Cycle touring and bikepacking gourmands, outdoor cooking and maybe a little coffee outdoors

which pharmacy will stock

What sort of thing do you look for in a pharmacy?

We should start a petition to ban the leading cause of wildfires.

Don’t really understand this comment. I assume more fires are started by careless smokers and idiots with BBQs, but that doesn’t meant that over-confident twats with camping stoves don’t also light the place up every now and then. If there is a fire ban in place you shouldn’t be using a naked flame for any reason, regardless of how Bear Grylls you think your camping skills are. If a concerned local asks you to put your flame out, then maybe think about deferring to local knowledge and not being a dick. And if you think that the conditions are tinderbox enough that locals will be concerned enough to tell you to put your flame out, maybe that’s an indication of something?

+1 to this ^, and also +1,000,000 to WTF is Platypus doing suggesting we give up coffee and booze?

Lightning is the most common cause of wildfires. Global warming means more lightning, longer dry seasons, more wildfires, which will be bigger and longer. There's almost nothing we can do about it. That's something to get agitated about.

Careless people are another thing to worry about. But I don't think a very careful person doing this is a concern. https://youtu.be/6IO1dLvMBno?t=659

Locals get worried whenever they see someone wild camping because they've had experience of drunks leaving a mess, dogs chasing livestock etc. Doesn't matter if it's wet or dry, they still worry. So sometimes they check on you during the night, waking you up by poking a torch in your tent. Or they ask the police to do it. It's not very nice. I prefer to be discreet and leave no trace. They don't bother me and they don't worry.

“Lightning causes wildfires and therefore I should be allowed to ignore fire bans” is, frankly, a fucking insane argument. Also p sure that lightning is only the leading cause globally, and I’m in the UK where the leading cause is human idiots.

I don't think a very careful person doing this is a concern

I disagree. No matter how careful you are being, accidents happen - and lol especially with a stick stove like that fucking hell that is not safe to use in a fire risk area at all - and your desire to have a hot breakfast / coffee whilst you’re out on your microadventure doesn’t rank higher than, say, the integrity of how ever many acres of countryside you might enflambé.

I don’t mind wild camping and wild camp myself. I do mind dickheads burning down my local moorland because they think the rules don’t apply to them.

Can't remember where I saw this, thought it was a fun idea

https://cascadewild.com/collections/frontpage/products/cascade-wild-ultralight-table

Off to Abruzzo to do the wolfs lair route. Will be out for 4 nights cooking pasta and mixing in some kind of sauce I imagine, maybe beans as well. And instant coffee in the morning.

Our Airbnb host that is sandwiching the trip has offered to by us some fuel from the local decathlon. Been doing a bit of research into how much we need.

By the looks of it you get about 12 boils of 500ml of water out of a 100g canister. So best bet is to go for a 230g? Obviously loads of variables but that’s the number I’ve seen flying about.

Does that sound about right? Also any specific tips on Italian basic as fuck one pot shop meals would be handy. We’ll probably just be eating a bunch of fresh fruit and vegetables as well but large carb in the evening is going to be desired.

A 230 tends to last me for 3-4 days, morning coffee and evening meal with the odd daytime brew. I generally use a pot cosy so no simmering. Definitely go for 230 over 100, would be annoying to run out!
Pasta pesto with extras

I've not tied it bit polenta might be good as a base for a one pot meal. Will definitely need a sauce/topping though!

I thought I'd change it up from pasta with polenta on a recent trip. Had to chuck it as I just couldn't get through it, the stuff really goes far...

In Italy the Knorr meal packs are actually really good. Available almost everywhere too I think. I was sceptical, but the minestrone one I had was pretty good, and I somewhat regret not buying a few more, especially the risotto ones. Then just add some veg/bread for a slap up one pot feast.

I'm partial to US military MREs. (Meal Ready to Eat, but soldiers have dubbed them Meals Rejected by Everyone, Meals Refusing to Exit, etc. ad inf.) Add a tiny bit of water to the included chemical ration heater and you have a hot meal without a stove, pans, plates or cutlery. They weigh 510-740 grams. Probably the most chemical-laden foodstuff created by mankind. And they constipate you. But take a fibre supplement and you'll be fine. £12 per meal when bought in a case of 12. You'd probably want 2 meals per day. https://www.mre-empire.com/products/mre-case-2025-inspection

You can even have a trip around the world by trying alternatives from other nations https://www.mre-empire.com/collections/frontpage?sort_by=price-descending

Probably the most chemical-laden foodstuff created by mankind. And they constipate you.

Have you considered a job in sales?

Have you considered a job in sales?

Tell it like it is. I don't want anyone blaming me when they get arse cancer.

You can do better than this.

American MREs are not held in high regard
UK ones, depending on the menu, are good
French and Spanish are held in high regard.
However, usually sold as a ration pack, aka rat pack, which are designed to provide the 4000 calories service personnel are deemed to need when spending a day in the "field".

I ve used the contents of a UK pack when working as a volunteer at festivals.
They work.
They are a bit heavy.

I once got all 24 US recipes as a Christmas present, and I ate them all at home! I enjoyed them too much to put them away and wait for my next camping trip. It's a pity - I'm sure I'd have enjoyed them much more in the open air after a day's riding. They're not just food, they're a fun gadget, cleverly designed, exciting to unwrap. It's rather incredible to have a big hot meal and the means to cook it in your jersey pockets.

The highly rated ones from other nations are 4 times the price of the American ones, and for me the weight of the British ones rules them out. And being British makes them uninteresting - they're just school food. No thanks.