Reddit reviews Hawkins HA15L Classic Aluminum Pressure Cooker, 1.5-Liter

Here's a massive brain dump of ideas. I'm just typing everything I can think of that might inspire some ideas.

If you can post any cooking equipment and food you already have it would be easier to help make a plan. I'll share some of the techniques I used in the past and hope that it gives you some ideas that you can tweak to make it work for yourself.

When I knew I'd be camping on a budget I used to take my little pressure cooker. Here's one on Amazon that's very similar. I know I'm talking about spending money to save money so for this trip it might not be worth it but if you're going to be doing this frequently then I think it will be worth it.

It can cook dried beans in under 20 minutes. Something that usually requires hours of soaking and boiling. You can throw in other ingredients after the beans are done or in the beginning if you're not too picky about softness of veggies. I've used it over open flames, which is not recommended by the manufacturers, but you have to be careful not to let the fire get too big. A small hole in the ground with three nine-inch-nails and a small fire of twigs that you feed in to maintain an even amount of heat isn't too hard but it takes patience and attention. Using gas stoves might be required, depending on where you are, so a pressure cooker is going to still help you save on fuel costs but might not be helpful for beans.

You can also try to borrow a food dehydrator and make your own pre-prepared meals that will only require boiling water. Food can be dehydrated in your oven as well. Just set it at the very lowest temperature and use a thermometer to make sure it's not too hot. A lot of ovens don't keep a consistent temp so it's a bit tedious but can be done. Doing it once is what prompted me to buy the pressure cooker and dehydrator eventually.

Another option is to pack tortillas, peanut butter, raisins, sunflower seeds, and just eat that. I've done it for a few days in a row but didn't really price it out. That stuff is all pretty cheap and easy to carry.

Dumpster diving for food is also something I've done in the past but you really need to know where to look. Panera is a good place to dive because they will frequently throw away large amounts of baked goods at once so it's usually all in one bag and not touching anything really nasty. Find a restaurant at the end of the night and ask a cook who's outside smoking if they will set something out for you instead of throwing it away. There's a lot of waste and a lot of cooks feel guilty about doing that so it's not as hard as you might think.

One last thing to mention is that it's not hard to meet people who are willing to feed you. I've had people offer a place to stay, food, showers, and beer. If you know friends and family along the way then you're not going to have a hard time getting food offered. I'm not trying to say you should just beg for everything you need but a lot of times people are going to be interested enough in your adventure that they'll want to help out in some way. I always help travelers when I meet them because a few less tacos for me to hear about and be apart of their experience is worth it.

Look for the advrider camp/hosting threads and see if you can meet some people to stay with and post back here often to say where you are. I always want to meet people who are on long trips and would be willing to cook a meal or host a person for the night if they're not a weirdo.

Do you have an estimate for your costs per day for this trip? I usually plan on $50 a day and when I come close to $40 I start to think of what can be sacrificed in order to stay under budget. I tend to eat less food when I spend all day on a bike so meals might be the first thing I skip on.


Okay.. actual last thought. Eating on $3.50 is possible but is a lot harder while also considering cooking times, food storage, and cleanup. Trying to save money in other categories and not paying for food whenever possible might be the best idea.

I'm three beers in and binge watching Netflix so I know this isn't my best writing. :D Hope it helps, and I'm jealous for your trip. Hit me up if you're around Portland.


Edit: Dude, post details about the rest of your plans. Where are you starting, where are you ending, how are you getting there, where are you planning to sleep, how many miles per day are you aiming for, etc.

I have two Hawkins pressure cookers that is 15psi only, and I've not run into any problems with them regarding recipes. Most seem to be for 15psi.

I've had them a few years and have no problems with reliability, faults, etc.