cooking gear for UK camping..who needs it ?

[wiggydiggy]

this

To answer the OP, I'm building one of these for summer. And to think I was going to go for a gas burner

Also, best comment from that page:

"... we are farmers in North Sulawesi, want to produce Bioethanol from Arenga Juice (Arenga Pinnata trees, palm family). Therefore we need alcohol stove, which, safe, cheap, eficient, durable, easy to make and has long burning time. After searching an learniing the nets for months, we decided to take your penny stove for our stove. We will sell the stove for household user, its price range usd 0.4-0.6/pcs. The stove will be sold to over 20.000 household in North Sulawesi. We will introduce Bioethanol as alternative fuel because North Sulawesi has over 2 mio Arenga trees and price for kerosene fuel will be higher and higher.
Nocke Sumampouw, Manado-North Sulawesi Indonesia"

 

[steveindenmark]

I don`t carry cooking gear on my bike or even on my motorbike and I have been all over Europe and beyond.
There are very few places in Europe that you cannot find a coffee in the morning. I cannot recall how many times I have knocked on a door in France to ask for water for my water bottles, only to be asked in for coffee.

Supermarkets, shops, roadside stalls etc etc etc. You are better off for those kind of things in the UK than most of Europe.
We would kill for 24 hour supermarkets in Denmark. Tescos cooked breakfasts, pubs that do meals all day......luxury.

Steve

 

[mcshroom]

If you go down the meths route, and are worried about spilling meths on stuff, then you can use the ethanol gels like greenheat in trangias, so I'd imagine they'd work the same way in one of those burners

 

[P.H]

The last time I carried full cooking gear I used it twice in a fortnight, just not worth it for me. Now I have a Jetboil, not the lightest, smallest or fastest, it's still a convenient all in one that's even been carried on some day rides. It's used mostly for hot drinks, it occasionally gets used for some instant hot food, cous cous, noodles, soup, or for heating the odd tin.
I'm convinced there are two distinct types of cycle campers - cyclists who like to camp and campers who like to cycle. I think the latter group are more likely to carry full cooking gear.

 

[doog]

its part of the experience for me...I dont care if im next to a pub or town nothing better than having a brew on tap and first thing in the morning when packing the tent away.

Im a bit odd in that I tend to avoid civilisation If I can...even if I was near a town I would rather cook my own food.

 

[Sara_H]

Maybe I should take a woman to do the cooking as it comes more natural to them !!

Eh? I don't make the coffee, I just drink it.

I have a man to make it.

 

[currystomper]

I use a jetboil stove when out and about on the Cruzbike - great for a brew at a nice view point, if you are camping your carrying weight anyway.

The other extreme is the road bike and a credit card - Not my cup of cold tea.

 

[jjb]

I'm a big tea drinker but cycling in the hot sun in France, I didn't miss it. But, I did get sore heads from the caffeine withdrawal so I had to pour in the cola. If I were going to Iceland - a recurring whim - I'd take some hot drink making equipment for sure!

 

[peelywally]

Wow, impressive. To think of all those times I went without my morning brew...never again.

if yur not very handy you can use a meths burner which you can pick up for under a tenner , or if you have a trangia type its the burner bit , why not carry two bit heavier than penny stove though
still very small about the size of a 3in high coke can and and you can screw the lid down and carry fuel inside it , 1 fill on mine did me ok for two days worth of brews and i like coffee

 

[jags]

it's all part of the buzz of cycle touring just love me wee stove

 

[rollinstok]

After reading the last few posts, I feel my choice to tour without cooking gear in the past has been the right decision.
psmiffy was very convincing on the pro cooking side and almost had me getting my wallet out ( a rare occasion )
The penny stove is great and I cant believe I never saw these on my travels
A compromise is overdue and I think I,ll go for peelywallys suggestion.
I still believe that I can eat better on a tour without carrying all the cooking gear.. a brew in the mornings without having to put the sad-eye routine on with other campers would be nice though.

 

[rich p]

Me and the wife do 2, 3 or occasionally longer continental cycle camping tours and if you ate out out every night with the accompanying beer and wine it gets pretty pricey. We eat out and cook in, 50% of the time, depending on weather, shopping availability, restaurant closeness etc.
Tea and coffee making facilities are an essential.
The second stove attachment is irrelevant in terms of weight as the heavy bit is the gas and you carry a spare anyway.

 

[psmiffy]

if you ate out out every night with the accompanying beer and wine it gets pretty pricey.

I think this is another good point

 

[rollinstok]

Me and the wife do 2, 3 or occasionally longer continental cycle camping tours and if you ate out out every night with the accompanying beer and wine it gets pretty pricey. We eat out and cook in, 50% of the time, depending on weather, shopping availability, restaurant closeness etc.
Tea and coffee making facilities are an essential.
The second stove attachment is irrelevant in terms of weight as the heavy bit is the gas and you carry a spare anyway.

I agree that it would be very expensive to dine out every night and to be honest I very rarely did. Takeaways, cold food in the tent or late supermarkets were the norm. Hot food was always a cafe stop during the day. I did budget for a few beers every night and tried to catch a live band/performer if possible...all part of the fun of touring.

I would say tea and coffee is pretty easily available as you go but as I previously mentioned, a brew in the morning without scrounging would be very nice.

Another problem when cycling alone is trying to buy for one, in some places it is very difficult to buy single portions of anything. If you count the waste food and the cost of gas it can be just as expensive as a decent takeaway ( and a lot less hassle ).

 

[stephenjubb]

its part of the experience for me...I dont care if im next to a pub or town nothing better than having a brew on tap and first thing in the morning when packing the tent away.

Im a bit odd in that I tend to avoid civilisation If I can...even if I was near a town I would rather cook my own food.

+1000