You see the outdoor gear I use most when I am shooting photos, with what pots I like best, the dishes I serve up in, and the spoons and utensils I use. But not all of it is visible. Have you ever wondered what I carry in my backpack when I hike? Or when we are out at state parks enjoying the day, and they want a hearty lunch? Wondering what items you don’t see in the photos?
Some of this gear is over twenty-five years old. It’s seen a lot of miles and a lot of meals. And most of it is pretty ugly or utilitarian, so isn’t in photos.
The 1-cup green measuring cup
I bought it so long ago. When I first started hiking. It’s 25 or 26 years old. I bought it from the Campmor catalog.
Could I buy a better piece of gear? Sure. But it does the job and has markings inside I can always see. I’ve used it for camp coffee far too many times.
And it reminds me of who I was and where I came from. It’s not going to win any style awards for sure.
Ancient Bic lighters
Long ago, really long ago, I bought a multi-pack of Bic lighters at Walmart. I put one in every stove bag/container I had, so I would always have a lighter on hand, even if the stove had a piezo lighter (because they sometimes choose not to work). I carry another backup lighter in my accessories bag.
In my opinion, you can’t have too many ways to start a fire.
Paper towels
I use paper towels often. They wrap around vegetables and fruit, like avocadoes, to pad them while hiking. They make a good work surface and allow easy cleanup of pots and pans, Take your already used paper towels and wipe out pots you have cooked in, to remove food and grease, right into your garbage sack. Then cleanup is easy.
They also make far superior toilet paper in the wild. Packed out, of course.
Parchment paper
This was a trick I learned from a food company, maybe 15 years ago or so, that included a piece of folded parchment paper with their meals. You then had a clean work spot with minimal weight and space taken up. Don’t discount this one; it really goes far when making wraps or cutting cheese.
Zip top bags
No photo is needed. I always carry gallon, quart and sandwich bags with me. You can collect berries while hiking, have a garbage bag on hand and so many other things with them. Even collect water with them in tiny rivels of water, in hot summers.
Fuel can support
I have written about the three ones we use.
Chopsticks
It doesn’t matter if you have expensive ones handcrafted for the outdoors, or a spare set of freebies from the sushi counter, chopsticks can make eating and cooking easier. I use them for ramen, turning meat and veggies and a lot more. I prefer bamboo or carved wood to metal, but that is me.
Clorox hand wipes
If you look in the travel section in grocery or big-box stores, you can find Clorox wipes for sale (Amazon carries them in 9 wipe packs). Having clean hands is essential when cooking for others. This is how you control stomach issues, such as Norovirus. Wipe your hands down, getting under and all around your nail bed. Even if you are not cooking for others, having clean hands is a good habit after using the bathroom. No one wants dirty hands near them……
~Sarah