by Drew Woodson

Created on: March 22, 2009   Last Updated: March 25, 2009

If you go backpacking, it is inevitable. Sometime you are going to have to cook in the rain. With these few tips, however, you can make sure your meal gets underway, cooked properly, and that you stay safe in the process.

Getting started: Choose an area that provides some natural shelter. A tree can help keep the rain off, and provide a place to drap a tarp to make a temporary shelter for cooking. Just be sure that the branches are high enough off the ground that there is no danger of catching fire. Also useful are flat protruding rocks that can serve as a table surface. Depending on what you are cooking, you may need a water source. Keep that in mind when you are choosing your spot.

Most stoves are easy to light even in the rain. Be sure that you are under your shelter and that your hands are dry before you handle your matches, which should be in zip lock bag.

What to cook: There are many schools of thought on what to eat while backpacking, and rain does not change your options. You may want to choose your fastest cooking meal to speed along the process, or you might choose something that requires a lid so that you can keep the rain out of your food. It is unlikely that enough rain will get in your food to change the taste or consistency of it. But this would not be a time to eat crackers or bread. Nothing ruins a sandwich faster than water. Think stew, rice, or grits.

Safety: Do not ever cook inside of a tent. Beyond the risk of fire, there is also a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning from your stove. Stoves should only be used outside. When constructing an overhead shelter, make sure that any fabric or tarp is high above the flame. It should remain cool to the touch at all times. Don't let the fact that you are cold and wet distract you from normal safety precautions such as using utensils or gloves when handling hot metal. Avoid breathing smoke or exhaust as it could overwhelm you and send you headfirst in to the flame. Do not cook with large amounts of oil in the rain. A rain drop in hot oil can cause dangerous splattering.

Clean-up: All normal clean-up rules apply. Do not wash your dishes directly in a water source and do not wash them in your camp site. Do wash your dishes as keeps you healthy and gives animals one less reason to enter your campsite.

Follow these few tips and the rain will not slow you down. in fact, rain can be the perfect reason to stop for a moment, put on a pot of rice, and listen to nature renewing itself.

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