Messages

1

Food Talk / Dehydrated Meals @ WalMart

« on: April 09, 2017, 05:42:58 pm »

Bear Creek Country Kitchens  has9-12 ounce package mixes of Chili, Vegetable Beef, Cheddar Potato and Minestrone.

All four can be had for less than $13-dollars.

What I do is to mic all four packages together. When ready for a meal, boil 1 cup water and add 1/3 cup of the mixture and  simmer until tender.

I always have cooked rice from the evening or days before and mix this in with the thickened soup/chili/potato mix.

The thing is, you get 25 1/3 cup servings from this set up for $13-dollars. About $0.50 per serving. Add in a cup of cooked rice or other grain such a Quiona and it is pretty darn good.

A whole lot cheaper than some other options, especially if you add in some Mozzarella Cheese to the mic, and 2-3 Tablespoons of Tomato Paste to the cooking mixture. Season with Thai Chili Paste and it is surprisingly good and works in cooler climates (the cheese).

http://www.bearcreekcountrykitchens.com/

Try them out at home to finesse the experience, I will bet it can work for you. 

2

General Discussion / Re: Rear Kickstand

« on: April 08, 2017, 07:23:48 pm »

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjhpeTs_pXTAhVN-GMKHVMPBJEQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jensonusa.com%2FBlackburn-Outpost-Front-Rack&bvm=bv.152174688,d.cGc&psig=AFQjCNHL0n57D_xUjmGiZsfrUsSD7gNbmA&ust=1491779644131488

(...Open the above link and go to the third image...)

These are the Blackburn Rack Fit upper mounts to stabilize the Outpost Front/Rear Racks

They are made of a good gauge aluminum. I place the "eyelet" threaded into each end of one of the stays.

When I stop, I clamp the front brake and rear brakes at the calipers, and then insert the straight end into the clipless pedals which are positioned at the 9:00-3:00 or horizontal position.

The bike can be leaned either way, or with one on each pedal it will stand upright.

Easy to deploy, I will look for a photo.

3

General Discussion / Re: How do you deal with back pain and shoulders pain Sleeping on a Sleeping pad on

« on: April 08, 2017, 07:09:54 pm »

Sounds like you might want to get your shoulder checked. Make sure that it is not medically related.

4

Gear Talk / Re: Davidson Titanium Road Bike

« on: April 06, 2017, 03:23:20 am »

Thank you all for your wonderful feedback.  I really appreciate it! 

5)  It's going to be a huge change from being leader of the pack with my zippy carbon road bike to doing ultralight tours and going at half my normal road cycling speed with all the added weight I'll be carrying.  The positive is that I guess it'll force me to go at a more leisurely pace to do real sightseeing!   

Check this out... might work for you

https://youtu.be/PxPELzChJXM

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Gear Talk / Re: Should have learnt the easy way.. some advice guys

« on: April 06, 2017, 03:07:38 am »

Been there, done that... Aloe Vera plants, cut them up and slave on the affected parts 5 times per day. You can  thank me in  two weeks!

6

Gear Talk / Re: Packing Techniques for Ortlieb Front Roller Classics

« on: April 05, 2017, 09:32:08 pm »

Joe,

I'm curious about your stove set-up.  I've not seen one like that.  My impression is it has more "parts" than I'd want to carry.  I guess it's to get you off the ground, but it look susceptible to swinging about in the breezes.

I got 5 "zippers" in me, so I try to be in a sitting position for comfort. This puts the stove at an appropriate height. My shelter is a floorless A-Frame  tent, 14-feet long and 7.5-foot wide. It weighs 5 lbs. There is plenty of room inside and the bike fits inside also.

You can't have no idea how little I care about weight. Back in the day, in my 20's, 30's and 40's I was mobile and weight was an issue. Not so much today. The tripod insures that the rice I cook is even and  there are no angles for stuff to slide. I know that most just boil water, I have a Soto Stove and canister for that as well. The Dragonfly will simmer, and simmer well. As such, it uses less fuel and overall weighs less, due to the fact that K1 Kerosene is used for fuel. I use M1 Methanol for pre-heating the Kerosene to vaporize it, it burns pretty clean.

The guys and gals who climb use this type of set-up as they overnight hanging on side of the summit that they are attempting. I like it because it keeps it off the ground, snow does not cool down the fuel as much, and you have to be pretty careful about insuring that there is enough fuel in the MSR Fuel Bottles to complete a meal...pumping could get...interesting.

Nobody wants to carry my cook-set, everybody wants eat my meals...I ain't scared to cook. Got my Culinary Institute of America Professional Cookbook at the house, I like Thai and I am a Creole with kin from Mississippi and Louisiana.

So, there are hybrid issues in getting out past the electricity, I have camped a lot and refined it over 58 years of making mistakes and learning from them. My stuff packs tighter and is protected. Learned that in one of the 5 trips I did for 120 miles on the Rio Grande by Kayak...best to protect that gear. No fun watching it sink below the surface of the Rio Grande (sleeping bag, tent, cookware and such). Those were cold nights in November of 1985, with lots of frost and not much else of comfort that was left.

Not so much a problem for bicycling, after all you can easily tour with a credit card. If I was only going out for 3-4 days, I will carry the Soto Amicus and the canister. Anything past 7 days, I will carry both stoves. After all, making a reduction of balsamic vinegar and Turbinado cane sugar for that morning oatmeal is divine.


 

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Gear Talk / Re: Packing Techniques for Ortlieb Front Roller Classics

« on: April 05, 2017, 12:52:02 am »

Well, here is the image I spoke of.



https://www.dropbox.com/s/kg4keto5izbidgz/Tour%20Gear.jpg?dl=0

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Gear Talk / Re: Packing Techniques for Ortlieb Front Roller Classics

« on: April 05, 2017, 12:34:47 am »

I don't count grams and cook full meals. Kayaking, car camping down the 70 miles of South Padre National Seashore here in Texas, the longest barrier island in the world. No water, no stores, no buildings, no electricity... just sand. So we take it all with us.

For me, stuff sacks and such do not hold up against the inevitable things that happen. I will admit wholeheartedly to having to be organized when packed  up. Compartmentalization, like the cargo containers on the big container ships, that is the way to roll!

Most look on in horror as I relate the way I do things, that is OK, whatever works. For me, it is not what I am going to be, rather it becomes how I want to be. Staying a day or two in one spot is no problem.

Speed on the bike rarely broaches 13 mph, we are only on this earth for a microsecond at best, might as well take the time.

Currently I am finishing up a college degree at UTSA with a BA in English with a Concentration in Professional Writing. I worked electronics for 40-years and now I would rather write about it.

Will be doing the Trans Canada Coast to Coast trail after finishing up with UTSA in another 2 years as a gift to myself.

I will post up an image of how the plastic bins look. Makes packing and unpacking a snap. 

9

Gear Talk / Packing Techniques for Ortlieb Front Roller Classics

« on: April 03, 2017, 11:49:47 pm »

Hello ya'll,

Just thought that I would give another method to store gear and such in the Ortlieb Front Roller bags.

https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/9fa800e0-b2b4-4f4f-a2db-f1dc0de72a03_1.5eca564a938e10c01432bfa0589150a5.jpeg?odnHeight=450&odnWidth=450&odnBg=FFFFFF

I can store 1 pair of full length Nylon pants, a Polyester Shirt and a Pair of socks in one of these.

My MSR Dragonfly with Dragon Tamer 3 (Bernie Dog) fits in one with windscreen, click stand and repair kit.
http://zenstoves.net/StoveSystems/HangingDragonFlyStove%20-%20Copy.jpg

Anyhow, the idea is there. These can be watertight with a silicon gasket on the lid. They stack up four per pannier, and I have four Front Rollers for a total of 16-food grade plastic containers that are watertight.

I then use an Ortilieb Rack pack (largest available) for the MSR Twin Brothers Tent Tarp and two UST HEX B.A.S.E. 1.1 Tarps, along with a 0-degree synthetic sleeping bag and tyvek groundcloth.

It is quite a Taj Mahal when fully deployed.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ctje8sarwjabma0/Twin%20Brothers%20with%20Dual%20UST%20HEX%20B.A.S.E.%20Tarps%20Front%20Door%20with%20Awning%201.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7w0nucnujyv4nnl/Twin%20Brothers%20with%20Dual%20UST%20HEX%20B.A.S.E.%20Tarps.jpg?dl=0

Hope that some might find some ideas in all of this. Food storage, mechanical storage, tube storage, first aid kit storage, clothing storage etc... I try to stay dry and comfortable and not carry so many clothes. Eating well is a priority.