What cook system do you use for 2 people for 3-5 days?

@ Jim

"To each his own I suppose. Doesn't sound like a group to me, sounds like individuals traveling the same stretch of trail at the same time."

That is insightful.
Because it is true.
Even with others, we rarely hike together.
Each has their own pace.
You are never more than 10 min ahead, or 10 min behind.
But you dont have to stare at someone elses backside the whole day
And each has the individual experience of being alone in the woods much of the time, even though that is just an illusion.

I use a Kmart 4 cup capacity “Grease Pot” and a one piece alcohol stove(top jet) that can simmer. Stove has 3 ounce fuel capacity. Has stainless steel pot support. Lights easily in cold weather via copper wick inside the fuel well. No priming necessary.

Top Jet alcohols stove with 3 ounce fuel capacity and also simmers.

We use a Soto canister stove and take a couple small fuel cans, so everyone can carry a little fuel. Up the size of the cans for longer trips.

I use a 650ml Ti pot that stows the stove and one canister. We have an MSR Titan mug and an REI Ti Sierra cup for drinking and folding Ti sporks or spoons for utensils.

A Snowpeak Ti bowl with a pot grabber and a little foil for a lid usually sneaks into the mix. It can double as a pot while the other is busy and has many other uses.

Add a Victorinox Little Vickie paring knife for food prep and a small chunk of green scrubby sponge for cleanup. We use small plastic vials with wide tops for spices and condiments like hot sauce.

"That is insightful.
Because it is true.
Even with others, we rarely hike together.
Each has their own pace.
You are never more than 10 min ahead, or 10 min behind.
But you dont have to stare at someone elses backside the whole day
And each has the individual experience of being alone in the woods much of the time, even though that is just an illusion."

True…and I really like the near poetic quality of was said above, as regards the hiking. But at the end of the day, I personally still prefer eating as a group; for me there is something special about sharing a good meal with others, whether in someone's home or out on the trail.

As I was typing this, a mental image of a hypothetical dinner party of BPL members (at somebody's home) came to mind: each one bringing a small pot and an individual serving, and cooking it separately for themselves ;-) Of course, I can see the reasons most people here seem to prefer to do their own meals when hiking in a group, and have no problem with others' wishes do it that way, but so far I have never done a group trip where we did not have dinner as a group. I would do it that way if the rest of the group were of that mindset, though I'd miss the communal aspect.

No, no, no!

I was on a hike with Craig W and we did not have any discussion about food beforehand. I would have not been interested in what he brought, had I known about it ahead of time.

As I sat enjoying my MH Lasagna, which I highly recommend, Craig opened his kit. He warmed some re-fried beans, warmed a tortilla over the stove and then cut up some fresh vegetables to go with it creating a wonderful looking and heavenly smelling burrito.

And that convinced me to start taking similar foods on some trips, something I used to do long, long ago in a different galaxy.

Sean,
My wife and I use a 2 quart Open Country pot (the $16 non-anodized one with the bale). We also just cook with an small cook fire. If I suspect that we might get rained on or if there are fire restriction in the place that we're going, then we'll also bring a homemade "Simmer Cat" alcohol stove with about 2-3 ounces of alcohol fuel stored in a 0.5 ounce pill bottle.

In my opinion, a 1.5 liter capacity pot is the absolute smallest that I could ever go for a two-person pot. I like to cook fairly sizeable meals though, and I also usually do a lot more complicated cooking than just boiling water. YMMV.