HendersonD

Everyone who tours ends up eating cold or hot food at the campsite along with stopping at restaurants. The fact that it is cold food does not necessarily make it less calorie laden (thus a calorie deficit) than hot food. It all depends on what is purchased at the store as you roll through the miles. You can certainly eat the proper quantity and get the proper nutrition with a combination of cold food and restaurants if you pay attention
I do agree that paying close attention to electrolytes is important. I will us a combination of electrolyte tablets and sports drinks

Charles Lathe

I am also a retired guy (68) and I rode most of the TransAmerica Trail earlier this year — from home in North Carolina, I rode north to Troutdale, Virginia and followed the Trail from there to Astoria, Oregon. Then I rode on up to Olympia, Washington. Because I needed to be in Washington in early July, I left home quit early in the season. I met very few riders until Lolo Pass on the Montana-Oregon border and those I met were almost all solo riders. On Lolo Pass I encountered the TransAm racers headed east and after them I began meeting east bound touring riders more frequently. Again I met a lot of solo riders and those who were traveling in a group were mostly in groups of two. Four times there were other riders where I camped, twice there were other riders at churches I stayed at, and once there were other riders at a hostel I stayed at. I really enjoyed the evenings with other riders to talk to.

Riding with a group of thirteen and having someone working out the logistics of the trip for you would be a very different experience than going solo. I suspect some people would enjoy both kinds of trips and others would be happier doing one or the other, but not both. A lot of the people I met were surprised that I was riding alone, but, as I say, I met a lot of solo riders; and a couple of them had started out in a group.

I carried a stove and pot and would do that again. I only ate at restaurants about a dozen times. The route is mostly rural in nature and often skirts the edges of the bigger towns. I didn’t have a cell phone on the trip — big mistake, but if I had, I likely would have been able to find more restaurants. Even so, finding restaurants at meal times would be tough. Some days I passed one or no gas stations with food and some of the camping spots would have been long after passing a chance for dinner and long before a chance for breakfast. I have been off caffeine for a few years and that makes travel and camping easier, but if you are addicted, good luck without a stove.

I don’t think I can help with the solo or group decision, but I feel strongly about taking a stove. It is a long trip and having a good dinner and breakfast every day will go a long way toward making the trip more reasonable.

djb

while the ready to eat and restaurant thing is something that I do a lot, I am someone who just really likes a hot drink in the morning, especially if its cold, so I never regret taking my tiny Trangia nestled into a small aluminum pot (now nestled in a titanium large mug/ small pot / kettle with a lid thing. )
Especially now using this mug/pot/kettle thing with fold out handles and a lid with a handle, the size and weight is so little, even with some fuel in some sort of bottle, it's just so versatile to have it for a hot drink, or if really needed, to heat up some sort of basic food.

my wife and I rode across France about 4 years ago, and used it for coffee/tea regularly (every morning really) but only used it to heat up food once or twice just because where we camped those days there were no stores nearby and we always had backup meal stuff with us-pasta, a can of tuna or whatever.

while its great to reduce stuff, there are sometimes things that are worth carrying, especially on a long trip--but whatever works for you is the only real factor here.

mev

While I have carry a stove sometimes, I am one of those who likely wouldn't have a stove on a Transamerica type ride.

For me the issue is less one of weight as the stove I have used is light (https://www.amazon.com/ZLYi-Ultra-li...dp/B08YJ243W6/) and not much more weight/room with a titanium pot and an ISO butane cartridge.

Instead I found when I have the stove, I haven't used it much. I the mornings, my preference is more to getting going early and taking advantage of quiet and cool morning riding than wanting a hot drink. Towards end of the day, I am more inclined to stop somewhere to get something to eat (cooked or no-cook). Even crossing a longer gap of two or three days, I can get by pretty well with no-cook foods. I discovered this a while ago when I was cycling the Dempster Highway in northern YT and the first point of civilization was the Eagle Plains Hotel on the third day. I carried food for more than a week, including many no-cook items and the first few evenings had places with quite a few mosquitoes - which made me less exciting about getting out and cooking. So I ate my no-cook food instead.

I have used the lightweight stove/pot in some overnight trips I started doing with neighbors each spring and fall during the pandemic. We'd go to a not far away Texas State park (there are four within 50 miles), I would cycle and they would drive. We'd have an outdoors and distanced evening with campfire, food and then some would go home and others would stay overnight. In the morning it would be anti-social of me to leave too early, so I would use my stove to heat water for tea, oatmeal, etc.

I have also used that stove as an option on some trips, but most often I leave it at home. When I fly, I also have to find iso-butane cartridges (instead of say a multi-fuel stove). Depending on the location that can be easier or harder. For example, I was successful in using Amazon to order ISO-butane cartridges to arrive "general delivery" in Prudhoe Bay Alaska, but that post office told me they were not a valid general delivery station and were about to send them back. Overseas it has varied between countries which ones have these cartridges. However, in general in US or Canada, they haven't been hard to find, e.g. even Walmart seems to carry them here in Austin.

GhostRider62

I'd make sure I had the RIDEWITHGPS trans am file with services listed on it. The stretch from Dubois down to Rawlins, Wy is a little sparse in services as is from Pueblo somewhere into Kansas. I rarely went 30-40 miles between places to get food of some sort. My isobutane stove with cannister and a titanium container is only 10 oz and dehydrated coffee weighs nothing. The little charbucks Via instant coffee is almost drinkable. I did meet someone who had a titanium french press for making coffee in the morning, that would be worth it!!!

Tourist in MSN

I saw one of those on sale about a decade ago, made by Snow Peak. Thought about it for half a minute, decided that it would be too easy to dent and a dented French press might not work so well, could make getting the plunger past the dent troublesome.

I bought one of these recently, have not tried it yet. Use with paper filters.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09X47BMVN

That said, when I get right down to packing food, I usually just grab instant.

indyfabz

Sorry. Late to the game. I was “detained.” My first tour was ACA’s unsupported Northern Tier tour. I chose it because I had 0 unsupported touring experience and 0 camping experience. The first day of the trip was only the second time I had ridden a fully-loaded bike. (I was an experienced roadie and had done a couple of weeklong supported trips with indoor stays.) The first night was the first time I ever slept in a tent.

Going with a group of strangers had its pluses and minuses. One plus in the economy of scale. A minus is a relatively regimented schedule and taking turns shopping, cooking and washing group cooking gear. Personally, I learned a lot about things like cooking and camping. But there were two people in our group who the rest of us could have done without. If you decide to go the group route, my best advice is to not let people like that ruin your good time.

And unless things have changed since’99, you can take a couple of side trips from ACA tours on your own and on your dime. You can also join the group for a week, but not permanently, if you are not a registered participant. (You have to kick in $.) We actually had a solo guy do that.

PM me if you want details.