When we landed in Mexico and began this journey back in 2017, we were in full vacation mode, drinking beers and eating tacos every day. After a few weeks, the novelties wore off, and we noticed how much our energy levels and immune systems were suffering. As much as we wanted it to be, it was not a very sustainable way to live. During the course of a day – breaking camp, riding all day, plus the various activities, and then setting up camp – vast amounts of calories are burned. Maintaining our personal health – by being well fueled and well rested – has been an essential part of making sure that we are be able to meet the challenges of every day.

When we packed for a short journey (from home), it was easy to stock up on calorie dense foods and healthy snacks. Playing around with our dehydrator was a hobby, so we’d always leave the house with an assortment of dehydrated and vacuum sealed meat and fruit. (See: How to Make Your Own Jerky, How to Make Your Own Fruit Leathers, Dehydrated Quinoa Chili Recipe) Now our food items consist of whatever we can find in a particular area. The local fare changes drastically from country to country, so we are constantly adapting to a new diet, while also trying to avoid dairy, processed food, and sugar. Not an easy feat while travelling Latin America. In more remote areas, fresh fruit and vegetables are limited or non-existent. Therefore, having a well equipped camp kitchen has been paramount in maintaining our health.

We have spent many years perfecting the art of “fine” dining while traveling on our motorcycle. Keeping the menu interesting, healthy, and within a reasonable budget is always our main focus. There are many factors we have had to consider in order to accomplish this, and like most things, it’s been a constant work in progress. Some have said that our kitchen is our luxury item on this journey. And, after meeting many other moto travellers now, we’ve become quite aware of that. It may be over the top for some, but I think we can all agree, that no matter what kind of camp cooking you do off your motorcycle, it’s essential that the items are durable, versatile, compact, and light weight. All of the items we carry have this in common.

We have experimented with many camp kitchen items to find what worked with our cooking style and space limitations. Our top case is designated as our kitchen. Just like at home, everything has its spot. It all packs together snug which stops shifting and prevents damage to our gear. We have made a few changes since we left Canada (See original post: Motorcycle Camp Kitchen).

First and foremost, we needed a compact, lightweight stove. The MSR WhisperLite Universal Canister and Liquid Fuel Stove is our first choice for motorcycle trips. It has the advantage of multi-fuel capability, which is a crucial feature. You can burn butane/propane canisters, white gas, kerosene or unleaded gasoline. We have found that the canisters can be hard to find in remote locations (and expensive), and carrying multiple is not an option. Gasoline is our first fuel choice. We never have concern of running out of fuel when we can simply borrow a little gas from the bike. We also carry the MSR Maintenance Kit.

We have built our very own personalized GSI camp kitchen with the few setups that we’ve tried over the years. It includes:

• • GSI Bugaboo Base Camper – SMALL – Brendon has a huge appetite and we quickly realized that one pot just wouldn’t cut it. Two pots also makes cooking easier, and the menu options greater.
  • GSI Crossover Kitchen Kit – with a few tweaks. Ours includes the compact scraper, pack grater, folding spatula, pivot tongs, and pivot serving spoon.
  • Leatherman Wave Multi-Tool – A great took for all sorts of things. The can opener and scissors come in handy in the kitchen department.
  • GSI Santoku 6″ Chef Knife
  • GSI UltraLight Cutting Board – Sometimes a cutting board is our only table, so we don’t love how flimsy this one is. Next time, we’ll get the regular cutting board.
  • 2 x GSI Halulite Cutlery Set – We store these in the crossover kitchen tote.
  • 2 x GSI Infinity Bowl
  • 2 x GSI Infinity Plate
  • 2 x GSI Collapsible Fairshare – Great for food storage. Sometimes we cook extra for dinner and put it in these for a quick and easy lunch on the road for the next day. These have been one of our unexpected most used items.
  • 2 x GSI Commuter JavaPress – These mugs came at the end of a long road of camp coffee trial and error. These mugs make a great cup of coffee (or loose leaf tea) without any added equipment. However, we mostly drink instant coffee nowadays.
  • GSI Outdoors Wine Gift Set – Minus the two collapsible wine glasses. We enjoy a glass of wine or two every now and again, and carrying a bottle can be inconvenient. We drink mostly boxes of wine now so Brendon repurposed this wine carafe into fork seal boots.

No one likes to do dishes, but it’s a fact of life at home and on the road. We keep the job simple with a Sea to Summit Towel, GSI Camp Dish Cloth, and Sierra Dawn Campsuds. We use one pot for soapy water, and the other for rinsing.

When it comes to food, we usually carry a 1-3 day supply depending on our travel plans. We can only carry a few condiments at a time, and rotate them as there is not enough room for everything. One week it might be PB and jam, the next might be mustard and mayo. However, there are a few essentials that we always have on hand. If we have a choice, it’s coconut oil, hot sauce, and real maple syrup. Now that we are in Latin America we’ve had to modify this to: butter or olive oil, cayenne pepper, and honey. For dry items, we usually have rice, quinoa or pasta, oatmeal, dry pancake mix, dry soup, tea, coffee, and  an assortment of spices. Our spice kit is the most integral part of creating unique and flavorful meals. It consists of salt, pepper, chili powder, red pepper flakes, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, curry powder, oregano, steak spice, cinnamon. We store these in Reclosable Ziplock Bags, inside our pot set and the rest of the dry items are stored in a zippered cloth pouch. We also carry a small (similar to this > ) Soft Cooler – however, nothing stays cold or frozen for too long as ice isn’t in the picture.

Water is the most valuable resource you can have, but carrying enough for even a single hot day is not an option. On average a person needs 3-4 litres a day. When driving in the heat on a motorcycle this amount can double. 

We try our best to avoid buying bottled water whenever we can. Occasionally, we can find water at gas stations, campgrounds, or restaurants. But usually, we get it ourselves from lakes, rivers or creeks. We use an MSR HyperFlow Microfilter. For the more questionable water sources, we also use a SteriPEN, a UV water purifying device, after we filter it. We also carry Aquatabs.

We have the capacity to carry 4.5 litres at a time. We use a 2L camel pack – something like this Hydration Pack – which Brendon wears for quick and easy hydration on-the-go. We also have two GSI Microlite 1000 Twists and a GSI MicroLite 720 Flip. Switching from the Nalgene bottle to insulated bottles was one of the best decisions we ever made. Nothing brings up the morale like cold water on a hot day, or a hot beverage on a cold one.

Last but not least, we keep our grocery bags to pack the garbage out. We always leave our camping spot cleaner than when we arrived. It is everyone’s responsibility to help keep our planet clean and healthy.

**Please Note: The only brand we are affiliated with is GSI Outdoors. Brendon and I are ambassadors, but have been using GSI Outdoors products for years before we became one. We truly love their products and stand behind them 100%. We wouldn’t recommend the products if we didn’t love them and use them ourselves. If there is a product that we use and don’t love, we provide an honest product review regardless of their sponsorship.