Lighter Sheep Backpack

[shphtr]

Has anyone tried the new Mountain House flameless cooking system? I am considering as a possible way to lighten my pack weight - a constant and never ending obscession of sheep/mountain hunters.

http://www.mountainhouse.com/new_prdcts.cfm

Of course I would still have to have some way to heat H2O for coffee but that is not viewed a significant obstacle.

[Boss Gobbler]

Jet Boil

I took only this unit for heating water and "cooking". Very small, compact and lightweight.

[WinMag]

likely an option - but....

Likely similar to the military type mre heaters. Which work well.

I'd be real interested to pick through the following:

14oz of flameless will cook 5 meals = just under 3 oz per meal

A titanium pot 4.5oz, giga stove 3oz and fuel weighs 4oz = 11oz and will cook a great deal more... I've squeezed 15 meals out of one cannister. That works out to less than one ounce per meal...

And I can camp cook fish as well as other dilectables harvested while afield.

Just a thought.
Winmag

[shphtr]

counting every oz

Basically that is what I am comparing the MH system to. I did try using compressed fuel (isobutane and propane mix) for one of my Brooks Range sheep hunts - north side - in 2000 and was only able to utilize less that 40% of the canister. It was a cold August that year but low temps are the bane of canister fuels. For 2001 - 2005 there prob wouldn't have been a problem....but you just never know. Before considering an alternative to white gas again I will actually weigh both alternatives.....but lighter and not functional is the same as not having. I got burned once (so to speak) and am leary of changing what has worked without fail in the past. My inquirey was mainly targeted toward how well the system functioned.

[WinMag]

right you are

Completely understand. And I know - you "know your stuff.." The military heaters and the ones that come in a similar heater meals seem to work just fine.

Ps. A couple of times I was forced to pre-warm my cannisters inside my jacket to mitigate cold weather problems. So I do understand your search.

[DaveLuntz]

Stove questions.

Understand how the cannisters would freeze, when I was in the Army, we would carry batteries under our clothes so they wouldnt freez..
I have a MSR Dragonfly.. it works very well.. I have been wondering if I should carry a repair kit or another stove though..
Do you all carry extra stoves?

Dave

[shphtr]

Repair Parts

I would recommend some sort of contingency plan - either repair parts or a second stove or fuel tabs or...freeze dried Mountain House by itself or mixed with cold warter...yuck! You could leave the extra stove and or fuel in base camp depending on how far away you are with your spike camp and where you are in your hunt, e.g. 1st day vs last days. Murphy is alive and well in Alaska!

[fullkurl]

MSR Dragonfly...

Great minds think alike Dave, I use this stove and have for years. Mine has the auto-ignite and its wonderful.

I bring some foil and matches and a folded piece of paper (usually one page of the regs ) for backup fire--to start willow or tag alder etc... Never needed it though.

[AkHunter45]

I second the Jet Boil and from what I've been told there are no issues with the cannisters in cold weather due to the mix of fuels used. I'll find out for sure this September.

[WinMag]

cold cannisters

Hey AKHunter45

Fyi, from Jet Boil's web site - FAQ...

Does Jetboil work in cold weather?
All canister stoves suffer a performance drop in cold weather. The colder the fuel, the lower the vapor pressure, and the lower the burner output. The result can be noticeably longer boil times and difficulty lighting the burner with the built-in piezoelectric ignitor. Jetpower’s lower firing rate reduces canister cooling and increases performance. Jetpower fuel, with propane, helps mitigate cold weather problems. We suggest that you keep the canister in a warm pocket between uses and remove it immediately prior to heating your food. Carry an extra canister and keep it warm to swap out with a cold one when necessary, and always carry matches or a lighter as backup.

The whole "warm the cannister" technique works...

[AkHunter45]

JetBoil

Thats sounds about right WinMag, i'll be keeping my cannister in my sleeping bag where i know it will be warm!

[Boss Gobbler]

Jet Boil

I have used the Jet Boil on frosty mornings and while it works well on its own if it is near full, at half or less the cold reduces its performance. I simply held it in my hand (glove off for a minute) then put the glove back on to increase the flame. Hand warmers work well placed on the bottom of the fuel cannister.

[Fullcurl]

Mt. House/Cold Water

Do MH meals reconstitute correctly with cold water?