Stoveless Meal Comparison: Tear It Up!

[Jaden Bales]

So I am planning on rolling stoveless this summer at least on a backpacking scout trip or two to see how I like it. I also work for Backcountry Fuel Box and am looking for input on some killer stoveless meals/bars that we might put in there. This comparison omits accessory foods like oil packets, nut butters, protein powder, etc. I am just looking at stoveless meals that do not require hot water to still be delicious.

*Spoiler alert if you are a subscriber or want to be there may be one or two of these in upcoming boxes*

What am I missing? What do you like? What do you not like?

 

[tlkaetz]

I don't know how you stove less guys do it! I look forward to a hot meal in the evenings.

 

[87TT]

In the words of Big Jake.

"Well, I can sleep cold, eat raw meat, even raw fish, but, come evening, I sure miss my hot coffee."
My stove is always in my pack including daypack, sorry. Good luck with that.

 

[Wrench]

No doubt. I'd still have to carry my can stove and a splash of alcohol so I can have coffee.

 

[Rob5589]

I tried it some years ago. Two days in I was tired of cold/room temp food from a package. That and I don't dig the whole "you get what we send" type of deals.

 

[87TT]

I eat PB&J samiches and cold burritos with Del Taco hot sauce. Does that count? Not sure how many days of it I would want to go. Still need my coffee though so I guess I'm out.

 

[BeaverHunter]

How much weight do you save doing this per day over just bringing a light weight stove and dehydrated meals and getting water from a nearby source? Genuinely curious, not being a smart ass. Some of that food seems pretty heavy versus dehydrated.

 

[Pro953]

I have spent a lot of time thinking about going this way for 2019.

A couple things I have landed on just based on my personal preference.
- good for up to 3-4 day hunts. Not sure I could go a full week cold.
- if you have good access to water dehydrated will always be lighter. If you need to pack in all of your water, I think stoveless can be lighter.
- don’t just judge your pack in weight, consider your pack our weight.

All things considered we are talking VERY minor weight differences. I just do not think it’s worth it based on weight alone. The reason I am considering it is I do not eat a hot meal everyday anyway. I get up glass and snack through the morning, occasionally with coffee.. Sometimes I have a hot lunch if it’s a lull and not moving much. I almost never eat hot at night. Glass until dark eat a bar or something quick then read or crash and do it the next day.

I have not gone in any late season Nov, Dec, Jan hunts. I could see in cold areas where it’s dark at 5:30 and you have a lot of tent time, some meal prep would be a nice distraction. In Sept/Oct it has never been a issue.

Good luck with your project. Interested to hear how it goes for you.


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[87TT]

In all seriousness, it's not a weight thing at all. If you figure in stove and fuel. Not counting those gram weenie alcohol can stoves (take too long). The real issue for me is comfort. I don't think the extra hassle of heating something up is a big deal if it tastes good and is more palatable. Why suffer? I hunt and backpack for the enjoyment of it. (including meals) That's why I don't use Mountain House or other prepackaged meals. The stoveless option works for a snack or lunch but not for the whole day or several days. If that's what you want to do and it doesn't bother you then have at it and good hunting.
If we meet in the woods, I might just share a cup of coffee with you.

 

[Jaden Bales]

I don't know how you stove less guys do it! I look forward to a hot meal in the evenings.

Yeah I'm trying to see if I can just give it a shot. I don't know if it'll work for me or not!

 

[Jaden Bales]

I'll try to kind of cover all of what's being said here.

First and foremost, I'll just be testing stoveless out for weekend backpacking trips this summer and test weight vs. comfort vs. convenience as a whole. It's not really about one spec or advantage or another, of the whole "stoveless method" it's more about just seeing what is possible and what's my favorite way to roll.

This comparison of food would be awesome just to augment a non-stoveless trip, as well. I am not a fan of busting out my stove middle of the day when elk are bugling or I'm a couple of miles from base camp or whatever... so these stoveless meals will help keep a guy full and fueled around lunchtime, as well.

I think what Pro953 said above covers the rest of my thoughts on the situation really well.

And if you guys haven't tried these meals, man you are seriously missing out. These I included here are all delicious.

 

[Rob5589]

Missing out on the morning coffee or tea would be a downer for me. Not only hot to warm me up, a bit of caffeine, and it mentally gets me prepared to go.

 

[Swift]

One that you can do on your own is as follows ,
Half to 3/4 of a cup of old-fashioned oats in a Ziploc bag add one pouch of hot chocolate mix and one of the Jiff natural singleserve peanut butter tubs . At night dump the hot chocolate mix into the oats and approximately one cup of water allow that to sit overnight the next morning add the peanut butter and eat ! It is very similar to a no bake cookie I have also done this with oats, protein powder and dehydrated fruit

 

[Conrad101st]

I fail to see the point of not taking a titanium cup with an esbit tablet per day to make 2 cups of mocha. It’s a ritual in the army to pass the canteen cup filled with mocha around with your battle buddy at first light.

30 years later, I’ve gotten to the point now that I’ll bust out the stove for lunch and make a cup of hot ramen noodles or a mountain house meal followed by a nice hot coffee.

 

[Ratbeetle]

In the words of Big Jake.

"Well, I can sleep cold, eat raw meat, even raw fish, but, come evening, I sure miss my hot coffee."
My stove is always in my pack including daypack, sorry. Good luck with that.

Same except for hot green tea. There is no replacement for a hot cup of tea before climbing into my bag at night. And being able to make some hot tea during a cold, wet day of glassing is invaluable.

 

[amp713]

Everyone pretty well changed this from the original post so I'll push to get it a little back on track. The question wasnt about going stoveless or not but about food options for trying it. I think for weekend trips or even doing a trek or peak trip stoveless could be an awesome option!

As far as stoveless meals you have the ones I like as well as a few I haven't heard of but I've been a backcountry fuel box subscriber from the very beginning so I'm sure I'll see them soon.

I will add though that something like the off grid oatmeal or similar could be used stoveless especially if hunting during sunny clear days. Add a little water and leave that black bag in direct sun light for a while during glassing and it would probably go a long way towards a boost of feeling like you are eating a warm meal. Dont discount any dehydrated meals solely because they are dehydrated.

 

[Jaden Bales]

One that you can do on your own is as follows ,
Half to 3/4 of a cup of old-fashioned oats in a Ziploc bag add one pouch of hot chocolate mix and one of the Jiff natural singleserve peanut butter tubs . At night dump the hot chocolate mix into the oats and approximately one cup of water allow that to sit overnight the next morning add the peanut butter and eat ! It is very similar to a no bake cookie I have also done this with oats, protein powder and dehydrated fruit

Oh man! I love myself some no bake cookies. Definitely giving this a shot myself. Thanks for the good recommendation!


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[Jaden Bales]

Everyone pretty well changed this from the original post so I'll push to get it a little back on track. The question wasnt about going stoveless or not but about food options for trying it. I think for weekend trips or even doing a trek or peak trip stoveless could be an awesome option!

As far as stoveless meals you have the ones I like as well as a few I haven't heard of but I've been a backcountry fuel box subscriber from the very beginning so I'm sure I'll see them soon.

I will add though that something like the off grid oatmeal or similar could be used stoveless especially if hunting during sunny clear days. Add a little water and leave that black bag in direct sun light for a while during glassing and it would probably go a long way towards a boost of feeling like you are eating a warm meal. Dont discount any dehydrated meals solely because they are dehydrated.

Man, thanks for doing that. It kinda got derailed and I wasn’t sure how to bring it back on track.

Yeah I hope I didn’t ruin any surprises for you. Thanks for subscribing!

Love myself some Predator Fuel so I’ll totally try that.

Do you have any favorite dehydrated meals you’ve had not heated up that were tasty?


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[87TT]

Pretty much any dehydrated meal will rehydrate with cold water. It would just take longer and not be as enjoyable as it would be warm. I guess just think of what you would eat cold and give it a try at home.

 

[Swift]

I've had the tuna/chicken pouch and top ramen cold because I was not smart enough to take the right fuel can And with a package of powdered tapatio it was better than expected!! I let it set about 3 hours
I think you could add veggie flakes and find an asian dressing or seasoning and have a great cold salad type meal