Food and drink on a winter photography trip
Food and drink on a winter photography trip



Since I have been asked this from time to time, this time I thought of writing down what I would take with me on my winter photo trips for food and drink. Also what are the technical aids for cooking and eating.

Drink

I started with the drink first. As these are winter photo trips, I do not take a cold drink with me.

I take a total of three thermoses with me on one-day photo trips. One has hot tea that I carry with me in the photo bag, the other has hot tea that usually stays in the car, so called. as a reserve. The third thermos has hot water for cooking. I usually take it with me in a photo bag. However, if you plan to eat after the hike in the car, you will not take this thermos with you.

As already mentioned, I have thermoses 3:

1. Thermos 470 ml. It is a stainless steel thermos. Keeps the drink hot all winter day, does not leak, is durable and the right size.

2. Esbit 500 ml thermos. It’s a spare thermo that I don’t usually put in my backpack. Keeps the drink warm quite well. The problem is some leakage. The seal does not pass directly, but when the thermos is opened, the drink probably gets caught between the thread and therefore it starts to seep out of it somehow. The spare thermos fits well.

3. Xiaomi Mijia 460 ml.The third thermos is a Xiaomi Mijia thermos, which I once ordered from AliExpress. The capacity of the thermos is 460 ml. This thermos keeps the drink well warm. It is easy and comfortable to take with you. In this thermos, I usually keep warm water that I can use to cook. In winter weather, it is important that the water in the backpack does not freeze. 460 milliliters is enough for one person, because I have a separate drink with me.



Cooking accessories

For my winter photo trips, I usually take food with me, which can be prepared simply by adding hot water. To make hot water, I have a gas can (usually 110 gr), a gas hob, a gas can, a kettle, a lighter (piezo lighter), wind protection and cutlery. In addition, food and water.

Now these accessories in turn.

1. Gas can. To keep my photo bag as light as possible, I use a small gas can. 110 grams is enough. My choice has been the MSR IsoPro 2 gas can. Works well even in very cold weather.

2. Gas travel stove. My choice is MSR PocketRocket 2. It is a very small and light camping stove. Weighs only 73 grams.

3. Gas can leg. The foot of the gas can is to keep the camping stove firmly on the ground. Since the whole frame gets pretty high in the end, I’ve got a leg to keep the whole camping tower safe. It is a production of MSR company.

 

4. Camping utensils. My choice is GSI Outdoors Halulite Minimal travel. It is a light hiking dish for one person. It is easy to carry and durable. This set also comes with a spork (fork-spoon), but I haven’t used it.

5. Lighter. I always have 2 lighters with me. One is a standard lighter, the other is an piezo igniter from MSR. I usually use a piezo lighter, the lighter comes with a spare.



6. Wind protection. The windshield is still there to protect the hob from the wind so that the fire does not go out. In addition, it helps to protect the dishes on the hob from being excessively cooled by the wind. I ordered my windshield from AliExpress.

7. Cutlery. For cutlery (spoon, fork and knife) I have a GSI Outdoors stainless steel set. I also got a small bag from AliExpress to put these cutlery in.

The amount of water I need to cook can be boiled with this system in about 3 minutes. I pour water on the food and after 5-8 minutes you can start eating. In total, it takes about 10 minutes to prepare the meal.

 

Food

Of the meals, I have tried Adventure Food dishes. I didn’t like some of them at all, while some were quite good. A matter of taste as they say. The plan is to try out the production of the domestic manufacturer Tactical Solutions in the near future. These are quite expensive foods, but also quite nutritious. There is a lot of food for a short hike, but if you are still cold somewhere all day, the amount is good.

If I go somewhere shorter, I have taken the ready-made food inside the Knorr cups.

All these dishes are easy to prepare, just pour warm water and let stand.

I always have some muesli bars in my bag that can be chewed if needed. The only concern with them is that with a good cold, they still harden quite well and eating them is not an easy task.



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