Backpacking cooking equipment

Factors to consider in choosing gear for backpacking cooking:


Step 1

To be able to choose the right backpacking stove and cookware you have to understand your cooking needs. Your cooking needs depend on what kind of wilderness trips you plan, how many people you'll be cooking for and how complex your meals will be.

Step 2

Size and weight of both the stove and fuel is important. Check compactness when stowed. Some stoves are designed to fit inside of cook sets.

Step 3

Easy and safe to use. Look for a backpacking stove with a robust design. It has to be easy to set up and easy to light. A backpacking stove for wilderness adventures has to be reliable and simple to maintain. You don’t want it to failure in the field. The most ease and safe to use backpacking stove you can find is the non-pressurized alcohol stove.

Step 4

Fuel availability? Find out which fuels will be available for your backpacking trip. Maybe a multi-fuel stove would be a good fit for you?

Step 5

What performance do you need? Again evaluate your cooking needs. Many people (and complex meals) mean you probably need an efficient pressurized gas stove that burn hot immediately. Will there be windy conditions and low temperature, go for a liquid stove.

Step 6

Cost of stove and of fuel? As always price is important, but if you compare to other camping gear a backpacking stove is not a big investment. Buy the stove that will fit your needs.

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