Who leaves the stove at home?

[Elkmasterwyo]

I just got back from hunting an area where water can be hard to come by. Got me thinking about ditching the stove and Mtn house the next time I go out just to save the water it takes to cook. What do you pack for dinners when you leave the stove at home?

 

[_Nick_]

I never take a stove. Just too lazy to set it up, put water in, wait for it to boil, clean up, etc.

I basically just go with dried foods, bars, nuts, chips, granola, that sort of thing. But, I'm certainly not a picky eater. A block of Parmesan will last a long time.

 

[MuleyFever]

I have stopped taking my stove. Don't need it to eat. Five days worth of food for me.

 

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

I have stopped taking my stove. Don't need it to eat. Five days worth of food for me.

What's your weight per day?

 

[Floorguy]

What's your weight per day?

Calorie count per day and what your typical exertion level is for those five days.

 

[MuleyFever]

About 13oz, maybe 1500 cal a day. Exertion level is relative in my opinion. Trail head to hunting area is 3-6 miles depending on where I end up. Elevation gain is 2000-2500ft. Once up terrain is rolling. I hunt with my camp and my gear is all light weight so there is no back and forth to a camp. I pitch where I happen to be. Some days I may not move at all. Water is much more of a concern to me. I will be taking 9-12 liters of water. I don't eat more than that, just not one that eats a lot. Most times I have to force myself to eat because I am just not hungry when hiking. Besides, its only 5 days.

 

[realunlucky]

I have stopped taking my stove. Don't need it to eat. Five days worth of food for me.

That's my snacks for a single day

 

[AK Troutbum]

What's your weight per day?

I think what you meant to say was, what's your weight loss per day?

 

[Mad Mountain Mike]

I didn't take a stove this year but still took oat meal and mountain house meals. Just brought a little hay wire, made a tripod and hung a pot over an open fire.

 

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

I ate 1200-1500 calories per day on my last trip and lost 6 lbs. but I had no appetite at altitude.

 

[Brock A]

I never take a stove. Just too lazy to set it up, put water in, wait for it to boil, clean up, etc.

You realize you can set up a jetboil, boil 16oz of water and pack it back together all in literally 4 min or less?

 

[_Nick_]

You realize you can set up a jetboil, boil 16oz of water and pack it back together all in literally 4 min or less?

Yeah, I own a jetboil. I guess I should also mention that there is rarely water where I hunt, so if I want to cook with water, I have to pack that in, too. But, even when I backpacked in areas with water, I just got tired of filtering the extra water. Plus, with a variety of snacks as meals, I can easily eat throughout the day.

I think if I spent more time in colder areas with water, the stove would find its way back in as a hot meal would probably be nice. Desert Southwest, not so much.

 

[5MilesBack]

I've hunted 13 days so far this season and lost 19lbs, and most of those days were hunting from a base camp. Started at 6'6"/212.......looking forward to the next few months getting it back on. However, I still have a week to go.

 

[Ramcam]

Serious sheep hunter i know never cooks, no spotting scope,no hiking poles, shelter is a bivy and a tarp draped over his pack.Goes 3 weeks at a time like that and gets a Ram every year.He travels very light.

 

[Elkmasterwyo]

I think ill ditch it on my next outting, probably won't be to tough to survive on protien bars and such. Will be a nice way to conserve on water. Dang though that hot chili Mac or beef stroganoff sure is nice after a hard day!

 

[Rucker61]

I've hunted 13 days so far this season and lost 19lbs

You wear suspenders, don't you?

 

[COSA]

My general rule is that I bring a stove/freeze dried on hunts lasting 3 or more nights. I'm not really understanding the water saving justification - it's not like the water used in a Mountain House isn't being ingested?

 

[_Nick_]

My general rule is that I bring a stove/freeze dried on hunts lasting 3 or more nights. I'm not really understanding the water saving justification - it's not like the water used in a Mountain House isn't being ingested?

Fair point. I guess the only weight saved is really just the weight of the stove + fuel. Again, I've tried both (been backpacking for around a decade) and just find the no-stove approach to suit my style better.

 

[MuleyFever]

I just decided I didnt need a hot meal and I dont drink coffee. It is an inconvenience to me to have to carry the stove, set it up, dribble the water out of my bladder, cook, wait, and such. Easier to just unwrap something and eat it. I can carry less stuff and I have less that can go wrong like stove breaks or I run out of fuel.

If my wife is along the stove has to go. I have tried to leave it but she yells at me that she cant live off bars and trail mix. She loves her MH stroganoff.

 

[Elkmasterwyo]

My general rule is that I bring a stove/freeze dried on hunts lasting 3 or more nights. I'm not really understanding the water saving justification - it's not like the water used in a Mountain House isn't being ingested?

I may be way off on this but feel 16oz of straight water does much more in the way of hydration/thirst than getting the same 16oz via mtn house, again I may be way off, just how I've always thought of it