Here’s some advice from Wade Bastian on the Appalachian trail gear he carried on his hike. Wade set out onthe 2200 mile trail withfellow Eagle ScoutBucky Kellorgin February. As planned, Wade interrupted his hike to spend the summer employed as a peak steward in New York’s Adirondack mountains (he’s stewarding a peak in the photo above). Bucky completed the trail in July, here he is on Katahdin with fellow hiker Brightside...
32 Ounce 20 Ounce 48 Ounce 48 Ounce I don’t have one yet, but this coffee press was mentioned on one of our recent live chat sessions and it looks like a “must have” for connoisseurs of camp coffee! REI offers the press in three different sizes, they all get great reviews. The 48 ounce size would mollify a number of grouchy Scouters! Simple to use—add coarse ground coffee or loose-leaf tea and near-boiling water; let steep for 4 min....
While researching information to write this EcoZoom Stove review I learned some interesting things.: Half of the world cooks on a wood fire every day. They use open fires or unimproved stoves. Nearly half the world’s wood supply is used for fuel and deforestation rates are rising all over the world. Smoke inhalation accounts for a staggering number of health problems and deaths in the developing world. High efficiency wood burning technologies significantly reduce both health and environmental impacts....
For a number of years I thought that real Scouts only used real Scout mess kits. The standard issue military type clam shell mess kit has a long tradition in Scouting but, compared to the alternatives available out there it is woefully inadequate. There are lots of gadgety, expensive, highly touted modern specialty cooking and serving ware being manufactured for campers but I like cheap, light, and practical Scout mess kits assembled from easily available components....
Dan Baker shared an interesting 9 ounce reflector oven idea constructed of titanium foil, aluminum and bicycle spokes. I think this is a great design, it’s lightweight, collapsible and looks like a fun project. I cannot resist taking this on my trips. I have baked pizza, chocolate muffins, bread, etc… with this and it is always terrific! I use silicon baking trays and cups and mainly use ‘add water only’ cake packs and my recipe for bread and pizza dough....
Convert a 7-day vitamin/medication container into a camping spice kit – what a great idea! The custom labels are nice, I think I may skip that and use a sharpie marker instead.
Before I begin this Solo Stove review I need to explain that I think building a campfire is an important skill. It connects Scouts to many things, sharpens their ability to plan, and is almost always a group activity. I once thought that we ought to do all of our cooking over fires and not stoves, then I acquiesced to the idea that stoves were quicker and to the misapprehension that gas stoves were a responsible low-impact method (they aren’t when you consider the impact of making and disposing of a gas canister)....
Over time I have managed to get my weekend backpack down to around 25-30 pounds. I am not an fully anointed apostle of the ultra-lightweight sect but I have certainly benefited from a lot of their ideas. The backpacking cook kit described here weighs in at well less than two pounds depending on your choice of stove. Without the stove my choices will cost you somewhere between $20-25.00 – a pretty good deal....
In the age of the automatic dishwasher most folks have little to no idea of how to hand wash dishes at home let alone when camping. I still see Scouts washing dishes underneath a community water spigot or, even worse, in a stream or lake. Good dish washing technique will help you stay healthy (especially on extended trips) and minimize impact in the wild. Here’s a short version Pre-Rinse – each individual uses a little bit of drinking water to rinse out their dishes and utensils, drinks that rinse water, and then puts their dishes on the wash pile....
I learned how to care for cast iron cookware like dutch ovens from some old timers. Their methods are compatible with standard Boy Scout principles and more modern methods. Some of this may be considered “heretical” by the “authentic” dutch oven cooking folks. You’ll have to decide for yourself. Here’s some hints that have served me well: Use plenty of oil. Use oil even when browning meat, even ground chuck. Maybe not so much with ground beef....
Swedish canoe enthusiast Svante Freden builds and sells a folding reflector oven based on his own design. This reflector oven design has integrated hinges to reduce weight and gives a nice clean look without sharp edges. With a reflector oven you can bake bread, biscuits, muffins and even pizza in camp! This oven folds flat to slip in easily in your portage pack, accepts 9″ round pans. You can place more than one oven around the same fire....
The Scoutmaster’s camp coffee is an important consideration on any trip. Most of us look forward to a cup of coffee in the morning. According to the National Coffee Association: Over 50% of Americans over 18 years of age drink coffee every day (150 million). Among coffee drinkers, the average consumption in the United States is 3.2 cups of coffee per day. The average coffee cup size is 9 ounces. 65% of all coffee is consumed during breakfast hours, 30% between meals, and the remaining 5% with other meals....
If you aren’t cooking in a dutch oven you are missing a lot of fun and some great food! Now nobody is going to carry a dutch oven backpacking; this is a ‘car camping’ option for sure. If you need to get outfitted here’s what you’ll need and a few things that you may want (note the difference!) Lodge 8 quart pre-seasoned dutch oven Lodge dutch ovens are the industry standard....
Should Scout troops use standard two burner propane stoves for camping? Half of the world’s households and 80 percent of rural households in developing countries cook with solid fuels like wood, coal, crop residues and dung. Many of these households use traditional open fires or simple stoves that release smoke into the dwelling and do not make efficient use of the fuel. According to the World Health Organization 1.6 million people a year die of health effects resulting from toxic indoor air....
I was once persuaded that real Scouts only used real Scout mess kits. The standard issue military type clamshell mess kit may have a long tradition in Scouting, but compared to the alternatives it is woefully inadequate. Some folks like gadgety, expensive, modern specialty cooking gear but I’ll be fine with my highly evolved, cheap, light, and completely superior kit assembled from commonly available alternatives. Evolve! Consign your mess kit to the recycling bin where it belongs!...
I have used Campsuds for many years. Do you really need special camping soap? Yes, you do, it does make a difference. Camp suds has lots of cleaning power in cold water, is environmentally responsible and super concentrated- you don’t need more than a few drops. I have yet to empty an eight ounce bottle shared by a group of 7 over a week of canoeing. The one gallon size is handy for refilling smaller containers and costs less per ounce than the smaller sizes....
The P-38 can opener was used by soldiers to open canned field rations from WWII though the Viet Nam war. A p-38 hangs, at the ready, from my keyring in the event of a can-opener-less emergency, although I must confess I have yet t0 find myself in one. Another p-38 is sleeping in my camping contingency kit waiting to be called into service when there’s no other alternative. I continue to carry a P-38 even though, in a world of Swiss army knives, it is probably not realistically practical....
On a recent trip we used our collapsible water bucket (a Seattle Sports ‘super sink’) to carry and treat drinking water for a group of nine. The collapsable PVC sink holds six gallons and weighs only 4.5 ounces. Carrying six gallons of water from lakeside to campsite for chemical treatment or filtration is much simpler than treating or filtering a number of small bottles. Also makes a great washbasin for dishes or faces....
Campfire Cafe is a television show about campfire cooking. Lots of information on their website including recipes, tips and podcasts. If you really want to do it right, you need to learn about different firewoods, cooking gear, cast iron pots, and accessories that will make the job easier and the cooking experience successful. There are weather conditions that will have a direct impact on cooking time, like wind. You’ll need to learn how to maintain your equipment, as well as the fire itself....
Steramine tablets are used in the sanitizing step of washing dishes. They work in hot or cold water and are ideal for washing up on a campout. We use three plastic dish pans. The first is hot water and soap for cleaning, the second is hot water for rinsing and the third is warm or cold water for sanitizing. The dishes are put in the sanitizing tub for a minute or so and then allowed to air dry....