Reference

Cooking

Hybrid HE pot + issued pot · sterilize · sump

Hybrid cook system. Fire Maple stove + Bulin HE pot for fast boil. Philmont-issued 8-qt pot for rehydration and serving. 20–40% faster boil at altitude, meaningful fuel savings.
01

Equipment

ItemTypeWeightQtyNotes
Fire Maple FMS-118Stovein bundle21 per cook team
Bulin 1.5L/2.1L HE potHeat exchange potin bundle2Nested with stove
Cook kit bundle totalStove + HE pot + fuel + lighter28.47 oz [weighed]2Per cook team
Fuel canister (primary)Isobutanein bundle21 per cook team
Fuel canister (spare)Isobutane10.76 oz [stated]1Backup · 3rd canister
Philmont issued pot w/ lid8-quart aluminum1 lb 5.8 oz1Rehydration + serving
Philmont dishwashing pot8-quart aluminum, no lid1 lb 4 oz1Wash + rinse
02

The cook method · 7 steps

  1. 1

    Boil

    Fill HE pot. Ignite Fire Maple. Bring to a full rolling boil.

  2. 2

    Sterilize

    Submerge all personal bowls and utensils in boiling water. Hold several seconds. This is the official Philmont method — do not skip.

  3. 3

    Rehydrate & serve

    Transfer boiled water to the issued 8-qt pot. Add food. Cover. Rehydrate 10–15 min. Serve into sterilized bowls.

  4. 4

    Eat clean

    Eat everything. Lick the bowl clean. Every bit of food left behind becomes a smellable.

  5. 5

    Wash & rinse

    Water + 1 drop Camp Suds in the issued pot. Scrub with the scrubby. Rinse pots and personal bowls.

  6. 6

    Sump & dispose

    Pour all grey water through the strainer into a sump hole. Strained food particles into the yum yum bag — out at the next staffed camp. Never pour grey water on the ground or near a water source.

  7. 7

    Bear bag

    All food bags, wrappers, smellables into the bear bags. Hang before crew sleeps. No exceptions.

03

Cook team structure

Cook team structure: 2–3 crew members run both stoves, both pots, and cleanup. Crew Leader assigns cook and cleanup roles. Rotate every meal so all crew know the system by Trail Day 2.

04

Sterilization is non-negotiable

Every meal · every bowl · every utensil. Submerge in boiling water. Holding a few seconds in a true rolling boil is the difference between a healthy crew and a crew with norovirus on Trail Day 5. Philmont staff have seen what happens when crews skip this.