Lightweight Cooking Gear

Lightweight Stoves

When Choosing a lightweight stove, be aware of your cooking needs and where you expect to hike. Climate makes a big difference on the performance of various stoves. Will you be traveling in larger groups, in pairs or solo? What type of climate do you plan to hike in? Will you just be boiling water or cooking a multi course meal? Ask yourself these questions before you chose a stove.

Most traditional backpackers carry multi fuel liquid fuel stoves. These stoves are characterized by fast boil times, great performance at high altitude and cold conditions, fuel is inexpensive. However these stoves are much heavier and are best suited for mountaineering, longer trips, base camps and group cooking. Usually these stoves are best suited for boiling water as they do not have very good flame control. Some models have a special valve designed for better flame control and these are more suitable for gourmet cooking.

Our favorite is the MSR Simmerlite, as it is among the lightest liquid fuel stoves but performs well in cold conditions.

If you can own just one stove and mostly hike spring - fall then a canister stove is your best bet. Canister stoves are characterized by, fast boil times, very convenient (no priming or pumping), good flame control, and very lightweight. We are starting to see models weighing less than three ounces. There are a few downsides to canister stoves. These include more expensive fuel costs, and poor performance in cold and at high altitude. For someone just starting to go lightweight canister stoves are generally the best choice.

Our favorite is the Snow Peak Giga Power stove. We like this stove because of its very light weight, ease of use and great flame control. The pot supports are wider on this stove than many others so a wider pot can be used. It also has very fast boil times. This stove is a great choice for both the lightweight backpacker who only needs to boil water, and the gourmet cook.

Alcohol stoves are popular with the ultralight backpacking community because the are incredibly lightweight(many models under an ounce), very inexpensive(can be made at home too) fuel is relatively inexpensive. These stoves burn denatured alcohol which can be found at most hardware stores. Denatured alcohol is cheap and available anywhere. Unfortunately denatured alcohol does not burn as hot so boil times are about three times longer than a canister stove. These stoves are only suitable for boiling water and are best used on a thru hike or other lightweight multi week trips. Windscreens are a must with alcohol stoves.

Our favorite is the Brasslite Turbo2D because it is a bit larger and is better suited for two people. It is also very durable.

Solid fuel is also an option and is in many cases lighter than using an alcohol stove. Solid fuel tablets are hard to find, but can be found many places online. One advantage of these stoves is that you can't spill your fuel all over the contents of your pack.

Lightweight Cooksets

When choosing a lightweight cookset you need to evaluate how many people you will be cooking for and what type of cooking will be done. Material is also another concern when choosing a cookset. Forget about steel, it is very durable but far to heavy for lightweight backpacking. Aluminum is a very affordable option and a great choice for longer trips(absorbs heat better) and is also good for the gourmet cooking as it offers better transfer of heat and is also available with nonstick coatings. Titanium offers very low weights and great durability. It tends to be the most expensive but has the best performance to weight ratio for cookware.

Many solo lightweight backpackers will carry only a larg titanium mug or kettle as a cookset. This is a great choice as it is simple, lightweight, and versatile. Multi use items are key when going light.

Our favorite is the Snow Peak Trek 700 titanium mug. It weighs just over 4 oz but is suitable for boiling water and eating a meal. It will also hold the Giga Power stove, a fuel canister, and a titanium spork the perfect solo cooking package in one small container.

For a group of 2-3 we like the Snow Peak Trek 1400 Titanium cookset. The pot lid doubles as a fry pan adding versatility and more cooking options. Also a very stable cookset when used with a canister stove. A great cookset for not only boiling water but more advanced cooking as well.

If you are selecting a titanium mug to use a “cookpot” be sure to select a single wall model. Double wall mugs do not work well for cooking.


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Lightweight Cooking Gear Lightweight Stoves When Choosing a lightweight stove, be aware of your cooking needs and where you expect to hike. Climate makes a big difference on the performance of various stoves. Will you be traveling in larger groups, in pairs or solo? What type of climate do you plan to hike in? Will you just be boiling water or cooking a multi course meal? Ask yourself these questions before you chose a stove. Most traditional backpackers carry multi fuel liquid fuel stoves. These stoves are characterized by fast boil times, great performance at high altitude and cold conditions, fuel is inexpensive. However these stoves are much heavier and are best suited for mountaineering, longer trips, base camps and group cooking. Usually these stoves are best suited for boiling water as they do not have very good flame control. Some models have a special valve designed for better flame control and these are more suitable for gourmet cooking. Our favorite is the MSR Simmerlite, as it is among the lightest liquid fuel stoves but performs well in cold conditions. If you can own just one stove and mostly hike spring - fall then a canister stove is your best bet. Canister stoves are characterized by, fast boil times, very convenient (no priming or pumping), good flame control, and very lightweight. We are starting to see models weighing less than three ounces. There are a few downsides to canister stoves. These include more expensive fuel costs, and poor performance in cold and at high altitude. For someone just starting to go lightweight canister stoves are generally the best choice. Our favorite is the Snow Peak Giga Power stove. We like this stove because of its very light weight, ease of use and great flame control. The pot supports are wider on this stove than many others so a wider pot can be used. It also has very fast boil times. This stove is a great choice for both the lightweight backpacker who only needs to boil water, and the gourmet cook. Alcohol stoves are popular with the ultralight backpacking community because the are incredibly lightweight(many models under an ounce), very inexpensive(can be made at home too) fuel is relatively inexpensive. These stoves burn denatured alcohol which can be found at most hardware stores. Denatured alcohol is cheap and available anywhere. Unfortunately denatured alcohol does not burn as hot so boil times are about three times longer than a canister stove. These stoves are only suitable for boiling water and are best used on a thru hike or other lightweight multi week trips. Windscreens are a must with alcohol stoves. Our favorite is the Brasslite Turbo2D because it is a bit larger and is better suited for two people. It is also very durable. Solid fuel is also an option and is in many cases lighter than using an alcohol stove. Solid fuel tablets are hard to find, but can be found many places online. One advantage of these stoves is that you can't spill your fuel all over the contents of your pack. Lightweight Cooksets When choosing a lightweight cookset you need to evaluate how many people you will be cooking for and what type of cooking will be done. Material is also another concern when choosing a cookset. Forget about steel, it is very durable but far to heavy for lightweight backpacking. Aluminum is a very affordable option and a great choice for longer trips(absorbs heat better) and is also good for the gourmet cooking as it offers better transfer of heat and is also available with nonstick coatings. Titanium offers very low weights and great durability. It tends to be the most expensive but has the best performance to weight ratio for cookware. Many solo lightweight backpackers will carry only a larg titanium mug or kettle as a cookset. This is a great choice as it is simple, lightweight, and versatile. Multi use items are key when going light. Our favorite is the Snow Peak Trek 700 titanium mug. It weighs just over 4 oz but is suitable for boiling water and eating a meal. It will also hold the Giga Power stove, a fuel canister, and a titanium spork the perfect solo cooking package in one small container. For a group of 2-3 we like the Snow Peak Trek 1400 Titanium cookset. The pot lid doubles as a fry pan adding versatility and more cooking options. Also a very stable cookset when used with a canister stove. A great cookset for not only boiling water but more advanced cooking as well. If you are selecting a titanium mug to use a “cookpot” be sure to select a single wall model. Double wall mugs do not work well for cooking.