Camp Cooking and Water: 7 Mistakes to Avoid

After a long day on the trail, dinner is something to look forward to. It is also when small oversights catch up with you: the wrong water source, a canister that runs dry, a scorched pot. Here are the seven mistakes we see most often at camp, and the habits that will help you avoid them.

1. Cooking inside your tent

This is the most dangerous one. A lit stove in an enclosed space produces carbon monoxide and can set fabric alight in an instant. Always cook outside, at least two metres from your shelter. In bad weather, tuck in behind a rock or under a well-ventilated tarp, never inside a closed porch.

2. Setting off without checking your gas

A half-empty canister is hard to tell apart from a full one just by feel. Weigh it before you leave (the empty weight is often printed on it) and make sure the thread matches your stove: our backpacking stove with titanium pot screws onto EN417 threaded-valve canisters. Pack a backup lighter too, in case the piezo ignition plays up in damp weather.

3. Ignoring the wind

Wind is a stove's worst enemy: it scatters the flame and makes water take much longer to boil. Find a sheltered spot, use your body or your pack as a windbreak and always keep the lid on the pot. What you should not do is fully wrap a screwed-on canister in a windscreen, as it could overheat.

4. Filling your bottle just anywhere

Not all water is equal. Go for clear, running water collected upstream of grazing land, huts and swimming spots. Avoid ponds and standing water. If the water is cloudy, pre-filter it through a bandana before using your filter, and the membrane will clog far more slowly.

5. Thinking the filter does everything

A water filter straw with a 0.1 micron membrane traps bacteria and protozoa, but it does not deal with viruses, chemicals or seawater. Near towns or farmland, or whenever you are unsure, boil your water in your pot or pair filtering with purification tablets. And do not let your filter freeze, because ice can damage the hollow fibres: on cold nights, keep it in your sleeping bag with you.

6. Packing too much cookware

A frying pan, two saucepans and three sets of cutlery add up to a lot of weight for very little use. Solo, a 750 ml pot covers the water for a freeze-dried meal, a brew and a soup. A long-handled titanium spork replaces both spoon and fork and reaches the bottom of meal pouches without messy fingers. The result is less washing up and fewer grams on your back.

7. Leaving a trace

Food scraps attract wildlife and pollute streams. Wash your pot around 60 metres from any water source, with no soap or a few drops of biodegradable soap, then scatter the rinse water. Pack out all your rubbish, including meal pouches and empty canisters. Check the current restrictions too: in dry spells, campfires, and sometimes even stoves, can be banned in some areas.

Our minimal camp kitchen

• Compact stove with a 750 ml pot
• Compatible gas canister and a backup lighter
• Water filter straw and a soft bottle
• Titanium spork and a bandana
• Resealable rubbish bag

With this kit you eat hot meals, drink without hauling litres of spare water and keep your pack light. Enjoy your dinner, and sleep well under the stars.