Kirsten's Question:
Have you ever tried hiking for several weeks at a time with no stove? If so, how does the weight of fuel and cookable foods compare to the weight and bulk of non-cookable foods? (I hiked without a stove in Bolivia, but the foods there were very different from those available in North America, so I cannot really compare)

— Kirsten

Karen's Answer:
Kirsten,

Actually, I have. It's tempting, isn't it, to try to cut out those pounds? Here's my take on it.

	Karen Berger Karen is a hiker's hiker. She has finished the Appalachian, Pacific Crest and Continental Divide Trails — making her one of the few who've completed hiking's"triple crown." Meet Karen Previous Answers Hiking Forums

Several weeks at a time is a little difficult, unless you plan to build fires (in which case, you can take the same kind of food that you would when using a stove.) If it's copasetic to make fires where you're going (i.e.: not in alpine areas, deserts, or overused sites), you might want to consider cooking because you'll get more variety. But please make sure that campfires don't violate leave-no-trace guidelines.

But it sounds like you're thinking in terms of cold food, not cooking. Cold food (like cheese, meat, nuts, granola, crackers) is heavier than food you have to cook. The weight difference seems to even out after only two or three days (especially if you're hiking with a partner, because two people usually share one stove and cook kit). So going without a stove is only really worthwhile if you're going to be resupplying every three days, four days, max. We used cold food and no stoves on a recent hike in Scotland, where for the most part, we expected to eat in towns and villages. When there weren't any towns, we carried cheese, tuna fish, crackers, fruit, and candy bars — when we had to carry food for two days and two nights, the food bags were getting pretty heavy. No-cook foods are bulkier, too:

Two other disadvantages to no-cook hiking: If you hit foul weather, you might really want to have a stove for a warm meal or at least a hot drink. And you could get really sick of the same foods day after day.

That said, I'll still go stoveless on short hikes, especially if I expect fair weather.