JohnJoe wrote:I've never really done it - always been too put off by the inevitable extra kilos you must have to carry because of water, food, stove, gas, pan etc.... Interesting to see the suggestions.
KILOS?
Let's go through some options with an eye to both weight and cost.
Solid FuelYou can get a Titanium solid fuel stove for £10.
A Titanium foil windscreen is again about £10 for 15 grams.
Fuel is 14 gram blocks, individually wrapped. Good for at least one boil, maybe even two.
Alcohol FuelYou can make an alcohol stove from all sorts of tins and cans, but the easiest is probably from a Purina Gourmet can with some holes punched around the top. Youtube is your god here.
Alternatively you can buy Trangia (brass) at £10 for 100 grams, or Evernew (titanium) at £30 and 35 grams. A pot-holder can be useful at £10 for 10 grams.
Either way get the Ti foil screen as mentioned above.
If you use a fluid ounce per boil that's 30 grams a go... no problem for a night or two but it'll start to add-up if you plan a week or two on the road.
TwigsIt's best not to rely on building a full fire to cook, so look at wood burners. A UK-made classic if the Honey Stove. It has a holder for solid fuel directly, and it can host a Trangia or Evernew burner (you'll need to buy them) so it acts as a stand and windshield for them. Or you can turn it into a small stove and feed it with twigs.
They're about £40 for steel and £75 for Titanium. Weight is highly variable because they come with a lot of bits some of which you will probably leave at home, e.g. the BBQ grill. As a solid stove or burner holder it's just over 50 grams Ti, for a full size wood burner just over 100 grams Ti, or the "full" all-in kit for 150 grams Ti; double the weights for steel. Disassembles completely flat.
One very easy way to use them is to use a solid fuel tablet (including the smaller 4 gram tablets) to get them going and warmed up then add scavenged twigs, that makes it very easy to keep going even if you're not a fire-builder type.
Pots & WhatnotsYou can get an army-like (or actual army) mess tin for just over £5 and about 100 grams, they tend not to have lids (very useful to save fuel) but you can easily make one from a disposable baking tray. Alternatively you can spend about £30 for a 30 gram Titanium boil-up mug including the lid.
You can spend money on Titanium sporks and whatnot but I have an Ikea spoon (steel end, plastic handle) that only weighs a few grams more.
Foods & WaterA water filtration kit is about 50 grams.
Dehydrated foods don't weigh much. I make my own but "packets of stuff" are also widely available in supermarkets, cup-a-soup, dehydrated meals, packets of instant oats for breakfast (or a nice hot dessert).
One of the nicest thing about cooking like this in the wilds is how quiet they are. They might not be suitable for very high altitudes or arctic conditions (not without some experience) so I do "get" why the noisy rapid burners are good for those conditions, but for most nights-out wild-camping the peaceful option is exactly that.
If you only plan to go out once or twice, or just to try it out, look at the solid fuel or alcohol stoves. But if you think there's even a slight chance you'll like it, do look at the Honey Stove.