Calories not included...

Now that we have addressed the first most important thing on your trip, it's time to discuss the second most important thing...

Food!

As you more then likely already know, your caloric intake is going to go up, way up...But before we discuss the types of foods you can pack or the kitchen stuff like stoves and what not -- what is a "calorie" anyway? There are two types of calories, a large and a small calorie...The calorie for food is a "large calorie" and is a chemistry term that measures heat. A calorie is the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of 1kg (2.2lbs) of water 1C (1.8F)...According to the second law of thermodynamics, you can neither create or destroy energy, you can only change it from on form to another. Your body converts the stored energy in food into heat making it operate on that law...Simple, right? The more calories you burn, the higher the internal temperature of your body gets, thus your body begins to sweat in an attempt to cool it down. So, the more you work the more food your body will require.

Now, you won't jump on your bike and immediately your food intake jumps to 5,000+ calories a day. Your body has fat stores it needs to burn and there is an order of things the body will use. 1lbs (.45kg) of human body fat contains approximately 2,500 calories. The body burns glucose (sugar) that it converts from fat. Your body will burn the fat first, followed by the carbohydrates that it must convert into fat before it can burned. That would make carbohydrates "long term" energy foods, with the last thing being protein . As with any unused energy from food, what your body doesn't need it converts back into fat and stores for later use. So, that means your body has to learn to burn the fat it has already before it will use more energy from food you eat. Which means that one day you will wake up and do nothing but eat, when that happens you have what is called in the long distance hiking world as "The through hikers appetite." Your body has burned out all of it's fat reserves and is now starving for energy...Until then, I wouldn't look for your appetite to change a great deal.

Now, what it comes down to is your budget for your trip. Preprepared food is expensive, for the cost of a single lunch at a restaurant, I can eat for at least a day out of the trailer, if not more. But a lot of foods need to be cooked, so lets look at stoves! For that, we need to leave the realm of cycling and head into the realm of back packing....The most popular and versatile stoves are "multi-fuel" stoves...The two most popular brands are the MSR Whisperlite and the Coleman Multi-fuel. The chief difference between them is the Coleman can simmer, a nice feature. Both stoves can use white gas, gasoline or kerosene. I would avoid compressed gas stoves like Butane and Propane as the canisters may not be available everywhere and outfitters for back packing, although they can order the canisters, makes it not worth the hassles. If you don't want to carry a fuel bottle with you, you can carry an Esbit pocket stove, Esbits are pellet stoves. They use a single pellet of solid fuel in a small aluminum tray that will boil water, but not much else. That would make the Esbit great for morning coffee or anything requiring only hot water to prepare. The pellets are also expensive, about 50 cents each! From here you can assemble your kitchen as you see fit. I carry two pots, an MSR Whisperlite, a cutting board, a knife, a calender, a French press, spices, and so on...Sounds like a lot, but it all fits into one another...I would recommend Campmor for all your shopping needs!

Lastly, there is a need for water when you are at camp...I have found that I need around a gallon for dinner and coffee the next morning...But I can also wiggle out a breakfast if it looks like I can't afford or get to a place that serves breakfast that morning...What ever you choose as your water container, make sure you can pack it full of water when you are planning on ending the day and look for a place to camp...

We still haven't as yet discussed what kind of foods you can carry, have we? Well then, to start with, go look into your own kitchen cupboards! Theres pasta, rice, mashed potatoes for dinner bases...Canned stew, chili, soups and so many other canned goods...Theres grits, oatmeal, mixed fruit, granola and cold cereal with powdered milk...Theres peanut butter and bagels, jelly, soy sauce, spices...Look in the refrigerator and see all the things you can get during the day at local markets and road side stands on the route...Tomatoes, peppers, onions, theres apples and oranges and so many other fruits and vegetables that you don't need to carry! Theres coffee, tea, lemon aid and other drink mixes...Your over all diet so does not need to suffer...In fact, more often then not, I eat better on a trail then I do at home!

Now, how much of these food stuffs you actually carry is based on the amount of room you have...I tend to carry enough food where I don't have to restock the trailer except for every third day or so...A trailer tends to have a better amount of space to utilize for my food stuffs and kitchen. I did run panniers for years and could pack 2 - 3 days of food at a shot, but you have to be creative with space...I usually only carry lunches, dinners and snacks, leaving a fresh breakfast somewhere down the road. I like fresh breakfast as it is the cheapest meal of the day and gives you an opportunity to stop and meet the locals in, at times, wonderful settings! I do, however, carry breakfast stuffs with me, just in case I need it...Oat meal and mixed fruit make a great starter, with a little squeeze margarine for a fat supplement and you're set!

There are many things that you can carry that do last well without refrigeration...As you will be burning far more fat then anything else, Parmesan and Asiago cheeses, or any other "low oil" cheeses keep very well...I carry squeeze margarine as well, it tends to keep well for a many days after opening without refrigeration...Oils, especially Olive oil is a very good source of a fat supplement...Pack your perishables like oils and cheese between clothes and sleeping bag stuff sacks as insulation, it will help hold a constant temperature and ward off the heat the sun and road will generate! Also wrap your liquids like margarine and oils in a plastic bag, theres nothing worse then a leak during the day that you have to clean up before you can cook...

For lunches and snacks you don't want to have to cook if you don't need to...I use things like bagels, peanut butter and margarine for a serious energy boost..Peanut butter is on of the best energy foods around, if your not allergic to peanuts...Soy products keep and are a good source of protein and are a good substitute for peanuts, but doesn't have the fat that peanut butter does...I like bagels and sardines in sauces, it's quick and packed with natural fats and plenty of protein, the bagels top it off with the carbohydrates. Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on it and you have a solid meal...Have a sweet tooth? Not to worry! Try a Snickers bar slathered in peanut butter for a good dose of rocket fuel! Of course there are always those large array of energy bars, they tend to be expensive in the long run. If your budget can absorb the cost, eat away...Word to the wise, Energy bars are high in carbohydrates, so drink a lot of water with them when you eat them. It will help digest the bars and unlock the power potential...

For dinners I will take things like a can of chicken soup or beef or some kind of soup and boil the pasta into it as a casserole...The advantage to this is you don't need the water to cook with and you can drink it or use it for dishes...Chili mac is also a great standby and you can substitute chili for stew, too...Be creative over the winter, if you know you are going to have 2 pots on the trail, use only them...Limit you water to a gallon or less and experiment with your diet and cleaning up the dishes...Half the fun is discovering your own secret concoctions to make other cyclist you meet drool over it...Spend some time creating your own cook book! Wander the isle of the store and just look at the goods you would not normally gravitate to that don't need refrigeration and are quick and easy to cook...Simply be very careful when choosing items that need refrigeration, Getting sick on the trail sucks and can send you home!

Seafood lover? Check this out -- A favorite dinner for me that requires both pots is take a little olive oil, a packet/can (small) of crab meat (drained), a packet/can (small) of shrimp (drained), a small can of mixed veggies (drained) and sauté it up with lemon pepper, a couple of cloves of chopped, fresh garlic (or garlic powder) and salt...After that is sautéed, remove from heat and let sit, in the other pot boil up some some of your favorite pasta. I like angle hair simply because it's fast, but small shells works as well. Drain the pasta and stir it into the sautéed mixture, top with some Asiago cheese, fresh sliced tomatoes and Enjoy!

It really must suck to eat out of my trailer, eh?

“I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.” W. C. Fields