I have made very successful cornbread, muffins, chocolate cake and cherry cobbler with a jello-mold oven.  Usually on a stove with a diffuser, but have had success on a fire grate in BW with a nice even fire also.  Never had a Bakepacker, and I always had trouble getting the hang of a reflector oven.

How convienent. I Google jello mold oven and find my photo in images.
(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

JMO = jello mold oven. Never used can outback bit from pictures, same thing but jmo is a couple of bucks from thrift store and I think lighter. With dragonfly I've never needed a diffuser or anything besides mold and pie pan lid.

There are so many ways to go, that is really about making the gear you have work and your personal preference.
I made a DIY "Flashing Stove" from plans I found on-line. I added a view McGivers of my own and made it so it would fit on top of my old Coleman Peak 1 stove OR a fire-grate/ bed of coals.
IC can vouch for it making a decent loaf of bread WITH a nice crust. Not a fan of soggy pastry products cooked thru or not.

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

Kerry wrote on Feb 16^th, 2015 at 11:32pm:


Ahem, yes it is with some sheepish embarrassment I admit to owning a Purcell trench grill along with 2 titanium rods with all fitting into a nice case. Extremely lightweight and excellently made it rides very nicely in the bottom of my red "cooking" duffel. It has been on numerous trips......occasionally I pull it out and admire the nice clean shiny surfaces and envision actually putting the thing to use.

Arrrgh! OK, I admit it......I have carried the thing around for years and either forget I have it or can't be bothered with making a fire and instead whip out my stove so I can get back to what ever it is I want to do. I know I'm missing it, KF showed me clearly how quick easy and effective cooking fish over a fire can be.

The little grill is an option.......but some thoughts. If I wrap the fish in foil don't I still need some oil of some sort? If I put the fish right on the grill I still need to try and flip it and of course I would need to clean the thing thoroughly as I would not want to contaminate my pack with odors of any kind.

The attraction of the Bakepacker is it would fit perfectly inside my Evernew oatmeal pan and there would be zero mess, only a self contained plastic bag to deal with. The plan is to use a solo stove (twig stove) to cook on (the Northwest being dry in late summer).

But who the heck knows what is going to happen. I need at least 3 weeks to pull it off and that is probably pie in the sky wishful thinking. I might just end up parking at Burt and basecamping for my usual couple week trip. Besides, I'm fat but otherwise in great shape (that shape being round ). 

Guys, if muffins and brownies are your thing the Outback oven is fantastic. Really incredible results and fun to use. A stove which simmers really well with a wide flame is key however. 

Bill, what is a JMO?

Never used my bakepacker for fish but agree with others for muffins and biscuits. But now I use a JMO, which  is as simple and light but produces crust. Didva chocolate cake once and impressed the scouts. All on a Dragonfly.

MT -- I own a Bakepacker, and I used it for many years.  I used it primarily to bake muffins and brownies.  I used the Reynolds oven-proof bags, the kind you cook a turkey in.

The brownies and muffin came out as one big glob.  The "presentation" wasn't great, but hey, you're in the bush.  We just cut/tore it apart and enjoyed it. 

Very cheap, simple, light, and fast. 

I don't use it much now, preferring the reflector oven.  But the bakepacker actually requires less work. No need for cutting and gathering a pile of small wood for burning, and turning the pan.  The reflector overn is kind of a group effort and treat when we're base camped somewhere. 

But for one or two guys, the Bakepacker is fine. 

The photo is a shot of muffins just out of the oven.

puckster

I have a similarly designed grill except mine is telescopic. It's about as long as that Purcell Grill, but will extend about 2/3 longer. It will hold a Quart pot of water so the design is plenty strong.
I bet mine is 25+ yrs old, and alas I don't think the company is still in business. That mesh model would be perfect for fish of all sizes.

MT, if you're going to carry a grill, which, from my perspective is the best way to cook a meaty fish like trout, then there is only one for you.  I can't believe you don't already own a Purcell Trench grill.  The best one for your purposes would probably be the Streamside Voyageur Grill.  They are pricey but absolutely the best, lightest and most durable grills available.  I have a couple that I've been using for 10 years.  These grills are absolutely brilliant.  One of the best pieces of gear you'll ever own.  Honestly.  I don't get a penny for this endorsement.
(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

Thanks ST.....I like the product you have linked to and will pick it up and give it a go. At a little over 3 oz it can be considered. Of course ounces add up to lbs and I need to be very careful as my tendency is to become a pack mule.

DD I have read a thread where the arguments for and against the bakepacker were much as you have described with various folk weighing in with precisely what you suggest. Others talk about the physics of heat exchange achieved by the grid.

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

I am unsure. Is it merely gobbledygook spouted by someone interested in selling a product or does it really work as advertised and superior to placing some rocks in the bottom of the pan. Are both methods doing the same thing? Not sure.......I will probably pick one up and give it a go. I would be interested in hearing from someone who has actually tried one.

And of course the wee little trouts need to cooperate. Hate to lug all this extra stuff for fish which aren't there or are few and far between and unwilling to leave the clear cool waters to view the world from another vantage point (that being the end of a sharpened stick).