Pre-Hydrate Backcountry Meals To Save Fuel

Vargo Bot 700

For long trips in the backcountry, the amount of fuel required adds a ton of weight to your pack. But did you know that re-hydrating your food before heating can cut fuel usage and cooking times in half? Vargo created the BOT – 700 just for this purpose.

The Vargo BOT – 700 is built around a simple concept: use a lightweight, watertight container to pre-hydrate meals before cooking in order to save time and fuel usage while improving flavor. Based on the design of the popular BOT (Vargo’s 1 liter water bottle and cooking pot), the BOT – 700 features a leak-proof screw-top lid, 700 ml capacity, and foldaway handles for multifunction capability.

This 4.4-ounce titanium mug can also carry, cook, measure, store, and hold just about anything, saving on the cost and weight of multiple items. The lid also flips over to double as a cooking lid to save time and fuel while cooking.

To use the BOT – 700, simply add your dehydrated food and the necessary amount of water to the BOT – 700 an hour or more before cooking (e.g. an hour or so before reaching a hiking destination). Once ready, the lid is unscrewed, flipped over, and the BOT – 700 added directly to a stove or fire just long enough to warm it up. Compared to the standard process of boiling the water, adding it to the meal, waiting for it to completely hydrate, and then waiting for it to cool down enough to eat, using the BOT – 700 takes a fraction of the cooking time, waiting time, and fuel usage.

The Vargo BOT – 700 retails for $99.95 and is available now.

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