Stoves and Cookwear

[il padrone]

How many days are you carrying the cheese for? I have bee a bit wary about fridge sourced products given I can be carrying it up to two weeks.

Depends a bit on the season, but generally 4-6 days is OK, even in summer (only 3-4 days on 35+ degree days, maybe up to 8-10 days in winter). Never had too many concerns.

[il padrone]

I Do not know what the fire rules are in other states but here in WA none of the camping stoves available can be used when the rating for the day is "Very High" or above.

In Victoria that's only the case on days of 'Total Fire Ban'.

[Aushiker]

How many days are you carrying the cheese for? I have bee a bit wary about fridge sourced products given I can be carrying it up to two weeks.

Depends a bit on the season, but generally 4-6 days is OK, even in summer (only 3-4 days on 35+ degree days, maybe up to 8-10 days in winter). Never had too many concerns.

Might give it a shot. Have just stuck to Cheddar Cheese up to now.

Andrew

[il padrone]

Oh yeah, one thing. This cheese is carried in an insulated lunch-pack with other cooler stuff eg, butter, tomatoes, other lunch vegies. You can keep it cold in the fridge before the trip, even carry frozen meat in it for the first night's dinner. On longer trips I may carry two of these - fits in the front Ortliebs neatly (my food-larder bags).

[rifraf]

I Do not know what the fire rules are in other states but here in WA none of the camping stoves available can be used when the rating for the day is "Very High" or above.

Wow really good to know Exadios
I wrongly assumed fireban only referred to open fires and not fuel stoves.

[rifraf]

If you want quick, easy and tasty, try the 'Taste of India' Bombay Potatoes. Pack serves two (ONE cyclist) and takes just 5 mins to boil in the pack Mmmm!

I'll grab some

[Baalzamon]

I Do not know what the fire rules are in other states but here in WA none of the camping stoves available can be used when the rating for the day is "Very High" or above.

Wow really good to know Exadios
I wrongly assumed fireban only referred to open fires and not fuel stoves.

I wouldn't be doing a tour when the fire rating is Very High or above in WA anyhow. It's just too hot then.

[rifraf]

I wouldn't be doing a tour when the fire rating is Very High or above in WA anyhow. It's just too hot then.

Good point.
When does things start to cool down some?
I've come to the realisation that now is not the time to be thinking about crossing the Nullarbor nor challenging the "wet"
of the top end. Frying or drowning doesn't make for a good cycling trip although perhaps a meander southward to Victoria riding
short distances in the early mornings might be considered?
My current lifestyle is killing me and I'm keen to move on and my accommodation situation is less than ideal.
I now know I should have not tried to get all of the great savings I did buying from overseas but left earlier and made do
until set up somewhere else.
Saying that, its nice to have basically new running gear to go on a journey and not have an underlying panic wondering when
worn gear is going to let you down (usually at the worst possible moment).
Too close either side of xmas is never good for travelling for safety reasons as well

[rifraf]

Thank you to Ronk, IP, Andrew and Baalzamon for all the great food suggestions.
You came up with some I hadn't known existed and confirmed suitability of others.
My stomachs rumbling at the thought of some of them already.

[Baalzamon]

late march/April good time to start thinking about touring when the temps start to cool down. March can still get hot days tho.
Possibly when your over here a short tour can be arranged.

[tmac100]

When I come to Australia to bicycle in June-August I never worry about cheese and eggs going "off". When touring the "Savannah Way" in 2006, I used eggs for over a week (until I used the dozen up) and never worried about them because as a kid in the early 1950s I gathered eggs for my Grandma who kept the eggs in a bowl in her farm kitchen and they were never "off". That was about the time that electricity came to all farms on the Canadian prairies.

In southern NSW and Victoria it is really cool in "winter" BUT I doubt I would trust meat for more than a day or 2 (except for beef). But then why bother as there are places withing a day or 2 where you can purchase "fresh rations" - at least in much of those 2 states.

OTOH, it seems the current discussion involves summer. In summer, I never worry about the hard cheeses (cheddar, etc) except that they start losing oil (fat actually) and make the container messy. In Canada, on canoe/camping trips, cheese has never caused us any troubles - health wise.

[exadios]

I Do not know what the fire rules are in other states but here in WA none of the camping stoves available can be used when the rating for the day is "Very High" or above.

Wow really good to know Exadios
I wrongly assumed fireban only referred to open fires and not fuel stoves.

I had assumed the same, but I was pulled up when I stopped by the road and made some coffee on my Trangia at about 06:30 one morning. I checked at the next shire offices I came to and they confirmed that I could not use the stove. I've subsequently confirmed with FESA that no stoves can be used.

For me this meant that I had to start carrying food that could be eaten cold - which increases weight.

The biggest problem I have found is getting information on the fire status of any particular day.

[Aushiker]

Hi

On the subject of total fire bans which are not the same as fire ratings, the formal advice on what one can or cannot do in WA is provided by FESA. They have a fact sheet here. They also have further details here. This pages states in respect to cooking whilst camping outdoors:

No. You cannot:

* Light a camp fire or maintain a fire in the open air.
* Use any solid fuel such as wood or charcoal for cooking.
* Carry out any activity that causes or is likely to cause a fire in the open air.

If you are in a public space or park you must only cook in an area sign posted for the purpose. You can only use an electric or gas appliance that has an enclosed flame.

All flammable material must be cleared five metres around the appliance.

There is no specific reference to gas cooking stoves or stoves such as Trangia and the like which are pretty much closed in. I note that gas BBQ are allowed in some circumstances. Personally, as long as a I am at a picnic table or have a well cleared area I would use probably use my camp stove, such as my Trail Designs Sidewinder or MSR Superfly, but I generally don't go camping on total fire ban days anyway. Frankly if I was out in the bush on those days my concern would be more about bushfires having experienced camping in a controlled burn area and far less about my use of one of my camp stoves.

Regards
Andrew

[exadios]

Hi

On the subject of total fire bans which are not the same as fire ratings, the formal advice on what one can or cannot do in WA is provided by FESA. They have a fact sheet here. They also have further details here. This pages states in respect to cooking whilst camping outdoors:

No. You cannot:

* Light a camp fire or maintain a fire in the open air.
* Use any solid fuel such as wood or charcoal for cooking.
* Carry out any activity that causes or is likely to cause a fire in the open air.

If you are in a public space or park you must only cook in an area sign posted for the purpose. You can only use an electric or gas appliance that has an enclosed flame.

All flammable material must be cleared five metres around the appliance.

There is no specific reference to gas cooking stoves or stoves such as Trangia and the like which are pretty much closed in. I note that gas BBQ are allowed in some circumstances. Personally, as long as a I am at a picnic table or have a well cleared area I would use probably use my camp stove, such as my Trail Designs Sidewinder or MSR Superfly, but I generally don't go camping on total fire ban days anyway. Frankly if I was out in the bush on those days my concern would be more about bushfires having experienced camping in a controlled burn area and far less about my use of one of my camp stoves.

Regards
Andrew

Yes. I have seen the same fact sheets which is why I asked FESA about Trangia and open gas stoves. The answer I get from them was "no". I got a copy of the "Fire Control Officer's Handbook" from FESA. In the "Camping or Cooking Fires":

f the Local Government does not take the action referred to in the preceding paragraph, then the normal provisions of the Act apply during both the prohibited and restricted burning times. That is, a fire for the purpose of camping or cooking shall not be lit on any day or any period of a day when the fire danger forecast for the district issued by the Bureau of meteorology is ‘VERY HIGH’ or above unless the approval in writing of the Local Government has been obtained. When fires are lit for camping and cooking purposes, they must be no closer than three metres to a log or stump and an area three metres wide surrounding the fire must be completely free of all bush and other flammable material. The fire must not be left at any time while it is burning and must be extinguished before the user leaves it. For the purpose of Section 25, a gas appliance comprising a fire the flame of which is encapsulated by the appliance and which does not consume solid fuel, shall not be taken to be a fire in the open air and may be used at any time for the purpose of camping or cooking if that gas appliance is used:

(a) at a person’s home; or
(b) in an area which -

(i) is set aside for that purpose by the State Government or Local Government responsible for the care, control or management of the land;
(ii) bears the State Government’s or Local Government’s sign prohibited burning times or part of that period. If a Local Government denoting that purpose and all combustible material is cleared from within a five metre radius of the appliance.

I don't think I've ever seen a designated cooking area - I imaging that if they exist they are only in tourist areas.

The problem is not going camping on fire ban days. A more typical circumstance is that the camper has been riding for days or weeks, etc., and, unknown to him / her, a series of fire ban days is declared.

[Aushiker]

Hi



I had a chance to play with the Evernew Titanium 0.9l pot on my recent ride in the Darling Range and have now written up a review of the pot for those interested. In summary I found the post to be a good piece of kit despite its price and I can see it having a future in my cooking bag.

Andrew

[Aushiker]

Don't know much about this or if it is a good price but Aldi have what they call Bio Ethanol Fuel 1 Litre Indoor selling for $9.99. There is some discussion of it at Bushwalking Australia.

Andrew

[rifraf]

Don't know much about this or if it is a good price but Aldi have what they call Bio Ethanol Fuel 1 Litre Indoor selling for $9.99. There is some discussion of it at Bushwalking Australia.

Andrew

Fantastic that the options are all the time appearing "greener" and supposedly more user friendly.
Now they just need to get the pricing friendly.
Just about had enough of my metho experiment with the Optimus and think I'll be going back to kero for fuel.
I'll make my final decision after trying a trial of your find of purple metho Andrew.
I think $10 a litre is taking the Michael but acknowledge that its not that unfriendly compared to international
prices so it may find a willing audience yet.
I just hope the $AU stays strong to keep our prices do-able for the alternate hydrocarbon fuels .

[RonK]

Don't know much about this or if it is a good price but Aldi have what they call Bio Ethanol Fuel 1 Litre Indoor selling for $9.99.

That is double the price of methylated spirits .

[il padrone]

Aldi are selling it to the yuppie tea-light and fragrant oil-burner users

[Aushiker]

Have had a bit of play now with the Trail Designs Sidewinder Ti-Tri and pretty happy with the way it performed. My average fuel usage was 68 ml per day and I found I could easily boil 300 ml on 15 ml and 600 ml on 20 ml. All up pretty happy with the beast.



Andrew

[rifraf]

I don't think I ever get over Deb with Onions - I love it...try half a packet of Deb with a can of Stagg chilli for some early morning firepower, or with one of the chunky canned soups that are taking up so much shelf space in the supermarket these days. Quick and easy when you are on the road and there are shops along the way.

I'm a big fan of the Stagg chilli.
I've been trying a few of Ainsley's couscous variates and experimenting with Safcol salmon sachets.
Quite impressed with the results.
Haven't yet spotted the Deb so will have to remember to ask the staff where its kept.
Cheers
Aidan

[elStado]

I was looking at the MRS Whisperlite, then I was thinking about a metho Trangia stove as I didn't like the idea of cancerous fumes from burning petrol on the MSR.. then I decided to DIY an aluminium can stove today.

Took about 10 minutes to make. Quite happy with the results, not sure if I have enough faith in it for an extended tour though. Need to make a few more and refine the design a bit, including making a wind shield and a platform for the pot as the flame get's snuffed out if I put the pot straight on top of the burner. Cost nothing to make. Flame is usually invisible/blue, however I added some table salt to the metho to make is burn more visibly if anyone is wondering. Brought 250ml to the boil in a few minutes, would have been faster if the pot was closer to the flames. I think a 2cm gap should be enough.

[elStado]

I got my new Trangia 27-8 ultralight/hardanodised cookset in the other day. Broke it in tonight. It's awesome. Took a while to prime, around 30-40 seconds but a very small amount of fuel mixed with 15% water had it burning beautifully for ages.



So easy to use and handle, possible to pick it up while burning and move it around as the aluminium shield doesn't conduct much heat, it's only warm to the touch. For a touch over $100 for the whole cookset, including a small 500ml kettle, it's great value, simple, effective and perfectly compact. Very happy that I decided to go with the Trangia over the MSR Whisperlite/Dragonfly no issues with carrying nasty carcinogenic fuels and no noise either.

I'll have a bit more in-depth review on my blog soon.

Update, here it is:
http://velophileaustralia.wordpress.com ... venturing/

[Aushiker]

Andrew

[Mike Ayling]

I was looking at the MRS Whisperlite, then I was thinking about a metho Trangia stove as I didn't like the idea of cancerous fumes from burning petrol on the MSR.. then I decided to DIY an aluminium can stove today.

Took about 10 minutes to make. Quite happy with the results, not sure if I have enough faith in it for an extended tour though. Need to make a few more and refine the design a bit, including making a wind shield and a platform for the pot as the flame get's snuffed out if I put the pot straight on top of the burner. Cost nothing to make. Flame is usually invisible/blue, however I added some table salt to the metho to make is burn more visibly if anyone is wondering. Brought 250ml to the boil in a few minutes, would have been faster if the pot was closer to the flames. I think a 2cm gap should be enough.

The bricks would be a bit heavy to drag around though!

Mike