Backpacker Magazine – February 2008

How to Keep Your Food Warm In Camp

3 simple heat shields to keep your meals toasty in the backcountry

by: Jason Klass

Tags:
• Gear
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• Camp stoves
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• Food & nutrition
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Don't mar a fine winter day by ending it with tepid cocoa and lukewarm chicken alfredo. Protect hot food and drinks from frigid weather by making these 3 simple heat shields.

• What you'll need
• Reflectix insulation (buy at any hardware store)
• Aluminum foil or duct tape
• 3/8-inch-diameter foam pipe insulation
• Velcro strips (6 inches)
• Measuring tape
• Heavy-duty scissors
• Marker

1) Pot Cozy

• Keep food steaming hot without wasting fuel.
• Trace the pot bottom on a piece of Reflectix and cut out the resulting disc.
• Measure the pot's height and outside circumference, then cut a strip of insulation matching these dimensions.
• Place the pot on the disc and wrap the insulation strip around it.
• Tape all seams with duct tape or aluminum foil tape. Make sure it fits snugly so the pot cannot easily slide out.
• Add more insulation by placing a second, smaller disc of Reflectix inside the cozy.
• If necessary, cut a slot to fit pot handles.

2) Hydration Cozy

• Prevent bottle and bladder freeze-up
• For Lexan bottles, follow the same steps as the pot cozy (make sure the wider-diameter cozies will fit in your pack's holders).
• For bladders, tape two form-fitting pieces of Reflectix insulation in a tight sandwich around the pouch.
• Protect hydration tubes by threading them into 3/8-inch pipe insulation cut to the appropriate length.
• Block moisture and abrasion by wrapping the insulation's exterior in tape.
• Short cut: Buy polyester/foam bottle insulators from Outdoor Research, starting at $17 (outdoorresearch.com).

3) Foil Pouch Cozy

• Cook dehydrated meals faster.
• Cut a piece of Reflectix that is 1/2-inch wider than the foil packet on all sides.
• Cut another piece that is 2 1/2-inches taller than the first piece.
• Tape the two pieces together at the side and bottom seams, but not the top.
• Add Velcro strips to the flap and the front panel to make a top closure.

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