The best way to eat on a self-contained tour

topic posted Sun, April 22, 2007 - 9:51 AM by  Jake
Back in the 70's I did a lot of long distance self-contained Bicycle Touring.
I used a 15 speed customised Raleigh Super Course TT,Bellweather grand touring Panniers,and a large handlebar bag,I carried essential clothing a sleeping bag and a small tent,My stove was a single burner Primus Butane unit,and my "food" was mostly that freeze-dried Mountaineering food in disposable containers that you just added Hot water to it and rehydrated it and ate it.
The food was "pretty awful" and I sure didn't look foreward to "mealtime". I am contemplating a Tour Across Canada From Vancouver BC to Ontario with my brother,he will be on an upright Trek Hybrid and I will be riding my Sun Recumbent,we will both have full custom fitted panniers and bags,sleeping bags and a North Face 2 person Mountaineering Tent and a small Butane Stove.We will be riding in some VERY rural sections,with sparsly spaced markets and other food outlets.
Can any readers tell me what they eat and how it is cooked on current long distance 100% self-contained Bicycle Tours?
Suggestions would be helpful
Thanks
Jake
posted by:
Jake
Idaho
  • Granola with powdered milk and bagels or Pop-Tarts for breakfasts. A can of tuna with cheddar and crackers for lunch (buy solid white tuna in the little three-packs with pull ring tops...) with some fresh fruit perhaps, and dinners of Lipton noodles or Mountain House entrees, bread, lots of liquids, mebbe a glass of wine or a beer if it is convenient. Another great lunch is fresh cucumber with hummus on pita bread...yum. Don't forget the small Crystal Light powder tubes, the ones designed to be dumped into a bottled water, they are a perfect break from regular water, and come in a ton of flavors like rasberry lemonade, iced tea, etc. Also, give the dehydrated stuff another look... moutaineering meals have developed very nicely over the last decade or so - some of the stuff is incredibly good these days - just watch the sodium content. Have a filling trip!
  • Re: The best way to eat on a self-contained tour

    Thu, August 9, 2007 - 4:14 PM
    I always had some bread and we would pick up random stuff to put on it along the way... honey, PB and J, some cheese... For dinner we bought 99 cent bags of pasta and would pick up a can of tomato sauce every night and melted a string cheese in it. mmmmmmm. Or the powdered mashed potatoes where you just add water are really good. Rice a roni without the added butter, rice and bean mixes without the added oil... anything dry, cheap, and light packaged. We had dehydrated food once, and it was ok, but a bit too expensive to buy regularly.
  • Re: The best way to eat on a self-contained tour

    Fri, August 10, 2007 - 5:19 PM
    This is really a "how long is a piece of string question".

    What do you normally eat?
    Can you cook it on the road?
    Is it available along the route you plan to travel?
    Why do you not copy that?

    It seems I had a similar start to you. After one four day trip soley on dehydrated foods, I started bringing along fresh vegetables to supplement the meal and give it taste. Eventually I just junk the dehydrate foods and took fresh vegetables.

    My basic menu is
    Breakfast; rolled oats/porridge or muesli, tea, fruit.
    Midday; salami/cheese, bread(hard) or biscuits, jam, soft lunch veges as available, fruit., tea
    Evening; stew; basic lightly fry meat, onion, spices, add water, plus pulses, cook for while, add other veges and herbs, finish cooking. slow meal, but I like relaxing quietly. Note, enough variation for variety. and finish with a cup of tea.

    I use/used a variety of stoves, mainly fuel like MSR Whisper (multi fuel) and Optimus brick (camping or kero). I also like a Trangia metho/alcohol stove system. Really great for making the cuppa whilst you cook mail meal on other stove. Great backup stove, can use as main stove, but I prefer the other type.

    The energy trick is fresh potatoes, or pasta, or rice, i.e. these give you energy
    I also add pulses (lentils, beans, etc) soak next evening bean overnight, rinse, give bit of heat in morning, wrap in towel and let slow cook during day. Can alos soak during morning, bit of heat at midday, then cook in towel till evening meal.

    Learn how to sprout; This gives you fresh, green veges with the vitamins/minerals that might be lacking, I use a 1 Litre wide mouth plastic bottle and replace lid by guaze. Pour in water morning, shake, drain at breakfast, midday and evening. start grazing when read in 2-4 days (depends on beans and weather).

    Meat: buy frozen meat where possible. You only buy fresh meat when you are going to eat it that night. I've purchased frozen meats, wrapped it in towel and then sleeping bag and kept it for three more days ( June tropical Australia) and it was fine. I have since found out that some butchers in Australia will cryovac meat, which apparently will keep for a month without refridgeration.

    The reason I love stews is that they can be made in one pot and you can have endless variation dependin on what you find in local stores. I also do stir fry variations in a wok as well.

    The above works great if you eat a wide variety of food.

    I assume Canada has Poste Restart; post ahead food parcels of stuff that might be scarce along the way. Caveat, I once did this for Cape York in Australia and ended up posting most of it back.

    Call Mum for a food parcel; refined version of above. Arrange with someone back home to go shopping and send food parcels.

    A lot of people hassle about weight. I just take fresh food that resists squashing, or carry it in a basket on top of the racks, travel slower and enjoy more of the scenery.

  • Re: The best way to eat on a self-contained tour

    Sun, November 18, 2007 - 10:14 AM
    I do a lot of long-distance touring, currently in Southern Mexico at the beginning of a period of exploring Latin America. I like to travel light. I like the feel and the freedom. I don´t usually carry a stove. I eat mostly out of grocery stores (I carry a bowl, spoon, knife, fork) - lots of sandwiches, salads, cold cerael, etc. I also find I like to sit down in a cafe now and then, so I get my hot meals that way. I carry a small tent, sleeping bag and pad, and all the tools and most of the supplies needed to totally overhaul my bike. Still, I probably carry no more than 25 lbs total in gear - plus whatever food and water I want at a given moment in time. There´s a bit more info on my set-up on my profile. I must admit that on this trip I mostly stop at roadside food stands and cocinas economicas - the food in Latin America is so good and inexpensive. So other than my daily 4 or 5 liters of purified water, I seldom have any consumables on the bike.
  • Re: The best way to eat on a self-contained tour

    Mon, February 11, 2008 - 11:11 PM
    put tahini and flax meal in your oatmeal! The tahini makes it taste good, even after you've been eating it every morning for a couple months...and the flax provides lots of omega-3 fatty acids (the good stuff!). I also carry a goo ball snack, a mixture of peanut butter, oats, honey and whatever else I can rummage out from the bottom of my panniers (more flax meal, chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts, etc).
  • Re: The best way to eat on a self-contained tour

    Wed, February 20, 2008 - 2:22 AM
    I'll add my 2c.

    Used various stoves from basic alcohol to Tangia system, Optimus multifuel and MSR multifuel. Preferr Shellite/Camping fuel over kero (dirty) over alcohol. Preheating was Esbit(?) heat tablets, orheat paste, or dribble a bit of fuel into under bowl(shellite).

    Breakfast: roled Oats with variations, toast plus, tea.

    Lunch: cheese, tinned fish, or salami with capsicum/peppers, cucmber, zucchini and sprouts(make self). Maybe soup (packet) t start if cold. cup of tea. For sandwich, you need to know your bread; Multigrain first,then the heavy rye breads (slice as you go),then t was those biscuit things.

    Evening/dinner; varies widely from stew(roll own), stir fry, to cold meat/cheese salad, etc if warm.

    After one disasterous 4 day hkje, I started abandoning dried food as expensive, no fibre, tasteless, etc and started taking my own makings..

    Meatwise, some butchers offer cryovac(?) which seals meat so it can keep for months without refrigeration. Frozen meat is also feasible for up to four days, depending on day temps and storage. That lovely sleeping bag can be a good thermal insulator. YMMV. I also use pulse/beans as main meals 4th, 5th, etc.

    Veges are just whatever I pick up on the way.

    Sprouts are great for fresh stuff from mung beans for stir fry or alfapha/fenugreek, etc for lunch sandwich supplement

    Generally, I used the Tangia alcohol stove for boiling water for tea (kettle), or soup, or washup water, personal washing water,etc. It only has two settings, but it is quick and easy to get going for a road side cuppa.

    The MSR or Optimus are better for real cooking like stews, etc as you can carefully control heat. Make sure you have good windshield system. i used a 4L Zigg (ovalish bottom) for cooing for groups up to 10 on the MSR,but you had to watch it on the brick style optimus.

    The Zigg was also good for making popcorn {:-), but I never graduated to cakes (keep heat really low).

    If you are really worried, try telephoning ahead to see what shops are in towns.

    Enjoy the ride and don't stress about making the distance each day. enjoy each moment of scenery as you go..

Recent topics in " bicycle touring"