Saw this grill in the REI catalog today and thought it was great. I was thinking about getting it for my cousin (an avid hiker, planning to do the Appalachian Trail in 2008). Any thoughts/opinions?

The firebowl might not be great for hikers, but I thought it was pretty cool for beach BBQs, drive-in campsites, tailgaiting etc.

That is an ingenious and compact grill.

That grill is pretty neat and I could see using it on a short weekend trip or car camping, but most seasoned hikers tend to avoid 'gadgets' like that. If your cousin is going for the lightweight AT approach then s/he may be fanatical about weight which is a mentality that often carries through to all trips no matter the length. S/he may just not be likely to actually use the grill too often.

I can think of a few climbing and surf trips where it would have been nice to have that grill in the car though.

Thanks for the input - what WOULD you use to grill/cook if you were a weight-obsessed hiker?

A weight obsessed long distance hiker these days probably wouldn't be grilling/cooking at all. They most likely will be using an alcohol stove (weight around 2 oz) and using it to just boil water.

Not to dissuade you, but buying a gift for the weight/gear obsessed hiker is a no-win proposition unless you specifically know the piece of gear they would like. Outside of that, your gift would unlikely be used.

They might like a nice titanium spork.

Check out all things geeky at Backpacking Light.

Actually, the one thing you cousin might really enjoy is a home sent care package while on the AT itself. There is nothing better than coming into town to re-supply and having a package of goodies awaiting for you.

HEH...that fire bowl looks like a collapsible steamer I got at a garage sale for $1......

CAMPMOR has good backpacking stuff too....Its where I got MY titanium spork......

I got a titanium spork as a gift once. One of the best gifts I've ever received.

Halfnine brought up a good point. The downside is that the specific piece of gear they would like is probably fairly expensive.

I want me an MSR Reactor when they come out. The thing is a work of art from an engineering standpoint but it will likely be a fair bit more expensive than similar stoves like the jetboil.

Opinions vary on these things, but I really like the Orikaso folding plates. I eat most meals straight out of my titanium kettle/pot but it's nice to have something that serves as a cutting board, a place to put other parts of your meal if not eating a single pot dish, or even as a shallow bowl for collecting wild berries.

Then there's the headlamp upgrade. Most people have plenty of these guys, but new ones are always fun and it's nice to have a back up for when you eventually lose one somewhere.

Cool grill!

My vote is a folding knife with a pocket clip... Or a small fixed blade in a really nice sheath.

SpyderCo, Benchmade or Gerber... something snazzy and sharp as a razor. Seems to me that when camping a knife is never sharp enough... Just make sure the scales are something other than black, really sucks to find one in the dark... when you drop it.

I'm saving up for a Spyderco Salt... since they don't rust, and have a rounded tip in order to not cut yourself, if your cutting yourself free of something.

The other, would be a real slick LED Flashlight so they don't have to carry many extra batteries. Maybe a Petzl headlight or something similar.

quote:

Originally posted by halfnine:
A weight obsessed long distance hiker these days probably wouldn't be grilling/cooking at all. They most likely will be using an alcohol stove (weight around 2 oz) and using it to just boil water.

Not to dissuade you, but buying a gift for the weight/gear obsessed hiker is a no-win proposition unless you specifically know the piece of gear they would like. Outside of that, your gift would unlikely be used.

You know, when I first read this I was thinking that it was an absurd statement - I mean, how could an entire diet NOT involve cooking? But, then I thought about it, and I guess you only cook fresh food, which wouldn't really be packable... soooo... I guess it makes sense. It just means I will never be going on a long distance hike.

Thanks for the input folks.

Dehydrated and freeze dried meals aren't nearly as bad as they used to be. After a full day of hiking they can actually taste like something that could almost be called good.

And oh how great it is to stop for greasy food on the way home.