Cycling UK Forum

I agree that gas is very convenient, and I do like the Trangia gas stove. However, I am afraid I am not as optimistic about getting cannisters in these three countries. I am Dutch, and ride a lot in Germany (and have also toured in Denmark). First, Camping Gaz cannisters with valves are very rare here, the type with the Lindall valve is more common. Even those, however, are primarily found in outdoor stores. Some campsites will have them, but many not (in fact, these days many campsites do not even have a shop anymore). The only common cannister type is the (more dangerous) puncture type. Stoves for those are bulkier and heavier, however, and so are adapters. If you want to use gas cannisters, you really have to take at least one spare.
By and large I prefer hassle free touring. Hence my preference for meths as a fuel that you can buy in almost any supermarket, and hence also my preference for the Etrex 30 gps, that will last some 4-5 days in one set of (quality) AA rechargeables. If I take some spares, I do not even need to take a charger, let alone ask campsite owners to charge my batteries. Less hassle is more fun, at least for me.

bohrsatom wrote:I forgot to mention the biggest benefit to cooking your own meals: variety. Often when riding outside of large towns and cities you come across the same menu over and over again. For example Germany - schnitzel and currywurst are delicious but after three days in a row I find the craving for pasta and vegetables gets too strong.

In Germany there are thousands of exotic restaurants - Italian, Greek, Spanish, Vietnamese, Turkish. There are many cafes open Sundays. There are so many foods one can eat without cooking. France has 365 cheeses. Germany has 365 breads. Watch out for the Luther celebrations in 2017, thousands of events are planned.

I’m afraid I’m always optimistic about finding cartridge gas canisters avec valve – I’ve toured in pretty much every country in western Europe and never had much of a problem finding gas or for that matter ever run out of gas – it helps that I’m happy using both the Lindell screw on type and the blue (Kharki in Greece) bayonet type and that carrying a spare is not a hardship. Not surprisingly looking in camping shops is a pretty much a no-brainer – after that I have found that hardware stores and fishing and gun shops often yield results.

Personally, if I was going to buy a new stove I would get a low profile remote type with a pre -heat coil – Lindell valve by default – plus a Vaude (was Markhill) Lindell to Camping Gaz adaptor

If you want a hot drink in the morning an unbreakable flask can serve that purpose. Fill it up at a cafe in the evening then use for drinks in the morning.

PhilWhitehurst wrote:If you want a hot drink in the morning an unbreakable flask can serve that purpose. Fill it up at a cafe in the evening then use for drinks in the morning.

I used to carry a flask on long night rides and weekends away, but my Jetboil only weighs less than an extra 100g and if far more versatile.

In that spirit: I often take a thermos. I fill it with hot water in the evening, and then have precisely one large cup of tea and one large cup of coffee in the morning without using the stove. That saves a lot of time. During the day the thermos is a source of cool water.

I agree with Willem with regards to gas canisters. They proved to be a nightmare to source in the NL this summer. I'll reserve them for my long weekends in the U.K. and I'll use my Trangia with meths or my old Primus with white fuel for longer tours.

I like to sit still in the morning and wake up and take in the morning, so I don't need to rush. I'll also happily boil the water while packing up if time isn't on my side.

The last time we did a family tour, I opted not to take any cooking equipment. I was on the tandem, and had a trailer full of stuff, plus Littlest (7 years old). We cycled to and stayed a few days at a camp ground with a little cafe on site, and a shop right across the road, so I didn't figure I would need it, and I barely had room for what we did take.

I regretted not having at least the equipment to make coffee or tea. When I went up to the cafe in the morning, I was always the first one & had to wait for the coffee to brew. It wasn't half as good as my own would have been, and I could have waited cozy in my pjs & sleeping bag.

You could just bring a very small and lightweight coffee/tea only meths stove, perhaps using mug as pot eg


1) A local UK cottage stove: http://speedsterstoves.co.uk/custom-combined-windscreen-and-pot-rest-built-for-your-own-pot.html
Also sells burners (or make own).

2) A caldera cone http://www.traildesigns.com

3) Make your own (eg Captain Paranoia) Caldera cLone: http://zenstoves.net/PotStands-Conical.htm#ConeTemplates

4) some other DIY design

Gattonero wrote:

Wow! so much stuff!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/92281886@N02/15719606262/in/album-72157640250966045/) my total cooking/washing/first aid stuff for camping trips. The cooking gear is all in the Sea to Summit pack - s2s collapsible kettle/pot (1.3l https://www.trekkinn.com/outdoor-mountain/sea-to-summit-xkettle-1.3-liter/135906899/p?utm_source=google_products&utm_medium=merchant&id_producte=2288107&country=uk&gclid=CNun14X5o9ECFQqNGwodBMYO7A&gclsrc=aw.ds), Soto Windmaster stove & canister tripod, condiments, water bag, cutlery and emergency packet soup! Orikaso plate, mug, dish weigh nothing and are flat so slide down back of pannier.

set up works for morning coffee or if need be cooking/heating something more substantial.

I don't generally plan on cooking but a late night drink and of course a breakfast coffee are almost essential!

Jetboil, for those that don'r know it doesen't beat any records, it's not the fastest, smallest or lightest, it only really does what it says, boil. It is clean and convenient, for what it does I think it's the best
Jetboil in porch by Paul, on Flickr

Hello,
I camp and in my own personal opinion I feel that if you camp without cooking, you are missing the best part!
Enjoy yourself. Make a mess of breakfast. It will taste the better for the fresh or hot or damp air!
Regards,
John

I cannot do without a cup of tea / coffee in the morning, but am happy to eat cold food (like pastries) for breakfast and bread, cheese and salad for dinner. So personally something light and basic for quick water boiling is sufficient in summer. It all saves weight and personally I like to pack very light. With only 3 minutes per brew, fuel lasts a long time and range anxiety is avoided.

There is no single right answer on this, only what works for you.

I say not to cook.

While you can get fairly compact and light cooking stuff it does complicate things quite a lot and can be time consuming. If you're just going for a fairly short tour in developed countries it should be easy enough to find places to eat and drink.

khain wrote:I say not to cook.

While you can get fairly compact and light cooking stuff it does complicate things quite a lot and can be time consuming. If you're just going for a fairly short tour in developed countries it should be easy enough to find places to eat and drink.

You can also find lots of places to stay without carrying the weight and haiving complication and time consuming hassle of putting up a tent, sleeping mat, sleeping bag etc.