Homemade DIY Backpacking Stove Cook Kit - Lightweight and Cheap

DIY Lightweight Cook Set for Hiking and Backpacking

It is amusing to see hikers obsessed with the latest fastest way to boil water in the woods. You could easily spend $100 to boil water 1 minute faster but why? Isn't the need for a fast paced life one of the major reasons you left civilization behind at the trailhead?

Here is a short video with tips on how to create your own lightweight cook set w/ camp stove for backpacking, DIY style cheaper and better than anything you can buy!



In this video I go over the components in my homemade hiking cook set that I have been using for the past 5 years in all weather conditions and elevations - including winter camping at 5000ft. It uses drinking alcohol as fuel in a homemade pop can stove which has these benefits:

Why Alcohol Fuel is (usually) the Best Fuel for Backpacking

• Compared to a canister you always know how much fuel you have left. Yes, I was burned by this once before on a 5-day trip when I ran out of fuel from a gamping gaz canister. On day 3 we ran out and had to use an emergency candle. Never again.
• It is quiet - compared to the LOUD rush of flames from canisters
• It is hassle-free - white gas requires continuous monitoring and pumping to pressurize.
• It is maintenance-free - no parts to break in the field
• It isn't a fossil fuel that you could spill - using those MSR fuel bottle stoves ALWAYS leak a little gasoline, stinking up your cook area, tent, backpack and polluting nature.
• It is "slow food" cooking that reminds me to relax and take it easy.
• I made the stove myself at a cost of just a few cents.
• It is lighter weight than any commercial stove on the market.
• If you use Everclear drinking alcohol rather than "marine fuel" from the hardware store it is a multi-use item - drink it for fun/ drink to anesthetize/use it to disinfect wounds & blades.
• learn more at http://zenstoves.net/

and that is just the stove/fuel part of my cook kit. Watch the video for more info on scoring a cheap cook pot that is nearly as light as the $50 titanium mugs and pots at REI.

Benefits of Using a Pot Cozy while Backpacking

My at-home test of the pot cozy: water went from boiling 212F to 183F after 45 minutes with 60F air temperature. Amazing. Not only that the cozy helps contain my entire cookset and keep things tidy. Everything fits in the pot except the fuel containers but if you were only going overnight you could probably fit that in the cook pot too.

How to make your own custom pot cozy:

• get your roll of reflectix and
• trace out the bottom of your pot with a marker,
• cut the round bottom you just traced,
• measure the side wall height,
• cut rectangular sides to fit wall height ,
• tape them together with some aluminum tape.
• Repeat same process for the lid of the cozy.

Simple, cheap, customizable. If you want a super effective cozy with an even higher r-value make your lid and bottom double thick to match the double thickness of the walls. For some items that require a 25 minute "simmer" (like Zatarain's black beans and rice - but stay away from the red beans and rice - no flavor!) I can put them in the home made cozy and come back in half an hour to a done meal that is almost too hot to eat without letting it cool down.

Bowls and Cups for Ultra lightweight Backpacking

As far as bowls and beverage containers go, I haven't transitioned to freezer bag cooking yet so these are required unless you want to eat out of the cookpot/not share food with your hiking partner. Orikaso makes a $3 collapsible bowl and $3 collapsible drinking cup are nothing short of amazing: reviews here. It is quite a luxury but if stored flat they take up almost no space and very little weight (heck, at 1.5 ounces each even ten of them wouldn't weigh a pound) plus are super easy to clean by just licking them clean. If you are used to drinking coffee in the morning the cup plus some Starbucks VIA instant coffee are a necessary luxury unless you want grumpy headaches all day. Trust me, the VIA coffee passed a blind unannounced taste test with coffee snob guests at home - it will work fine on the trail.


Hope this helps, comments appreciated!

And don't forget to always practice Leave No Trace Principles when hiking so unspoiled wilderness can be experienced by future generations!