Still Smarter

I love walking and I've been thinking about hiking and wild camping along a few of our longer 2-3 day trails. Obviously weight is a major issue when carrying everything on your back. So my thoughts turned to concentrated drinks I could carry with me at 95% and dilute with filtered water from streams etc.

I quite like JD whiskey .. can you soak JD chips without detrimental effects at such high Abv?
Can the bottled essences be used like this?
Just trying to think of what drinks are possible for low weight .. any ideas?

Give it a try mate, it will taste different from soaking at 40% and
please Do NOT heat in the microwave it would be deadly at 80%.
If you have a Reflux still you could run some neutral and JD chip
it at 90%. Or make your self a Cornflake whisky strip then spirit
on a Pot Still and you will have 70% CF Whisky to add some JD
chips to.

Or is it a simple as using a still spirits concentrate, carry sepately and mix with high-neutral and water.

I would pick something you don't normally drink, so you are not comparing.

I do have a reflux still so I can make high neutral.. I also have a pot still attachment but have only used it on stripping runs thus far.
Problem with the concentrates is that I have yet to find one I like .. and the instructions say leave for 24hrs.
I do enjoy a whiskey and I love my spiced rums.

Then make a Rum with your Pot Still Keep at Cask Strength or 100
proof and Dilute.
Some good cheap recipes on here.

When you come to the end of a long days hike, paddle or sail, and want a drink, you will be grateful for gnats piss, when there are no alternatives.
I have been there.
Away from home new rules apply.
One Glastonbury festival, many moons ago, I took a special cake, nothing whacky in it, just a LOT of coffee.
A slice of that and a bottle of water, breakfast sorted.

Robert.

I don't store anything higher than 60%. It is a safety issue for all sorts of reasons.

Bacardi 151 (75.5%) is classified as Dangerous Air Cargo by virtually every airline in the world.

The idea of going hiking with 95% alcohol will not get any support from me. Sorry about that.

I am pleased you said that, 'cos it was my first thought, but was followed by there is probably a some fuel canister in his other pocket

There was a young man from Madras.
His cobblers were made of Brass.
In windy weather they clanged together,
And sparks shot out of his arse!!
I see what you mean Myles!!

Mash wrote: Thu Feb 25, 2021 5:18 pm I am pleased you said that, 'cos it was my first thought, but was followed by there is probably a some fuel canister in his other pocket

And possibly a distress flare in another pocket?

Robert.

Hang on a minute here.
Many camp stoves are designed to run on 95% alcohol.
Just sayin'.

Robert.

Are you suggesting we should drink the stove fuel while hiking? To save weight?

Oh crap.. Now you have given me ideas !!... I run my stove on 95% still junk.
I may just wash it out and fill it full of the good stuff.
If I'm not using it to cook with .. may as well drink it.


Every camper/ walker on the planet carries either meths stoves or butane/propane stove... don't see a problem myself.

It's a question of getting your priorities right Boozoid. Don't take stuff you won't need. Leave the tent, sleeping bag, stove etc at home then you have space for the more important gear. You'll only need to take the clothes you stand up in if you're only going for 3 days. Only take proofed down drink otherwise you'll waste valuable drinking time searching for streams. Take a bin liner - it might rain when you're unconscious. Sorted mate

Boozoid wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 2:05 pm I love walking and I've been thinking about hiking and wild camping along a few of our longer 2-3 day trails. Obviously weight is a major issue when carrying everything on your back. So my thoughts turned to concentrated drinks I could carry with me at 95% and dilute with filtered water from streams etc.

I quite like JD whiskey .. can you soak JD chips without detrimental effects at such high Abv?
Can the bottled essences be used like this?
Just trying to think of what drinks are possible for low weight .. any ideas?

To be honest I think the variability of the quality of water you will be using will negate the benefit of just carrying drinking strength alcohol you like the taste of. Grab some of the plastic bottles duty free spirits come in to save weight or aluminium water bottles. You my want to consider how much you will be drinking as you will be only saving around 15g per unit of alcohol.

buffalobob wrote: Fri Feb 26, 2021 6:20 pm It's a question of getting your priorities right Boozoid. Don't take stuff you won't need. Leave the tent, sleeping bag, stove etc at home then you have space for the more important gear. You'll only need to take the clothes you stand up in if you're only going for 3 days. Only take proofed down drink otherwise you'll waste valuable drinking time searching for streams. Take a bin liner - it might rain when you're unconscious. Sorted mate

Do we cut a hole for the head in that Black bag BB or is this some sort of Parliamentary
Sex game.

Yes Gaza, hole for the head. I thought a pigs head was required for parliamentary sex games

Windoe wrote: Fri Feb 26, 2021 8:08 pm
To be honest I think the variability of the quality of water you will be using will negate the benefit of just carrying drinking strength alcohol you like the taste of. Grab some of the plastic bottles duty free spirits come in to save weight or aluminium water bottles. You my want to consider how much you will be drinking as you will be only saving around 15g per unit of alcohol.

I remember once filling water cans from a waterfall on a remote Scottish island, and hoping that there were no dead sheep lying upstream.

Robert.

Boozoid wrote: Fri Feb 26, 2021 11:44 am stove.jpg


Oh crap.. Now you have given me ideas !!... I run my stove on 95% still junk.
I may just wash it out and fill it full of the good stuff.
If I'm not using it to cook with .. may as well drink it.


Every camper/ walker on the planet carries either meths stoves or butane/propane stove... don't see a problem myself.

Save yourself some space, just carry the one fuel.
Either drink the heads, or burn the hearts!

Robert.

Boozoid wrote: Fri Feb 26, 2021 11:44 am stove.jpg


Oh crap.. Now you have given me ideas !!... I run my stove on 95% still junk.
I may just wash it out and fill it full of the good stuff.
If I'm not using it to cook with .. may as well drink it.


Every camper/ walker on the planet carries either meths stoves or butane/propane stove... don't see a problem myself.

I have a couple of those.... Brilliant stove., run mine on unleaded. Have catered for 40-50 people one them. Never though about heads...

They must have been very little people and not very hungry.

buffalobob wrote: Sat Feb 27, 2021 12:44 am Yes Gaza, hole for the head. I thought a pigs head was required for parliamentary sex games

Is that in the Scottish one BB, they do some weird stuff up there.

Robert thats exactly what happened once when we were walking in Derbyshire. My mate drank copiously from a stream and found a rotting sheep 40 yards upstream .
Gaza I think quite a lot of politicians get up to some weird stuff, it’s a requirement or a result of attending public schools. I've got a mental image of Sturgeon abusing Salmond now cos of you. He's naked with a gimp mask, buns up kneeling and she has a tartan pvc bodysuit and a strap on. I think it's time for my meds now

I don't drink alcohol when I hike, but I've used the soda can style alcohol stoves extensively. In fact, that's what started my You Tube channel, showing experiments with home made alcohol burners for trail cooking. Carrying 90% denatured alcohol fuel was never an issue for me, and I don't see it as any less safe than carrying Coleman fuel intended for a cook stove. Alcohol as fuel is indeed lighter weight than Coleman fuel, but it takes more of it to get the same BTU's for cooking. So the weight savings mainly comes from using the ultralight soda can stove.

On the issue of using drinking alcohol, certainly you can dual purpose use high proof as fuel in stoves meant for burning it. When at home, my experience is that essences and or infusions in alcohol proofed down to 40% don't come to full flavor until 3-5 days. In which case, if you've found your camping spot and staying there, perhaps the time lag won't be an issue. If you're through hiking, you'd be carrying your drink for days as you wait for the flavors to meld properly. I have yet to be able to get great flavors by infusing 90% alcohol, but, and I haven't tried this, perhaps infusing the water well ahead of time, and using that to proof down your drinkable high proof fuel would work. But, there again, you'd be carrying your infused water around, so not a weight savings.

What may work best, is to use what botanicals you find on your hike as a flavor infusion.

Bill

buffalobob wrote: Sat Feb 27, 2021 11:06 am Robert thats exactly what happened once when we were walking in Derbyshire. My mate drank copiously from a stream and found a rotting sheep 40 yards upstream .
Gaza I think quite a lot of politicians get up to some weird stuff, it’s a requirement or a result of attending public schools. I've got a mental image of Sturgeon abusing Salmond now cos of you. He's naked with a gimp mask, buns up kneeling and she has a tartan pvc bodysuit and a strap on. I think it's time for my meds now

Apologies for dragging in politics, but I saw these yesterday and your post reminded me of them.