Bozeman Basecamp: Bootpack Broth

Thermos miso for ridge breaks, parking-lot rigging, and cold-finger transitions.

Jump to the recipe

Bozeman winter has a tell. You feel it the second you step out of the rig and the cold grabs your lungs like it means business. The light’s still low, the Bridger lot is half headlamps, and somebody’s already clicking buckles like the day’s a timed event.

This is where “just bring snacks” stops cutting it. When you’re bootpacking a wind-scoured spine, or standing still long enough to add skins back on, you want heat that does more than taste good. You want salt, a little spice, and a thermos setup that’s basically set-and-forget.

Bootpack Broth is the move. A concentrated miso-ginger base you can prep in minutes, then pour over with boiling water and sip one-handed while you sort your layers. It’s not a vibe. It’s a tool.

Ingredients

For the broth concentrate (makes enough for ~4 thermoses)

• 4 tbsp white miso (mellow, salty, fast-dissolving)

• 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari

• 1–2 tbsp chili crisp or 1 tsp chili flakes (choose your heat)

• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

• 1 tbsp rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)

• 2–3 tsp fresh grated ginger (or 1 tsp ginger paste)

• 1 garlic clove, grated (or 1 tsp garlic paste)

For one thermos (16–20oz / 500–600ml)

• 2–3 tbsp broth concentrate

• Boiling water

• Optional add-ins (pick one lane):

  • Ramen brick or quick-cook noodles

  • Dehydrated mushrooms

  • Scallions (slice at home, bag them)

  • Sesame seeds

  • Shredded rotisserie chicken (parking lot luxury)

  • Nori strips (salty upgrade)

Instructions

Prep the concentrate

1. In a jar or small container, mix miso, soy/tamari, chili crisp, sesame oil, vinegar, ginger, and garlic until it forms a thick paste.

2. Lid it and stash it in the fridge. It’s good for about a week.

Build the thermos

1. Preheat your thermos: fill with boiling water, cap it, wait 2 minutes, dump.

2. Add 2–3 tbsp concentrate to the thermos.

3. Add any dry add-ins (mushrooms, nori). If you’re doing noodles, add them now, but keep expectations realistic: you’re going for edible and hot, not Michelin.

4. Fill with boiling water, cap, and shake gently.

5. Give it 5 minutes. Sip. Refill the cup and repeat until your hands work again.

Pro tips from the cold

• If you want it extra clean, pack scallions and seeds separately and sprinkle per cup.

• More mountain-gas-station than dinner party is the point. Keep it simple, keep it hot.

• Don’t overdo sesame oil. A little is silk. Too much is a candle.

Take it on: dawn patrol laps, ridge resets, Hyalite spectator days, and any mission where you’ll be standing in the wind pretending you’re not cold.

Words by Alpine Extreme. Built in Bozeman. Tested in the kind of winter that doesn’t care about your plans.