LightBackpacking.com

In a post I wrote last year, I reviewed backpacking stoves and made what I think is a key observation: most stoves now are small and ultralight. But what adds the weight is the fuel. The Esbit fuel stove is my favorite (I also have propane and alcohol stoves) and works great at high altitude — like the John Muir Wilderness.

You can get a 2-ounce stove and then find yourself carrying a lot of fuel, which of course adds weight.

In addition to sharing fuel carrying responsibilities with your backpacking companions, you can cut down by having cold food for breakfast and skipping coffee, tea or cocoa. That’s not for me. I can eat a cold bagel or cold cereal with powdered milk, but like my coffee. The 2.25 ounce Esbit is a small metal box that burns solid fuel tablets (50 cents each). One tablet will boil a couple of cups of water. For dinner, you’ll probably need at least two tablets to heat enough water long enough to cook something like pasta.

I plan four tablet for each day (three for pasta and tea) and one in the morning for coffee. And, I include enough tin foil for use as a wind screen.

The Esbit stove is cheap — about $10. Another, lighter Esbit version available from BackpackingLight.com weighs about an ounce and is about $16.

Be light. Be safe. Be one with the pack.