My Other Sierra Stove System

[freestone]

Well seasoned cast iron is a thing of beauty. There are folks out there who obsess over their seasoned cast iron and cringe at the thought of soap and water ever touching their kit. Aluminum is not quite in the same class and will not season or hold heat like cast iron.

[hikin_jim]

True and good point. I was just thinking about weight.

HJ

[fishmonger]

Well seasoned cast iron is a thing of beauty.

funny, on one forum they are discussing how cool it is to go totally stoveless and munch on dextrose products out of a pouch all day, and here cast iron cookware is still being celebrated for how well it holds heat while slow cooking.

As usual, I am somewhere in the middle - no way would I ever carry a cast iron pot, but I do want to eat warm food that at least resembles real food. So I'm one of those boring canister stove guys who heat water and dump some dehydrated stuff into their titanium or aluminum pot.

I suppose if your biggest thing besides being in the backcountry is cooking, you can carry the heavy pots. I recall reading of somebody spotting a hiker on the Muir Trail a few years ago who had a pressure cooker pot on his pack, as well as another guy with a cast iron pan. They are out there!

[hikin_jim]

I remember seeing a guy with a ginormous backpack with a cast iron fry pan going NB on the JMT just north of Mather pass one time. I bet the fish tasted great, but no thanks to the weight.

HJ

[freestone]

Believe me, cast iron is not a serious backpacking option. It will not it improve the taste of freeze-dried food nor will it increase the fuel efficiency that is needed in an alpine setting. My days of backpacking into an alpine setting will end soon enough, but I know that there are endless possibilities to car or walk-in camp the Sierra, and cast iron cooking can be relevant for that type of setting when time, fuel and weight is of little importance.