Our Multi-Use Outdoor Cooking Equipment
Essential Outdoor Cooking Equipment For Touring, Hiking and Camping.
From day trips to month long tours, we always bring along cooking equipment. There are multiple reasons why we do this;
We love the freedom! Pulling over to a scenic spot and making a beautiful healthy meal with a perfect view for a fraction of the price of a fancy restaurant.
Time, often on the road we are in pursuit of a destination and stopping in a city finding a restaurant can be time consuming.
Our dietary requirements means that we occasionally struggle to find suitable food on the road.
Emily is gluten intolerant and so cooking our own food on the road takes all the stress away from eating at a restaurant.
Its fun! Some of our fondest memories are from cooking on the top of mountains and next to the road.
Because of these reasons we have embraced outdoor cooking in all aspects of our travel. From hiking to our motorbike road trips and even day trips to different parts of Switzerland you will always find our cooking kit in our pannier, boot or rucksack. However all of these different activities have different requirements, for example motorbike touring requires the kit to be small and compact yet weight isn’t an issue however with hiking weight is the main concern. Some websites will tell you, “You must have a different kit for your different activities!” We don’t believe that, well crafted and high quality equipment will last you for years and enable you to have a multitude of adventures! After years of trial and error we have created the perfect multi use kit for our needs.
We have a few items that are a luxury, items we can only bring if we have the space or capacity but over all our core kit remains the same. So without further ado lets get into the details!
When we decided to upgrade our gas stove there were a few criteria’s that we had in mind for it to fulfill. Although the classic gas stoves are relatively cheap to buy and easy to find refills, we found that we could never be sure how much gas we had left so we would often take a spare along on hikes and trips which is fine if you have the space but sometimes packing light is important. Sure we could take a new one each time but this could prove very wasteful and you would end up with lots of half used canisters. Another concern of ours was not being able to find replacements easily whilst on the road which led me towards the multi fuel burning stoves. Having the option to refill a canister before each trip ensured we would have enough fuel for whatever we were doing, with various sized canisters we are able to take the exact amount we needed. Granted the Multi fuel burners tend to be heavier and a little more bulky we wanted one stove to use for every eventuality, in the end we went with the Primus Omnilite Ti. The Ti standing for Titanium meant that it weighed in at a mere 230g (not including fuel of course).
We have used this stove a lot over the last year and its performed perfectly every time, the acclaimed liter of water boiling time of 4 minuets is accurate and we were surprised with how little fuel it actually burns through. We have used the Primus Power fuel which burns clean although you can use various other fuels (gas, gasoline/petrol, diesel, kerosene/paraffin). With the adjustable heat control you have good control over the cooking temperature and I really like having the pan lower down -less chance of things toppling over!
The only downsides to this stove is as with all multi fuel burners you do have to preheat them but this isn’t really an issue - you just let out some fuel and ignite it, once its burnt away you can open the tap again and relight it. The other issue is that its loud! On full power you feel like you’re next to a hot air balloon, this can be resolved with the silencer which is sold separately. I would have expected this to be standard with a stove that is at the top of the price scale and not have had to pay extra for some quiet. I can confirm it does work and the reduction in noise is very impressive.
Overall we totally recommend this stove if you just want to buy one stove that can do everything. We have used it at various altitudes, seasons and temperatures with constantly good results. With spare parts readily available I expect to be using this bit of kit for many years to come.
MSR Alpine 2
I never knew there were so many options when it came to outdoor cooking pots until we needed a new set. As with all equipment we look for something that will last a long time. Previously we had a ‘none stick’ pan set which should have been advertised as none stick the first and second time you use it pan set. As food will inevitably stick to a pan we wanted to at least be able to clean them afterwards without scratching off that none stick layer. Stainless steel was the obvious choice for durability and strength although they tend to be thick and heavy. The MSR Alpine 2 set is actually the thinnest stainless steel pan set we could find and not actually that heavy. It consists of 2 pots and 1 lid which doubles up as a frying pan. After use you can scrub them clean or use stones from the river to swish around without worrying about damaging them. The set of 2 is ideal for a couple but perhaps the set of 3 might be better for a family as you get the bigger pan with that as well. All in all they are as impressive as a pan set can be, relatively light for stainless steel, built to last and priced very reasonably.
Trangia Pots 1.5 and 1.75 Litres
Sometimes 2 cooking pots just isn’t enough, however wanting to keep the space the cooking equipment takes up to minimum the quest was on to find pots that would fit inside the MSR Alpine 2 set perfectly. After trying many combinations we can share with you that the Trangia 1.5 and 1.75 cooking pots fit exactly inside the MSR Alpine 2 set! They have been cleverly made with Stainless steel on the inside and Aluminium on the outside combining the properties of these 2 materials to produce a strong yet lightweight pan. On a trip we tend to keep one of these pans as the dedicated hot water pan to avoid making a brew that tastes like tomatoes sauce!
The Luxuries
Keepcup
There’s nothing worse than making a nice cup of tea or coffee when its cold to find its cooled off in an instant. These insulated metal cups really do keep your drink hot without burning your hands. Heavy, not very space efficient yet something we take with us when we can and use numerous times in the day.
Bialetti Moka Express
If you like/need coffee then you will understand. Simple, small and guarantees a great coffee every time. On the Primus stove its ready in minuets.
Primus Campfire Cutlery Set
Okay these are neither ultra lightweight or space saving but we like them. Such a quality item to add a bit of luxury to your outdoor cooking that won’t snap or melt.
Primus OmniLite Ti silencer
As mentioned before this luxury addition to the Cooking stove really keeps the noise levels down so you can relax and enjoy the peace and tranquility of your surroundings.
Everyone’s perfect outdoor cooking kit will be different, it takes trial and error to perfect your own, so spend time searching and using the kit before taking them on long tours. Take your gear out for trial runs to ensure you only take with you what you need and have not overlooked anything. For us we found we didn’t use a lot of the equipment we thought would be an essential which freed up space for things that would enhance our experiences.
All our equipment, gear and favorite products are linked here and check out our YouTube and Instagram Stories for videos of them in action being test on the road, in the mountains and anywhere else we get hungry.
Happy Outdoor Cooking!!