Cooking Fuel replacement

imported
#1

I’m planning to thru hike the PCT in early May and i’m still trying to figure out how to keep my fuel supply fuel for 3 and a half months??? Can anyone help? Thanks

Josh

Joshua Camacho

#2

Josh: What kind of fuel?

I used alcohol on most of the PCT and didn’t have any problems purchasing it in small quantities in trail towns. Once in a while you need to buy a whole quart, then leave the rest at the hiker box for others.

One partner was using canisters and he had to mail canisters to himself, and had to obtain special labeling to so do. He loved his JetBoil, which used very little fuel.

I didn’t see anyone using white gas. I think it’s harder to find small quantities, but I’m not sure.

One option I started exploring on some sections of the PCT was going cookless, bouncing the cook kit ahead a few hundred miles and eating only cold food. Now that’s the only way I hike, so no worries at all about fuel.

garlic

#3

If you use canisters, then you will probably want to mail them ahead. I’ve never done this, but there is an article at whiteblaze about this. See

If you want to buy cannisters, I recall (2003, so a bit out of date) that you could buy them at

Idylwild
Big Bear City
Agua Dulce (well, Santa Clarita)
Kennedy Meadows
VVR
Tuolumne Meadows (but not in 2006)
South Lake Tahoe
Mount Shasta City (way cool, near Dunsmuir/Castella, no one goes to it)

Ashland

That is pretty much it unless you want to hitch.

For alcohol, you can pretty easily buy as you go, though Mojave, oddly enough didn’t have any when I was there and a local told me it had something to do with meth production.

Suge

#4

Thanks a lot for the info guys. : )

Joshua Camacho

#5

FWIW - during my 16 day solo Sierra trek last summer - first time using a Jetboil - I used 2 1/3 Jetboil cannisters. Used only at night to boil water - usually 2-2 1/2 qts.

booger