Best cookset

[Colecooper28]

So I was wondering what the cookset worked for everyone on he AT . I have a jetboil flash right now but was thinking about maybe going to a different one or trying an alcohol stove. Thouhgts?

[Venchka]

How many stove+cookset combinations are there?
This should be good for multiple pages.
Wayne

[nsherry61]

Jetboil flash is a good system that will serve you very well.
-There are lighter systems out there.
-There less expensive systems out there.
-There are more windproof systems out there.
-There are quieter system out there.
-There are probably not more convenient systems out there if the Flash meets your needs.
-There are systems that cook/simmer better out there.
-There are more versatile systems out there.
-There are systems out there that allow for more creativity.

In the end. what you have it fine. Adjust your expectations to meet your equipment and your stove will do great.
-Many of us play around with other systems out of curiosity.
-I rarely use the same system from one trip to the next.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Jetboils are popular on the AT. As are other canister stoves. Alcohol stoves are also popular. What you carry depends a lot on preference. If you want to simmer stuff like regular rice or noodles and actually cook stuff, you'll need a regulated canister stove (some JB's and others are regulated, some aren't). You'll need to research this. There are simmer rings available for alcohol stoves, but I find alky stoves to require too much fussing with. They work well in perfect weather, but I prefer the speed and reliability of canister. Again, this is just my preference, other people really like alky stoves. If you want hot water quickly, stay with JB. If you're willing to wait for your food, and learn how to shield a stove from the wind and elements, you could go with alcohol. You can put together a cheap alky kit for less than $10 (Grease pot and DIY alky stove - lots of youtube videos on how to build). Play around with one to learn the pluses and minuses - there's a learning curve compared to canister.

[nsherry61]

. . .some JB's and others are regulated, some aren't . . .

Any of the JetBoil Mo series stoves (MiniMo, MicroMo etc.) are regulated, the others are not, if I recall correctly.
Also, the MSR WindBurners are regulated and much more wind resistant than the JetBoil.

The SnowPeak stoves are generally not regulated, if ever, but simmer better than other non-regulated stoves.

To come completely clean, I like the JetBoil MiniMo if I want a no-brainer simple cooking experience. I prefer my winter-modified BRS3000T with custom windscreen when I want the versatility of using my pot on a cooking fire or a canister stove.

[Another Kevin]

Grease pot, DIY alky stove, plastic mug, plastic spork, GSI coffee filter. The alky stove kit has pot stand, windscreen made of a dollar-store foil cookie sheet, simmer ring and a Fauxbaker steamer basket. Having the simmer ring and steamer means that I can do a little bit of real cooking, and can even plan to have warm muffins if I have a lazy morning. Illustration at https://www.flickr.com/photos/ke9tv/...57644331682423.

I had a winter trip in crazy weather not too long ago, and the fuel line of my Whisperlite froze up. I happened to have packed my alky as a backup, and it worked like a champ, less hassle than getting the fuel line unclogged and the stove primed again.

[MtDoraDave]

So I was wondering what the cookset worked for everyone on he AT . I have a jetboil flash right now but was thinking about maybe going to a different one or trying an alcohol stove. Thouhgts?

Best for what?
JB is super fast and really fuel efficient for a canister stove. If you are rehydrating noodles or rice (knorr / ramen), then you've got a great system.
If you want to cook bacon and eggs, you need to get something else. I can't help you with that - but someone can - you just have to be more specific as to what you want to do with your cook set. How many you are going to be cooking for is another consideration.

[Slo-go'en]

Every stove/pot combo has trade offs. Which pros vs cons are important to you? Ease of use? Smallest size? Lightest weight? The ideal cook set would have all three of those attributes.

Jet boils are self contained, easy to use and are very fuel efficient, but on the heavy and bulky side.

Canister burner (Snow Peak and the like) are much lighter, but require you to get a pot.

Alcohol require both a pot, a stand and a wind screen, but can be very light.

Here's my current deluxe three way fuel option package which weighs in at 12.9 oz.

MSR 750 ml Ti pot - 4.6 oz
canister burner - 2.1 oz
alky stove - 0.7 oz
Pot stand/wood stove/ebit stove (made from Beef stew can) 2.9 oz
Fry pan - 2.2 oz - made from "one egger" pan. Handle removed and height reduced.
Stuff stack for pot + stuff sack for canister burner - .7 oz

Obviously, added to that would be fuel.

The little fry pan is a luxury, but at 2.2 oz it's nice enough to have to warrant carrying it.
I could go with either the alky stove or the canister burner, but again the added weight of one or the other is offset by not being limited to one kind of fuel. Finally, with tin can pot stand, in a pinch it can burn wood should some really poor planning occur. And it all fits inside pot except the fry pan, but its the same diameter as the pot so it stacks well in the stuff sack.
SAM_3746.JPGI tired to do a dry bake in the pot, which tuned the middle into a nice shiny blue.

[QiWiz]

I still have my "Thanks for all the love" hiker cook kit special deals going until I run out of them. Two sizes, 750 cc and 1100 cc. Cook with alcohol, Esbit, or both.
Light, compact, inexpensive for the quality of the titanium pot and windscreen components. You can view the video and find them on my Special Deals page.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/izTspezRxqc

[fiddlehead]

To me: Size is important.
1.3 litre is what I have and have grown accustomed to.
Possibly I could do 1.2, but not 1. (I get too hungry)
I love the handle I use.
It is from EverNew and I have worn out 3 pots now and just pop rivet the handle onto new aluminum pots that I buy at thrift stores that are the right size.
It also has to be a shape that holds a small propane canister AND my stove (fairly wide )
So, size and shape determine my setup and it is always aluminum (cheap and readily found in stores)

[CarlZ993]

What stoves I own & have used on backpack trips: Almost everything... different alcohol stoves, JetBoils, MSR Reactors, Pocket Rockets, Snow Peak, Soto Windmaster, plus several versions of the MSR liquid fuels stove.

What I used on the AT:
0.9L Evernew Titanium Pot (short & wide)
Pot Cozy
Fancee Feast alcohol stove from Zelph w/ windscreen

Liked the setup. If I were to do it again, I'd be tempted to use my current favorite canister stove, Soto Windmaster. Light, efficient, fast, and you can turn it off when you're done.

[OCDave]

IMUSA 12 cm cup - Everything you need a cookset to do for less than $5. Get fancy and add a lid

[DownEaster]

• Primus OmniLite Ti stove with BernieDawg silencer head
• GSI Extreme Mess Kit (billed as suitable for "gourmet backpacking") - ribbed aluminum pots with Teflon interior coatings
• GSI spoon and fork (short enough to fit inside the mess kit)
• Sea to Summit XL bowl (collapsible silicone)
• Ozark Trail cup (collapsible silicone)
• Light silicone spatula from AliExpress
• Toby Tea-Boy Infuser
• Coghlan's squeeze tubes (for carrying butter, honey, and other gooey foods)

Some people have a luxury item or two. I have a luxury category, and this is it. In pre-Trail tests with my cookset I've made omelets, grilled cheese sandwiches (on Oroweat sandwich thins), pasta with fresh Alfredo sauce, pancakes with maple syrup (reconstituted from pure maple sugar), and one giant berry muffin (from a mix that makes 6 regular muffins). I've found that nothing motivates me better than real food.

[jjozgrunt]

If it boils my water it's fine by me as I never actually cook anything. Just a brew and whatever is rehydrating in the bag.

[cmoulder]

• Primus OmniLite Ti stove with BernieDawg silencer head
• GSI Extreme Mess Kit (billed as suitable for "gourmet backpacking") - ribbed aluminum pots with Teflon interior coatings
• GSI spoon and fork (short enough to fit inside the mess kit)
• Sea to Summit XL bowl (collapsible silicone)
• Ozark Trail cup (collapsible silicone)
• Light silicone spatula from AliExpress
• Toby Tea-Boy Infuser
• Coghlan's squeeze tubes (for carrying butter, honey, and other gooey foods)

Some people have a luxury item or two. I have a luxury category, and this is it. In pre-Trail tests with my cookset I've made omelets, grilled cheese sandwiches (on Oroweat sandwich thins), pasta with fresh Alfredo sauce, pancakes with maple syrup (reconstituted from pure maple sugar), and one giant berry muffin (from a mix that makes 6 regular muffins). I've found that nothing motivates me better than real food.

While hiking 15-20 miles a day?

[KDogg]

I tried alcohol and then a lightweight snow peak. Didn't like either one. Alcohol stove was a bit too touchy for me. I was trying to be thrifty with the alcohol and ended without the water boiling sometimes. I'm sure I would have gotten used to it eventually but it just didn't feel good to me. The snow peak was touchy too. After my pot and food fell off it the second time I switched to the lite version of the jetboil flash and never looked back. It worked well for me and was worth the extra weight. Somebody said it was bulky but I never felt that. Everything, including the canister, fits inside it so it is all self contained. Some folks leave the stand at home but kept it. With it on the canister I never felt it was going to fall over and never felt like I had handle everything with kid gloves. And, it boils water like nobodies business. Before I got the jetboil I was always waiting for my food to finish while my hiking partners were chowing down already. They had some sort of canister stove. After I got my jetboil cooking just wasn't a chore anymore and I was the first to eat. I won't hike with anything else again.

[DownEaster]

While hiking 15-20 miles a day?

Yup. Actual cooking only takes a few more minutes each meal compared to dumping boiling water in a bag and then waiting. Now, that time could be used productively to set up your tent or whatnot, but I've found most hikers do that first, then just rest and rehydrate while waiting for their food. Sitting on my butt pad and stirring occasionally isn't exactly strenuous activity.

[Christoph]

Here's what worked for me. A Pocket Rocket and small canister, and part of a Walmart $7 aluminum mess kit. I only took the pot/lid, bowl, plastic cup, and a titanium spork. This got me thru my thru without any issues and I still use this setup. I saw a LOT of Jetboils on the trail but people were saying while they worked great (the best/fastest in my opinion), they were too big and bulky. Not sure if there's different sizes of Jetboils? Anyway, the MSR rocket is still going strong for me.

[DrL]

DSC_0594.jpg

Best? Bestest? Bester?

[LittleTim]

How many stove+cookset combinations are there?
This should be good for multiple pages.
Wayne

Yup.
I'm in the FBC camp, alky zelph style cat-tomato paste DIY can stove, and a mug with a lid.
Boil water, wait while possibly boiling more for some tea, consume and move on. Not fast, not slow, not easy, not difficult, not gourmet, not junk food.

The biggest compromise is the preplanning. Perfect for section hiking, less appealing for through hiking. Keeps weight down, if you run out of fuel then you'd have to improvise with an esbit tab or a twig fire, but nothing your average outdoorsman can't handle.

Different strokes and all that.