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Post by Coolkat on Sept 27, 2019 11:40:49 GMT -8
Just wondering if anyone has any experience with a multi-day trip with no cooking for any of the meals? The idea appeals to me because I don't like taking time to eat in the first place and then boiling water and waiting for the food to cook & cool down is something I could live without.
If my hike is during the summer I almost do this anyway because I just eat cold cereal in the morning and then only cook my evening meal. If it could be tolerated it might be a way to save time and weight of fuel.
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Post by tipiwalter on Sept 27, 2019 12:05:55 GMT -8
I pulled an 18 day No-Cook backpacking trip (without resupply of course) back in April 2015---journal and pics can be found here--- www.trailjournals.com/journal/entry/493581tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpack-2015-Trips-161/18-Days-with-Amy/Carrying no stove frees up the brain but ultimately you lose some food variety options and when it comes to backpacking, unless you're a Buddhist monk, food VARIETY is the name of the game. It's easy to pull a weekend trip with just snack foods---and No Cook is really just about snack foods. Plus in the winter having a stove makes a big difference. And then there's the morning ritual of hot Tea/Coffee etc. |
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Post by Coolkat on Sept 27, 2019 12:23:23 GMT -8
but ultimately you lose some food variety options That is something I was wondering about. And I'm not sure how long I could tolerate just eating snack-y food. And then there's the morning ritual of hot Tea/Coffee etc. I have no such ritual. I don't do tea or coffee. About the closest I come to a morning ritual is my toast but I definitely don't bother with that on the trail. I'll take a look at your links here in a few minutes. |
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sarbar
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Post by sarbar on Sept 27, 2019 15:52:00 GMT -8
There are plenty of things that don't need cooking, such as couscous and ramen noodles, which you can doctor with flavorings, freeze dried vegetables, meat and fish.
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Post by tipiwalter on Sept 27, 2019 16:52:38 GMT -8
One more negatory of No Cook backpacking---Make sure your teeth are in great shape. Why? Because all you'll be doing is grazing in snack mode. Cooked soups and stews if prepared properly require little chewing, and cooked food generally is easier on the teeth. Once you snap off a couple crowns on a trip or break off part of a tooth you might not be so enamored about eating almonds or raw unhydrated ramen or Kind bars or granola nuggets or frozen Clif or Power Bars or beef jerky or trail mix.
And a stove is great in preparing wild edibles like adding wild violets or chickweed or smartweed or rock tripe or dozens of others to your simmering soups.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Sept 28, 2019 4:31:22 GMT -8
I think no-cook would be greatly improved with some of the salads we use for lunches, but which could be dinners—I make them at home and dry them, things like lentil salad and a tropical rice salad I think I got from the “Lip-Smackin’ Vegetarian Backpacking” cookbook, or white beans with chicken (both that and the lentil salads have vinaigrette-type dressings, which dry well). I also have a recipe somewhere for a southwest-style wrap—I think Sarbar has a number of wraps on her web site, which don’t require cooking, just a good soaking. So it doesn’t have to be all about snack food, though I notice an awful lot of my no-cook recipes are bean-based, so maybe best if you are going solo...  |
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Post by trinity on Sept 28, 2019 7:11:13 GMT -8
Packit Gourmet has some great cold soak meals. Or, you could purchase a Crotch Pot. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2019 8:38:29 GMT -8
We do no cook for breakfast and lunch. My wife does no cook solo trips.
For a no cook dinner we put a meal in a Talenti jar, for lunch, around 8 to 10AM. We use freeze dried foods such as Chicken Ala King, Chicken and Rice, Cuban Coconut Rice and Black Beans (which is really good), Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo, and Kung Pao Chicken, just to name a few.
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Post by tipiwalter on Sept 28, 2019 10:32:01 GMT -8
And it also must be said that just because you bring a stove does not mean you can't do a couple days of a long trip the No Cook Way.
This is esp true when water is scarce and you must live on a liter for a couple days. Cooking uses up alot of water. If I'm on a 21+ day backpacking trip I'll have several days using the No Cook method, i.e. snacking.
I divide Backpacking Food into two categories: Cookables and Snackables---with both having their separate bags.
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Post by Coolkat on Sept 30, 2019 4:24:46 GMT -8
Ummm...not sure what to say to that. uh.. never mind! ... I still can't believe they actually make that. |
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sarbar
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Post by sarbar on Sept 30, 2019 7:44:26 GMT -8
can't believe they actually make that It was an April Fool's prank..... |
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on Sept 30, 2019 9:49:45 GMT -8
can't believe they actually make that It was an April Fool's prank..... It looks like it is in their regular line up:
I learned the hard way about one of the things tipiwalter mentioned. Warm up your food bars if you are winter camping. I had a bed experience breaking teeth (yes plural) on one trip
I do take issue with tipiwalter 's comment about no cook when you are low on water. Food takes water to digest. There are times when if you don't have enough water you might want to seriously restrict your food intake. You can not get the calories out of the food without it and water from your body will go into the food trying.
Maybe if someday I get to do some through hiking maybe no cook but for right now a hot cup of coffee in the morning is part of camping to me. I will have my stove and it is very easy to use (Pocket Rocket) So no full no cook for me but I always provision multiday trips so that I can just snack before bed at least one fatigue night without messing the menu up totally. Cooking during the day is kind of a pain.
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rangewalker
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Post by rangewalker on Oct 1, 2019 7:28:00 GMT -8
When I got my first gas stove, BDay at 15, I thought, man, I am now a real backpacker :D
When I was in college and taking climbing and mountaineering classes, I was introduced to only one hot meal a day; at dinner in a cook group with 1-2 stoves.
Having self-rescued from early on-set hypothermia with warm liquids twice in my life and helped nurse hiking companions with warm foods, teas and broths.....going utterly stove-less is just not an option. Knowing how to travel stoveless is an excellent skill though.
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sarbar
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Post by sarbar on Oct 1, 2019 7:48:37 GMT -8
It was actually an April Fool's prank. That was my point.
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Post by Coolkat on Oct 1, 2019 8:07:43 GMT -8
Having self-rescued from early on-set hypothermia with warm liquids twice in my life and helped nurse hiking companions with warm foods, teas and broths.....going utterly stove-less is just not an option. This is a valid point that I didn't think about. |
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