Reconstituting food in freezing weather?

[GeoRed]

I'm going stoveless and my breakfast and dinner items are all just add water. I'm very excited that my concoctions I've came up with taste good, are very nutritious, and to top it off I won't have to carry a stove, pot, or fuel! Then I looked outside and saw all the weather and it hit me. There could be many scenarios in winter hiking where this method could have issues or just plain won't work. Is there anyone who has experience with this cooking method in winter conditions? By the way, my meals aren't prepackaged Liptons, Ramens, or instant rice and potatoes. I cook my carbs: wild brown rice, barley, potatoes etc.. and blanch most of my vegetables and dehydrate all my food in an Excalibur. So far everything reconstitutes fine and nothing takes more than 4 hours with room temperature water.

[canoe]

Interesting idea. I would be interested in your menus. Issue number one ... It takes four hours to prepair your meals? Do you begin recon while you hike?

[GeoRed]

The rice takes the longest at 4 hours, barley at around 3, potatoes are almost instant, just make them soupy. Vegetables vary from 10 minutes to 2 hours. A nalgene bottle breakfast with oatmeal, coffee, protein powder, chai seeds, dehydrated fruits ( goji berries, strawberries, etc) and maybe some cereal takes ten minutes to reconstitute and ready to chug with room temperature water. Wake up, add water, pack up camp, chug and go or go and chug. Either way, no dealing with stoves, cooking and fuel. Anything in time will reconstitute, even uncooked pasta. You just have to be willing not to ever have a hot meal while out in the woods.

[Starchild]

1 - Have you considered heat bag cooking (I'm really not sure what they are called, the bags you add water to some sort of package that looks like a very large chemical hand warmer pack)? I have used one at home and it does work well, also light weight, mostly burnable paper except for the chemical pack. Though since I am a stove cooker I have not backpacked with them yet.

2 - In freezing temps it might be hard to get liquid water, and it may freeze in your reconstituting bag.

3- Carrying food for 4 hours 'reconstituted' seems like a large weight penalty that can more then offset a stove.

[GeoRed]

Still the question is: will it work in freezing conditions? Specifically an early start AT thru

[canoe]

You could always put your food / water in your sleeping bag at night. And just before supper do the same thing before you get to camp

[Starchild]

Still the question is: will it work in freezing conditions? Specifically an early start AT thru

I would say try it out, you need to know how things work for you, and what modifications would be needed.

My suggestion given your OP: you can make a bag and cozy that would sit close to your body and your body heat help warm and speed it reconstituting, Having even a semi-warm meal this way may be welcome in cold temps. Putting ice cold water+food pack against your body during the mid day of your hike a small penalty.

[GeoRed]

you can make a bag and cozy that would sit close to your body and your body heat help warm and speed it reconstituting, Having even a semi-warm meal this way may be welcome in cold temps. Putting ice cold water+food pack against your body during the mid day of your hike a small penalty.

I like that idea. I would't mind the penalty. I've had to melt water with my body heat before. I have plenty of that too, I'm a furnace. I've taken my 40 degree sleeping bag to sub 10 degrees on more than one occasion and was fine. Just my toes were a little cold.

[GeoRed]

My fear is that the temperature may drop so low that I may be without a meal. Food will not reconstitute as fast in cold water as it will if it were in warm or hot water. My tests were all done with room temperature water.

[Lucy Lulu]

I go stoveless and reconstitute food also. In the past I have slept with the water I needed in my bag. In the mornings I would put it in a camelback bag (1-2) liter, and put it about half way down my pack against my pack. I use a compactor bag for my down, so would place it on top of this, and place my other clothes around it. I first tried with a Nalgene, but this was uncomfortable against my back. In the afternoon I would reconstitute food in a freezer bag placed in a large peanut butter jar. I would place this back where the camelback was located. It was usually only for a couple of hours, so it did not bother me too much.

[Starchild]

My fear is that the temperature may drop so low that I may be without a meal. Food will not reconstitute as fast in cold water as it will if it were in warm or hot water. My tests were all done with room temperature water.

If you can use your body heat and plan ahead this should not be a issue. Bringing trail mix and/or food bars (typical lunch/snack foods) can get you through a meal if really needed. Also the AT is full of helpful people, so if you are really stuck someone most likely can get you unstuck.

[GeoRed]

If you can use your body heat and plan ahead this should not be a issue. Bringing trail mix and/or food bars (typical lunch/snack foods) can get you through a meal if really needed. Also the AT is full of helpful people, so if you are really stuck someone most likely can get you unstuck.

You're right, I'm over thinking it.. as usual! My lunch plans are solid food so in a pinch I wouldn't be hungry.

[GeoRed]

Plus, eating my solid food will reduce weight, thus requiring me to use less calories. Oh wait, there goes the over thinking thing again..

[Tipi Walter]

When it's seriously cold, water is not your friend. In such conditions the stove becomes part of the survival package. Otherwise, if you have a good healthy set of teeth there's no reason not to carry a variety of edible no-cook foods which require no water. See Garlic08 on the matter. Peanut butter, cheese, raisins, granola, tortillas, etc etc.