Cookset for zilch

Discussion about making bushwalking-related equipment.

Cookset for zilch

Postby ThehannaTree » Tue 04 Jun, 2019 6:55 pm

I like to go for short and long bike tours. I also love bushwalking. I dont buy gear unless I absolutely have to and prefer to salvage and re-purpose odds and ends from whatever and where ever I can. My cookset serves both travel modes adequately and has cost me no more than $5 to put together. I swap out various components to make it lighter or more versatile depending on whether I want to lux it with everything on board or be minimalist. On a 1400 km bicycle tour of NZ I didnt take anything, not even a mug and did remarkably well eating free wild food, buying from roadside stalls or occasionally using plastic packaging around food i bought until i no longer needed it, like those little salads that come with a spoon. Of course that meant occasional waste that I had to throw away, and I missed a warm cuppa, so I came up with this little cookset. It isnt the lightest kit out there, but it sure works well.
The kit list includes everything in the photo weighing at around 790g with two coke can burners (excludes metho bottle). Ooof! I hear you ultralight warriors say, but I've lightened up some of my sleeping gear and tent by several kilos, so even if I do take the whole kit and caboodle, my pack weight is usually well below 12kg, excluding food. A more minimalist cook kit weighs in at about 490g, less if I only use one bowl a foil lid and plastic spoon.
The main cookset is a sort of rocket stove set up and I can boil 1.5 cups of water in about 2.5 - 3 minutes. I use a capacious double walled stainless mug that is heavy but i love the fact that it keeps my chai warm while I make dinner on one or two of the coke can burners. Little things..
On a bike, weight is as critical as with walking since every extra kilo can add up to 10km extra onto already arduous 80 km days. My bike is heavy and I have a knee problem, so I have had to factor that in to keep my total haul weight including me below 90 kg. I'm about 55 kg so it's close. It's the same with pack weight especially as you dont have the gearing ratio advantage of a bike. For walking I try to keep my haul weight below 70kg excluding water and extras for longer trips.

Full kit list (grams)
Calico bag 18
Bean tin surround 64
Cake tray wind guard 25
Foil lid 2
Coke can burner x 2 13
Milkshake container 101
Cook pot/bowl 60
Saucepan 188
Lighter 19
Pot Handle 48
Cut down teaspoon 15
Plastic spoon 3
Stainless bowl/wok 63
Fowlers jar lid 26
Clip-on lid 50
Tuna can trivet 25
Bike spoke trivet pins 5
Flint lighter 19
Total 790 g

IMG_4879.jpg
Full cookset
IMG_4879.jpg (134.7 KiB) Viewed 15764 times

IMG_4881-1.jpg
Rocket stove efficiency

IMG_4882.jpg
Coke can burner #2
IMG_4882.jpg (122.94 KiB) Viewed 15764 times

IMG_4883.jpg
Compact cookset
ThehannaTree
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Re: Cookset for zilch

Postby Moondog55 » Wed 05 Jun, 2019 2:43 am

Love it. Great work on the frugal side of hiking and biking
Ve are too soon old und too late schmart
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Re: Cookset for zilch

Postby epiclad25 » Thu 23 Jul, 2020 12:41 pm

love it. I bought a coffee percolator which didn't fit on my Trangia so I made a wire rack for it. great work though!
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Re: Cookset for zilch

Postby commando » Thu 23 Jul, 2020 4:21 pm

Looks like the flint stick (ferro rod) gets a good workout, Coghlans $11
What does the milkshake container do?
commando
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