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| UPPER MAIN COMPARTMENT | |
| One of my favorite things about my Jansport D3 backpack is how eay it is to access gear in the upper main compartment, which is the largest compartment. Most camping backpacks, whether external or internal frame, have a big opening in the top through which one must dig for gear like an enormous purse. My pack, on the other hand, has a large flap that zips down exposing all of the contents for easy access. I keep a wide variety of things in this compartment, most of which are related to cooking:
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| Jetboil Flash Cooking System
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For tailgate camping, it is great to take a nice, big, two-burner Coleman stove and cook all kinds of stuff you brought with you in your cooler. On a hiking trip however, it is unfeasible to take such a large stove, much less any kind of cooler. You soon learn that most of the food you will eat on long hiking trips is freeze-dried, and will require nothing more than hot water to prepare. The Jetboil Flash is one of the fastest way to boil water for such meals. And because it is so efficient, it can reduce the number of fuel canistered that you need for your trip, making your pack lighter. The container on top is also removable so that the base stove can be used with other pots and pans. MSR makes a similar product called the Reactor. So far, my Jetboil has been a great piece of equipment.
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| GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Dualist
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Up until recently, I was using a generic nesting set of teflon pots and pans that I bought at a sporting goods store. While these have been fine, the teflon is starting to wear off. My wife recently bought me this GSI Dualist cook kit, which, as the name suggests, is designed for two people (two bowls, two cups, etc). I have always wanted one of these, and look forward to using it soon. It is beautifully designed, light, and compact. More to come after I try it out.
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| Propane Fuel Canisters
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The fuel canister pictured here is the type required by most of the higher-end camping stoves on the market. They come in different sizes and there are some variations on fuel mixtures. The only complaint I have with these is that it is difficult to determine just how much fuel is left in the can. I wish some company would invent some kind of fuel gauge on the side of the can that would indicate how much fuel is still in the can.
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| Spork
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I used to carry one of those cheap metal knife, fork, and spoon sets that clip together. I have since switched to carrying a couple of platic sporks like the one shown here. They are lighter, more versatile, and easier to clean. I use one to eat with, and another for stirring, mixing, etc. The edge of the fork is serrated for cutting easy things (I have a pocket knife for anything that is hard to cut). This particular spork is made by Light My Fire.
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| Spices
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When I was younger, I wouldn't have cared about something like this, but as an adult, I like bringing some spices along to enhance the flavor of the meals. Anyone who has ever eaten freeze-dried food for days on end can tell you that a little extra flavor may be worth the extra weight. I have a pre-packaged multi-spice pack like the one shown here, but I also bring small containers of Tabasco or Cholula sauce, garlic powder, season salt, etc.
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