I have a dedicated cast iron skillet for my trips, but have been going through this nagging want to simplify and lighten up my gear.
I know there are lighter alternatives, but I really enjoy the control I have with a cast iron skillet.
Have any of you ditched the skillet for good?

I never used one, but I've been thinking the opposite and trying it. I like to make a fry-bread type of thing and my little Teflon pan isn't quite working. I know it adds weight.

As for you, ditching the skillet is only as good as changing your food options where it will not be necessary. If your menu is skillet dependent, then you'll have to make some fairly significant changes. If you use it a lot, maybe cutting weight in other areas would make more sense.

Mike

I love my cast iron fry pans. Nothing better over a fire to cook on. Even temperature control, nonstick cooking, easy cleanups, more forgiving when you forget to tend your food. The benefits by far outweigh the weight of the pans. Cast iron will outlast you. When we have a group of 6-8 guys we take one 12” and one 14” pan. These are both about 80 year old pans. The newer cast iron pans are very rough on the cooking surface, old ones are machined smooth as silk. If you plan on getting one I would suggest going to goodwill and buying a used one. The weight is no big deal because I put these pans in the new guys pack.

I’ve never used a cast iron skillet on any type of camping trip. A Dutch oven is more versatile, but not my choice for a canoe trip. From the beginning its been re-hydrated meals on canoe trips for me. Now I don’t even get the pot dirty by using the "freezer bag" method.

inspector13,

I have been going up to the BWCA for the past 13 years, and i have always brought a cast iron skillet. My first trip to the BWCA was with tenured family, and they insisted on them. Heat control is wonderful, but they do add a lot of weight to your packs, especially a Dutch Oven style.

Filleted breaded fish in a little bit of oil on a cast iron skillet is second to none!

Occasionally I’ll break out one of my cast iron skillets at my cabin up in Lake County. But since 1983, most of my trips in the BW have been routes with breaking camp almost every day and lots of portaging. Its just a matter of preferences.

If you really like what you are using for cooking I would continue to use what you are currently. Unless you specifically cannot carry the weight any more or are going to do a trip where you portage every day and want to cut weight bring what works best.

There are some cast aluminum options out there you could try. So you might consider going that route.

I packed one on my first solo trip into Quetico. I have never packed it since. It's great to cook with but far too heavy to pack even for group trips in my opinion. Go with what works for you though.

I'm planning on bringing a 10" skillet I recently acquired on our trip next month in August. I use an 8" at home nearly daily for making breakfast and thought a 10" would be perfect for a small group. Definitely not lightweight, that's for sure!

I'm debating leaving the nonstick griddle at home in place of the skillet, but it would be nice to have both for meal timing.....

Carbon steel skillets (not stainless!) have many of the same cooking properties as cast iron with about half the weight.

12" carbon steel skillet at 4 lbs.

Cast iron works great, but I refuse to carry it. :)

I don't eat food that requires it, so that helps...

Portage cast iron? Can you say "crazy town"?

On the other hand I look back to times not so very long ago of canvas tents, huge heavy canoes and of course cast iron and think what a wimp I am compared to these fellows. They would probably burst out laughing over my obsession of cutting ounces.

FWIW......those of you who are home cooks look into le Creuset, which is enameled cast iron cook ware. My favorite is is a deep, large skillet with tight lid. Brown your chicken right on the stovetop, remove and then scrape the dripping and brown stuff off and sauté onions etc. and then replace chicken and bake with whatever sauce and vegetables you desire. Fantastic results! Clean up is a breeze. Pricey stuff to be sure but nothing else comes close to doing everything in one pan, from stovetop to oven and cleans up easily.

jdmccurry: "Carbon steel skillets (not stainless!) have many of the same cooking properties as cast iron with about half the weight.


12" carbon steel skillet at 4 lbs. "

+1

Love the Lodge 12" CS.

It's no UL, but then, I can't cook evenly over a campfire with UL, either.

Othello: "

jdmccurry: "Carbon steel skillets (not stainless!) have many of the same cooking properties as cast iron with about half the weight.

12" carbon steel skillet at 4 lbs. "

+1

Love the Lodge 12" CS. It's no UL, but then, I can't cook evenly over a campfire with UL, either."

How about carbon steel with a diffuser?

Haven't used but there is lightweight cast iron skillet available on the market @ 2.5 lbs. Read the reviews. Looks promising.

Wow, I guess you'all are a lot stronger than I am? I use a non-stick folding handled skillet myself.

My great grandmother, who was a cook on the river, taught me how to cook. I treasure her old cast iron frying pan. My wife and I use it all the time. NOTHING fries chicken and bacon or bakes cornbread like cast iron! But, good as it is, I aint lugging it around on a canoe trip!

nctry: "

Othello: "

jdmccurry: "Carbon steel skillets (not stainless!) have many of the same cooking properties as cast iron with about half the weight.

12" carbon steel skillet at 4 lbs. "

+1

Love the Lodge 12" CS. It's no UL, but then, I can't cook evenly over a campfire with UL, either."

How about carbon steel with a diffuser?"

Even better, I would imagine...but at some point, the combined weight starts approaching bona fide CI.

Love me some cast iron skillets. Have all the sizes.

At Home.

Never lugging those things into the wilderness - they are beasts!

Would strongly suggest taking cast iron for control with cooking surfaces across the pan. If basecampjng, no brainer to take.

mastertangler: "Portage cast iron? Can
you say "crazy town"? "

Who said anything about portages. Ok it’s a 15 rod portage. Base camp and fish all day. We go to one of the larger lakes up there that is loaded with Walleye. I’ve done those 15 mile paddle 8 portage trips many times, not any more. I waste too much time paddling, setting up camp, portaging. For me it all about fishing and eating fish. And that gets back to my Griswold 12” and 14” cast iron fry pans...

Why no I haven't
With a group I carry a old BSR 12
if I'm by myself I have a older 6" unmarked lodge

Savage Voyageur: "

mastertangler: "Portage cast iron? Can
you say "crazy town"? "

Who said anything about portages. Ok it’s a 15 rod portage. Base camp and fish all day. We go to one of the larger lakes up there that is loaded with Walleye. I’ve done those 15 mile paddle 8 portage trips many times, not any more. I waste too much time paddling, setting up camp, portaging. For me it all about fishing and eating fish. And that gets back to my Griswold 12” and 14” cast iron fry pans...



"

Point well taken. But when I think of canoe trip I typically think of more than a 15 rod portage. Hey if your base camping with only some short portages I would take the kitchen sink, a big bug tent and a folding table ;-)

Like Ozark I take a skillet with a folding handle.....GSI I think and it does a decent job of frying fish as the bottom is thick enough to disperse heat rather well.

I have a cast aluminum pan from the journal and have used on about half my trips. All depends on the trip type and menu.

Recently I've been taking neices and nephews on "first BWCA trips", it has been wonderful for kid friendly meals like fish, pizza, grilled cheese, pancakes, eggs, bacon. That is the stuff I tend to scorch on lighter pans.

Love cast iron. I have brought it to canoe country only once. That was for a winter trip and I brought my 6" Lodge.

In addition to the 6", I have a 10" lodge, a 8" Le Cruset, and a 12" Griswold. Of those, my favorite is the 12". It had been living in an old shed for about 40 years and was pretty rusty. Some elbow grease, some sanding pads, and a couple of rashers of bacon later, that is an amazing pan. A beautiful black mirror finish on it now. I regularly bring it car camping. Makes the best sausage, onions and bell peppers over a burning Swedish log.

Used to, a 14" skillet when I tripped with large groups and cooked over the campfire. Love cast iron. However, a few years back I decided to buy a cast aluminum dutch oven and modified the menu to accommodate the change. We also bring in a gas stove now so we're probably actually packing more weight, but it is so much cleaner, faster and easier to control that I have a hard time believing I'd ever want to go back. I bring a small, heavy duty aluminum baking sheet if I want to make something like pancakes or toast.

SweetBerryWine: "I have a dedicated cast iron skillet for my trips, but have been going through this nagging want to simplify and lighten up my gear.
I know there are lighter alternatives, but I really enjoy the control I have with a cast iron skillet.
Have any of you ditched the skillet for good? "

Too heavy, I would never bring one, although I know many people do. My philosophy is to go as light as possible and to simplify cooking and food. I've never understood why people cook over a fire up there. Gotta bring a heavy skillet, rely on decent weather for dry wood, and usually the food you bring for this method of cooking is smellier than normal and thus increases the chance of bringing in bears.

heypaddler: I've never understood why people cook over a fire up there. "

Because there is nothing like having nicely chared steaks with potatoes and wild rice the first night.

And nothing tastes like a fish that you caught that hour.

I love to cook and at home regularly cook with cast iron pans. Once they are well-seasoned, they are virtually non-stick pans. I have half a dozen various sized cast iron frying pans and a couple of cast iron dutch ovens. Searing in a cast iron frying pan is my usual way to cook steak at home - it's an easy and awesome way to cook steak. I also use cast iron pans when car camping. Never have taken them on canoe camping trips. Always viewed them as too heavy. I'm starting to think I may take in a small fry pan on my next trip though.

Here's a good video about cooking with cast iron

Look into the Fry Bake pans. I think they are cast aluminum. I have the 10.5 and 8 inch. I normally take both on my trips. (they nest) They also have lids and you can put coals on them and use as a D.O. Much lighter than cast iron with very similar quality of cast iron and I normally clean my using sand. I highly recommend them.

Fry Bake Pans

Minnesotian: "

heypaddler: I've never understood why people cook over a fire up there. "

Because there is nothing like having nicely chared steaks with potatoes and wild rice the first night.


And nothing tastes like a fish that you caught that hour. "

Because I can't in my kitchen at home? I enjoy it; different strokes. I don't understand how anyone needs cell phones, GPS, watches, and fancy water filters either, but that's their preference.

Nothing beats cast iron for cooking over an open fire. But am getting too old to carry it and am looking for an alternative when the trip involves a lot of portages.

inspector13: "
I’ve never used a cast iron skillet on any type of camping trip. A Dutch oven is more versatile, but not my choice for a canoe trip. From the beginning its been re-hydrated meals on canoe trips for me. Now I don’t even get the pot dirty by using the "freezer bag" method.

"

I noticed your getting close to the magic "4,000" post club! E-mail me and we can have a chat!

Minnesotian: "

heypaddler: I've never understood why people cook over a fire up there. "

Because there is nothing like having nicely chared steaks with potatoes and wild rice the first night.


And nothing tastes like a fish that you caught that hour. "

Minnesotian,

Thank you for making me salivate. Pretty sure you just solidified my decision. Cast Iron it is!

ill echo the Aluminum comments. These cast Aluminum GSI dutches are great. Not quite as good temperature regulation as cast iron, but the weight savings is incredible and you can still pile the coals on. They nest inside eachother too. I always bring an 8" cast iron skillet when in small groups for potatoes fish etc, but the dutches are great for larger groups.

another point that is often overlooked is that when I carry a cast iron pan I don't bring a stove, and nested cooking set that seem to be the rage these days
I just cook over over a fire and coals.
So my little 6" cast iron pan, small billy for water boiling and cup suffently isn't as heavy

another point with cast iron is that its a great multi tasker
I've driven tent stakes in the ground, used it to dig holes and trenches, as a base to start a fire in, a "basket" to collect berries, anvil to fix a hole in a canoe, nut cracker, a scoop to bail out a canoe, a sleeping bag warmer, a iron to soften plastic fixing a hole in a blow up pad, a mixing bowl, coffee bean grinder, serving tray, ........ I think you get the picture

I cook a lot on Lodge Cast Iron, and have a few skillets, and a dutch oven that I use both car camping, and here at home that I love. With that said, I haven't hauled any of my cast iron into the bwca yet...

Still my fave though.