cooking gear for UK camping..who needs it ?

I would not be happy, having to get up, pack all my gear away before I can then mount up and go searching for a warm drink or some breakfast on a cold miserable morning in Europe. By the time you have found somewhere, queued up, perused the menu, paid, ordered and sat down, you are surely losing more time on the bike than if you had taken ten minutes to cook your porridge and make a brew. One of the great things IMO about camping is sitting in or outside your tent sipping a warm brew and planning the day in your head or simply people watching. Quality.

Don't flatter yourself with the notion of you being able to divine my mood.

My tears are ones of laughter at your devotion to self aggrandisement.

Says he with the weight loss chart plastered over every post

Please lets get back on track and have some sensible arguments without throwing the toys out of the pram !!

This has nothing to do with the price of bread!

No argument - just different points of view – it is nobodies reponsibility to convince you either way - I assume you are an adult and can make up your own mind - somehow though, I think you have missed the point of the replies to your thread – they illustrate the point that like everything in cycle touring (and life for that matter) there is no black and white – everybody’s rationale is different (although in this case the majority seem to be pro stove and probably actually pro cooking– you have pretty much talked yourself into your basic rationale – small stove for drinks and junk food when and if you need something to eat. Fine that’s your choice.

Well I thought it was an excellent thread with some very convincing arguments for and against ( some of yours included )
Its a pity it descended into getting personal and I,m sorry if I took the bait ( no pun intended )

Taking a stove isn't a life or death decision in 90% of rides - do what floats your boat!

if I have stove and you don't your welcome to a morning cuppa anytime!

...we can sit a discuss the merits of recumbent v diamonds!!

:-)

I use a stove in a B and B for an evening meal, saves eating out at a restaurant. Only works if you can cook in a bath or a sink (without damaging it of course) and using gas and it can be easily put out in a sink.

As for those who do not want to take stove, good on you if you are happy with that.
As for those who do want a stove, same applies.

That is the beauty of cycle touring the customisation to fit ones personal style. I like a stove having done both sides of the argument.

Certainly the discussions are interesting but sometimes have got heated. They say in life don't talk about sport, politics or religion to people (I follow this) as sometimes reasonable discussion is difficult. It seems perhaps in a minute way this can be applied to some people about stoves.

It certainly shows they are passionate but perhaps need to chill a bit?

The times I've been into a pub and been told sorry mate no food on today, plus the closures of pubs anyway together with village cafe's and shops mean you have to be able to cook on the road especially in rural UK. I always have cooking stuff and emergency food as it makes me feel so much better having a hot meal.

It's amazing how many times you pitch up at a campsite which advertises a bar/restaurant only to find it's only open during the summer holidays - I have learned to check in advance, but the nature of cycle camping is that you never know for sure where you will end up each night. I have been trying to reduce my weight to less than the 30KG I used to carry, and it makes the cycling much easier, but I can only really do without a stove if I am staying at B&B's, and the state of the kitchen market, where I earn my living, doesn't allow for that this year so I bought a mini Trangia instead of my large one.

What we tend to forget is that the weight of the stove is a minor issue. If you decide to cook, you have to carry fuel for it, and food to cook on the stove, as well as utensils, plates, cups, cutlery, oils, bread, butter, spices....Hmmm...anyone want to buy a kitchen?

I have been looking at the jetboil, put water in with a couple of eggs,remove eggs and use the water for a cuppa,or carry a spare cup for making porridge or soup


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W39jwKIyfgA

Ive always wondered about those - apart from being a bit limited - how often would I find a flat surface to put it on - or is it so quick that holding it upright for a few minutes would not be a problem

smiffy it comes with a base stand,check out further videos on you tube,people tend to think it is just for making water for a cuppa but it will boil any liquid food even a stew with some stock

It does look like an interesting system to start with for us that fit into the can't be bothered camp. 2mins to boil a cuppa? Sounds like you could take it on days rides, never mind touring.

I've got one of the new jetboils that comes with a tripod to stablize it, also an adapter to use a nomal pan. (it boils water so fast in the cup - it tends to burn anything too thick!!) .

Yes two about two minutes to the boil. PS plan to organise an evening Eccose ride and use the jetboil at the stop.

CS

When out cycling on my own, even just for a day trip, I normally take my little gas stove with as the coffee in my thermos flask won't stay hot forever.
While I appreciate others feel different (and are entitled to feel different) I thoroughly enjoy the camping experience! I have a small no-name brand 2-man tent that straps onto the bars of my bike, while everything else (including a mini foot pump, fairly decent set of tools, spare water bottles, etc.) goes either in, or on the panniers.

These days I'm on de-caf, having weaned myself off a serious caffeine addiction, but I still want a cup of coffee while reading a good book before I go to sleep, and of course another cup first thing in the morning. I'd also boil enough water to make a flask of coffee, so I don't have to whip out the stove every time I want a refill.

I'll also admit to a fondness for oat bran porridge for breakfast, which takes a few minutes to do in the morning. After I've had my breakfast I'll break camp and load up the bike before moving on. I don't rush breakfast, and some mornings I'll have bacon & eggs instead. Packing up afterwards means I don't start riding moments after having eaten, which helps.

To me, bike touring is about the whole experience, so I try to ignore average speeds and other deadlines. I want to be able to stop and admire the view, or just pass the time of day with passing cyclists or walkers, without having to clock-watch all the time. The destination doesn't matter that much, but the journey does. I suppose that's why I tend to have a great big grin on my face while cycling!

When cycling with customers, I try to let my philosophy about enjoying the journey percolate through the whole trip, and yes, I'll have my gas stove ready to make a fresh brew along the way! If ever you see somebody boiling water for a fresh cup along the Devon Coast to Coast route, stop by and say hello, and I'll be happy to make you a cup too. :-)

I might have to include the Devon C2C in this years Summer tour. I was going to start at Cardiff but nothing is set in stone!

Does anybody know of a fuel that I can use in a Trangia burner that does not produce so much soot or stink so much? I've tried uncoloured meths and have also tried adding 10% water but it's still the same. The soot gets everywhere. What do they use in Fondue burners?

I have a tiny burner in a pouch and a little canister, small lightweight frying pan and a small pan - so I/we can have a cup of tea and a bacon butty if necessary. Very light, very little room in paniers. I do quite like eating in fields of an evening sometimes though, so a little disposable barbie can be useful with the burner for some al fresco dining!

A smear of washing up liquid on the base of your pans before you start cooking means the soot wipes straight off with a piece of kitchen towel if that helps.

yeah thats part of the charm for me also ,
wish this weather would sort itself out and let me have a weekender around Argyll