I bought my kayak, and pretty much all of my gear, within a week of the first leg of our kayaking project.  While setting up camp on the first night, much of my time was spent removing new gear from packaging.  This time delay setting up camp, and again while preparing to set out in the morning, definitely added some stress.  But while shopping for all of this gear I had received some good advice, and made some good choices.  I guess this stress was a nice problem to have, being overwhelmed too many new toys.

While planning for the trip we considered options for cooking.  We both own propane camping stoves, but small as they are, either of them would take a large portion of space on a kayak.  We considered using only wood fires, but expected times when we would want to cook without using time for starting a wood fire.  For example, maybe to cook a quick lunch on the river if Jim made a catch, or just to brew some coffee.  To prepare for such occasions I bought a JetBoil Flash.

Heading out on the river we enjoyed its personality variations as we coursed along, regularly finding something new to admire about it.  Ready to take a break after the 5th mile of the leg, we held out for another mile or so while looking for a good spot.  The waiting paid off when we came across a highlight of this stretch; a great beach to stop at and brew some coffee.

Not being able to see over the river bank which towered above the beach, I approached cautiously on the chance there might be a bear with cubs close by.  Blowing a whistle a couple of times while paddling up slowly, we pulled the kayaks onto the beach.  Jim stepped up onto a tree to have a look over the bank.  He saw an empty field stretching for some distance.  I wondered what the odds are that one would look over the bank to see bears walking away across the field.  Whatever they are, “Be prepared.”

We had a look around, took a few photos, then got ready for our first coffee brewing of the trip.  This spot made the reason for our kayaking plan seem like the most obvious thing in the world.  Cobble stones, water trickling, blue sky, warm breeze, peace, and of course coffee.

We brought instant coffee on the kayak instead of the gear for brewing ground coffee.  It saved time and space in packing, in preparation, and in clean-up.  After a few trips experience we may decide we are ready for the extra effort for a percolator or a press, but I doubt it, the coffee was good!

I picked up the Jetboil Flash for about $85.  It is such a great little device that on this first use Jim said he was going to get one too.  It can boil a pint of water in 2 minutes and is very compact, maybe 10″ tall and 4.5″ diameter.  The whole system packs up within the canister, fuel and all.

WhisperLite is another compact stove system I considered.  An advantage it has the ability to run on a variety of fuels, but a disadvantage is it requires pumping and regular maintenance of the fuel atomizer.  This option’s advantage is being able to cook whether burning propane, kerosene, gasoline, or alcohol.  Very cool device.  It might be the way to go if planning for extended trekking where it might be difficult to find consistent supply of fuel along the way.  For our plans I opted for the simplicity of the Jet Boil.  Even if I ever go trekking for a couple of weeks in Nepal, I don’t think I’ll regret my stove choice. I expect that hiring someone to carry my gear will be part of that plan, and bringing my own stove won’t be!

Unfortunately the built-in igniter on the JetBoil didn’t work, even after we adjusted it, so we lit the stove with a match.  When I got back home I intended to exchange it for one that worked properly, so I took it back to REI.  Of course while I was trying to show the problem to the sales person the igniter worked just fine.  Even so they offered to exchange it, but I decided to keep the original.  I hoped it would work on the trail next time. It did.

The Jet Boil is primarily designed for boiling water.  If you want to cook on it and balance a small pot above the flame you will need an attachment.  You can find the pot support attachment online.  It will cost about $16 total.