The cook kit – pt 1

Mountain biking is hard work, hungry work, and after a day in the saddle being able to cook a hot meal and knock up a brew is simply essential. In the past I’ve used a big old bulky combination of a 900ml pan, a camping kettle, big gas stove etc Basically, cheapo camping kit that really didn’t lend itself well to the lightweight world of bike-packing. But things have changed! Over the winter I’ve picked up a few goodies that have helped me shed weight and space, but can still provide a decent meal for one, or a hot snack for two. The original cook kit wasn’t particularly heavy, but it was bulky and was one of the main reasons I had to use the rucksack. The new and improved cook kit all fits in to one of the AlpKit Stem cells, which is utterly brilliant.

Cook kit components

It all revolves around an AlpKit 650ml MytiMug. This titanium contraption is somewhere between a large mug and a small cooking pot, inside it I can fit my Vango ultralight gas stove, a back up lighter, a folding spork, some instant coffee sachets and a few sachets of salt and pepper, stolen from a motorway services, if memory serves. You can just make out some black bands at the top of the MytiMug, these are silicon wrist bands, you remember them? “Make poverty history”, “Make cancer history”, “Make wristbands history” etc. The thinking behind this is that titanium mugs get very, very hot while they’re on the stove which can result in basically setting fire to your lips whilst trying to drink your freshly made brew. These silicon bands stop that from happening. It also happens that these two silicon bands just happen to be in support of the mighty Opsreys! Which is nice.

Cook kit components nested inside the Mytimug

Anyway, back to the cook kit. So everything gets nested inside the MytiMug itself, which comes in a handy mesh bag, to help keep the lid on whilst riding. Also, by going for a slightly smaller gas can, I can get the MytiMug, with all it’s contents, and the gas can in to a single Stem Cell. As you can see from the pictures, it’s snug but if anything that helps stop it all from rattling around too much. The Stem Cells fit using simple velcro loops around the stem and handlebars of the bike.

Here’s a few more images to give you an idea of how it all fits together.

MytiMug, gas can and Stem Cell

Everything inside the Stem Cell