Cooking set up while on tour?

[Ty0604]

What's your cooking set up while on tour?

In the past I used the JetBoil Flash but recently upgraded to the JetBoil MiniMo. Everything you see in the photo nest inside of the stove. Comes in at 14oz without the fuel canister. I stick to foods that only need boiled water.

Would love to see what others use and if anyone has the MiniMo some reviews about it would be good too since it's new to me.

Happy Touring!

[Inge]

Using a MSR Dragonfly with dragontamer to be able to cook properly and for pots am trying out this year evernew non-stick titanium cookpot + frying pan. Will also bring a long a Evernew cup to double as teakettle/ cup.

In the past used GSI pot + MSR frying pan but would like to go lighter.

[RonK]

Vargo Ti Bot, travel mug, and bot cosy, Kovea Spider stove, carbon felt windshield, Jetboil Crunchit, Leatherman Wave, Toaks long Ti spork. All fits in an Anything bag along with a gas canister and a bag of meds/toiletries and is carried in an Anything cage on the fork leg of my bikepacking rig. Another Anything cage/bag in the other side carries food.

[Ty0604]

Thanks for the replies. I’m glad both of you found something that works for both of you.

Ty

[canalligators]

Not cooking is what works for me...  Buy food in a grocery that doesn't need to be cooked.

[Ty0604]

Not cooking is what works for me...  Buy food in a grocery that doesn't need to be cooked.

That’s possible when stores are frequent. Not so much when you’re going days between stores. Oatmeal and Top Ramen are a lot lighter (and cheaper) than sandwiches, fruit etc.

I did spend the last 2 months of my 2016 tour without a stove. Spent a lot more money than when I had it.

[RussSeaton]

Not cooking is what works for me...  Buy food in a grocery that doesn't need to be cooked.

That’s possible when stores are frequent. Not so much when you’re going days between stores.

On paved roads in the USA, you will never ever ride anywhere without a town every single day.  99.9+% of the time you will at least have a town at the beginning and end of the day.  Its possible to have routes with no intermediate towns.  But always a town at the beginning and end.  Yes on very rare occasions you may have to ride 100 miles between towns.

If you are talking about off road touring, then yes it is very easy to ride routes with no towns.  And you would need to carry all of your food and cooking supplies for the entire trip.  Off road touring.

[Ty0604]

Not cooking is what works for me...  Buy food in a grocery that doesn't need to be cooked.

That’s possible when stores are frequent. Not so much when you’re going days between stores.

On paved roads in the USA, you will never ever ride anywhere without a town every single day.  99.9+% of the time you will at least have a town at the beginning and end of the day.  Its possible to have routes with no intermediate towns.  But always a town at the beginning and end.  Yes on very rare occasions you may have to ride 100 miles between towns.

If you are talking about off road touring, then yes it is very easy to ride routes with no towns.  And you would need to carry all of your food and cooking supplies for the entire trip.  Off road touring.

I never said anything about towns. I said stores.... There’s a lot of sections through rural America with no stores. Stores have started dying off as the economy dropped. I’ve ridden two and three day stretches without a store in Wyoming, Idaho, Nebraska and South Dakota. On paved roads. “Highways” in areas.

A lot of the towns I passed through had a single restaurant that doubled as the gas station. If they sold any to go food it was candy bars and muffins for the most part.

[DarrenBnYYC]

Of course, it is also possible to tour outside of the continental USA, in which case Ty's remarks become very relevant (e.g., Alaska, northern Canada, most of the rest of the world that isn't developed).

[Ty0604]

Of course, it is also possible to tour outside of the continental USA, in which case Ty's remarks become very relevant (e.g., Alaska, northern Canada, most of the rest of the world that isn't developed).

+1

I looked into a ride from Seattle to the interior of Alaska. Couldn’t do it unsupported though. Sometimes the mileage between stores was 300+ miles. Another route I looked into saw stretches of 500+ miles with nothing.

[Goodaches]

Upgrading equipment for doing GDMBR this year included acquiring JetBoil MiniMo. Haven't tested on trail yet but here's the criteria that led us to that stove. First, stove or no - we'll be tenting most nights and having a warm meal and beverage at night and in the morning can substantially affect my wife's comfort level. So yes, happy wife happy life applies on the road too. Second, which stove - the piezo-electric ignition and heat transfer fins reduce fuel waste and that narrowed the choices to a few models from a couple of brands.  Third, pot size - the MiniMo was the only one we found that had a low and wide proportion to the pot. Eating, cleaning, all much easier with a pot than a tall cup.
I'll comment again some day after we have experience with the reliability.

[Ty0604]

Upgrading equipment for doing GDMBR this year included acquiring JetBoil MiniMo. Haven't tested on trail yet but here's the criteria that led us to that stove. First, stove or no - we'll be tenting most nights and having a warm meal and beverage at night and in the morning can substantially affect my wife's comfort level. So yes, happy wife happy life applies on the road too. Second, which stove - the piezo-electric ignition and heat transfer fins reduce fuel waste and that narrowed the choices to a few models from a couple of brands.  Third, pot size - the MiniMo was the only one we found that had a low and wide proportion to the pot. Eating, cleaning, all much easier with a pot than a tall cup.
I'll comment again some day after we have experience with the reliability.

Good to hear you also chose the MiniMo. The Flash was a pain to clean and even worse to eat out of. It was too deep for your average spoon and you essentially have to stick your hand into the pot to reach the bottom. Not fun when it’s still hot.

The JetBoil spoon and fork fold and nest into the MiniMo. The cup nest the spoon, fork, fuel, fuel stand, burner, cleaning cloth and rod to the French press. The bottom nest the bottom to the French press. Super convenient.

Looking forward to your review.

[Goodaches]

Sounds like your road test is coming before ours. What route will you be cooking alongside in April?

[Ty0604]

Sounds like your road test is coming before ours. What route will you be cooking alongside in April?

Route 66

[misterflask]

I use a Trangia alcohol stove.  I am attracted to the fact that spills are odorless and evaporate quickly.  Also that it cooks silently and there is nothing to fail.  The yellow 'HEET' fuel dryer is wood alcohol (methanol) and can be found in most convenience stores and all auto parts stores, so finding fuel on a road tour is not a problem. 

I got started on alcohol stoves using an ultralight 'penny stove' made from a beer can with a pot stand made from two bike spokes.  The setup would have made any weight-weenie proud.  The stove would inexplicably explode on occasion, though, and I traded to the heavier but less exciting Trangia.