Bicycle Touring Pro » Cooking http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog Plan, prepare for, and promote your bicycle touring adventures. Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:58:10 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Katy Trail Packing List http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/katy-trail-packing-list/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=katy-trail-packing-list http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/katy-trail-packing-list/#comments Wed, 12 May 2010 12:57:07 +0000 Darren Alff http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/?p=6300

You don’t have to travel around the world or live on the road for months on end to call yourself a bicycle traveler. Conducting short trips by bike in your local area (or even in your home country) is a great way to get out and experience the joys of bicycle travel.

Yesterday I flew from my home in Park City, Utah (USA) to Kansas City, Missouri. Now that I’m in the great state of Missouri, the plan over the next 10 days is for my friend Josh and I to ride our bikes across the state on the famous Katy Trail.

I’ll be sure to share photos, video and stories from the trip in a future article, but for now, here is the packing list for my 11-day trip to Missouri.

Hopefully this article will help you in preparing your packing lists for shorter trips by bike.

Bike Gear

Electronics

Camping & Cooking Gear

Clothing & Toiletries

  • Eddie Bauer 3-in-1 Rain Jacket
  • 2 Pairs of Jeans
  • Baseball cap
  • 2 Pairs of shorts
  • Sweat pants
  • 3 T-shirts
  • Fox Racing jersey
  • Fox Racing shorts 2 Pairs of black anklet socks
  • 2 Pairs of long socks
  • Underwear
  • Nike tennis shoes
  • Toiletry Kit
  • Road ID wrist

Paperwork

  • Wallet
  • Business cards
  • 2 reading books
  • Journal
  • 3 Pens

You should note that 1) I only brought a rear rack and two panniers with me because I don’t plan to use front panniers on this particular trip. I won’t need them because I am carrying less clothes and gear than I would typically carry on a longer trip by bike. 2) I am also carrying a whole lot more camera gear than your typical bicycle traveler might carry.  I have all this camera gear because I plan to bring you back a ton of great photos from my travels… and I’ll be working while I’m out on the road. So, this gear is necessary for me to continue running this website.

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]]> http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/katy-trail-packing-list/feed/ 5 Orikaso Fold Flat Tablewear: A Product Review http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/orikaso-fold-flat-tablewear-a-product-review/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=orikaso-fold-flat-tablewear-a-product-review http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/orikaso-fold-flat-tablewear-a-product-review/#comments Mon, 04 Jan 2010 13:36:21 +0000 Darren Alff http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/?p=4009 orikaso-flat-fold-cookwear

Orikaso flat fold tablewear is one unique product! Likely a play on the word “origami,” which is the art of folding paper into a variety of decorative forms, Orikaso is a product made of flat colored plastic that can be folded into an entire table set – plate, cup and bowl.

It’s a great idea for people who spend large amounts of time in the outdoors. Bowls and cups, especially, are known to take up large amounts of space inside a loaded backpack or set of panniers, so the ability to have these items fold flat while in transport and then pop out during meal time is certainly appealing.

Unfortunately, as extraordinary as this colorful cook-set might appear, it has a number of flaws that, for me at least, rules it out as any kind of viable tableware.

My biggest complaint about the Orikaso flatware set is that even when folded flat, the set takes up just as much (if not more) space as my normal pot and cup. When pressed flat, the set measures nearly 10.5 inches x 10.5 inches. It’s weight is also nearly equal to that of the pot I use on most of my camping and bicycle touring expeditions. If the set could be folded down to such a size that it fit inside my wallet, then we might have something here. But at the current moment, I see little to no space or weight savings with the Orikaso tablewear set.

Additionally, I find the folding process somewhat difficult. Even after you get used to folding and unfolding the set, the process is somewhat frustrating. The cup, with it’s complex handle, is especially difficult to assemble. After a long day of hiking and/or biking, the last thing I want to do is struggle over the assembly of my plates, cups and bowls. I just want to eat!

Lastly, I have to make note of the fact I’ve never used a separate plate, cup or bowl on any of my outdoor adventures. I usually carry water in a bottle and drink straight out of the bottle… and I cook in a single pot, which I use as my eating bowl, plate, and cup. I understand that not everyone will take this same approach to outdoor eating, but I doubt that few serious outdoorsmen worry about eating off a plate at the end of a long day of exploration.

In summary, I think the Orikaso flatware idea is a good one, but it simply needs to be refined. If the product were lighter and could be folded down to fit inside the palm of my hand, there might really be something here. Otherwise, I see this product as something one buys, uses once, and then never uses again. Either that, or it is the perfect gift for that outdoorsy person in your family who seems to have everything.

My Rating: 3 out of 10

Buy online

orikaso-cookset-with-food

Have you used any of the Orikaso flatware products before? If so, what did you think?

Review Status: I purchased this product for myself. Amazon affiliate links are being used in this article.

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]]> http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/orikaso-fold-flat-tablewear-a-product-review/feed/ 2 181 Free Articles About Bicycle Touring, World Travel And Lifestyle Design http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/every-article-from-bicycle-touring-pro-in-2009-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=every-article-from-bicycle-touring-pro-in-2009-2 http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/every-article-from-bicycle-touring-pro-in-2009-2/#comments Fri, 01 Jan 2010 09:22:03 +0000 Darren Alff http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/?p=4127 2009 was one hell of a year!

At this time last year I was emerging from my apartment in downtown Luzern, Switzerland and celebrating the first of what would become 254 days of bike travel in 16 different European countries.

Since that time, I have covered thousands of miles on my bicycle (and on foot); written nearly two-hundred different articles on the topics of world travel, bicycle touring and lifestyle design; and I’ve been able to support myself while traveling about (despite the so-called “recession”).

By my standards, 2009 has been one fantastic year… and I plan on making 2010 even better!

Before we get too far into the New Year, I thought I would take some time to share with you the 181 articles that were published this year FOR FREE on BicycleTouringPro.com. I’ve bolded the articles I believe you should check out first… so scroll on down and see if there is anything that strikes your fancy.

I hope you enjoy what you find… and please stay tuned, as there’s a lot more in store for Bicycle Touring Pro in the New Year!

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Featured home page photo by: jurvetson

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]]> http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/every-article-from-bicycle-touring-pro-in-2009-2/feed/ 6 Lightload Towels: Product Review http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/lightload-towels-product-review/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=lightload-towels-product-review http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/lightload-towels-product-review/#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:40:06 +0000 Darren Alff http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/?p=3398

I was recently sent a 3-Pack of Lightload Towels and asked to review the product here on the site.

To find out what I think of Lightload Towels and how I would use them on my own travels, you can watch the video above or read the quick summary below.

Product Features

Each towel comes in a small, waterproof, compressed disc that is about the size of three or four poker chips stacked on top of one another.

When unfolded, each towel measures 12 inches wide and 24 inches long (30cm x 60cm).

Each towel weighs only half an ounce.

The product can be used as a:

  • Towel
  • Washcloth
  • Pot Holder
  • Seat or Pack Padding
  • Water or Coffee Filter
  • Neck or Headband
  • Fire Starter
  • First Aid Supplement
  • Or just anything else you can think of.

In addition to all this, they are also soft, hygenic, super-absorbent, and wickable (meaning they draw moisture away from your skin, which helps to keep you warm in cold climates).

They are machine washable and dry super fast – just like a good camp towel should.

They are not biodegradable.

What I Think

The product is much more durable than I initially thought. I don’t think it would last as long as other, larger camp towels, but it certainly won’t fall apart after a single use.

Having the option to use the towel for a variety of different tasks is appealing. To have a towel that could be used to clean dishes, wash my bike, or start a fire is nice.

The price can’t be beat! Each towel costs about $2.00 USD. (The 3-pack is only $5.95)

If you are serious about traveling ultralight, this is one product you should certainly look into.

Buy It Now

How I Would Use These Towels

If I were to use Lightload Towels in the future I would:

  • Use them on bike tours and camping trips that are one week in length or less.
  • Bring them along as a multi-purpose camp towel on my longer bicycle touring/travel adventures in addition to my regular camp shower towel, so that I can use the towel to clean my dishes, wash my bike, etc.

For more information on Lightload Towels, please visit: www.ultralighttowels.com

What about you? Have you ever used a Lightload Towel yourself? If so, how exactly did you use them and what did you think? Let me know by leaving a comment below.

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]]> http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/lightload-towels-product-review/feed/ 1 Asking Gary Vaynerchuk About Croatian Wines http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/asking-gary-vaynerchuk-about-croatian-wines/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=asking-gary-vaynerchuk-about-croatian-wines http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/asking-gary-vaynerchuk-about-croatian-wines/#comments Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:01:27 +0000 Darren Alff http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/?p=2376 While cycling along the coast of Croatia, I noticed that there were an incredible number of vineyards that line the coastal hills. I decided to whip out my video camera and ask Gary Vaynerchuk, the man behind Wine Library TV, if he knew anything about Croatian wines. Here’s the video I made:

Unfortunately, once I got back home and checked my computer, I found that Gary had already discussed Croatian wines on episode #553 of Wine Library TV. If you haven’t seen Gary’s show, you should really watch the video below. This guy is taking the wine world by storm. Check it out!

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