reading the fire thread…interesting…maybe I’ll go cookless…I do it in Big Bend National Park regularly where we have year round fire bans…but rarely more than two days. My CT trip this year will be a larger challenge…what do you eat when you go cookless? Open to suggestions:) Weight notsomuch a factor…going in big bagged and slow/heavy…no rush, dont have to be home till september:)
Mike M
Hi Mike,
I thru-hiked the A.T. cookless, carrying MRE’s I received via maildrops.
http://www.thereadystore.com/mre/case-of-mre/mre-self-heating-emergency-meal-case-of-12
These were my meals at night. I didn’t even carry a pot and stove during the last 2/3 of the hike. I also bought other items in bulk that were sent with my maildrops.
I bought my lunch meals along the trail usually consisting of items like peanut butter, English muffins, pre-packaged items like the tuna salad/ham salad and cracker packages. Bags of trail mix also made a nice snack.
I plan on hiking the PCT next year, going cookless again!
I am in the minority in this approach to long-distance hiking. It takes some good planning up front and a support person at home to send the maildrops.
Enjoy your hike!!
Bison AT '09
Bison
I’ve done about half of my long distance hikes without a stove. I’d eat tortillas and tuna, cream cheese or a hard cheese, Nutella/peanut butter for lunch and/or dinner. Fully cooked bacon is good too. Crackers/potato chips are good. Breakfast is more challenging, some people eat oatmeal uncooked but I can’t do that. Pop tarts are popular as well. You can always carry a loaf of bread too. Good nut mixes and dark chocolate go a long way as well. Most of these things are easy to find. And on your first day out you can carry out a pizza. : )
Apple Pie
Try Bagels instead of bread, it does not smash so much and goes great with peanut butter. Apples, bananas and oranges stay good for a while, longer if you get them a little green. I usually take a little bit of fresh fruit as a treat, but take a lot of dried fruit for breakfast.
The Hobo
Ramen noodles only need to be soaked for about a half hour to become soft. Grate some cheese, add salad dressing and tuna or pepperoni and you have a pretty good meal.
I did a two nighter once with only a jar of peanut butter, a jar of Nutella and a package of tortillas. Yes, you can have too much of a good thing. Variety is important.
ringtail
Going stoveless saves weight. But in cold months it can be difficult. I hiked the AT from Georgia to Virginia with no stove. At the end of a days hike you need to put on dry clothes. cold months can be difficult. During warmer weather months it is a great idea.
Boomer
I love these Fab Four burritos as much/more than I love The Beatles. I’ve eaten them on thru-hikes for a decade. My trailname has changed a lot, but I have never gotten tired of this meal:
http://www.trailforums.com/index2.cfm?action=detail&PostNum=59889&Thread=4&roomID=7&entryID=135435
I notice that for longer trips, I don’t enjoying eating hot foods prepared cold on-trail, ie. cold-cook beans, cold-cook ramen, cold-cook pasta, cold-cook rice, cold-cook etc. I much prefer to cook hot foods off-trail using stove heat while in town, let them cool and then seal them in ziplocks to take with me on-trail to eat cold. To do so successfully, it helps to plan shorter hiking sections and to not be afraid to sit down and wolf down some noodles if the weather is hot and you are concerned about spoiling that is happening or that will happen down the trail.
I also find it is much nicer (although much heavier) to bring fully hydrated products like hummus, salsa, tahini, guacamole, fruits, veggies, and cheeses than to try to use their dehydrated counterparts. Except for powdered milk, I love that stuff.
fandango