Leave the cold grub and coffeeless awakenings to the forest creatures. To be human is to celebrate our species' primary achievement: hot food and beverage. For backpackers new and well-seasoned, we suggest the clean, gossamer-like MSR PocketRocket Stove ($40), which is anything but a lightweight where pyrotechnic performance is concerned. Mount the palm-sized contraption on a standard propane/butane canister made for backpackers, spark up, and we're talking enough roaring BTUs to boil a liter of H2O in under four minutes. The tiny stove's three-point, serrated platform even has enough surface area for carefully centered larger pots—no small feat for this three-ounce flyweight. And good news for Martha Stewart types (dining, not stock trading): If you've ever burnt the mac 'n' cheese because of the limited settings on liquid-gas stoves—e.g., fully on or off—the PocketRocket offers culinary redemption with its infinitely adjustable simmering capability via the easy-to-use, glove-friendly control. Contact MSR: 800-531-9531; www.msrgear.com.

For tired and hungry backpackers, good meals score high on the satisfaction index. Of course that means preparation, to which we say, keep it light, keep it stick-free, keep it functional. That's where the MSR DuraLite Classic Cookset ($60) comes in. The new premium cookset has two nesting pots (1.5- and 2-liter) and a common lid, all made of hard anodized aluminum coated with three layers of beyond-Teflon-tough DuraCoat, MSR's own non-stick coating. Besides keeping your flapjacks flapping and pasta from blackening, the coating eliminates questionably unhealthy metallic residue that plagues cheap aluminum pots. At 18 ounces, the contained set also includes a tote sack, potholder clamp, and a durable synthetic dish towel—enough cooking appliances for two happy campers and the sporadic AT through-hiker tired of 24/7 granola. Contact MSR: 800-531-9531; www.msrgear.com.

The bane of backcountry busy work is an ill-mannered water filter or purifier pump that requires you to break a sweat for just a liter of clean water. You won't be arm wrestling with the Katadyn Guide ($80), however. This is the Ferrari of filters—smooth, fast, and darn near effortless in your quest for protozoa-free purified water. The Guide has a large ergo handle with a super-long pump shaft for high-volume efficiency, with enough output—36 strokes will get you one liter per minute—to keep small groups in the drink. Under nominal circumstances, its disposable 0.3-micron glass-fiber filter will screen up to 200 gallons. And packability? The 14-ounce, sub-ten-inch-high Guide fits in any backpack lid, just waiting for a streamside rest stop and its cue to provide you with refreshingly pure aqueous elixir. Contact Katadyn: 800-755-6701; www.katadyn.com.

So maybe your cooking ability tops out with microwavable burritos—never mind the added complexities of backcountry logistics.("Egads! I forgot to pack the powdered milk") The good news is that Backpacker's Pantry (entrees for two, $3 to $13) has you covered. Visualize, if you will, a breakfast of fluffy huevos rancheros with green chilies, red bell peppers, and cheddar cheese, followed that evening by Southwest smoked salmon garnished with citrus-dill-flavored chipotle cream sauce over rotini pasta. If your mouth is already watering, imagine your pleasure in the backcountry. Pre-packed for two or four persons, Backpacker's Pantry is a hot-water-only way to prepare breakfasts, lunches, dinners, deserts, breads, and entrees including pizza, chicken and dumplings, and exotic ethnic meals like Pad Thai. Vegan? Yup, there's a full meatless menu that's probably better than what you eat at home (how's ginger teriyaki stir-fry sound?). Contact Backpacker's Pantry: 800-641-0500; www.backpackerspantry.com.

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