Campcraft questions

[THOaken]

Hello. I'm looking to start camping now that Spring is here and improve on the little that I camped last year.

My only experience with camp cooking so far has been to put a pot on top of the fire, directly on top. This heats soup really well, for example, but of course there are problems with this method, such as the handle being potentially burnt. I'm thinking of trying my hand at the adjustable pot hook and the other methods, but I'd like to ask what method do you use to cook whilst camping? I'm not sure about stoves. I'm not sure how all of that works and I still want to make a camp fire. Doesn't using a stove eliminate the use of a camp fire altogether apart from using it for light in the dark? I don't really see the point of using a stove if you can just suspend a pot which contains soup or water with a pothook over the camp fire lay.

I've focused mainly on the fire starting and the practicalities of getting out there, but not much on the food aspect. Any help?

Also, some questions about shelter:
I've always used my little green pop up tent, but people have said I'm missing a lot inside a tent. Which tarp or tarp type should I go for?

If I think of more questions, I'll just add them here to this original post.

 

[Clouston98]

Tarp wise you should go for a Bilmo if you want a canvas one, it is more expensive than a DD, but more durable in my opinion. You could get a cheap B&Q one for 5 quid, to see if you like tarp camping.

Cooking wise I've made the fancy point notch hook adjustable hangers and all that but I just usually set my pot in the fire but not directly in the middle, when there are just embers and small flames around. And cook meat on a squirrel cooker I forged myself, or a flat rock

Food wise, you can eat anything you can eat at home, only reason for fancy meals is weight and less packaging to carry back. I usually use the look what we've found meals, quite cheap in tescos etc and don't need to be refrigerated and only have one packet to contain them.

As for stoves I have a woodgas, and a cartridge gas one, and they're useful for cooking in non wooded areas or areas where you don't have permission for an open fire (doesn't stop me as I'm always responsible and leave no trace) and useful for when you want to cook quickly without sawing, axing up wood, just twigs you can snap with your hands, good for day trips too, although I nearly always have an open camp fire.

Hope this helps .

 

[THOaken]

Tarp wise you should go for a Bilmo if you want a canvas one, it is more expensive than a DD, but more durable in my opinion. You could get a cheap B&Q one for 5 quid, to see if you like tarp camping.

Cooking wise I've made the fancy point notch hook adjustable hangers and all that but I just usually set my pot in the fire but not directly in the middle, when there are just embers and small flames around. And cook meat on a squirrel cooker I forged myself, or a flat rock

Food wise, you can eat anything you can eat at home, only reason for fancy meals is weight and less packaging to carry back. I usually use the look what we've found meals, quite cheap in tescos etc and don't need to be refrigerated and only have one packet to contain them.

As for stoves I have a woodgas, and a cartridge gas one, and they're useful for cooking in non wooded areas or areas where you don't have permission for an open fire (doesn't stop me as I'm always responsible and leave no trace) and useful for when you want to cook quickly without sawing, axing up wood, just twigs you can snap with your hands, good for day trips too, although I nearly always have an open camp fire.

Hope this helps .

Thanks, Clouston, that really does help. So stoves are useful for when you want to cook, but are in the hills (or any other non wooded area), for example? I see. Truth be told I've never used one! But I can see that they'd also be useful when, as you say, you don't have permission to make an open fire.

I may ask more questions later on. Cheers.

 

[ex-member BareThrills]

Stoves are also useful when its howling down and you dont want to go to the trouble of making fire. First brew of the day is also good on a stove as it will get you sorted quickly whilst still reclining in your pit

For suspending pots This be my fave

 

[Mesquite]

If you're wanting a quick brew up or cooking your breakfast the the stove has the advantage over a fire especially if you're going to be moving off shortly.

A stove lets you have the reassurance that the fire is completely out and safe to leave in the morning.

As for cooking methods there's a wide variety to choose from. I tend to carry a length of chain that's about a metre long and only weights a few grams but can suspend a pot much easier than a pot hook can and is always with you thus negating the need to look for pot hooks all the time.

 

[THOaken]

Thanks, Barethrills.

This is the extent of my wild camping "foodcraft".

What can I use instead of that pot? Are mess tins only used for containing the food after cooking or can I use one to go on the fire if I'm not using a stove? Barethrills, what is the name of that pot you're using? Embrassing that I'm not even sure what the names are for these things.

Edit: And thanks, Mesquite. I've always thought you'd just need to make one pot hook system and take it with you. I don't see why you'd need to make one all over again. Cheers.

 

[outdoorpaddy]

The method i use for suspending a pot really depends on my surroundings and what materials are handy, if there are big logs or appropriately shaped rocks i would rest the wagon stick over a large log and then have another log or a rock resting on the back of it, but if the right wood is available then i would use the full single pot hanger setup. Its actually an area that i find really enjoyable; practicing all the different means of doing it and trying out new ways. If I'm cooking with a pan then i would put some big logs on the fire parallel to each other and rest the pan on that. If i don't have permission to light a fire then i use a honey stove which works pretty well although can be a unstable when you're using it with a billy can. A good thing about it is you can burn wood in it or use a meths burner so its pretty versatile.

In terms of food, I carry what is simple enough to cook and what gives plenty of energy for what i want to do, but theres really no restriction on bringing food, its all down to how much time you're willing to spend cooking, how much weight you're planning to carry and how elaborate you want your meals to be. However i would start off simple, stuff like pasta, cous cous or rice with various other things added in is a good place to start i feel, depending on how skilled you are at cooking at home.

I used to use a tent, then i tried a tarp and i haven't used a tent unless absolutely necessary since, it really enhances the experience of sleeping out i feel, also i takes up less space and weight which is always good. I have an australian hootchie tarp, which is pricey i admit but i'll be using it an awful lot in the future so it should pay for itself in theory. I've heard good things about DD tarps but as clouston says if you just want to try it for a night a B&Q one will work fine, also handy to have around if you have a fixed camp area that you want to expand or to cover firewood.

Hope this helps

paddy

 

[ex-member BareThrills]

The pot over the flames is an eagle kettle and the big pot was just a big group pot for making stew. You can convert just about any pot to hang over a fire by drilling it and adding a bail. Bicycle break cable is good to use. Mess tins can go on the fire no problem and you can even get them from the pound shop. Be difficult to hang them easily though due to the shape.

 

[Shewie]

For base camps with a larger pot I carry a length of bath plug chain with a steel s-hook on the end, it saves making a pot hanger each time and it packs so small it's unnoticeable in the pack.

Not a great pic as it's wound right up but ..

 

[Man of Tanith]

At my permission which is where I mainly go as it's A close B private and mine and C easy I have a few methidsrnof holding cooking equipment over a fire.
1 the classic tripod with pot hook suspended from centre.
2 voyageurs style suspension system two tripods with a pole balanced over them
3 a metal cooling wire/ grill.

1 is used for one pot meals/boiling a kettle.
2 is used for more elaborate meals that require more than one pot or boiling water whilst cooking a meal.
3 is for when the meal involves something like kebabs or steak and they need a more direct heat.
stoves as said are great for a quick brew up in the am or first arrival at a site whilst you set up camp or can't be bothered to get out of your bed.
If you are lokming for a stove/billy set up seriously consider the swiss army trangia set. the pots can be used to cook over a fire as well as the meths burner, the lid also acts as a frying pan or eating dish and it will comfortably cook enough food/heat enough water for two people its one of my main users when myself and lady of tanith go away together.

tarps are in my opinion much better than tents they are more versatile allow you to have a fire beneath them with some forethought to safety and are a darn sight easier to dry.
if you are uncertain then maybe buy a cheapo camo one off eBay to test in a simple A frame or lean too.
then build up to a DD tarp and use the camo one for an adkin area or to keep it and fire wood dry

 

[ex-member BareThrills]

If you are lokming for a stove/billy set up seriously consider the swiss army trangia set. the pots can be used to cook over a fire as well as the meths burner, the lid also acts as a frying pan or eating dish and it will comfortably cook enough food/heat enough water for two people

That is a sound bit of advice. great setup and cheap as chips. high sides of the pot are great for heating pouches too.

 

[Man of Tanith]

That is a sound bit of advice. great setup and cheap as chips. high sides of the pot are great for heating pouches too.

why thank you Paul

 

[ozzy1977]

I bought one of those take down tripods off ebay for about £13 for hanging my zebra over a small fire, can also be used with a swedish army trangia

 

[rik_uk3]

Anything you can cook at home you can cook when camping, so, do you cook at home? It really is that simple. If you don't cook at home them surprise mom and dad by starting.

People often talk about the likes of Dutch Oven cooking, open fires, stoves but the principles of camp cooking is not far removed (if at all) from producing a meal on you kitchen stove or garden BBQ. Cooking outdoors is only hard for those who don't cook indoors.

Cook at home, learn the basics and don't be like some of the Kno*s on Come Dine With Me and say "I've never tried this before" and then wonder why they produce absolute poo poo.

I love food and am a fantastic cook but the great meals and cooking only came through practise.

 

[Oakleaf]

It is a little dated - only in terms of being written in the early 1900's - not in terms of insight - but Woodcraft & Camping by Nessmuk is a useful read on camp cook craft. May be a useful read for you?

Everyone is different, personally I feel very closed in with a tent and much prefer an 'open' sleep - be it ground or hammock. But what matters is what works for you. To that end, I'd start with a cheap tarp from B & Q etc - as suggested above to see if it appeals generally. Then invest in a quality tarp if it does - quality will out in the long run if that is the path you take.

Let us know how it goes.

 

[crosslandkelly]

It is a little dated - only in terms of being written in the early 1900's - not in terms of insight - but Woodcraft & Camping by Nessmuk is a useful read on camp cook craft. May be a useful read for you?

Let us know how it goes.

+ 1 to Nessmuk, here free. http://www.bushcraftuk.com/downloads/pdf/woodcraft-and-camping.pdf

 

[John Fenna]

I use home made billies on a pole held over the fire by 2 forked sticks - one each end. On static camps I suspend my billies on home forged "S" hooks of varying lengths ... forged from the side supports from a busted wall-papering table and the tines from a busted leaf rake. For fly camps I just sit the billies in the embers or cut a simple pot hook and use a bit of cord to adjust the height. The cord should not get hot enough to burn or melt if you position the billy sensibly
I cannot abide tents now (except on public campsites where I want more privacy) - they just restrict everything too much. With a tarp you get closer to nature, have a better admin area, can be loser to the warmth of the fire etc etc
Mess tins are fine for cooking in - I even have a set with a frying pan lid. Stainless Steel Mess tins can be found but the ally ones are OK. I have even made bread in them in the past.
For eating from I prefer a wooden bowl which I also use for mixing bannock etc
I also rate Nessmuk's book

 

[THOaken]

Thanks, everyone, for the very useful tips. I'll come back to this thread when necessary.

 

[bushwacker bob]

Turn up when we have a meetup in Hants and I will happily teach you more than you currently know. I have also added some Birch to your collection of woods for when you wish to expand your knowledge of carving.

 

[Uilleachan]

When I cook on a fire I don't hang anything over a flame. I build a fire, let it burn down to a good bed of embers rekindle a part of it down wind of the remaining ember bed that I flatten and then use for cooking. Pots etc can be places directly on top of the embers, if cooking whole grain rice etc, stuff that takes a while to cook, when things slow down either move the pot to a hotter bit of the ember bed, or lift the pot and scrape some fresh embers under the pot spot from the rekindled (flaming) part of the fire. That works the other way round to, if you want to slow things down, simmering, just move the pot to a cooler part of the ember bed, ie, the edge.

Leather gloves are handy around fires, a rag or tea towel works too, or one can improvise with a stick provided the pots have a handle that'll accept one.