All the gear I use to cook on the Appalachian Trail.
Rachel is an outdoor industry professional with over 15 years of experience — she started as a ski instructor in 2009 and hasn't really stopped moving since. She's completed a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, spent a year living and traveling full-time out of a van, and has logged years of sport climbing, bouldering, skiing, and backpacking across the U.S..
She writes about all of it here: gear that actually works, lessons that took miles to learn, and the kind of practical trail knowledge that doesn't talk down to you. This blog is built on the belief that getting outside is for everyone — not just the people who go hardest, fastest, or have the most expensive kit. You'll find AT journals, gear reviews, trip logs, and honest advice across all of it. No gatekeeping.
I will start with this: I am not an ultralight backpacker and I am okay with that. I may be some day, but for right now I just aim for 'lightish' while still maintaining my ideal wilderness comfort. That being said, I know some people have started to go stoveless on the trail, but I personally look forward to having a nice, hot meal after a long day of hiking.
So here it is, my cook system:
For my cook kit I will be carrying:
- Olicamp LT Pot | 8 oz
- MSR Pocket Rocket Stove | 3 oz
- MSR IsoPro Fuel | 18 oz maximum
- Bic Mini Lighter | 0.4 oz
- Sea to Summit Long Handled Spork | 0.4 oz
- Sea to Summit X-Cup (not pictured) | 1.6 oz
- Pot Scraper | 0.4 oz
- Mesh Pot Bag | 0 oz (?)
Today I tested out my system with some Knorr rice sides and foil packed salmon. It was a pretty blustery day but with the stove on high the Pocket Rocket effortlessly boiled water in less than 3 minutes.
I have decided (although, I may change my mind later) that I am going to cook in my pot instead of in freezer bags. I would prefer not to waste plastic and money on cooking in bags rather than in my pot. This way I can reuse the bags for as long as possible and waste less.
The rice medley was delicious, albeit a bit too salty for me. But I know that after a long day of hiking I always crave salty, high calorie food. This meal is about 550 calories total. It used 16 fl oz of water.
After the water was boiling, I added the rice side and some sun dried tomatoes. I reduced the stove to low heat and let it simmer for about 1 minute. I am currently making a pot coozie so that I can waste less fuel but for now this worked.
After letting the rice simmer for a bit I added my salmon with sriracha and turned off the stove. I put the lid on the pot and let the rice sit for a few more minutes. Here is the final result:
My favorite things about this cook system:
- The Olicamp pot has measurements on the side so I will always have the perfect rice!
- The Pocket Rocket boils fast and simmers just well enough to be usable.
- The long spork keeps my hands safe from burning while being useful for so many different foods.
- It all fits inside my pot.
- The X-Cup (not pictured) lets me have coffee while my breakfast cooks (if I decide to have a hot breakfast).
This system weighs 31.8 oz total (1.9 lbs for my non-backpacker friends). I think 2 pounds is a great sacrifice for a nice, warm meal and some hot coffee. I am not sure that I will be bringing the mesh bag that the pot came in, but it does help keep the whole system together and can be used to hang wet items off of the outside of my pack in needed.
Keep on trekking!
Special thanks to my new food expert, Bonnie:
2026 Update:
I don’t feel so particular about my cook system these days. I’ve tried about six different pots and each had their advantages and disadvantages.
My lightest pot was a titanium one from Toaks and while I loved it’s lightness, it was fragile. I bent it to the point where the lid wouldn’t stay on and eventually lost both of the handles from the brackets being bent. I had others but didn’t love any of them.
I currently have a GSI Halulite Minimalist pot simply because a friend gave it to me and it was free. I don’t love it but I don’t mind it. I’ll eventually probably get another titanium “mug” style pot at some point, I’m sure. But I’m trying to be more frugal these days and use up what I’ve got.
I no longer cook at camp. I’m a freeze dried meals or rehydrate only girlie. I hate cleaning my pot, I despise coffee that tastes like dinner and dinner that tastes like coffee. I find the freeze dried/dehydrated meals are way more nutritious, filling, and easy.
So I only use my pot for boiling. I also have a BRS Ultralight stove that I got on Amazon for about $15 and it works great for boiling water. It’s lightweight and I’m not afraid of breaking it since it’s easy to replace.
I still have my MSR pocket rocket and I use it for boiling water when I’m car camping (I used it as my main cooking source in my van, too).
I now use a Snowpeak Spork and have used that since about 2019. I love it and I replace it every time I lose it (I’ve had five of them now 🫠). I do consider getting a longer handled spork but, IDK I just love this one even though it’s not perfect for my use case 🤷🏻♀️
I don’t carry a bag for my cookwear anymore or a pot scraper, for that matter. It all fits inside the Halulite with the lid on (except the spork which I keep in my brain, not my food bag because I learned the hard way that it’s sharp enough to cut through a water proof bag, effectively making it not waterproof anymore…).
I replaced my Ursack with a Sea to Summit Dry sack at NOC in Gatlinburg, TN and I still use that same sack as my food bag to this day. It’s not waterproof anymore. But it does the trick.
I’ve cut my cook set weight down by a lot with these changes, but nobody’s perfect!
