AT #3: Going Stoveless

[@drewblanche]

I went stoveless on the A.T. as well. Never regretted it, I hated carrying extra weight of any kind. I was happy to have my total pack weight down to only 15 lbs on a good day. Less if I were out of food and water and headed into town. I also went barefoot 👣 which made it more interesting and I didn’t use trekking poles and I ditched my walking Staff and I loved the freedom of being so exposed with zero protection from all the elements! Call it crazy but that was the BEST part of my hike! -Theory! (Trail name) 2017

[@LizKidder]

You crazy!!!🤣

[@salerherman7794]

Did you by chance weighted all that food, how many pounds is that for the 5 day meal schedule? Can you also show what your backpack looks like. Personally, I think it would help for those that want to backpack for 5 days. How many tortilla packages do you go use?

[@camojoe83]

Your oatmeal creations sound awesome. I would probably buy most food in towns more than ship it to me, but stuff like that i would have sent in more than a few times. The baby foods are cool too, they go in pockets well. I carried them to work for a while when I was surveying. I bought them by mistake thinking I was grabbing the fruit ones and they were good.

[@trickystravels]

I’d never considered cold soaking before but wow that menu is great. I need to try all this out but we just don’t get the same stuff in the UK. This means I’ll have to to the AT or PCT

[@AllenSchubert]

Hey! I actually like the way you explained your cold soaking and what you will(may) be eating on a daily basis! And it sounds (to me) that you actually tried a lot of these things on your own! Seems smart to me!

[@LizKidder]

Yes! Thank you!

[@matryderadventures]

This video is excellent. Thanks for giving me lots of ideas.

[@miken7629]

A stoveless option is a prison burrito. Crumble up a packet of Chili Flavored Ramen into small pieces and add 1/2 cup on crumbled Doritos and slice thin a beef stick. Add one cup of water/ Can eat by itself or wrap in Tortilla.

[@genesnyder2985]

I was eating chocolate covered coffee beans as a snack but in an effort to cut back on calories I started just eating the beans but I do a handful when I need a kick start and can’t do coffee

[@LizKidder]

Great idea!!

[@alyssahasman6238]

Where did you get all the ideas for your oatmeal? they sound amazing!!

[@LizKidder]

Just made em up!🤷🏼‍♀️😇

[@kdavis4910]

Hey handstand, how did the food boxes work out for your thru hike? Did you end up wanting the foods you sent?

[@LizKidder]

Mehhhh I’d recommend just buying food as you go (unless you have a very specific diet)

[@LyndasDiamonds]

Your breakfast sounds amazing

[@rumblechick73]

Just wondered how the whole cold soak thing is working for you now. Gotten sick of anything yet? I also wanted to know if you ever weighed all that and how much it came to. I could probably do without the stove too, don't really care about coffee. Unfortunately however, I really hate oatmeal, so it puts a crimp in eating a decent breakfast.

[@LizKidder]

Love being Stoveless, so simple... although I did buy a “bot” by Vargo so I can cook on a fire once in a while as a treat if I want! It has a screw on lid so you can cold soak too! I will try to get out a video updating on this topic!

[@theheathenhiker7631]

You and I are opposites. I tried the spam, and that shit was hard to get down. Tuna for days though. Love the videos. I hope your hike is going well!

[@addcafe]

A glorious maniac , super planning

[@TheBigBlueMarble]

So much sugar. Every hiker food video I have found on KZbin has the exact same problems. They stress calories (while still falling short), undervalue protein, and completely ignore fiber. A typical thru-hiker will hike 8-12 hours a day. A moderately difficult hike will burn 500 calories an hour in addition to your Basal Metabolic Rate of about 1500 calories per day (depending on age, gender, and weight). That means a 10 hour day will require 6500 calories a day just to replace the calories you burned. For a short 3-5 day hike, it is not a problem if you fall short. For a long thru-hike of 4-6 months, you can't afford not to replace all the calories you burned. That same 10-hour hike pushes up your daily protein requirement to 80 - 120 grams (1.5 - 2.0gm/kg of bodyweight, again depending on gender, age, and weight). When hikers come to a resupply point, are absolutely starving, and run for a burger or pizza, it is likely due to a significant protein deficit. If you have ever been constipated, you know it is not comfortable. Fiber is the key to avoiding constipation. The diet described in this video has almost zero fiber. That might be a great thing for a short hike (go ahead and leave the TP at home), but that will not work for a thru-hike. The amount of fiber your body needs is heavily dependent upon what your body is used to and how much water you drink.