Make Your own Bakepacker

[PALADIN]

For several years I used a commercial Bakepacker, 5.75" dia, 4.6 oz. It won't fit in the smaller 1.5L pot I'm taking on the AT thru-hike. So...I made a smaller, lighter version from thin sheet aluminum used for dryer vents, available at hardware stores. The resulting "bakepacker" weighs 0.3 oz and will bake a small cake with 1 ounce of alcohol. One might make an
even lighter, functional version from a foil baking sheet, available at supermarkets.

Cut a disk from the aluminum or foil slightly smaller than the diameter of your pot. Scribe a grid on the disk with grid spacing about 1/2". Drill or punch 5/16 or 1/4" holes at each grid point and one centered within each grid box. Tap around the drilled holes with a hammer to flatten out any burs left from the drilling.

When traveling, the disk lies flat in the bottom of the pot. To elevate the disk for baking, place it on a strip of foil 3/4 to 1" high formed into a partial spiral. That's it. Add water to the pot to slightly below the level of the elevated disk, place the baking bag and contents on the disk, bring water to boil, and simmer as long as possible...up to 30 min for a cake. My soda can alcohol stove with simmer attachment will simmer for about 22 min on 1 fl oz denatured alcohol. After the 1 oz alcohol is burned up, I let the cake sit in the pot for another 10 min or so continuing to" bake." Seems to work just as well as my retired 4.6 oz bakepacker. Takes up zero space in the pot when traveling. Costs just pennies for materials
and a few minutes to make.

 

[oldsparkey]

Paladin

How about submitting your design along with your stove and some pictures to http://www.backpacking.net/makegear.html and then give us a link to it.

Call it Paladins quick cooker so something along those lines.

I am sure it would be something all of us are interested in.

Or do it on here and keep the pictures small so we can click on them for a better look. Better yet both places.......Why be stingy with the information. After all we are here to share info.

Chuck.........

 

[PALADIN]

I'll work on the pic's but this is so easy I can do it.
Get yourself some sheet metal (thin as you want).
Then set your pot on top of it and scribe it. Cut inside the circle, and you are almost done.
Measure radius and mark center. Now just make 1/2" marks north and south, east and west. That will leave you with 1/2" squares. Now just drill 1/4" holes on each square corner and in the center..and basically your done.

All you need now is a stand..use a coil (3/4" high) of sheet metal you cut from.
I'll tell you its works better than the BakePaker...why? Cause you can make it to any size pot you got. big small who cares, and because it is custom to what you are using, I think it works better, plus the water jets are hotter so cook times are improved (I think??).

But the really best part is that it just lays on the bottom of the pot when not in use...and of course its cheap...did I say cheap. If you got a scout troop this is a great project. If you got 15-20 boys you won't spend over 10 bucks....compare that to regular Bakepaker pricing for the troop....almost $400.00 bucks
I got mine for free..construction site

 

[Kayak Jack]

The "sheet metal" to get is the disposable, aluminum foil oven trays. They also make very nice wind shields for around a stove. Be careful - those fresh-cut edges are sharp as a razor.

On the backpacking net, a guy had done some research about windshields. He said that when he started, he thought that height was the critical dimension. Turns out that if the shield covers the bottom 25% of the pot that’s about all the higher it needs to go.

The critical dimension was diameter. Should have 1/4" gap between the shield and the pot for maximum airflow and heat transference.

Another slick idea is a “pot cozyâ€Â