Thank you!With your gear listing and your web threads, I never see a listing for a cup and or a cooking pot. I'm sure curious about your diet with your sub 5pound pack. (w/o electronics)
Also, with your mosquito scenerio and "MY" cooking thoughts, do you now think a cookpot and at least netting might have been wise on the AT?
Still thinking about purchasing your book. I HAVE enjoyed the first two chapters.
I did bring a cookpot on the AT, as you can see from my AT gear list:
www.francistapon.com/at/gear.htm
I should have definitely brought netting on the AT. That was a mistake that Lisa and I paid dearly for on a few nights.
On the PCT I brought some netting and that worked well for about 10-14 days.
On the CDT I only brought a headnet and 3 ounces of extra netting to throw over my headnet (to create another layer of protection). I never wished I had a tent on the CDT. The bugs were never that bad because I would always end hiking around 10pm, and at those high altitudes the temps cool down, forcing the bugs to go to sleep too.
I have never taken a cup on any of my backpacking trips. I always eat straight out of the pot.
Normally I take a Titanium pot (like I did on the PCT and AT). However, on the CDT I did not take pot. Yes, that means that I wouldn't be cooking. Yes, for 7 months I never cooked a meal.
I thought I would miss cooking and go nuts. Therefore, I was surprised by how well I got used to not having cooked food. I rarely think about food on the trail or fantasize about pizza, pasta, or warm soup. I'm not sure why, but perhaps I'm just not that picky.
I remind myself of dogs. Most dogs get fed the same food every day of their lives. However, whenever meal time comes, they get extremely excited and wag their tails vigorously.
My cook-less diet is FAR more varied that their monotonous diet. So if they can do it, I figure I can do it on my more varied diet.
What do I eat? Here's what's typical:
BREAKFAST:
- Bob's Red Mill dry soy milk + water + Bob's Red Mill Granola + Bob's Red Mill Protein Powder + dried fruit
- Bob's Red Mill Couscous + Bob's Red Mill Textured Vegi Protein (TVP) + vegi powder (for flavor) + water (let soak overnight or just 10 mins and it's ready to eat)
I usually eat this breakfast as I'm packing up.
SNACKS REST OF DAY:
- MealPack.com energy bars
- GORP
- Dried Fruit
- Whole wheat bread (or tortillas) + soy cheese + tomatoes + avocado
- Baked tofu with bread to make a sandwich (hard to find this in most towns)
- Crackers
- Gummy bears (helps when you're thirsty and gives quick energy)
- Pretzels or soy chips
- A little junk food (like Poptarts or Oreos)
- Fresh fruit and vegetables whenever possible (I'll eat spinach, brocoli, carrots, green peppers, grapes, plums, apricots, etc...) Although all this weighs a lot, I eat it early in the journey to get the nutrition and to lower the pack weight quickly.
It's hard to believe, but I have yet to eat a Snickers bar (or any candy bar on the CDT)!
I feel my diet is pretty varied (compared to a dog). I'm vegetarian, so soy products and nuts give me most of my protein. I'm surprised that I don't miss other types of food, but that's just the way it works.
I don't drink tea or coffee in the real world, so I definitely don't miss it on the trail.
Although my diet seems austere, like most things, we get used to it. Humans adapt to new conditions very easily. I encourage you to experiment and backpack without cooked food. Chances are you'll miss the warm food, but you might also be a psycho-mutant and feel happy without it.
