Originally Posted by
atnyc
You’re really stretching your own version of “touring” far, far beyond what this thread was about.
Why would anyone choose purposely to bike tour in places without civilization aside, insisting on carrying 3 days supply of “food to actually cook” really takes the cake!
Why must you “actually cook”? Even in the most desolate part of the country, you can most likely grab something simple along the way, which you can just eat as is, or heat up later at your camp… Sure, if there’s a camp store, or better yet, a farmer’s market near the campground, by all means go all out and cook a gourmet fest! But do you HAVE TO cook each and every day?
Convenience stores don’t generally carry much more than chips and snacks. Yes, I use them during the day when I can find them but relying on them for meals is a fool’s errand. I also have more than 10,000 miles of touring experience under my belt and I have yet to see a “farmer’s market” near any campground I’ve ever stayed at. Very few campgrounds…and no public ones…have “camp stores” that carry much more than snacks.
I’m a Warmshower host. I hosted streams of riders riding across the state, cross country, even a few around the world. Majority of them don’t “actually cook”, even though I offered them a full kitchen! Most just heat up a pot of water, dunk some pasta/rice/noodle plus whatever meat or vegetables they happen to find as they rode by. Bread or cereal and coffee for breakfast.
Got news for you…that’s “actual cooking”. You don’t just “dunk” pasta or rice and start eating. And my morning routine is similar because the last thing I want to do of a morning is wash dishes before breaking camp.
Basically, they get whatever they can heat up quickly & easily. Some simply grab something in a local dinner they passed by. Homy, healthy and filling food and minimum fuss. And before you start on dietary requirements, my guests spread over the entire spectrum. There were vegetarians, Muslims, Jews and Hindus. All of them managed to find food that fits with their health or religious requirements without “actually cook”.
I do something similarly in camp but I have to get the food from somewhere. Often that means getting it 1 to 3 days before at a store where I can get those items because I’ve not found a lot of places to just “grab something” along the way. The route I linked to certainly didn’t have any places to just “grab something” in roughly 150 miles and the 3 campgrounds I stayed at had no stores, even though they were all commercial campgrounds.
Oh by the way, they also come through in all kinds of bikes and bags too. Some strap their tents and sleeping bags on their road bike frame directly. One didn’t even bother with tent, just a waterproof bivy sack. Of course there were those on standard touring setup. But also some with really creative ways of packing too. For the most part, very few bother with both front and rear racks any more. Most just use one, eithe front rack only, or rear rack alone.
I’m not going to bother with a heavy duty “touring bike” for a week’s worth of touring when so many can manage months on the road without. There’re more than one way to bike tour. Your way isn’t the only way.
I’ve toured just about any way you wish to describe short of wear a backpack. I’ve used trailers. I’ve used panniers on the rear only. I’ve used panniers on the front only. I’ve use bikepacking bags. Each has their strengths and shortcomings. For road touring, I’ve found 4 bags to be simple, effective, and efficient. For off-road touring…where there really aren’t any stores…bikepacking bags work well to keep the gear attached to the bike. They really suck when it comes to packing and the bags tend to put the weight of the gear high up on the bike which drastically effects handling.
As to the way to tour, no, my way isn’t the only way. But neither is yours. I can…and have…taken a bike along on a car to explore places. It’s pleasant in its own way. I also enjoy expedition style touring. The part of the trip that you would skip can hold a lot of experiences that you are missing from the front seat of a car.