I can't recommend this to anyone looking for a way to actually bake food; for heating up bread or muffins it's great but the size of it makes it something that would get tossed out of a backpack when people are looking for a quick way to drop the weight that they are carrying. Who would like to play around with something like this? If you are going camping for an extended weekend chances are you will have some time to kill. I didn't have any luck with this when I was using it and I know it wouldn't be something that I would have in my backpack because of the amount of space that it took up. The pan and lid are a little on the flimsy side so if you get this and plan on using it for something else, you might be disappointed with it. If you come across this for a couple dollars it is nice to heat or slightly toast bread.

AlexFortune

USA

Sure it's not the easiest thing to use in the woods, it is really cool to have some freshly baked foods when you're in the middle of the woods.  That's what you get with the Outback Oven from Backpackers Pantry, which lets you bake on your standard backpacking stove.  The Outback Oven sits on top of your single-burner backpacking stove and actually bakes things. It does this by using the heat from the stove to slowly warm up the baking pan by using a heat diffuser below the pan and a heat jacket around the pan to keep the air circulating around the baking pan. What I've found with my oven is that the final results really depend on the stove that you are using.  Stoves with very good heat output adjustability tend to make great baked goods, while stoves that can't adjust their output that tend to burn everything you put in the oven. When it comes to baking itself, it's quite easy. The baking pan is non-stick, so you don't need to grease it or anything. You just put in whatever you are baking, put the lid on, place it on top of the riser bars, cover it all with the reflector collar and then just keep an eye on the thermometer until the baked good is done.  Baking does take a bit longer than a standard oven.  It seems that 45 minutes is the average for most stuff. The best options for the oven are the Backpackers Pantry mixes since they seem to come out the best.  **My Take** While the Outback Oven isn't something I'd bring on a long-distance hiking trip, it does work well on canoe trips and when you're out car camping.  It's even fun on short backpacking trips when you want the novelty of freshly baked cake or pizza when you're in the woods. Overall in my mind, the Outback Oven really does work, especially with a good stove and gives you the chance to expand your typical camping cuisine.

jps246

Metrowest, MA