoon. It is finger grody trying to dig down to the bottom of a freeze dry meal pouch using a short spoon. I never liked the spork; too hard to scrape the last remnants from the bottom of the bowl or pouch.

Plastic “butter” knife. I use a real knife for cutting the cheese and meats, but for spreading peanut butter or smearing honey a dull butter knife is better. Safer to lick off the remnants and helps keep the good knives clean. Peanut butter, honey and the folding rescue knife are a bad combination.

Insulated freeze dry meal pouch. Wait 10 minutes for the freeze dry to rehydrate? It may be dang near cold by then, and some of the meaty freeze dry meals are less crunchy if left to steep longer. I use a DIY’ed Reflectix pouch to insulate the meal bag. The contents are still too hot to eat after 10 minutes.

A couple of small clean Zip-Lock bags. One or more for pre-packing an on the go lunch. I need another to aliquot half of a typical freeze dry dinner before adding (half as much) boiling water. The manufactured freeze dry stuff is usually 2-person too much for one serving, especially if augmented with an appetizer. I halve them and rinse out the original meal pouch when I am done for reuse the next evening.

Insulated coffee mug. I splurge on that and carry a 2 cup stainless steel insulated Bodum mug. With a screw on sip lid to keep the bugs out (patooie, drowned fly). It fits perfectly inside a 12 oz beverage coozie for extra insulation.

Bowl. I don’t splurge on that, and it’s not actually a bowl. It is a thick plastic Circle K Coffee Club mug. Thick and oddly durable plastic, it is a vintage 1988 free-refill Coffee Club mug. Memories mostly, but it is nicely rounded on the inside bottom for spooning and scraping the last of the morning oatmeal or evening cup of soup. Rounded interior edges are good (see pots, pans, KleenKanteens and etc)

Sink. A small collapsible bucket. It holds a gallon of water, bigger than I need for cleaning a cup and spoon, but it is at least a triple duty piece of gear; scooping water to douse a fire, fill the gravity filter or pour over my sudsy head when I can’t stand the stank no more. I tend to



Yeah, OK, folding “table top” for the blue barrel. Stove, mug, bowl, canteen, foodstuffs and mesh trash bag all flat and level at a convenient working height.

*Largely down to a Jetboil. I do like my Purcell Trench grill for open fire use. Pricey, but so well made and designed. The last camp grill you’ll ever buy.

http://www.purcelltrench.com/

 

[Canotrouge]

I like that!! But for me it would be my Kelly Kettle with the h hobo stove accessory, It is great to boil water in a hurry and you use regular frying pans and pots on it! It is light but a bit bulky, the one I have is.

 

[DuctTape]

Depends on the trip. However the majority is an evernew 600mL pot, a plastic cup and spoon. I cook and eat right out of the pot. Sometimes I bring a tiny fire grate (rack from a toaster oven).

 

[yellowcanoe]

MSR pot and lid ( lid is also a frypan) , long handled spoon, soup spoon, double walled mug from MEC and foldable spatula and Outback oven fiberglass pot cover and the difffuse. I like to saute and bake as well as boil.
I havent had any problems with the isobutane stove I use in colder weather( down to -9C). I just flip the canister over so it stands on its head

 

[sweeper]

I don't have 'a' solo kit but I do like the Kelly Kettle and will buy a smaller one for solo, I don't leave home wo/my Purcell Trench Grill, or a reflector oven. Pot and or pan varies between a Cold Handle and my MSR set and the small set that came with the KK.

Also like having my Hydro Flask mug. I like more then one cup of coffee in the morning. This mug will keep it warm for several hours and eliminates the need to reheat. It's a bit heavy but works well.

 

[forest runes]

My mess kit is pretty spartan , I cut the handle off a cold handle fry pan & bent some 5/8" bar stock to the pans outside profile,drilled two holes & attached it with machine bolts and wingnuts so it could fold compact , I also carry a four dog 1 liter bush pot with bail ,a spork and an old ll. bean backpack grate ( very similar to percell trench smallest model ). If I think wood will be scarce a svea 123 fits in the bushpot perfectly with a scrub pad. ( by the way I've found that plastic bags do nothing to prevent fuel odors from smelling up your utensils but a cellophane bag does the trick ) ,a little squeeze bottle of bleach, and a jack knife is always in my pocket .

 

[Iskweo]

Small propane stove..the little cylinder screw on kind. Maybe a grill for backup. I have a cloth roll with spoon, forks, spatula, can opener and pot gripper. One folding handle fry pan, a pot with no handle ( hence the gripper). One blue enamel plate.A bottle of soap and a dish cloth. And a big arse coffee pot, blue enamel percolator kind because I can.
I cannot stress enough the importance of this last item.

Of course if I am base camping then the two burner naptha stove is standard issue.

Christy

 

[sweeper]

How'd I forget the big arse blue enamel coffee pot (wo/percolator, we drink it cowboy)?

Sounds like the mate to yours Christy.

 

[red langford]

Toaks Ti 1100ml pot
Toaks Ti 900ml pot
Stainless Clikstand
Trangia Stove
Folding Ti Spork
Purcell Trench Traveller Grill

GSI 9" frying pan
Blue Enamel Tea Billy

 

[latremorej]

GSI soloist , pocket rocket, long spoon, MSR mug mate coffee filter. I also have a backcountry boiler that I have tried out on a few trips but I always seem to go for the easy way out and take the rocket instead. I also carry a rei insulated tumbler for coffee in the morning and beverage at night.

Jason

 

[Robin]

I use this #2 Acme cold handle frying pan (mainly for pancake in the morning, fish other times), enamel 12 oz coffee cup and a stainless steel cook pot with a couple of boy scout bowls, a cut down fork and spoon sponge, scotch brite pad and soap stuffed inside. I carry a folding lock back knife on my belt and a plastic spatula.

All my meals are easy pasta/rice/instant potato sides, pancakes, fish or snacks, a little salt, no spices, maple syrup.

 

[snapper]

My current solo cookset is a small TOAKS titanium pot/mug, a spoon and that's about it. When alone all I do is boil-in-bag type meals or something that only requires cutting (i.e. sausage, cheese, etc.) so it's all really simple, lightweight and small.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper

 

[forest runes]

I don't know if I should start a new thread, but this leads to a question about a minimalist menu on solo trips. Robin & snapper have included comments on their meals. Historically flour ,bacon, sugar , tea /coffee have been the staples and thus the kettle & fry pan could do it all. Do these modern times dictate a change or do these still work ? For me they could.

 

[BWCA66]

Here's a pic from my current trip. Can in front of my emberlit stove is made up of tightly rolled corrugated cardboard filled with sawdust and wax for the emberlit. So far on day 3 still burning good, did pancakes and bacon on it this morning.

 

[Seeker]

At its lightest, just a 5-cup pot (spout, handles and a bail), pot chain, small containers of seasoned salt and sugar, a Lexan tablespoon, and a KoolAid jar w/cozy, no stove. I'm pretty good with fire. Bacon and fish get done "on a steek" (with apologies to Jeff Dun-ham and Jose' Jalapeno). It all fits in the pot.

I can sub out an 8-cup pot if I'm going with one other person (wife/daughter), or on a longer trip where I might want to wash up a bit more.

Next up the scale is the addition of an MSR Pocket Rocket. This is for really light trips, 2-4 days, with a different campsite every night and when the weather is a little sketchy. (Getting in cook wood every night after a long day's paddling in the rain is NOT fun.)

Next "bigger" is subbing out the stove for an MSR Simmer Lite. This is for longer trips, say 5-7 days, when you'd just end up carrying another butane canister instead of the 22oz white gas bottle anyway. Also works good for 2 people on a shorter trip in bad weather.

Sometimes, especially on a heavier, slower trip with a "base camp", I'll bring a small 7" Paderno sheet steel pan to fry things in. It nests easily under the 8-cup pot and works better than a stick for frying up enough bacon for a couple people, especially if they are small or spousal (and don't want to wait on the "steek".)

Also on those heavier/no-portage base camp trips, I have a wannigan box that contains foil, paper towels, a coffee can for the TP, a cutting board, either a 1qt or 4qt dutch oven, grill pipes (3/4 and 1/2 conduit that slides together), buck saw, first aid kit, and assorted condiments. I can also fit the stoves, fuel, and tarps in as well... makes for a nice compact "kit", but weighs about 40lbs... the wannigan alone is 10lbs.

 

[Seeker]

I don't know if I should start a new thread, but this leads to a question about a minimalist menu on solo trips. Robin & snapper have included comments on their meals. Historically flour ,bacon, sugar , tea /coffee have been the staples and thus the kettle & fry pan could do it all. Do these modern times dictate a change or do these still work ? For me they could.

I'm very lazy... a good cook, but don't like to, if that makes sense. Mostly I do dehydrated dinners, and therefore it keeps my cook set simple, small, and light... boiling water is all I need. One pot, a chain, and a small fire of small, easily gathered spruce twigs will do it in 6 minutes or so.

The ingredients you mentioned can all be stretched with either foraged veggies/game, or used as a basis for other dishes. Kephart, Miller, Fordyce, White, Whelen, and Rutstrum are some of my favorite authors... all of them condemned or downplayed "the staples" as unimaginative or sheer obstinate ignorance. I forget which of them laid out the weight of a month's rations, and then went back through and substituted VARIETY for staple... Instead of 60 lbs of bacon, carry 30 of bacon, 10 of jerky, 5 of ham, 5 of canned fish, and 10 of cheese. Instead of 60 lbs of flour, carry 45 of flour, 10 of cornmeal, and 5 of rye.... Instead of 16 lbs of sugar, bring 10, and sub 2lbs each of apples, apricots, and prunes. You get the idea. My point in all that is that even 50 to 75 years ago, some giants in the outdoor world thought that the staples were adequate, but not good enough, the fallback of people who stubbornly clung to what their forefathers did, with no desire or ambition to do better, learn more, and thus enjoy their trips more. So no, modern times do not dictate a change... even 'back then', some people saw beyond 'the staples' and said "you can do better".

As mentioned, I fall into the "lazy" category, but it is physical, not mental... I have cooked bacon in a frying pan, on a skewer, draped over a stick, and on the inverted lid of my dutch oven. I have made biscuits in the oven at home, cobbler in a dutch oven, and baked "club" or "corkscrew" bread on a stick beside a fire. I have made bread in a small metal cup inside a German mess kit over a fire. I am not afraid to try new recipes. I myself think the Elders were right... "the staples" are limiting... bring more variety, and learn to stretch the menu a bit... you still will only need a kettle or two, a frying pan (and maybe a "steek" or two.)

Whatever works best for you and gets you the most enjoyment out of a trip, is how you should do things.

 

[Conk]

My kit has certainly evolved over the years. I have used wood, alcohol and gas fueled stoves before eventually settling for the convenience of the small isobutene burner. Even when it's cold, I find placing a cold canister in my breast pocket for several minutes gives it enough spunk to boil the breakfast water. I have learned that I do better and prefer to keep meals simple, rarely, if ever, do my backcountry culinary skills go beyond boiling a prescribed amount of water that is added to something.
I want my kit to be light but more important for me is that it be complete and compact. By complete I mean I don't want to sit down for dinner, to discover the sharp knife I need to slice the salami or my drinking mug is packed away elsewhere. Come mealtime I want to grab the food bag, some water and the kit and know that I have everything I need.

My kit consists of:

32 once anodized Aluminum pot with a lid
Small plastic bowl that fits neatly into the bottom of the pot
10-ounce titanium mug with a slip on cozy
Crux Light isobutene burner
Brunton folding titanium spoon
Swiss Army knife (camper)
Bic lighter (mini)
Pair of pot pliers
Small silicone rubber spatula
Folding tripod canister holder
4 oz. isobutene fuel canister

With the exception of the canister, everything fits into the pot, which is then slipped into a Reflectix cozy. The fuel canister rides on top of the pot lid and it's all held together by a custom sewn ditty bag. It is cylindrical in shape, 5 inches in diameter and 7½ inches tall. It weighs 25 ounces (with a full 4oz. canister).

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Originally posted by Glenn MacGrady
My entire "kitchen" is a JetBoil stove and a spork.

Upon reflection, I also do take the same insulated metal mug I use in my car, though I could get away without it, using the JetBoil pot/mug instead.

I also carry a plastic orange bowl, but I don't think I've ever used it for food and easily could eliminate it. I've only used it to scoop water and to function as a take-out marker hung on a branch.

I carry two or three types of knives, but I never use them for food preparation. All my food is commercial freeze dried meals, which can be eaten out of their bags, or finger food snacks like protein bars.

I don't consider myself a wilderness tripper and have never gone out for more than a week. So, I can just barely fit a week's worth of dried food and resulting paper/aluminum garbage inside two OPsaks, which fit inside my one collapsible Ursack.

I probably should take a back-up titanium spork in case I lose one. Nah . . . I could still eat with my fingers or slurp out of the bags.

I could be in trouble if my JetBoil stove failed. I'd have to make a fire, which would be annoying, because I gave up fire several years ago when I stopped camping in cold weather -- but that idiosyncrasy should be for Mike McDIY's other thread.

 

[forest runes]

Hey Seeker , I would eat anything when hungry, never try to miss a meal if I can help it , I've never met a food I'd didn't like , The fellows I usually trip with bring so much food & gear we need a mule for portages. My point was I could also do with hard tack & grog and still be happy. When I go by myself I try to pare things down to a minimum as I'm not getting any younger.

 

[red langford]

I probably should take a back-up titanium spork in case I lose one. Nah . . . I could still eat with my fingers or slurp out of the bags.

You could fashion an eating utensil quite easily out of a forked stick. I've done this when I have forgotten to bring a fork.