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Wilderness Camping Guide - Additional Camp Gear

Camp Stoves

Backpack camping stoves come in a number of configurations and use different types of fuels. Many stoves come apart into seperate pieces to make them more compact for travel. They usually consist of a burner, pot stand, and stove feet to keep things from tipping over. The most common fuel types are buetane or propane which come in preloaded disposable canisters, white gas (commonly known as coleman fuel), and multi-fuel.

The stoves that are rated multi-fuel normally use white gas, unleaded gas (like you use in your car), keresoene, and sometimes alcohol. Fuel for a multi-fuel stove is always easy to find and less expensive. The butane/propane stoves have a burner unit that attaches to the disposable fuel canister. Depending on the time you plan to spend camping you can bring multiple canisters. There are also lantern attachments that use the same fuel so you can dual-use the fuel canister.

There is also a stove called a "jetboil" that has an insulated cooking pot that attaches right to the burner elimating the need to carry a cook pot. One of the advantages of this type of stove is that they burn cleaner than the other types of fuel reducing sooting problems in the burner.

White gas and multi-fuel stoves come with either a fuel tank that is perminately attached to the burner unit or a fuel bottel that attaches via a fuel line. I prefer the type that attaches via a fuel line as you can store your fuel tank some where in your pack less likely to cause havoc if it happens to leak. The draw back to a multi-fuel stove is that they tend to burn sootier as you use the less refined fuels, i.e. white gas burns cleaner than kerosene. Some multi-fuel stoves come with a built in needle that allows you to clean the jet in the burner by shaking the stove. They can sometimes be a bit fussy, but once you learn how to use and maintain them they can be quite economical and dependable.

An alternative to carrying a stove is to use chemical fuel bars. These are individually wrapped bars of flammable materials about half the size of a candy bar. These are more for small jobs like warming up some water for hot coco, tea or instant coffee. They are not practicle for cooking meals. These work well with a military one quart canteen set. This includes a plastic canteen, cloth canteen carrier, canteen cup that nests on the botom of the canteen, and a canteen stove that nests on the canteen cup. The stove is just a piece of aluminum that attaches to the bottom of the cup to hold it up off the ground. You then light a fuel bar and place the cup and stove over it for heating. Nice for a quickie hot drink or instant oatmeal when you don't want to drag out your stove.

Cook Pots and Utinsels

In addition to your stove, you will need a cook pot and other cooking utensils. You will want a pot that is big enough to cook for everyone in the party. It should have a lid to help hold in heat which will mean less fuel usage. Some cook sets are made by the makers of camp stoves, and quite often you can fit the stove inside the pot for travel. With much of the modern campfood, you will most likely be using your pot for heating water to reconstitute the dehydrated or freeze dried meals. They are normally made out of either aluminum, stainless steel, or titanium. I would bypass the aluminum because of health concerns with cooking with this material. Stainless steel is a good choice, but titanium is much lighter and stronger though more expensive.

It is also wise to have a secondary smaller pot to eat out of. I have found a military type canteen cup works perfectly. It nests on the bottom of a one quart military canteen, is light weight and takes up almost no room. This way, when you are done eating, pour a little water into your canteen cup, swish it around with your finger getting all the food particles stuck to the sides of the cup, and then drink the water. Then presto the dishes are done.

You will also want some sort of knife and spoon. You will notice I left out a fork as anything you need a fork for, a spoon will work. Though you can always use the infamous "spork" if needed. I normally carry two knifes. A large fixed blade type knife and a small folding blade pocket knife that works for preparing meals and small jobs. The spoon or spork I would reccommend would be either made of lexan (a very tough plastic) or the more expensive titanium. Your normal type plastic spoon is usually too flimsy and brittle to stand up for very long on the trail.

Camping Food

There are many different kinds of backpacking food. One very convenient and lightweight type is freeze-dried, or dehydrated. It usually comes in a pouch that you simply add boiling water to, stir and wait a few minutes to eat. They are usually quite tasty, but can be a little pricey. Another advantage: there is very little clean up after you eat. The only down side is you need to carry extra water to re-constitute it. There is a huge selection of freeze-dried meals, though I would steer clear of any of the breakfast type meals. I have never found a freeze dried egg meal that tasted very good, and the breakfast entrees seem to come with an over abundance packaging as well.

Another option is what the military is currently using. They are called M.R.E.s (meals ready to eat). You can get entire meals sealed in a plastic pouch (main entree, side dish, desert, accessory pack including gum, toilet paper, hot sauce, plastic utensils, and possibly other items) or just the main course entree. I prefer just to bring the main course entree as there are several items included in the meal pouch that I find unnecessary. The food in a M.R.E. is fully cooked and vaccum sealed in an air tight pouch. I think they actually taste quite good. They can be eaten cold, but are better warmed. You can find chemical heaters made just for the entrees. They are a plastic pouch with chemical powder that is activated with a little water. Just slip the entree pouch in the plastic sleeve, add a little water, and wait a few minutes. Just make sure to use them in a well ventelated area as they put off fumes while your meal is warming. M.R.E.s are heavier than the freeze-dried or dehydrated meals as they contain all their water.

Of course, your local supermarket has things that can serve as camp food as well. I like one of the many pasta dishes in a pouch. Just make sure it's the kind that only needs boiling water to prepare. Some require butter or milk and won't work on the trail. Once you have cooked up the pasta you can add some tuna fish or chicken that comes in a foil pouch. This is a very cheap, filling, and easy trail meal. There is more in the way of clean up than the prepackaged meals, but they are much less expensive. Take a look for some of the dry mix soups as well. Again, just make sure you only need to add water for preparation. In my area there is a brand called "bear creek" that I've found works very well. If you split the pouch in half it feeds two hungry guys very well. You can also add some instant potato mix to any of these dishes to thicken it up and add more "oomph". Don't forget about instant oatmeal and instant hot cocoa - they are alway fast and tasty.

With any type of camp food, make sure what you buy is newly manufactured and hasn't been sitting around forever. So next time you are grocery shopping keep an eye out for items that might work well on the trail. It pays to be creative, and for some reason even the most basic meal tastes better in the wilderness. Bon apetite.

Candle Lanterns

This is more of a luxury item, but I have found candle lanterns to be very useful. They are quite compact and do not weigh much. You can set one up and it gives enough light around camp to move around without being too bright. I also like it in place of a campfire, which in not always a good idea or even practical to have. They come with different size candle refills and you can even find citronilla candles to fit in them to help chase off bugs. Though it may not be a great idea because of fire and carbon monoxide hazard I have used it inside my tent to warm things up and to help dry things out. Just make sure to keep a flap cracked and do not knock it over.

Flashlights

A good quality dependable flashlight is one of your most important pieces of additional gear. Recent advances in technology have produced very rugged, lightweight and long lasting flashlights. The main advance has come in the bulb type. Now, instead of an incandesent bulb light that lasts tens to hundreds of hours, you can get an l.e.d. (short for light emitting diode) bulb that last thousands to tens of thousands of hours. Not only do they have extreamly long bulb life but they also vastly extend the battery life of the light as well. In the past you would be lucky to get 20 hours of continuous light from a flashlight. Now with the new l.e.d. flashlights you can expect 100 hours and beyond.

There are many different sizes and styles to choose from. I would first recommend a good quality head lamp. This is a small light that comes on an elastic strap that you wear on your head. This leaves your hands free to work on things, or to use in case you get caught out on the trail when night falls. I would also reccommed a small hand held flashlight as a back up. With both of these you should be ready for most any situation. One thing to think about is to perhaps pick a head lamp and hand held flashlight that take the same size batteries. That way if you feel you may need to carry spare batteries you can pack one size for both lights.

Another feature that I like is interchangable red lens for your light. My head lamp has a flip up red lens that really comes in handy. When you use a red lens on your light it does not ruin your night vision. It take your eyes around 30 to 40 minutes to become totally accustomed to night time light levels. If you then flip on a regular white light your eyes go back to not being adjusted to low light and you have to start all over. With a red lens on your light you preserve your night vision and can sometimes see well enough that you will not need to use a light at all. Another feature to look for is water proof or water resistant lights. You never know when you will be stuck out at night in the rain, and that would be about the worst time to have have your flashlight fail.

Knives, Machetes, Saws & Multi-Tools

A good quality large fixed blade knife or machete is always a good thing to have. In fact, I would never venture out in the wilderness without my knife belt. Look for a large knife with a blade at least 8 to 12 inches in length. This can be used for gathering firewood, cutting a trail, shelter building if you find yourself seperated from your gear, and any other big jobs you may need to do.

I would also carry a smaller knife for doing small jobs like food prep. and the like. I like to carry my smaller knife mounted to the shoulder strap of my backpack. You should also carry a multi tool (my favorite is the Leatherman® Wave® Multi-Tool); these often come with an additional knife which can be used for the small job application. A multi tool can really come in handy should one of your gear items fail while in the wilderness. Being able to do field repairs is a very nessary skill, and having a good quality multi tool is a must. I always carry one on my knife belt as well as a large fixed blade knife, sharpening stone, Magnesium Fire Starter, emergency blanket, fish hooks and fishing line. This way if I happen to get seperated from my pack I can still fend for myself.

A machete or saw is also sometimes a good item to bring along to help with firewood gathering. Depending on the trail conditions you may need to clear a path and nothing does this better than a good quality machete. I sometimes keep one on the side of my pack high enough that I can reach back and grab it should I need to clear a path.

When purchasing any of these items look for at least something made out of 440 stainless steel. Many of the less expensive toos are made of 420 stainless steel and don't hold up as well. Generally, the steel quality goes something like this, from cheapest to most expensive: 420 stainless, 440 stainless, 1050 carbon, 1095 carbon, D-2 steel, then titanium. This is just a short list and general guideline without going into alot of detail.

Water Filters

There is really no surface water sources in the wilderness that would be considered safe to drink without some sort of filtering or treatment. Since water is such a heavy, but essential, item it just makes sense to re-supply in the field. Most water filters push the water through a filter material that has holes so small in it that all the dangerous bacteria and viruses are filtered out. Some also come with a charcoal element as well that absorb things like pestacides and elements that might cause the water to smell or taste bad. Of couse, you can always boil any suspect water for 10 minutes to make it safe for drinking. Though this takes time and extra fuel and depending on the quality of the water may be less than ideal. Water can also be chemically treated to make it safe to drink, but again the taste may be too nasty for some.

Canteens and Water Carriers

In the backcountry, you will need a way to transport water. One way is in a traditional canteen. Military surplus canteens are inexpensive, rugged and and very handy. You can attach them to the hip belt of most backpacks to keep the weight well centered. Also available are military surplus canteen cups and cup stoves that the canteen nests into for transport (see camp stoves for more information). Another type of canteen like container is a bottle made of hard plastic or metal. They come in different sizes with different carriers. Lastely, there are many different types of water bladders. These are rubberized, flexable containers that most often come with a drink tube and bite valve on the end of the tube. Using a water bladder allows you to sip on water while you hike without having to stop. Many backpacks come with their own water bladder and drink tube, and you can always retro fit your backpack with one. Just make sure to put it as close to your back inside your pack as possible to make it easier to carry.