cooking System

[CoMandy]

Where did you hear that?  It's usually the type of fuel source that determines whether it's allowed during certain conditions.  Often, wood-fired=bad.  Things like white gas and butane=good. The latter do not produce embers and are more easily controlled.

I was misinformed by hosts at several campgrounds who said "personal stoves" are allowed. The bottom line is the Solo Stove is not a good choice for the TransAm, where the fire danger is often high in the west in particular.

[staehpj1]

The Solo Stove is a wood (twig) fired stove right?  There are three possible ban levels that I know of.

• Stoves must have a shut off valve/switch
• No gathering of fuel, even twigs
• No stoves at all

Most often if we ran into a ban it was the one in number one and/or two of the list.  Number two isn't exactly a fire ban, but more of a park rule.

We had no issue using our canister stove on the TA.  I have used pop can stoves without issue on most of my backpacking trips.  That said both can run afoul of bans and you can find total stove bans in extrem fire hazard conditions.

I don't think twig stoves are a great choice.  They will run afoul of every ban and there will be places that it will be illegal to collect even a few twigs.

I love my pop can stoves and will still use them for some trips, but the off valve is a pluse for getting you through some ban situations.

I hate to deal with white gas, gasoline, or kerosene stoves for flying.  I just hate the hassle of cleaning them to get them odor free for the TSA the risk of having the TSA still confiscating them.

[KF8MO]

I use a Trangia cookset (the model 25-5; even though it's just my wife and me, the "1-2 people" 27 is too small). Simple, rugged, reliable, easy to clean, and fuel can be found almost anywhere. I enjoy cooking in camp, and find it very versatile for all kinds of breakfasts and dinners.

[David W Pratt]

A few comments that some may find relevant.
I have a JetBoil rig and it lives up to its name, very fast to boil water.  I found that if I leave the gas canister installed over night, the fuel runs out a lot faster than if I disconnect it after use. I guess the valve, or something must have a very slow leak. 
I usually do a mix of camping and cheap motels, about 3:1 or 4:1.  I eat a lot of convenience store lunches, and hit diners as I find them. 
When camping, breakfast is usually a bottle of OJ from a convenience store the day before, tea, and a sweet roll.  Then, a second breakfast if I find a diner.  Dinner is usually based on couscous because it cooks fastest.  I have found air dried meats from Croatia, beef and pork, in a European Deli in Burlington, VT.  I carried some on the GAP and C&O trip, which actually started in Buffalo, so was about 21/2 weeks.  By Cumberland it had gotten a little slimy on the surface, but I washed it off with soap, and rinsed it and dried it thoroughly, and it was fine.  It has a lot more flavor and better texture than freeze dried stuff.  I supplement the "stew" with some fresh veggies.
Trying the local cuisine is part of the experience for me.

[Jono1979]

A few comments that some may find relevant.
I have a JetBoil rig and it lives up to its name, very fast to boil water.  I found that if I leave the gas canister installed over night, the fuel runs out a lot faster than if I disconnect it after use. I guess the valve, or something must have a very slow leak. 
I usually do a mix of camping and cheap motels, about 3:1 or 4:1.  I eat a lot of convenience store lunches, and hit diners as I find them. 
When camping, breakfast is usually a bottle of OJ from a convenience store the day before, tea, and a sweet roll.  Then, a second breakfast if I find a diner.  Dinner is usually based on couscous because it cooks fastest.  I have found air dried meats from Croatia, beef and pork, in a European Deli in Burlington, VT.  I carried some on the GAP and C&O trip, which actually started in Buffalo, so was about 21/2 weeks.  By Cumberland it had gotten a little slimy on the surface, but I washed it off with soap, and rinsed it and dried it thoroughly, and it was fine.  It has a lot more flavor and better texture than freeze dried stuff.  I supplement the "stew" with some fresh veggies.
Trying the local cuisine is part of the experience for me.

David, your experiences seem the same as mine. I too use a Jetboil and find it great, but you have to remember to disassemble it. My camping to motels ratio is similar, as are my breakfast habits - although I've also gotten a taste for soaking oatmeal overnight in milk for a cold porridge breakfast.

[helderwieling]

I don't usually go out for more than a week and make do with canned food all the time. Last time I decided to try chemical warming, like in the army. The idea is that food in a separate bag is placed in another bag with special chemical compounds, water is added and the food begins to heat up.
It's convenient and practical!