Need help lightening my cookware weight

[cosmo teddy]

I have the gsi pinnacle backpacker set which I do love. I found out how much extra weight and space it took up over the past weekend when I was carrying the big set. I was with my parents but because of all the extras they brought there was no room to split if up.

I am looking to get something that is versatile for when its just me and also something less space concern if I have someone else. I would also like to have acrylic pan and have the option of just more than boiling water if possible. I could go for a couple of pots and a pan or if you could suggest a size to cover both. I am looking for them to be nonstick. The stove I'm using is the msr windpro. I open to any brand suggestions or any other thoughts you might have. Also if there is anything else that I haven't thought of that should be in consideration, please let me know. Thanks.

[Charles Grier]

We will need more information about your cooking style before we can make any recommendations. It sounds as though you are more into elaborate camp cooking than are the typical people on this forum. Most of us are one pot, boil and soak cooks and generally carry something like a Titan Kettle and a light plastic cup, if that. So, please tell us why you want a full cook kit and we can get started.

[Mary D]

Lightening up will probably involve simplifying your cooking style. My camp cooking is done at home during the winter. I cook large quantities of a one-dish meal, freeze part of it in serving-size portions for home use and dehydrate the rest. I pack individual servings of the home-dehydrated meals in freezer bags, add boiling water to the bag and let it sit in a cozy for 10-15 minutes. I then eat out of the bag. I dump a tea bag into the leftover water in the pot, brew and drink the tea out of the pot while waiting for my food to rehydrate. No dishes to wash (just lick the spoon) and my only utensils are said spoon and a 550 ml titanium pot. No need for nonstick. For more on this style of "cooking," consult:
http://www.trailcooking.com
Sarah, the site owner (a frequent poster here) is my heroine! Can you tell I hate washing dishes? :-)

You'd also be able to use a lighter stove, such as a homemade alcohol burner (lightest) or a top-mounted canister stove (less than half the weight of the Windpro), unless it's really cold weather.

Time saved on the trail is also considerable using this method. It all depends on your priorities! As mentioned, we need to know your cooking style before we can make recommendations!

[Eric Blumensaadt]

1.) 3 cup anodized aluminum pot & lid

2.) plastic measuring/drinking cup

3.) long handled Lexan spoon

4.) light aluminum pot lifter.

That's it. Works summer and winter. (Winter cup is insulated plastic mug W/ lid)

My general purpose knife is the smallest Gerber (Bear Gryllis) folding lockblade. Had to put a 6" braided lanyard on it to keep from losing it.

[M B]

solo cookset:

Zelph 2 cup flat bottom foster pot w/lid – 1.1 oz
tealight cup stove – 0.15 oz
Hardware cloth pot stand – 0.22 oz
Al flashing windscreen – 0.45 oz

Total stove wt – 1.93 oz

mini bic lighter – 0.4 oz (new and full)

4 oz alcohol container – 0.3 oz

[cosmo teddy]

I saw on here or the other backpacking site or the other a website that had several backpacking recipes that I wanted to try. Of course I can remember which site it was, but I think they were more than just water boiling. I wanted a pan so I could do fresh fish, pancakes, maybe some type of apple dessert thing for a night. I figured any type of pot is going to allow you to boil water or cook something a little more substantial but maybe my assumption is wrong. I liked the idea of nonstick because I can manage to burn just about anything and would like to not he scraping things off the bottom of a pot.

I have seen talk mentioned the alcohol stoves. I don't really know anything about them. I think I looked on zelphs stove website and saw many different varieties. Those and others I have seen all looked the same to me. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the alcohol versus what I have? Thanks for the suggestions so far.

[Daniel Fish]

…

[Phillip Asby]

On our scout trip this weekend some of the scoutmasters packed in about 1/3 of a bag of kingsford self lighting charcoal; a wire grill; marinated steaks; baked potatoes with butter/sour cream condiments; and salad for their dinner. All this was spread out over 3-4 guys but still – whoever got the charcoal certainly demonstrated commitment. Their breakfast involved bacon, egg and cheese bagels so a canister stove and fry pan was also part of the setup… We didn't hike in 12 miles but it was a good 3.5 mile hike over some fairly steep terrain in the Nantahala national forest…

Then you have MB's setup posted above…

Impressive.

Anyway – there's lots of approaches to be sure but it really does seem to drive off what you plan on cooking…

[Jim H]

I'm new to lightweight backpacking, but I like whiat I've come up with for this year; I think its a decent start for a 2-person weekend kit:

Snow Peak Litemax stove (1.9 oz)
GSI Haulite kettle (5.8 oz)
2 long handle ti spoons (0.56 oz each)
bic mini lighter (0.4 oz)
4 oz fuel canister (7.5 oz)
GSI bowl (1.6 oz) [one of us eats out for the freezer bag]
2 GSI cups (2.8 oz each)

With this kit I can easily boil enough water for our bagged meal and for a couple of hot drinks in one go. Usually we split a freezer bag meal, have some no-cook food for side dishes, and have a hot cup of tea or coffee.

One thing I can't do with this kit is cook in the pot or use the pot like a frying pan. I honestly haven't missed it once. I'm much happier leaving the pancakes, eggs, and baking for car camping, when I've got all the cooking gear I could want. No dishes in the backcountry is fantastic.

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