Who leaves the stove at home?

[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

 

[5MilesBack]

You wear suspenders, don't you?

Of course not.......I'm not Erkel.

My belt still tightens about the same though.

 

[Cabman]

I left my stove at home this year as I wanted to travel as light as possible. Summer sausage, Tortillas and Peanut Butter for me. I was able to score on a Bull and might not have been able to get to him dragging 14 extra ounces along! ha ha. I didn't really miss the stove at all, Coffee would have been nice, but not necessary.

 

[satchamo]

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.

That is scary low calories... you could probably lose weight just sitting around eating that much. I don't know how you made it through the hunt with giving your body such little fuel...

 

[MuleyFever]

I dont think that is "scary low". I am 180lbs so my normal daily intake is just over 2000cal to maintain my weight. A person dieting to lose weight would exercise and eat just under 2000cal a day to lose weight. That would cause them to lose a couple pounds a week. I am only a few hundred calories lower and for only 5 days. I will have maybe 2 days of high exertion getting to my area and packing out and even that is only for a few hours. Hunting deer is a lot of glassing/sitting or moving slowly. Others may need more calories for their weight or hunt in a way that they move more depending on their area. I am not telling anyone to eat only 1500cal a day but it appears I am not the only one who does not eat a lot when out hunting and do just fine.

 

[bandit1]

Try the infamous peanut butter, bacon, and honey sandwich. When vac sealed, it's good for a couple of weeks. It's over 1000 calories, packs well, tastes great.

 

[unm1136]

The off season this year I am working on some lightweight, filling, historical type rations, requiring little to no cooking in the field. When I get er done I will post recipes, results, and nutritional content.

pat

 

[ohhiitznik]

I could eat without a stove. But i also push 3000 calories a day when I'm in the woods

 

[tttoadman]

I think I prefer to go without a stove. I take about 2500cal / day in pre-packed "food bags". They consist of Probars, Honey Stinger, and 3 different types of dried fruit and nuts. It is a notable volume savings for me to go with dry food and no stove.

as far as the extra water goes, I would agree that ingested water is just as good as drinking it. If it is true that high country mule deer get most of the water they need from the food they eat, then a little bit should also work for us.

 

[bpatterson]

So, I too got tired of carrying a stove, the weight penalty and size arent worth it. But....sometimes, you want some coffee or something else warm. The Emberlit Fireant is a little titanium woodstove that disappears when not in use, and works great w/ trangia alcohol stoves when you dont want to make a fire/smell like smoke.

[video=youtube;IFOGYkRDGH4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFOGYkRDGH4[/video]

 

[slick]

That's quite the camp cooking. Do you guys get this gourmet?

 

[ScottP]

For shorter trips when I want more of a 'dinner' and don't want to carry a stove or use precious water for cooking, I'll pack an MRE entree or two. Take the MRE heater if you want a hot meal, they take only an oz or so of water.

My hunting buddy uses nothing but MRE, PB, and oatmeal - no matter how long the trip.

 

[Biggs300]

Last year on a 6-day drop camp elk hunt, I lost 6 lbs, primarily due to lack of appetite and just not taking the time to eat. I ate a breakfast bar in the morning and my hunting buddy and I split a Mountain House meal in the evening. During the course of the day I would snack on trail mix, a snickers bar and a couple of pieces of beef jerky. My favorite meal of the day was the hot Mountain House meal in the evening. This year, I will add and a cup of hot chocolate with a melted slab of butter before turning in. I might be able to do without a stove for a couple of days but not any more. I would probably have to rethink my campsite if water was not available.

 

[vegas hunter]

I've hunted the Rubies many times where water was plentiful but decided to branch out this year. I was scouting in August and had a close call with dehydration when only packing in 5 liters for an overnight trip. Nevada desert is ruthless in the summer and I sure didn't feel like the water in the Mountain House helped me at all. Flavored Starkist tuna packs and flour tortilla shells. Makes a good dinner. Given a choice between calories and hydration I will take hydration every time!

 

[Scot E]

When I am working hard I seldom have an appetite in the evenings. I used to force myself to eat thinking I needed the calories to stay energized but this isn't true. And if you want the best muscle recovery overnight you shouldn't be eating late anyway and most of my evening meals are very late after we get back from an evening hunt, often 10pm or later. On our 8 day hunt my buddy and I had only one freeze dried meal this year. That's a nice money savings to when you think about the cost of those Mountain House dinners!

If your packing in, save the weight and leave it at home. On really cold hunts I sometimes will still take it because it is nice to have a hot meal and it is usually getting dark early so I still have enough time to get full digestion before I go to sleep thus allowing my body to do its work on recovery during the night.

Scot

 

[alukban]

I luvs me some Mountain House sweet and sour chicken with rice

One of the things I have been wondering about is rehydrating MH meals with cold water. The water and MH meal does not really have to be "cold" because you can put the durned things in your jacket to make them at least warm. I know they will eventually rehydrate because they are pre-cooked and only need water. The question is how long will it take and it may require pre-planning, i.e. start re-hydrating 24 hours ahead of time such that the first 24 hours mean protein bars.

I am thinking that one could also blender the MH meal to make it more powdered and thus easier to rehydrate. How much blendering to get acceptably faster rehydration AND food texture would be a personal preference...

 

[16Bore]

I've got a chicken salad MH in the box to try, just add cold water. Coffee is comfort food and I ain't doing without it. I've been messing with "Spark" (similar to Wilderness Athlete) but 8oz of mud is good for the soul. I monkeyed with this little wetfire deal early this year. Couldn't get a boil, but hot enough for joe.


Sometimes, there's just no phucking around though.....

 

[16Bore]

and if you wanna count grams...

 

[ohhiitznik]

I'm working in rehydrating my own meals. Putting the Excalibur to use. The stuff I make sure beats the mountain houses!

 

[miller1]

To me the added weight of my pocket rocket and a canister of fuel is well worth all the extra energy it takes to carry it. a hot meal in the evening is good for the mental state.