10-day trip planning: stoves & fuel

Hi everyone,

I’m relatively new to lighter-weight backpacking, but as I look into next summer and the longer trips I’m planning, I’m realizing that I really need to figure out how to reduce my pack weight. To that end, I’m considering buying a canister stove. Can you help me with a couple questions?

These questions are with reference to the following trip: 3 people, summer, approx 10 days in the Sierra, camp altitudes between 7,000’ and 11,000’.

1. Is 3 people too much to ask from a MSR pocketrocket or microrocket?
2. How much fuel should I be planning? Here is our basic cooking strategy:

a. Breakfasts: 5 cold, 5 hot (oatmeal, probably 4 cups of water x 5 days). Will need hot water each morning for 2 people (4 cups of water x 10 days)
b. Lunch: cold
c. Dinner: All boil and re-hydrate meals. I sometimes like to give it a couple of minutes of simmer. Each meal will require about 5 cups of boiling water (total)

I calculate that to be approximately the water boiling equivalent of 110 cups of water plus miscellaneous simmer/other time.

The microrocket is rated as boiling 16 litres per 8oz canister (67.5 cups). Does that mean I’d be okay with 2 x 8oz cannisters? The math appears to work (I think), but it just seems light for 3 people and a 10 day trip.

Appreciate your thoughts and real world experience!!

For two people, we get about ten days out of one canister...and don't cook lunches either

I think you should be fine,

Is that with an 8oz cannister or a 16oz?

Once you have the stove, test it out on your patio or other outdoor location (not a sheltered one). Use refrigerated water (to simulate cold mountain water), and use the same food prep techniques you expect to use in the field. Weigh the canister before and after each test to determine usage. Do some of the testing in inclement (i.e. windy) weather. Get an average of 10-12 tests to get a per-meal average. Multiply by the number of days you'll be out, and add some "fudge factor"--maybe 2-3 meals' worth.

Consider that you may be heating water for other purposes such as washing, or at least cleaning pot and utensils. Or for preparing hot beverages.

I have a similar stove (Primus Micron, no longer made) and have cooked on it for 4 people. That's rehydrating dinner (done in plastic bags, not pot), preparing instant oatmeal for all but one breakfast, preparing cocoa for breakfast and dinner, and heating a little water afterwards to rinse cups and spoons. By using individual freezer bags for food storage and rehydration and eating out of the bags, I was at least spared the washing of bowls. Because I only had a 1.3 liter pot, I had to heat water 3 times for each of 2 meals, so I did use a lot of fuel. Cocoa leaves awfully yucky cups, but at least it let me get milk into the grandkids!

hm. I've only seen 4 oz. and 8 oz. canisters for these stoves. We use the 8 oz.

I did 7 days- 2 people and a little heavier usage (coffee fiend) on an 8 oz. in the Sierra above 8500 with a Micro-rocket. Seems like your 2 canister math is right as long as they're the 8 0z. (the largest size available with the proper valve and iso-butane/propane mix) You could have someone throw a 4 oz. in their pack just to be safe.

Primus and others make 450g cartridges. They're not always in the stores, but I try to keep at least one on hand for longer trips.

They're awfully tippy with screw-in burners without some kind of leg or anchoring gizmo below, plus it's devilishly hard to rig your windscreen. Great, however, for remote burners. One can easily supply three for a week, even doing real cooking and not merely boil-and-reconstitute meals. For those trips, a single 250g can last a week.

Baseline your fuel use at home and more importantly, after trips. I weigh and mark my cartridges (who among us doesn't have a boxfull of partials?) to get an idea of fuel use with time. My cartridge stoves are all amazingly frugal.

Cheers,

p.s. Anyone else irked by the doubling in cost of these things the last few years? We're swimming in gas [metaphor alert] but you'd never know it.

Mike,

The stove is easy. Test a cannister in similar conditions and see how long it lasts.

There is another part to the equation. You may get your pack weight down to some ridiculously weight like 15 pounds. Now you can hike 15 miles a day without breaking a sweat. What about the other two people?

If they don't buy into the light weight, they will slow you down to the point where the weight reduction won't get you anywhere. As an extreme, if your pack weighs 15 pounds and they show up with their 70 pound packs, you won't gain anything.

It sounds like you are sharing loads. This means the same food for everyone every day. It also means if the one stove breaks, then the trip fails. I saw this happen to a group of three on the Colorado Trail. Their one stove broke and it threw their entire resupply team off schedule and they had to leave the trail.

In my opinion, dividing loads is a bad idea except for long time hiking partners. I prefer everyone to be self-contained and have all their own gear. This way, everyone benefits from or is a victim of their own decisions.

It's not just about mileage; it's about comfort.

A number of great points in the above, thanks Gershon. Regarding weight, I've kind of worked my way into the "trip leader" position. I'll be the strongest hiker of the group and am probably the most die-hard, so I'll put up with weight if I have to. I'll work with the other two members of the trip to get their gear down to a reasonable level, but part of my thinking is that if I can get my weight down, I'll be able to help carry their stuff if necessary.

Great point about long trips with single stoves. You're right - it's probably worth carrying an extra pocket rocket or equivalent just in case. It makes me think, also, that two 8oz canisters is better than one 16oz canister, even though they are slightly heavier (hadn't thought about the wind-screen issue with the taller canisters either).