Backpacking Checklist (page 3)
• Cookware: No, don’t go pulling your pots out of your cupboard! Camping cookware is small and lightweight, and many have handles that fold in for ease of packing. Titanium is your ultralight choice, but it is also ultra-expensive, and there are cheaper options available. What kind and how many pots and pans you bring will depend on what you are cooking. Frying pans are nice if you plan on using them, but we’ve gotten along just fine on many trips with just a single cook pot.
• Eatware: OK, I know that’s not a real word. But you get the point. This, too, will depend on what meals you are planning. Often all we bring are some utensils (a fork and a spoon for each of us) and a couple of mugs for hot drinks. Many meals can be eaten directly from the cooking pot, and the freeze-dried backpacking meals are designed to be eaten right out of their package. Bringing plates and bowls means not only more to carry, but more to clean. But if you think you will need them, by all means, bring them along. All these, too, are available in ultra-cool titanium, but the thick plastic ones you can get in the camping stores are ultra-cheap, and pretty durable, though they can start to melt if they touch the side of a hot pan for too long.
• Food: Well, you don’t expect to live on boiled water the whole time, do you? Plus, you need an excuse to use that brand new titanium spork. Planning your meals for your trip gets a section of its own, so keep reading. I just put it on the list here so you wouldn’t forget about it.
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