I am slowly adding together my set up for bike camping and I am at the stage now where all of the big things have been locked in, but now I need to start thinking about the little things.
What do people recommend for:
FANX!
I use Sea to Summit dry bags, same with straps. Awesome, pretty cheap (somewhere usually has them on sale). I usually carry an extra set of straps and a dry bag for putting away riding jacket and layers when I start warming up.
I have a tiny Macpac stove that fits inside my pot.
I usually chop up veggies and put them in a zip lock bag with spices and roll that up to fit in my pot too, along with one or two cut up chorizo. A can of beans and that’s dinner sorted!
Yeah, S2S bags and straps.
Snot bad having a little cutting board for longer trips. Opinel of course. S2S water bladders. Tiny camp towel.
If your going lite (which I think you are) I’d recommend a Ti spork and a large ti cup (600-700ml) in lieu of a pot. As if all you want to do is boil water it is great, either for dehi, heat in bag stuff or pour cous cous into the cup, make a lid from some alu foil oven tray. Hobo/Turkish coffee can be made in it in the morning.
A small bag mix of chilli and salt improves most DIY meals.
I’ve just ordered one of these cheap small stoves to replace my screw top one, will see how it is
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/400348638481?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT will probably be heavier but pack better and more stable, both for short and longer trips.
I have found unless your taking 2 panniers+ cooking kit takes up room and weight pretty fast.
An Opinel is good but I already have a knife on my bike and general multi tool so don’t bring it on short trips
Yeah, a tiny pack towel is good.
I did this. It’s really great. Once the rice or whatever hits the boil, I take it off the stove and put it in the cozy and it keeps cooking. It’s also good for when you cook over fire and the pot gets sooty.
And yeah, good one on the chilli flakes and salt. Sometimes I like a bit of tamari in a film canister to really round out eggs and rice.
TP
Im going to go against MikeD on this (storm clouds gather) Id go stainless or aluminium pot/cup over ti. Ti is a crappy conductor and seems to burn everything. If you’re only EVER gonna boil water maybe. But what about cup-a-soup? or some porridge? or bleu cheese fondu?
yep plus one of those little bottles of hand sanitiser.
I totally agree if your actually gonna cook anything get alu or stainless.
Ti does indeed burn things -the only thing I have ‘cooked’ with it was re-warm a pasta meal but I had to stir it constantly.
I was having a stab that Liam wants to do ‘bike packing’ style trips i.e. 1/2 nights, no panniers in which case a larger pot and more complicated (but much nicer) meals become harder with the weight and space available.
I had some dehi apple ‘cobbler’ on the weekends trip, it was kinda gross.
Dehi thai curry was pretty good.
Correct that I am going to be leaning towards the lighter side of things with no panniers, or any rack at this stage. Mostly overnighters, maybe a 2 night expedition if I am feeling I need to get out of my comfort zone more. Regardless, these tips are great. I never knew that about the ti burning things etc.
I found that the best way to find out what works is to just get out there using whatever you have access to, even if it’s just a tiny micro adventure. I learnt so much about “Those little things” on my early trips with a 22 l backpack.
Seriously TP, you don’t wanna use signed pages from a visitor book in a hut coz that makes you an asshole
Yeah Ezy, just go and do it. You probably won’t die. You probably will have a great time.
And yeah; TP.
Yup, even thinking about those micro adventures mid week. Setting up camp the night before work somewhere along my commute (Isaacs Ridge, Red Hill etc).
Thanks for the TP suggestions. I don’t poop though.
TC: I read that as .22 & backpack
Don’t you have a S/S spork already? This has to be better than a tyre lever.
My MSR spork is also a spanner for my stove 
What can I say, Australia is such a well organised country.
That was so funny Seb. Great toilet banter on the climb.
Just do exactly that Liam! My first overnighters were on Mt. Ainslie, Mt. Majura and then the Centenary trail. All within a stones through from home 
A two foot piece of paracord makes a great clothesline for hanging socks/shirt to dry out over night.
Tie between trees or from the bike to the tent. Saves draping smelly clothes over the tent all night.
just a hop, skip and a jump
Yeah good one. Can be handy for tying things on that fall off, or that that you didn’t know you wanted to carry (firewood!).
Also, a few wraps of duct tape around your pump is a simple thing to do.
Sidetrack…but a tiny/superlight Sea 2 Summit backpack, that rolls up super small…it’s BRILLIANT for when your bike is packed and at capacity, and you want to carry that nights food with you. Or have just done a big shop, at the last place for food for a while…
68 grams…
However, I went this one…to double as a dry-bag when THINGS GET REAL…22 grams more however!@