Supplies for BDR
Supplies for BDR
So I'm leaving in 3 weeks for a 1 week, 2,000 mile trip to the BDR trail. I was curious to y'alls thoughts on good spares, tools, and tips. I have a GAP tool (finally caved in), changed the oil last month, and have plenty of recovery gear. Now I also need to figure out meal planning. Last time I had a friend who took care of the food but he isn't joining me. I have an ARB fridge (midsized) and propane stove. Do y'all have any good recommendations for food prep, good recipes, and ways to save time while cooking? I'm still in college and eat dorm food, and when back I go to frozen meals or family leftovers, so little cooking experience. Should learn soon, but like most car projects I'll get to it one day.
Baja
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 5,013
Likes: 966
From: Green Bay, WI
For spares to remote areas, I tend to bring more that I could need really. I have a large Dewalt box and I try to dedicate just that box to spare supplies.
• Water pump• Alternator
• EAS compressor
Those three are really not required of course, but nonetheless they are critical items if they fail. If I took just one, it would be the alternator. Just last outing my friends LR3 suffered a sudden alternator death. Possibly caused by water crossings. Cleaning did not help. Luckily one was available an hour away, but it took several hours out of the day to get an install. Having one on hand would have been nice. The water pump - well if yours is new, I probably would not bring one. I only bring one now if there are multiple LR3s in the convoy to some place remote. Same for compressor. If yours is good, no worries then really. They tend to die a slow death anyway and the GAP tool can kinda force one to work.
• Coolant (concentrate to save space)
• Brake fluid
• 2 quart motor oil• Belts (there are two)
• Front upper ball joint
• Front lower ball joint
• Front sway bar link (just one)
• Rear sway bar link (just one)
• Thermostat (cheap and I actually keep one in the glove box all the time)
• Front wheel hub assembly
• Brake switch (like the thermostat, they are cheap and a bad one can really mess things up)
• Spare lamps - headlamp, brake lamps
I make sure I have a good bottle jack and compressor for tires. A tire repair kit is a must. A tool box, obviously. I have mine really slimmed down to the common/critical tools needed to do almost any repair.
Meals.... this is such a subjective area really. But here is a list of things I bring to make meals. I like shelf-stable stuff. Having a good pantry saves on cooler space.
• Add water and shake pancake mixes. These are cheap, small and just need water. One small container of the brand I buy make three nice pancakes. The large container is good for two people.
• Frozen breakfast sausages. I repackage in a zip-lock and let em thaw in the fridge. Good for many days.
• Honey... I drink tea and put honey in it, but honey is a great alternative to syrup for pancakes too. So for me, honey is a multipurpose item and saves space by not bringing both maple syrup AND honey.
• Burrito shells. These are nice to have since you can do almost anything with them. You can stuff them with breakfast items (eggs and such) or make a chicken salad wrap. Or if you have rice, sausages make a dinner wrap.
• Uncle Ben's ready rice. Already cooked, so just heat up good and mix with sausages, veggies, mushrooms, shred cheese, etc, etc... get creative. And like I said above, you can even make up a mix and toss em in a shell. But one packet is a lot for one person. So never add much to the rice unless serving two. I often take veggies and brown them up first in the cast iron to cook nice along with sliced up sausage - peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms and such - then add water and rice to steam up the rice good. Once ready, does not take long, I plate and sprinkle cheese on.
• Tomato soup & grilled cheese. I a not a fan of canned stuff. But bring some bread, cheese and make some grilled cheese to dip in tomato soup. It is a great meal, especially on cold nights. There is a garlic/herb spreadable butter that adds an extra touch to the sandwiches when grilling em.
• Hot dogs - easy campfire food. Quick to make, nothing special really.
• If you like burgers, pay more for already patties ones. I tend to use raw meats within the first three days of a trip though.
Above is just some basics. I have made stuffed pork chops and all sorts of fun things when cooking. With a fridge I have brought raw chicken and ground beef to make other stuff. But my LR3 also pretty much has a full kitchen onboard. Hell, I even have an espresso machine with me when I head out... LOL But do your best to reduce fridge load items and think of shelf stable stuff you can put in storage instead. Like you can get canned chicken if needed (not a fan tho). Salad greens are good for a couple days maybe I have found. And like the mentioned burrito shells and rice, try to think of items that can be used more than one way to keep things creative. And dont forget cookware. I like paper plates cause one can toss em in the fire.
• Water pump• Alternator
• EAS compressor
Those three are really not required of course, but nonetheless they are critical items if they fail. If I took just one, it would be the alternator. Just last outing my friends LR3 suffered a sudden alternator death. Possibly caused by water crossings. Cleaning did not help. Luckily one was available an hour away, but it took several hours out of the day to get an install. Having one on hand would have been nice. The water pump - well if yours is new, I probably would not bring one. I only bring one now if there are multiple LR3s in the convoy to some place remote. Same for compressor. If yours is good, no worries then really. They tend to die a slow death anyway and the GAP tool can kinda force one to work.
• Coolant (concentrate to save space)
• Brake fluid
• 2 quart motor oil• Belts (there are two)
• Front upper ball joint
• Front lower ball joint
• Front sway bar link (just one)
• Rear sway bar link (just one)
• Thermostat (cheap and I actually keep one in the glove box all the time)
• Front wheel hub assembly
• Brake switch (like the thermostat, they are cheap and a bad one can really mess things up)
• Spare lamps - headlamp, brake lamps
I make sure I have a good bottle jack and compressor for tires. A tire repair kit is a must. A tool box, obviously. I have mine really slimmed down to the common/critical tools needed to do almost any repair.
Meals.... this is such a subjective area really. But here is a list of things I bring to make meals. I like shelf-stable stuff. Having a good pantry saves on cooler space.
• Add water and shake pancake mixes. These are cheap, small and just need water. One small container of the brand I buy make three nice pancakes. The large container is good for two people.
• Frozen breakfast sausages. I repackage in a zip-lock and let em thaw in the fridge. Good for many days.
• Honey... I drink tea and put honey in it, but honey is a great alternative to syrup for pancakes too. So for me, honey is a multipurpose item and saves space by not bringing both maple syrup AND honey.
• Burrito shells. These are nice to have since you can do almost anything with them. You can stuff them with breakfast items (eggs and such) or make a chicken salad wrap. Or if you have rice, sausages make a dinner wrap.
• Uncle Ben's ready rice. Already cooked, so just heat up good and mix with sausages, veggies, mushrooms, shred cheese, etc, etc... get creative. And like I said above, you can even make up a mix and toss em in a shell. But one packet is a lot for one person. So never add much to the rice unless serving two. I often take veggies and brown them up first in the cast iron to cook nice along with sliced up sausage - peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms and such - then add water and rice to steam up the rice good. Once ready, does not take long, I plate and sprinkle cheese on.
• Tomato soup & grilled cheese. I a not a fan of canned stuff. But bring some bread, cheese and make some grilled cheese to dip in tomato soup. It is a great meal, especially on cold nights. There is a garlic/herb spreadable butter that adds an extra touch to the sandwiches when grilling em.
• Hot dogs - easy campfire food. Quick to make, nothing special really.
• If you like burgers, pay more for already patties ones. I tend to use raw meats within the first three days of a trip though.
Above is just some basics. I have made stuffed pork chops and all sorts of fun things when cooking. With a fridge I have brought raw chicken and ground beef to make other stuff. But my LR3 also pretty much has a full kitchen onboard. Hell, I even have an espresso machine with me when I head out... LOL But do your best to reduce fridge load items and think of shelf stable stuff you can put in storage instead. Like you can get canned chicken if needed (not a fan tho). Salad greens are good for a couple days maybe I have found. And like the mentioned burrito shells and rice, try to think of items that can be used more than one way to keep things creative. And dont forget cookware. I like paper plates cause one can toss em in the fire.
Camel Trophy
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 4,244
Likes: 482
From: North of Seattle
Here are my meal tips:
Get a large pizza of your choice the night before the trip. That $hit lasts forever. If it's cold enough out, I don't even refrigerate it. Next, I take tortillas and after making breakfast (say eggs, cheese, bacon/sausage in a scramble) I just make a burrito over what's left and wrap it up for lunch. Finally....steaks man. They are EASY and all the really require is salt, pepper and heat. You can even just bring a metal grate and cook them over your campfire. A couple of potatoes too....btw, which BDR are you doing?
I've done parts of OR and WA; pretty awesome.
Get a large pizza of your choice the night before the trip. That $hit lasts forever. If it's cold enough out, I don't even refrigerate it. Next, I take tortillas and after making breakfast (say eggs, cheese, bacon/sausage in a scramble) I just make a burrito over what's left and wrap it up for lunch. Finally....steaks man. They are EASY and all the really require is salt, pepper and heat. You can even just bring a metal grate and cook them over your campfire. A couple of potatoes too....btw, which BDR are you doing?
I've done parts of OR and WA; pretty awesome.
For spares to remote areas, I tend to bring more that I could need really. I have a large Dewalt box and I try to dedicate just that box to spare supplies.
• Water pump• Alternator
• EAS compressor
Those three are really not required of course, but nonetheless they are critical items if they fail. If I took just one, it would be the alternator. Just last outing my friends LR3 suffered a sudden alternator death. Possibly caused by water crossings. Cleaning did not help. Luckily one was available an hour away, but it took several hours out of the day to get an install. Having one on hand would have been nice. The water pump - well if yours is new, I probably would not bring one. I only bring one now if there are multiple LR3s in the convoy to some place remote. Same for compressor. If yours is good, no worries then really. They tend to die a slow death anyway and the GAP tool can kinda force one to work.
• Coolant (concentrate to save space)
• Brake fluid
• 2 quart motor oil• Belts (there are two)
• Front upper ball joint
• Front lower ball joint
• Front sway bar link (just one)
• Rear sway bar link (just one)
• Thermostat (cheap and I actually keep one in the glove box all the time)
• Front wheel hub assembly
• Brake switch (like the thermostat, they are cheap and a bad one can really mess things up)
• Spare lamps - headlamp, brake lamps
I make sure I have a good bottle jack and compressor for tires. A tire repair kit is a must. A tool box, obviously. I have mine really slimmed down to the common/critical tools needed to do almost any repair.
Meals.... this is such a subjective area really. But here is a list of things I bring to make meals. I like shelf-stable stuff. Having a good pantry saves on cooler space.
• Add water and shake pancake mixes. These are cheap, small and just need water. One small container of the brand I buy make three nice pancakes. The large container is good for two people.
• Frozen breakfast sausages. I repackage in a zip-lock and let em thaw in the fridge. Good for many days.
• Honey... I drink tea and put honey in it, but honey is a great alternative to syrup for pancakes too. So for me, honey is a multipurpose item and saves space by not bringing both maple syrup AND honey.
• Burrito shells. These are nice to have since you can do almost anything with them. You can stuff them with breakfast items (eggs and such) or make a chicken salad wrap. Or if you have rice, sausages make a dinner wrap.
• Uncle Ben's ready rice. Already cooked, so just heat up good and mix with sausages, veggies, mushrooms, shred cheese, etc, etc... get creative. And like I said above, you can even make up a mix and toss em in a shell. But one packet is a lot for one person. So never add much to the rice unless serving two. I often take veggies and brown them up first in the cast iron to cook nice along with sliced up sausage - peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms and such - then add water and rice to steam up the rice good. Once ready, does not take long, I plate and sprinkle cheese on.
• Tomato soup & grilled cheese. I a not a fan of canned stuff. But bring some bread, cheese and make some grilled cheese to dip in tomato soup. It is a great meal, especially on cold nights. There is a garlic/herb spreadable butter that adds an extra touch to the sandwiches when grilling em.
• Hot dogs - easy campfire food. Quick to make, nothing special really.
• If you like burgers, pay more for already patties ones. I tend to use raw meats within the first three days of a trip though.
Above is just some basics. I have made stuffed pork chops and all sorts of fun things when cooking. With a fridge I have brought raw chicken and ground beef to make other stuff. But my LR3 also pretty much has a full kitchen onboard. Hell, I even have an espresso machine with me when I head out... LOL But do your best to reduce fridge load items and think of shelf stable stuff you can put in storage instead. Like you can get canned chicken if needed (not a fan tho). Salad greens are good for a couple days maybe I have found. And like the mentioned burrito shells and rice, try to think of items that can be used more than one way to keep things creative. And dont forget cookware. I like paper plates cause one can toss em in the fire.
• Water pump• Alternator
• EAS compressor
Those three are really not required of course, but nonetheless they are critical items if they fail. If I took just one, it would be the alternator. Just last outing my friends LR3 suffered a sudden alternator death. Possibly caused by water crossings. Cleaning did not help. Luckily one was available an hour away, but it took several hours out of the day to get an install. Having one on hand would have been nice. The water pump - well if yours is new, I probably would not bring one. I only bring one now if there are multiple LR3s in the convoy to some place remote. Same for compressor. If yours is good, no worries then really. They tend to die a slow death anyway and the GAP tool can kinda force one to work.
• Coolant (concentrate to save space)
• Brake fluid
• 2 quart motor oil• Belts (there are two)
• Front upper ball joint
• Front lower ball joint
• Front sway bar link (just one)
• Rear sway bar link (just one)
• Thermostat (cheap and I actually keep one in the glove box all the time)
• Front wheel hub assembly
• Brake switch (like the thermostat, they are cheap and a bad one can really mess things up)
• Spare lamps - headlamp, brake lamps
I make sure I have a good bottle jack and compressor for tires. A tire repair kit is a must. A tool box, obviously. I have mine really slimmed down to the common/critical tools needed to do almost any repair.
Meals.... this is such a subjective area really. But here is a list of things I bring to make meals. I like shelf-stable stuff. Having a good pantry saves on cooler space.
• Add water and shake pancake mixes. These are cheap, small and just need water. One small container of the brand I buy make three nice pancakes. The large container is good for two people.
• Frozen breakfast sausages. I repackage in a zip-lock and let em thaw in the fridge. Good for many days.
• Honey... I drink tea and put honey in it, but honey is a great alternative to syrup for pancakes too. So for me, honey is a multipurpose item and saves space by not bringing both maple syrup AND honey.
• Burrito shells. These are nice to have since you can do almost anything with them. You can stuff them with breakfast items (eggs and such) or make a chicken salad wrap. Or if you have rice, sausages make a dinner wrap.
• Uncle Ben's ready rice. Already cooked, so just heat up good and mix with sausages, veggies, mushrooms, shred cheese, etc, etc... get creative. And like I said above, you can even make up a mix and toss em in a shell. But one packet is a lot for one person. So never add much to the rice unless serving two. I often take veggies and brown them up first in the cast iron to cook nice along with sliced up sausage - peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms and such - then add water and rice to steam up the rice good. Once ready, does not take long, I plate and sprinkle cheese on.
• Tomato soup & grilled cheese. I a not a fan of canned stuff. But bring some bread, cheese and make some grilled cheese to dip in tomato soup. It is a great meal, especially on cold nights. There is a garlic/herb spreadable butter that adds an extra touch to the sandwiches when grilling em.
• Hot dogs - easy campfire food. Quick to make, nothing special really.
• If you like burgers, pay more for already patties ones. I tend to use raw meats within the first three days of a trip though.
Above is just some basics. I have made stuffed pork chops and all sorts of fun things when cooking. With a fridge I have brought raw chicken and ground beef to make other stuff. But my LR3 also pretty much has a full kitchen onboard. Hell, I even have an espresso machine with me when I head out... LOL But do your best to reduce fridge load items and think of shelf stable stuff you can put in storage instead. Like you can get canned chicken if needed (not a fan tho). Salad greens are good for a couple days maybe I have found. And like the mentioned burrito shells and rice, try to think of items that can be used more than one way to keep things creative. And dont forget cookware. I like paper plates cause one can toss em in the fire.
I love the pancake idea! I was going to attempt bacon, eggs, and a burger night just as a nice treat after a long day. I visit Hollister Hills SRVA often and use sandwiches, but they get old fast, but haven't tried it with tomato soup! II work at a well known grocery store so I have access to plenty of cheap groceries (if you stick to your basics, and list). They have good salads that I could use the first night. I have 3-4 people including me so for day 1 I could use the salads. With the 3-4 people only I and one other will be driving, so I'm going to try and delicate some of the food prep to another. Another idea I had was to practice making the meals at home with the camping supplies to fine tune the tools and ingredients. I tend to forget the small details so hopefully this will help.
As far as extra tools, I'm one of 4 LR3s so I will coordinate with them for spares and maybe carrying 2-3 gallons of oil for the group.(there are 7 other vehicles)
Here are my meal tips:
Get a large pizza of your choice the night before the trip. That $hit lasts forever. If it's cold enough out, I don't even refrigerate it. Next, I take tortillas and after making breakfast (say eggs, cheese, bacon/sausage in a scramble) I just make a burrito over what's left and wrap it up for lunch. Finally....steaks man. They are EASY and all the really require is salt, pepper and heat. You can even just bring a metal grate and cook them over your campfire. A couple of potatoes too....btw, which BDR are you doing?
I've done parts of OR and WA; pretty awesome.
Get a large pizza of your choice the night before the trip. That $hit lasts forever. If it's cold enough out, I don't even refrigerate it. Next, I take tortillas and after making breakfast (say eggs, cheese, bacon/sausage in a scramble) I just make a burrito over what's left and wrap it up for lunch. Finally....steaks man. They are EASY and all the really require is salt, pepper and heat. You can even just bring a metal grate and cook them over your campfire. A couple of potatoes too....btw, which BDR are you doing?
I've done parts of OR and WA; pretty awesome.
Camel Trophy
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 4,244
Likes: 482
From: North of Seattle
The beauty of cooking steaks is that it's really easy but seems technical. Get a nice hot flame. Salt the steaks about 30 min prior to cooking (this is minimal time, since you're outside in summer. At home I'd recommend longer time for salt to soak in). Throw the steak onto your cooking surface (charcoal or propane fueled grill). After 3-4 minutes, flip it over (use tongs not a fork). After another 3-4 minutes, pull it off, season with black pepper and wrap in a foil "tent" for about 10 minutes. Voila....that is for a steak about 1.5" thick, cooked medium rare to rare.
The beauty of cooking steaks is that it's really easy but seems technical. Get a nice hot flame. Salt the steaks about 30 min prior to cooking (this is minimal time, since you're outside in summer. At home I'd recommend longer time for salt to soak in). Throw the steak onto your cooking surface (charcoal or propane fueled grill). After 3-4 minutes, flip it over (use tongs not a fork). After another 3-4 minutes, pull it off, season with black pepper and wrap in a foil "tent" for about 10 minutes. Voila....that is for a steak about 1.5" thick, cooked medium rare to rare.
. I'm debating between using my ARB as a fridge, or freezer. Fridge can hold more general things like meat, veggies, and hold drinks. On the other hand, having some frozen meals can make prep easy and even make an easy lunch. The frozen meals would be diverse, not just frozen pizza. I got ahold of a good quart of ice cream and some ice cream cones, and considering bringing that. The thing about camp cooking that I love is showing the creative ways and things you can cook.
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Feb 14, 2009 12:54 PM