Trangia stoves

[Vorpal]

Cooking on my ThermoPro is not much different than on a gas cooker, except that I just have one ring.

The flame is harder to see with propane-butane mix, so it is easy to get it too hot, but with a little practice, I've been able to cook some decent meals. I started easy--with beans and scrambled eggs for the kids--and worked my way up to some rather nice rice meals.

I find that one-pot meals are easiest, accompanied by whatever else is readily available (bread or fresh vegetables form the last town/village?).

The ThermoPro can be used with normal pans. I would imagine that with a little effort, one could find a fold-up camping pan set that the ThermoPro could be packed into.

whereas gas cylinders are a fixed size

You can get them water bottle-sized & people sometimes carry them in bottle cages. There are also bottle cages designed for carrying a couple of different sizes of gas canister (which actually come in several sizes).

[Aushiker]

Most of the time, it took about 15 - 20 minutes on the last meths stove I had. On windy days, it took longer & I gave up on cooking at all a couple of times.

That sounds pretty slow even for an alcohol stove. I am curious as to what stove system you where using that gave these results.

Andrew

[Vorpal]

Most of the time, it took about 15 - 20 minutes on the last meths stove I had. On windy days, it took longer & I gave up on cooking at all a couple of times.

That sounds pretty slow even for an alcohol stove. I am curious as to what stove system you where using that gave these results.

Andrew

The first time I bought a camping stove, it was for backpacking / long distance walking in the US. I just bought the cheapest thing off the shelves at the outfitter. I quickly realised my mistake, and for the next trip, I invested in a Sterno (US American brand) stove. I guess they are not as good as Trangia, but I used it with reasonable success for years. If Trangia existed, they weren't selling sotves in the USA, then. The choices were Sterno, Coleman, and some cheap imitations.

[hubgearfreak]

I invested in a Sterno (US American brand) stove.

that's nothing like a trangia

[Vorpal]

I invested in a Sterno (US American brand) stove.

that's nothing like a trangia

Sorry I'm sure I sound like an idiot, now. I don't know what the brand was. I pulled sterno out of the memory banks & didn't check it. The first stove I used for backpacking, etc. was a sterno thing.

I don't know now what brand I replaced it with, but it was a meths (or something very similar) stove that had two bowls that fit together; taken apart, they went bottom to bottom (don't know if I'm describing it well) to make the stove. I suspect that it wasn't as weather resistant as a Trangia. I don't know what other differences there might be.

edited to add...
I obviously shouldn't post on here when I should have been in bed asleep hours prior

I have gone around for years thinking sterno was a brand that was just also applied to those canned heat things that caterers use (and that the brand had become the name for them, like hoovers). Sterno was the first thing I tried; I couldn't do anything but heat stuff up with it, and sometimes not even that.

That said, sterno is basically meths in gel form; I suppose that's how I began the misconception.

Oh, and I did say that I had never used a Trangia. Just meths stoves. I never heard of Trangia until I came to the UK, though I guess they are now avialable in the US.

[hubgearfreak]

fair enough, but it's not really fair for trangia or those considering buying one to have reports of cheap american crap attributed to them

[Vorpal]

Fair enough criticising me for an error. I have corrected it.

However. I clearly stated that I had not used a Trangia stove & that I understood that those are better.

I have used a couple of other meths stoves; the big difference between the meths stoves and gas stoves I've used is how long it takes to cook stuff, or even boil water. Which is what I said.

[pedalsheep]

Vorpal wrote

pedalsheep wrote:
whereas gas cylinders are a fixed size

You can get them water bottle-sized & people sometimes carry them in bottle cages. There are also bottle cages designed for carrying a couple of different sizes of gas canister (which actually come in several sizes).

Gas cylinders do come in a variety of shapes and sizes but what I was meaning is that you can take very small amounts of meths eg 50ml in a small bottle if you only intend to use your trangia for the odd brew. You can't do that with gas.

[ikenbikeit]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Trangia-Stove ... 6fc2bfeaa5

Above is a really good offer for the larger Trangia 25 - you don't need a kettle, it takes less time boiling water in a pan. The pans are non stick and clean without detergent.
Always take the frying pan - it is the lid, cuts down boil times and you might want to fry something!
Don't be put off the Trangia by the GAS people, GAS people are noisy like their stoves are always in a hurry and always want to do 100 miles a day. Touring is about enjoying yourself.
You can buy meths in any small town and time does not matter on a camp site.
It only takes 8 mins for two cups of water and 3-4 with gas. Whats four minutes?
I have a small one! for myself and a big one when camping with friends.I love em

Oh the model number is 25 / 5

[LANDSURFER74]

GAS people ...?? ... i use my trangia with a cheap coleman gasburner and it is the best of all worlds ... after 32 years of use for everything from roadside cuppa's to cooking in snow holes i think i may actually know what i am talking about ....for a change

My Trangia is coming to the end of it's life due to corrosion ... i have deep pitting in one pan and the frying pan is holed ... it is really is just a lid these days ... but i will replace it in due course ... with another Trangia ... my grandson is my hill partner ...he wants another !!!

"Beans and sausages on the top Grandad" ... What could be better !!!

[hubgearfreak]

+1 what iken said

vorpal, the OP's started this thread to find out what stove might suit them. i was attempting to clarify the situation, not upset you. please accept my apologies if i have caused offence

[ikenbikeit]

Landsurfer - My entry was meant to be lighthearted -- as if you could classify people by the fuel they use! What a silly idea on my part.

There are no such people as GAS people.

What could be better than sausages and beans with grandson!

[hubgearfreak]

What could be better than sausages and beans with grandson!

beans and sausages cooked quitely?

[Aushiker]

What could be better than sausages and beans with grandson!

beans and sausages cooked quitely?

Love it

Andrew

[willem jongman]

The are pros and cons to all these stoves, and much depends on the conditions. Gas is quick, easy, light, and sometimes hard to get. I really hate wasting ages to find a cannister. In France, moreover, you are hard put to find the usual Lindall valve cannisters (but there are adapters). In the third world, a multifuel stove is usally your best bet, just as it is at really low temperatures. On the continent, meths is usually easiest to get. I like my Trangia 27 for solo trips. With small quantities to boil, the slower speed does not bother me that much. The good news is that you can simmer well, so cooking fresh food like chicken or fish is easy (try that on a Pocket Rocket gas stove). Also, it is great in heavy wind. For two, always use a Trangia 25. Cooking for two gets a bit more time consuming, so I sometimes take the multifuel burner for the Trangia as well. That makes for an infernally hot and fast stove. If and when you buy a Trangia, get the UL version. I also recommend the Hard Anodized version, at least for the cooking pots. For the frying pan there is the choice between non stick that wears and HA that is semi non stick, is lighter, and lasts much longer.
Willem