Elk hunt without hot meals

A hot meal is a real morale booster.

I've warmed up a can of pork & beans or Hormel chili on rocks over a small fire (open the can first).

You could do the same with dehydrated over fire in a ti cup, but a small stove and can of fuel is not that heavy, and simplifies things.
 
Returning to camp completely blasted after a long day in the wind and cold. Maybe it's been raining for hours. Maybe all day. Your gear is soaked. The inside of your tent is damp and cold. Your fingers are cold, wet and stiff. You feet ache and your legs are sore. At that moment, I bet you'd cut off your pinky toe to have a hot meal and something warm to drink.
 
I've never took stuff for hot meals while hunting. Peanut butter sandwiches and water keep me happy.. I had a good friend force me to eat some of his mountain house meal , my bowels worked overtime after that.
 
I can do weekend banzai trips without hot food or coffee but not 10 days. There's not much weight with the stove in the grand scheme of things. I'd save weight somewhere else.
 
I've hunted with guys who are so focused on the destination, they completely miss the journey. Could I survive 10 days without a hot meal? Sure...but I'm not there to survive, I'm there to experience. The hiss of a jetboil in the darkness isn't an experience I'd willingly choose to give up. It's all part of it for me.


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I've blown out of camp, washing down a granola bar with some cold, neglected, leftover coffee. The situation warranted it, but it was lacking decorum and harmony.

I enjoy a few contemplative moments in the morning with my coffee. It's peaceful and allows my morning-addled brain to come up to speed. It helps me function and remember important things at the start of the day. ..Tuck, THEN zip.

I'm in the stove crowd.
 
stove for me for sure.
I would recommend starting to make your own meals if you can though.. buy a dehydrator and get after it.
the meals I have made are 1. FAR better tasting than mt house, 2. lighter weight, 3. more nutritious, and 4. they dont make me regret eating them the next morning.
Another thing with getting a dehydrator would be that you can make things that you can re hydrate cold for meals if you feel so inclined.
Dehydrate refried beans, salsa, and maybe some onions.. put a serving size or two in a zip lock baggie and put water in a few hours before you want to eat lunch, throw it on a tortilla and boom cold bean burrito!
There are plenty of options out there, but I am a huge proponent of making your own meals, it will really open up the options.
 
GotDraw? said:
Ok, so I'm probably a couple standard deviations from normal...

I run with stripped down MRE's (toss the heaters, condiments, fork, etc) and eat them cold for 2 weeks lunch/dinner. Yes, cold. Time efficiency for me.

Yes, MRE's are heavier than dehydrated, but in a practical sense, you end up carrying water to re-hydrate dried meals anyway.

I am done eating before someone could get their stove out and boil/rehydrate food. I don't want to fuss with rehydration/carry extra water for it, don't want to wait for water to boil, nor carry a stove. Don't want to have to clean anything up. At lunch time, I want to eat fast and get back to hunting and by dinner time (whenever that is), I just want to eat, then hit the down bag. Trail mix or granola for breakfast and snacks BTW- I found it really helpful to mix chopped up beef jerky in with my trail mix. The extra protein is great and it makes the trail mix more palatable (to me).

I am so stoked to be hunting that I don't need a hot happy meal to be happy! But... By the end of the hunt, I am ready for some serious barbecue!

JL
Click to expand...

A lot of this is personal preference. I knew guys who would make elaborate rituals out of "cooking" with their MREs; I knew guys who would open them up, stuff them in their pie-hole, and get some sleep. Depends how much you personally value a hot meal. I value the sleep more.
 
As if you need another opinion. Ill echo the others, on a trip as long as 10 days the hot food/drink will be more than "just" nourishment. A hot cup of coffee in the morning or hot tea in the evening can do wonders for lifting spirits, keeping you motivated and allowing you to focus on your hunt. I say bring the stove and fuel!
 
Thanks for all the replys. We've done 14 day hunts with a jetboil for a heated Mountain House at night and the more I think of it, that was the best meal of the day. We usually had oatmeal, cold, in the morning. We have titanium pots, those supported by a few rocks and esbit tablets would be cutting some weight. I don't drink coffee, but my son does, though he has never taken it on our trips. We also have dehydrater, maybe we should look into that for our evening meal.
Again thanks for all the input.
 
i have carried this for years. cant remember the wt. and i am sure there are lighter rigs out now. still a couple fuel tabs and i can have a hot lunch and coffee every day. and i do have my coffee every day, no matter the weather.

takes too long you say? one float trip we crashed on a sand bar after cutting meat. i put up the tipi and got out my rig and lit a fuel tab and put water on. by the time i had unrolled my pad and pulled out my sleeping bag the fire was out and i had a hot meal.

wasted time cooking=zero! my pard crashed in his bag while i ate then crashed.

you really can set the cup on rocks or 2 sticks and heat water. [ but it does help to have some foil for a wind screen.]


 
No problem going on 4 day hunts without a stove and did a lot of them hunting for elk in CO. Mountain House is pretty decent (in my opinion) if you dump cold water in it and let it sit for 25 or 30 minutes, with not much crunch left. Not as good as hot for sure, but still tastes good when you are hungry. Your can shed significant weight for hunting in the backcountry without the stove and pot.
 
part of sitting around either by myself or with my hunting buddies heating up a meal is part of the hunt for me. Talking about what has happened and the future plan while eating a hot meal is part of the camaraderie for me........stove and hot meals will always be on the list.
 
orionsbrother said:
I've blown out of camp, washing down a granola bar with some cold, neglected, leftover coffee. The situation warranted it, but it was lacking decorum and harmony.

I enjoy a few contemplative moments in the morning with my coffee. It's peaceful and allows my morning-addled brain to come up to speed. It helps me function and remember important things at the start of the day. ..Tuck, THEN zip.

I'm in the stove crowd.
Click to expand...

Best response yet!

Post up a pack list, I bet we could collectively throw out come suggestions that would cut some weight for you.
 
jaredgreen said:
I've hunted with guys who are so focused on the destination, they completely miss the journey. Could I survive 10 days without a hot meal? Sure...but I'm not there to survive, I'm there to experience. The hiss of a jetboil in the darkness isn't an experience I'd willingly choose to give up. It's all part of it for me.
Click to expand...

This^^^^ I like to enjoy my hunts
 
I have tried it both ways, and now never go any longer than a day hunt without my stove/fuel. Just nothing like a hot mug of tea and some hot stew. Like has been mentioned you will not save weight on a longer trip, because dehydrated food is so much lighter.
 
I gave up the stove, just don't need a hot meal to be happy or enjoy my hunt. Most of my hunts are 2 or 3 nights on weekends. I did 9 days last year and while I did get sick of my food it was my fault for not taking a good variety. I really don't care what I eat, especially while hunting. While I do enjoy a good meal, for me food is more of a necessity and I usually just shove something in my mouth, chew, and swallow. Most of the time I just don't really care. Cooking in the backcountry is more of a pain to me than it is worth.
 
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