Touring - Cooking gear and utencils

What sort of cooking gear and utensils do you use?
We will be camping the majority of the way.

Tin cup, titanium spork, and an Esbit stove (if flying solo).

Alternately, MSR Pocket Rocket, Ketalist, large plastic spork, and a ceramic paring knife (if cooking for two).

Also also, Texsport Scout, MSR Pocket Rocket/campground grill, large plastic spork, filet knife (for groups of 4+).

What do you think will be on your menu? What will your sources for carbs, protein, fat and water be? What do you like to eat? What stays down? Will you snack during the day, or make sandwiches to eat for lunch?

Ages ago, I fueled my riding with pancakes (from mix) for breakfast, oranges and ice cream bars for lunch (from small grocery stores), and Dinty Moore beef stew, reheated from the can, for dinner. Somehow I lived.

I'd take a look for "one pot cooking" recipes and figure out the ways you can do pasta and sauce with some flavor and additive variations. Oatmeal for breakfast, a couple of quick-cooking packages?

When I backpack, my first dinner is semi-scratch, after that the freeze-dried, or cooked/dried/"freezer bag" comes out. But you're more likely to be shopping every day or two, and having a few staples to carry day in and day out.

Utensils, etc. that I would recommend:
+ A white-gas or multi-fuel stove. One of the MSR ones which uses the fuel container as the tank, would be my choice; semi-foolproof, heats fast, not dependent on finding fuel (like the Esbit, or propane, or alcohol) (though you may need to hunt for a small can of Coleman fuel!). If you have places for three bottles on your bike, the fuel bottle hangs below the down tube. You'll need to figure out a way to store the rest of the stove so its fumes don't get into the rest of your gear.
+ A pasta-sized pot and a smaller one; a lid for each; a dinky tea kettle if you wish. If the lid can also serve to cook in (potlifter helps), then as the pasta boils you can be heating the topping on it.
+ A thin, flexible plastic cutting board. When the time comes to cut things up, you probably don't want the food to be in direct contact with the campground table.
+ Mug and shallow bowl to eat from. Fork, spoon and knife, to eat like a normal person with
+ A good sharp knife for cutting food up with. A stirring / serving spoon. maybe a spatula. a little rounded-corner dish scraper-outer.
+ Salt and pepper shaker. A mini cheese grater (2"x3", they're out there) You can get a little piece of parmesan to use up in two days.
+ maybe a little folding fabric-type cooler so that you can get the food from the store to your camp without as much food poisoning risk.
+ scratch pad, dish soap and a mini-towel. You don't want to get sick, you do need to be active about cleaning your cooking gear (and bike water bottles).
+ the mini-grille would be nice for variety at dinner.

Cook a couple meals at home with only the gear you plan to take. Add, subtract, rethink.
Enjoy!

I use a GSI Soloist and a lexan spoon, Swiss Army knife with blade and can opener, salt, pepper and spices in film capsule, bandana, lighter and matches.

i'd say just get a Trangia cookset, bring a cup and spoon per person, a sharp folding knife, and call it good. Add a bowl and a plate each if you're feeling fancy.

I like cups that can go on the stove to heat thing up in.

dishsoap, bandana, and a thin cutting board ( i use a trimmed down lid from a gallon of icecream) also near necessities.

I might add a collapsible water bucket, but it's not a necessity. They do come in handy though. I always bring a little free-standing grate when camping(haven't toured yet), which will save you fuel when you can make a fire. one of these (http://www.walmart.com/ip/Coghlan-s-Camp-Grill/8586945?sourceid=1500000000000003260410&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=8586945).

Msr dragonfly is a gasoline stove you can actually make nice stuff to eat on,
because it has a needle valve on the burner to throttle back to a simmer.
lower flame

My utensils are one of the few things (maybe the only thing?) that I don`t adjust from trip to trip.

2 cup aluminum pot with lid
plastic bowl with lid
plastic cup
plastic spoon

You don't describe your eating and cooking habits. I always eat vegetarian while on tour. I wrote an article about what utensils I take, the spices I pack and the kinds of meals I eat. You can read the article here (http://www.biketouringtips.com/showTipComments.php?tipID=1628).

I strongly urge you to cook with you gear before hitting the road so that you can ensure that the meals you plan to make can be cooked with the gear you are taking.

Weekened trips and short tours can be done with simple Just Add water meals. For extended touring over many weeks you need to good decent meals with whatever cheap, local food you buy.
My extended solo cookset is:
Trangia 27 (inc 2 pots, kettle and lid/frying pan)
1 sharp paring knife-Khun Rikon bright yellow with plastic sheath. (folding knives are hard to clean)
1 v small wooden cooks spoon. For eating, cooking, scraping
1 flexible cutting board: a clean surface that you can even balance on your rear luggage rack.
1 box of herbs and spices inc small pepper grinder.
1 plastic shallow bowl.
1 large mug , big enough to use for packing protection for soft fruit (apple/pear)
2 sporks.
1 small container detergent. Camping suds just wont shift grease.
1 scouring net cloth which also wraps around trangia.


I need leatherman pliers to manipulate the simmer ring.

I use a Coleman Exponent 2 burner stove with Powermax fuel,
A stainless steel, copper clad mess kit with 2 pots, 2pans (which double as lids),
two ss plates
an SOS pad for cleaning
a folding plastic "spork"
Victorionox knife
and (most important)Bodum Coffee Press and cup.

Marc

A plastic cup and a spoon. I prefer not to cook any more when camping, and I camp a lot. I got tired of the warm, salty glop I'd usually produce, and then cleaning up the mess. I'm not much of a camp cook.

Now I eat wraps, sandwiches, cold leftovers from town, cracker with hummus, cheese or peanut butter, muesli and powdered milk, bagels and cream cheese, nuts, fresh salads, etc. Instant mashed potatoes and dehydrated refried beans reconstitute in cold water, and the beans taste great with corn chips. Ramen are already cooked and can be eaten as a large cracker.

I use less water when camping, and it's easier to eat in harsh conditions.

This is not for caffeine addicts.

I like to cook. I like hot coffee. I don't want to have to find food when I get to a campsite.

I like stoves that can burn unleaded gasoline, simply because it's so easy to find unleaded gas. They don't burn the best and they can be stinky, but they work. I have an MSR Whisperlite International and a Coleman 442. The Coleman is more convenient. The MSR probably weighs a little less.

Last summer I toured with a guy with a Jetboil system. That looked like a good thing. The only problem was finding cannisters. He carried three and they lasted the entire 11-day tour and he still had plenty of fuel. I'd rather not carry more than one at a time, and would worry about finding a new one when the first got low on fuel.

For solo touring I take the following:
Stove - Pop can stove (with windscreen and pot stand)
Pot - REI Ti Pot 1.7 liter
Utensils - Guyot Designs MicroBites
Lighter - Bic
Can opener - P38
Cup - Sea to Summit X-Mug

The whole works weighs a bit more than 11 ounces. I have gone without the cup to save a couple ounces. When there were two or three of us we took a slightly larger pot and each took a plate or bowl, a cup, and our own utensils.

I like to cook. I like hot coffee. I don't want to have to find food when I get to a campsite.

I like stoves that can burn unleaded gasoline, simply because it's so easy to find unleaded gas.....


every gas station that sells unleaded will generally have fuel for alcohol stoves as well, in the little yellow HEET bottles. every drugstore, big box store, and hardware store will have alcohol for spirit burner stoves.... i think there are, therefore, MORE places to find alcohol for alcohol stoves than gasoline IMO.

Oh yea one thing I don't think anyone has mentioned, some aluminum foil. You get to camp after a hard ride, cut up a potato and part of an onion, maybe a little butter or OO, some veggies if you have 'em, wrap it in some foil, and plop it on the edge of the fire for maybe 30 minutes. Simple, filling, and tasty. And virtually no cleanup.

We did that a couple times on the TA. We didn't carry the foil from home. We were able to bum a few sheets from the deli of the store where we bought the food we wanted to cook in it.

Optimus Nova multi-fuel stove with windbreak. 2 qt. aluminum pot. Fuel bottle. Aluminum foil.

MSR Pocket Rocket and REI nestled Titanium cook pot but I only bring the smaller pot. Titanium cup and Pocket Rocket sit inside the pot. Spork and cheap plastic bowl. All sit on pot. First Need water purifier.

I cook on a Bushbuddy wood-burning stove (http://bushbuddy.ca/indexs.html), which I love, but I need to find something else for touring during fire season. I've been thinking about getting a Jetboil Flash (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-JETBOIL-FLASH-Cooking-System-Stove-Camping-GREEN?item=130689687852&cmd=ViewItem&_trksid=p5197.m185&_trkparms=algo%3DSIC.NPJS%26itu%3DI%252BUA%26otn%3D12%26pmod%3D190662966476%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26c lkid%3D8207320398753861816#ht_923wt_952). Do any of you have one? Thoughts?

People who use them swear by them but as a backpacker, I think they are too bulky.

I'm thinking about picking up a couple of these since they're so cheap. I'm sure they'd crap out in cold weather... and you can make your own support for a pot pretty easily. But $15 for a 4 oz stove the size of a pack or 2 of cigs. Psh. http://www.amazon.com/Ultralight-Backpacking-Canister-Stove-Ignition/dp/B004U8CP88/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS?ie=UTF8&colid=15H5OABL3NL9T&coliid=IP3PX9YSLZ5CL

To complicated. To many moving parts.
Try this: http://www.rei.com/product/660163/msr-pocket-rocket-backpacking-stove

248598
248598

The problem with canister stoves is . . . the canister. Otherwise they're great.

The problem with canister stoves is . . . the canister. Otherwise they're great.

Well since I've been backpacking for 35 years, tell me the issue with canister stoves. Maybe I've missed something.

Well since I've been backpacking for 35 years, tell me the issue with canister stoves. Maybe I've missed something.Pretty hard to find your canister in North Dakota or Estonia. Then there's the issue of how many? You start with the almost empty one and bring a full one? You bring 3, 4, 10? How you fly with them? Backpacking in your local area, not such a big deal. Even then, weight-wise it's pretty hard to justify canisters for a 2 week unsupported backpack. Lot of garbage to carry out and unnecessary weight to carry in. I've been backpacking for 50 years.

Not hard to find canisters anywhere if you know you're going.
If you backpack a lot, you already know how many you need or you don't backpack much.
Bring a full one for one guy for a week for the way I travel.
Buy one when you land.
You can't fly with most stoves anyway.
So what do you do with your empty whatevers?

http://www.summitpost.org/users/igo/39275

I went with the "canteen cup stove" method using a Trangia alcohol stove. The canteen cup is large enough to
cook with for one; for two or more I add a couple of old Trangia pots I have. I also have a small T-Fal frying pan
that I removed the handle from and use a pot grabber instead. Finish it off with a P-38, my 30 year old
backpacking utensils, a spice canister and I'm all set!

One can actually make great one pot meals with a little creativity and forethought. Think about what you want to eat
towards the end of the day and at your EOD food stop make it happen!

Canisters like Camping Gaz are actually pretty awesome because the burn comes the closest to a gas burner. They've been
around forever, and folks who have used them (myself included) figure out their own ways to transport and dispose
of the empty container. They last a good while to boot!

Alan :thumb:

Not hard to find canisters anywhere if you know you're going.
If you backpack a lot, you already know how many you need or you don't backpack much.
Bring a full one for one guy for a week for the way I travel.
Buy one when you land.
You can't fly with most stoves anyway.
So what do you do with your empty whatevers?

http://www.summitpost.org/users/igo/39275Actually not so easy to find outside the US and outside areas that have camping equipment stores everywhere. Do you really know you can get them all along the Northern Tier? I don't think so. So you're going from Dresden to Istanbul. How many? How many nights camping, how many meals, how many nights in hostels 'cause you're wet? Are you sure you can buy them in Dresden or do you send them ahead? If so, how? If you don't take enough for the whole trip, where do you go to find more? But what if your route doesn't take you through Munchen? Canisters are OK for limited use in the US, but I still don't like the empties and partials. My toothbrush has a very short handle.

I clean my stove, and wash out my bottle. Easy. Just don't use a wick stove that you can't get the smell out of. I carry bottles and have used some of the same bottles for the last 50 years.

I've tried a variety of different systems. In general, not many clear winners or losers -- with some exceptions, most of the systems have been satisfactory enough. All have been viable enough.

One disappointment was wood-burning systems. I didn't care for the smoke, primarily. Nor did I care for the way they gave away stealth camping locations (by sight and by smell). Nor did I care for the potential hassle from rangers. Nor did I care for the considerable added attention, time, and trouble required to use, and to maintain and regulate the fire. Nor the soot. Nor the mess. Nor the scorching.

Then again, there were things I enjoyed, especially with the small twig-fire, rock mini-hearth approaches.

The easiest, cleanest stoves to use were the canister stoves. Very easy to ignite and regulate, especially those with built-in piezo ignition. Canister availability can be an issue in some areas. And over time, the cost can be high for those on a budget.

I've enjoyed the Whisperlite International, burning white gas (which is the cleanest burning fuel).

I've enjoyed the alcohol stoves, except for the finicky ones, and those without good simmer control system. I have tried a variety of alcohol stoves, but not the Trangias nor the Brasslites, both of which I would like to try. Still, though, none of the alcohol stoves will come close to the robust heat output and control of the best canister and white gas stoves.

Simmering can be a little tricky with the Whisperlite, though it can be done.

Most of the canister stoves offer excellent simmer and flame control.

Overall, my favorite stoves or stove systems are the best of the white gas stoves, the canister stoves, and the best of the alcohol stoves.

But my favorite approach is to go with stove-free, no-cooking-required meals. It saves so much time and trouble. And complexity. And weight. And cleanup. And setup. And fumes. And fuel and bottles and stoves and so on.

Not hard to find canisters anywhere if you know you're going.
If you backpack a lot, you already know how many you need or you don't backpack much.
Bring a full one for one guy for a week for the way I travel.
Buy one when you land.
You can't fly with most stoves anyway.
So what do you do with your empty whatevers?

http://www.summitpost.org/users/igo/39275
First I'll say that I have been a number of places where canisters were not readily available. One tour we were on day 19 before we stopped in a place where we found canisters. In that case we may have been able to find them sooner, but not without going out of our way to do so. In another case we were 23 days between opportunities to buy canisters. There was one place in the middle of that range, but they were closed when we passed through that town.

Second, knowing how many you need is dependent on knowing what you will eat. That may be a slam dunk on a backpacking trip, but not so much on a bike tour. I like to keep my options open. On some tours I may cook almost every meal and others may wind up not cooking much at all. I do not want to be bound by having to decide that up front.

I have carried a canister stove and a pop can stove, but stopped carrying the canister stove due to the extra difficulty in finding canisters. I prefer to carry alcohol, but can see where gasoline would be an OK option too.

I will continue to use my canister stove for longer backpacking trips where I need to have many days of fuel along.

First I'll say that I have been a number of places where canisters were not readily available. One tour we were on day 19 before we stopped in a place where we found canisters. In that case we may have been able to find them sooner, but not without going out of our way to do so. In another case we were 23 days between opportunities to buy canisters. There was one place in the middle of that range, but they were closed when we passed through that town.

Second, knowing how many you need is dependent on knowing what you will eat. That may be a slam dunk on a backpacking trip, but not so much on a bike tour. I like to keep my options open. On some tours I may cook almost every meal and others may wind up not cooking much at all. I do not want to be bound by having to decide that up front.

I have carried a canister stove and a pop can stove, but stopped carrying the canister stove due to the extra difficulty in finding canisters. I prefer to carry alcohol, but can see where gasoline would be an OK option too.

I will continue to use my canister stove for longer backpacking trips where I need to have many days of fuel along.

You win too.

Here' a decent article written by an erudite backpacker I know: http://www.pmags.com/stove-comparison-real-world-use.

There is no such thing as the perfect stove or cook kit. If there were, there would only be one choice.

This whole debate about fuel resupply is the main reason I've figured out a way to camp without a stove. Most of my trips are far away from home requiring a plane flight, are one-way, and last many months. I like my town stops to be fun and smooth, and not having to shop around for fuel is just one less thing to worry about.

WOW! Lots of great feedback!! Thanks!
What about "traditional mess kits" ?

Msr dragonfly is a gasoline stove you can actually make nice stuff to eat on,
because it has a needle valve on the burner to throttle back to a simmer. lower flame

It also burns White Gas, but it's probably overkill if you don't make more "elaborate," meals. I usually do, right down to sauteing fresh garlic, and am usually cooking for two, so I, like it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/davez2007/6666638951/in/photostream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/davez2007/4491651210/in/set-72157623770673452

http://www.flickr.com/photos/davez2007/7012190003/in/photostream

I second the pop can stove. Its the only stove I have used on both tours and backpacking trips. They weigh absolutely nothing, and they are tiny. If you play around with the number of holes and also what you use to puncture the holes with in terms of size/gauge you can create stoves with different burning properties. I highly recommend it if you are into lighweight, oh yeah, its really cheap to make as well. Flame control is a downside obviously if we look at the pop can stoves independently. Also, burn time can be difficult to dial in so as you learn to make your favorite meals you learn how much fuel to put in the can at any given time, or just fill it up high everytime and let it burn off if you are concerned about wasting some fuel.

@staehpj1, Carbonfiberboy

I'm an ultralite backpacker and Igo is right on this one. If you know what you are doing, you can find the canister virtually anywhere. If you don't know where to get them? You shouldn't be using the canister stove. I only carry one canister because I know where to find them.

knife

One of the best meals I had on a tour was a package of pita bread, sprouts, can of Ortega chilis, one lemon, can of V8 juice, can of Coors beer, and can of herring. Camped out in a cemetery then rode a century the next day.

knife is good for slicing food in attractive pieces.

I've been brought up with naphta stoves and used that until two Dragonfly pumps failed. I hate that stove. It's heavy, hard to pack, noisy as a jet fighter, unstable and unreliable. Luckily, I had a homemade Supercat alcool stove hidden in my cookset and used that for a while. Now I use a canister stove (Primus LPG classic) and I like it, although I haven't used it on long trips yet. Two canisters aren't any heavier than a full naphta or alcool bottle so it's no big deal. I like how easy and quick it is to start up, so having a single cup of hot chocolate, warming some water for cleaning or re-heating a meal for a few seconds isn't such an ordeal.

There are some potential misconceptions (or misinformation, or inaccuracies, or incomplete information) that could be addressed at this point:

Esbit and similar solid fuel stoves are slow. The heat output is relatively poor. So is the flame control. And they are made from toxic chemicals that burn incompletely. Breathing the fumes is not the healthiest idea going. Yes, the liver takes care of such things. But only to some extent; and the more complete view is far more complex.

Canisters are simply not available in many small towns. Nor are they available in the vast areas between towns. Nor are they available along most quiet back roads, trails, forest service roads, etc. Availability along some routes is fine. Along other routes, not so fine.

They are, however, markedly more convenient to use than most of the other stoves -- quite similar to pulling a lighter out of your pocket and lighting it.

The no-cooking-required approach can be more satisfying than most people tend to imagine. You just need to expand your repertoire, or have a good one.

You can also mix it with occasional cooking. If you carry a light weight alcohol stove and a small plastic bottle of alcohol, and a light pot that doubles as a bowl, you can use it when you like. You aren't locked in to, or committed to, using it for every meal, or even every other meal, or every day. It can be used be once in a while.

There are youtube.com videos showing how to make alcohol stoves. Some are quite simple and quick. The supercat stoves can be made in seconds, using a paper punch.

For serious, fiddle free cooking, the Pocket Rocket is hard to beat. You do gotta plan ahead to insure cannister supply for a long tour. One large cannister will last 5-10 days, depending on use. Spares can be mailed ahead. Check with the post office for pkg labeleing requirements.

For boil water cooking, an Esbit stove is another fiddle free way to go. Again, tablet supply requires advance planning. One tab will easily make a cup of coffee and a bowl of oatmeal.

For many, cooking on tour gets old. As the new wears off, the wallet opens. Restaurants to the rescue.

WOW! Lots of great feedback!! Thanks!
What about "traditional mess kits" ?
What exactly is a traditional mess kit?

@staehpj1, Carbonfiberboy

I'm an ultralite backpacker and Igo is right on this one. If you know what you are doing, you can find the canister virtually anywhere. If you don't know where to get them? You shouldn't be using the canister stove. I only carry one canister because I know where to find them.

It might be useful to divulge these secret locations to help people instead of jealously guarding your canister treasure map. ;)

I'm touring right now, and started with a primus multi-fuel I already had using the external bottle for white gas. After about a month, I sent the fuel bottle home and started using canisters. They just burn hotter.

All Super Walmarts carry canisters, as well as almost any sporting goods store. I plan for about a week between canisters, and haven't had any problems lining up a Walmart somewhere in the 500 miles I might ride in that span of time.

If you want to save fuel, consider an insulated container. I made one out of a 32 oz Tupperwear container with a screw on lid, wrapped with a cozy made from foil-covered bubble wrap that you can buy as insulation at the hardware store. Put the food in your insulated container, boil your water in a Ti pot, and then pour the boiling water in with the food and cover. Pasta and quinoa and other things that call for a continuous boil or simmer can be done this way with a little extra time, letting you turn your stove off. I just eat out of the insulated cup. I think I originally saw this idea on backpackinglight.com.

I use a Ti spork (plastic will break when stirring) and a 1.2L Ti pot, which will usually boil enough water for a two person dinner. I have a seperate Ti mug for coffee.

I don't have a JetBoil but they certainly intrigue me.

http://www.campmor.com/coleman-economy-mess-kit.shtml?source=CI&ci_sku=21222&ci_gpa=pla&ci_kw={keyword** was one of the first pictures that came up in response to "Mess Kit" in the search box.

These will work, and you could do worse.

But: if your heat source is too hot, expect to do some scrubbing of burned-on food.

@BicycleCrazy: can we get a bit more information about your proposed trip? As I am guessing, it looks like you and your son will be riding across the continent this summer.

I have fun with being a weight-weenie when backpacking, and have a few of the pop-can and cat-food-can alchohol stoves, a cannister-gas stove that is my mainstay, and have used the redoubtable Svea 123 for bike camping as well as backpacking. Cannisters work pretty well and are convenient. If you go that way, and are concerned about running out in the middle of, well, the great plains, have one of the smaller-sized cannisters in the bottom of your pannier for backup. The alcohol pop-can/cat-food-can stoves are nice and quiet. For boiling one mug worth of water for coffee/tea/cocoa, they are sort of fun and you'll figure out pretty soon just how much to alcohol to put in.

For me, the problem with relying on the mess kits is that there's really not a lot of variety in size of cooking utensil. If one person carries the "kitchen" with stove inside a pot inside a pot, a lid or two, and each one has mug, bowl/deep plate, there is more flexibility.

The insulated container approach works well, too. The reflective bubble wrap roll from the hardware store can be justified as a household expense, too.

and, if you have a couple pieces of bungee-like cord, or nylon cord, from time to time you may find a pizza place close enough to your campground, and you can just strap the box on top of your rear bags.

Do try out some meals with your gear before you hit the road.

All Super Walmarts carry canisters, as well as almost any sporting goods store.
That has not been true everywhere in my experience. I stopped at every Walmart, Super Walmart. and sporting goods store I passed on a long section of a cross country tour and that just didn't pan out. I think it was something like 1500 miles with one place carrying them. That place was closed and we didn't feel like hanging around. We did find them widely available from the Pacific NW to Pueblo CO.

That was 2007 so things may have improved, but in 2011 we found them to be pretty scarce on the Sierra Cascades route. I was surprised at that since it parallels the Sierra Crest Trail.

They also seem to be widely available in the mid atlantic region.

That has not been true everywhere in my experience. I stopped at every Walmart, Super Walmart. and sporting goods store I passed on a long section of a cross country tour and that just didn't pan out. I think it was something like 1500 miles with one place carrying them. That place was closed and we didn't feel like hanging around. We did find them widely available from the Pacific NW to Pueblo CO.

That was 2007 so things may have improved, but in 2011 we found them to be pretty scarce on the Sierra Cascades route. I was surprised at that since it parallels the Sierra Crest Trail.

They also seem to be widely available in the mid atlantic region.


Geographically, where were you unable to find them? Just curious so I don't get myself in a jam. Out west, I usually look for a Big 5--they have a wide selection and are located in many mid-sized towns. All throughout the south and southwest, I've had 100% success with them in stock at Super Walmart. It has to be a Super though, and they only carry a single size.

The places where they have been scarce were Pueblo to Virginia and the Sierra Cascades until Yosemite where they had them in the camp store. We mostly were stopping only in small towns on the SC route. I didn't pay much attention on the Southern Tier since I was using alcohol there.

BTW, on the ST Heet was available enough but not as universally available as many parts of the country.

I'd recommend taking a pop can stove along with your canister stove as a backup. They can use the same windscreen and pot so the weight penalty is only about 0.5 ounces for the burner and pot stand.

I didn't pay much attention on the Southern Tier since I was using alcohol there.

I'd recommend taking a pop can stove along with your canister stove as a backup. They can use the same windscreen and pot so the weight penalty is only about 0.5 ounces for the burner and pot stand.

Don`t feel too bad, Pete. There was an awful lot that I didn`t pay atention to when I was using alcohol too :lol:

The half oz backup stove sounds like a good idea. Or you could make one on the road.

On a 12-day tour through Utah and Colorado (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1&doc_id=8910&v=7B), I took a Trangia 28 alcohol stove because it's so light. However, the stove took a long time to boil water and it felt like what I saved in the weight of the stove I paid for in fuel. I haven't done the math, but I'm pretty sure my MSR WhisperLight with fuel weights less than my Trangia with fuel (and I get to eat sooner).

On a 12-day tour through Utah and Colorado (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1&doc_id=8910&v=7B), I took a Trangia 28 alcohol stove because it's so light. However, the stove took a long time to boil water and it felt like what I saved in the weight of the stove I paid for in fuel. I haven't done the math, but I'm pretty sure my MSR WhisperLight with fuel weights less than my Trangia with fuel (and I get to eat sooner).
The same number of BTUs is heavier for alcohol than most other fuels. Alcohol stove plus fuel can be lighter than other options if restocking of fuel can be frequent. If you need to carry fuel for longer periods without restock, then alcohol starts to make less sense. On a bike tour where you can pick up a bottle of Yellow Heet when close to out it works out well.