RE: [Philmont] - philmont Digest - V01 #1314

RE Water Carriers

Campmor offers a "Water Sack" made by Stearns. It's a plastic bladder in a nylon sack with a push-button spigot. Each one holds 10 32-oz. Nalgenes. We took 6 of them for our 12-man crew. They weigh next to nothing empty, collapse into a much smaller size than big plastic water jugs and if not needed for water, when blown up with air make a nice pillow! We found we were able to purify large quantities of water and transfer it into the sacks which, when hung from a stump limb near the fire ring gives cooks ready access to all the water they need. We ordered an extra water bag and an extra spigot in case of breaks along the trail and did, in fact, replace one bag.

RE One-pot cooking

Hoo boy will this topic heat up in the next few months.

We initially looked at the "turkey bag" concept but recognized that one needed to buy additional bags and also one generated additional trash. (11 turkey bags per crew per day times 36 treks per day...well, the bags would start to add up in the landfill eventually.)

Our crew employs a method of cooking in which the pot is used only to heat the water, and all of the food is consolidated and re-hydrated using the same bags it came in. We use the Philmont big bag that each 2-person food pack comes is. We turned it over and cut it open on the end with the air holes, combined 6 people's dry ingredients in each of 2 bags, then added hot water to rehydrate the contents. Smaller quantity items like beans can be consolidated in smaller bags but the big entrée needed the big bag. Let it wait 5 to 10 minutes and it's fully hydrated, ready to eat and no additional "turkey bag" to pack in or out.

We make a little "corral" of rocks, or a combination of logs and rocks and put the bags inside them to be sure the bags stay relatively up-right.

Each 2 person tent crew has their utensils, bowls in one mesh bag which they give to the cooks when the water goes on to boil. Once it's boiling, cooks dip each bag in the boiling water to kill any microbes from the last use then hang the bags to drain. The same boiling water is used to rehydrate the food as described above.

We found the crew ate all the food given since it wasn't made into a one-pot nasty goulash. We used less water since clean-up of a pot is removed from the need for water, and generated no additional trash, since you use everything you have already. The bags with the little bit of food residue simply go into the "yum-yum bag" en toto. The little hot water left from the food is used for human sumping then washing out the bowls and spoons.

Use less water, food tastes better (no burning), no additional trash...what's not to like?

Our ranger spent an entire day trying to find a fault with our method but couldn't. He turned the description in as one of the most innovative techniques he had seen used. I'm sure lots of y'all already do the same thing.

Dave Parmly
Knoxville, TN
VC 506

-------------------------------------------------------
Scouting E-mail Discussion Lists @ usscouts.org
Subscribe/Unsubscribe at http://usscouts.org/lists/
Listserv Commands at http://usscouts.org/lists/lc.asp
-------------------------------------------------------
Send listserv commands to: listserv@troop47.com
Send postings to: philmont@troop47.com
List FAQ found at: http://usscouts.org/lists/faq.asp
List Administrator: philmont_owner@troop47.com
-------------------------------------------------------
As you gather around this virtual campfire with fellow
Scouts and Scouters, do your best to be trustworthy,
loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient,
cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.
-------------------------------------------------------

 
Received on Tue Mar 29 09:24:05 2005