In preparation for my forthcoming travels, I decided to run through my gear requirements. The two main items I need to deal with are: 1. TENT (more on this next time) and 2. KITCHEN... in particular the stove!
Last year we relied on Dave's new Optimus Nova. A wicked multifuel stove that can run on alcohol, kerosene, diesel (not recommended!), jet fuel and so on... Worked really well for us, I think we only had to fill the 1L canister in petrol stations twice. This in itself was an event as we got some funny looks when trying to pay the 1 euro we owed at the till.
So the dilemma this year is that I'm going solo in the Portugal tour (much to my mum's disapproval)... and because I get high on DIY, I decided to build my own stove!
At first I had a go at a penny stove. An alcohol fuelled stove which can be made out of a coke can (depending on the design). I have to say I failed quite miserably at my first and last build. But then I decided that I would prefer to use wood as the fuel (since in theory I won't have to carry the fuel with me!). That's when I found several designs of hobo stoves and decided to have a crack at it. So... 1 tin can of pineapple slices + knife and BAM! I present to you...
My first (compact) hobo stove!!
Sleek AND stylish!
This is a really simple piece of kit you can make and it weighs next to nothing! Cut some holes (triangles) around the bottom of the can - air gets sucked in through these vents thus creating an upwards draft. Do the same along the top so that it doesn't choke when you put a pan on top. Then cut a rectangle where you can feed wood in. I found a little grill in my kitchen cupboard that fits on the top of the can quite neatly but you can just as well get a wire coat hanger and cut bars to make a grill by threading them through the holes!
I say wood, this stove basically works on twigs or any small bits of wood you can find... Then with just a bit of kindling (bits of paper are easy to find along the rode when riding) and a spark you can get a fire going!
I went for a ride today (beautiful day) and went to the beach to pick up a bag full of drift wood (twigs)... When I got back home I had a crack at it and was surprised. I cooked a bowl of pasta in about 10 minutes. And I only used a handful of twigs!
My first meal! Mmm pasta!
It's quite a neat bit of kit if you just want to get a little fire going to warm up. Also if you place it on top of rocks when cooking, these will heat up and you can use them to warm your hands in a cold night!
The drawbacks with this thing is that if it rains during the day it'll be a bit of a mission to find dry wood! Not impossible though if you know where to look... In this case a small alcohol stove is quite useful as a backup and you can use the tin as a windshield.
But you'll always find excuses for backups!
Peace on you ;)
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