I started hiking with a 1.3 liter pot and the MSR Whisperlite International, which is one of the most versatile stoves ever made. At the time it was fine for my beginner hiking style. With its ability to burn multiple fuels, easy set up and serviceability it was a great stove for a first time hiker/backpacker.

When taken as a whole, stove and fuel bottle, , this system was not a compact and simple enough for my advancing skills.

By the time I got to the Appalachian Trail my hiking and technology had advance. The Whisperlite, with its priming, maintenance, large fuel bottle and bulkiness, was outdated for the AT and my needs. I switched to the MSR Superfly.  It was smaller, lighter, more compact, and took less time to operate. The Superfly was great, but personally found some drawbacks (stability and it was susceptible to wind). My hiking continued to progress and as it did, I wanted more from my hiking cook set up, so I continued to refine it. While on the AT I made and attempted to use an alcohol stove. The results weren’t great so I went back to the Superfly.

After the Appalachian Trail I made another soda can stove for my thru-hike of the Long Trail. I had my doubts at first but finally stuck with it. I also down sized my pot to a .9 liter Evernew Titanium. For just one person I didn’t need the 1.3 liter.

My early soda can stove set up was my pot, spoon, stove, knife, and a piece of tin foil for a windscreen. I would set my stove on the ground then rest my pot directly on top.  This was precarious at best.  Spillage was always a concern. If the ground wasn’t perfectly flat or I tried to stir my food without holding the pot it would easily fall over. Since I’m carrying limited food and that fact no one ever wants to spill their dinner on the ground, the system wasn’t perfect yet.

I started the PCT with this tippy, yet simple set up. It didn’t take long for holes to form in the tin foil form folding it up every night. Then one night another hiker showed me their cook set up and completely addressed the stability issue while also blocking wind. I called my dad at the next town and he shipped me what became my current set up you see to the right. The whole process was to simplify and lighten my pack weight. My other goals were simplicity, wind protection, stability, and minimum weight and care. At the end of the day you don’t want cooking to be hard.