Trangia stoves

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mtbmarkymark
Posts: 8
Joined: 12 May 2012, 9:40am

My stove journey

Post by mtbmarkymark »

Hi Mary

I, like many others, started my camping life with the small Trangia 27. As i got older i "upgraded" to gas and petrol. However i've ended up back with meths. If i explain my thinking perhaps it will help you think about what your personal priorities are and you can make an informed decision.

My first upgrade was to a gas stove. I had a few different types. My first mounted the burner on top of the cartridge. It made the stove top heavy and i kept knocking it over when stirring porridge or rice. So i changed to the type where the canister is linked to the stove with a flexible tube. Much more stable.

In the end i found the sheer number of non refillable cartridges i was buying didn't sit well with my inner eco warrior. Plus you still have to carry the empty's when in the wilds. Added to this I found the lack of a universal gas canister fitting a pain. So you end up carrying a rather heavy adaptor. or you end up carrying a spare cartridge, it all gets a bit heavy.

So i upgraded to petrol. Much more fuel efficient than meths stoves and far quicker to boil water. However boiling water was about all it was good for as i could never get it to simmer. So fine if you are using dehydrated foods but useless for anything resembling proper cooking. Buying a litre of Petrol for your stove at a petrol station is always adventure and they tend to need much more cleaning than when using Coleman fuel ( an ultra pure petrol )

The final straw with petrol for me was when i nearly burn't the tent down due to flaring. When it is raining cats and dogs i like to cook sitting in the inner tent with the stove in the vestibule sheltered from the rain. Trangia's are great for this but don't do it with a petrol stove

So i'm back full circle with Meths. When cycle camping with my better half we use a Trangia 25. Stable, simmers okl, good for cooking real food. Great in bad weather or near the tent. It's only slow if all you are doing is boiling water. Some would say it's a bit heavy / bulky at around the 1 kg mark but we have 2 big pans, kettle, frypan etc. It is thirsty however...we use 250ml per day. i carry 750ml of meths and buy a 500 ml bottle every couple of days.

For my cycle touring on my own i've got a clikstand ( google it ) This is an ultra light / ultra compact meths burner setup and solves the size / weight issues. It can't cope with the larger pan sizes however but i love it

So as the old adage goes it's horses for courses. Hope this helps, Mark
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hubgearfreak
Posts: 8212
Joined: 7 Jan 2007, 4:14pm

Re: My stove journey

Post by hubgearfreak »

mtbmarkymark wrote:So i'm back full circle with Meths. When cycle camping with my better half we use a Trangia 25. Stable, simmers okl, good for cooking real food. Great in bad weather or near the tent. It's only slow if all you are doing is boiling water. Some would say it's a bit heavy / bulky at around the 1 kg mark but we have 2 big pans, kettle, frypan etc. It is thirsty however...we use 250ml per day.


you're right. additionally, all the advantages of quicker and lighter stoves are only an advantage if they're still working and you can find the fuel. if the 'better' stove fails for want of a washer or something, it's advantages are just academic at the end of a cold, wet & windy day. a trangia has no moving parts and will withstand some considerable neglect
theenglishman
Posts: 106
Joined: 10 Jun 2012, 5:01pm

Re: Trangia stoves

Post by theenglishman »

As all of my travelling these days is just me I've moved to a Jetboil. It's just so much better in every way to a Trangia.

I buy those 'Look what we found' meals and with a portion of rice get a tasty dinner in 10 minutes - all in the same pot. The foil bag meal heats while the rice is cooking. And in the morning it's porridge that's been soaking overnight and while that's cooling I boil a big mug of tea. The gas cannister lasts ages and is so much more convenient than meths/alcohol etc.

I'll never sell my Trangia, but it's had its day....
willem jongman
Posts: 2750
Joined: 7 Jan 2008, 4:16pm

Re: Trangia stoves

Post by willem jongman »

For that sort of "cooking" gas clearly is the way to go. And that sort of cooking is appropriate for a long weekend with ultralight gear. On a longer trip, for me at least, the story is different. I want fresh real food, and an easy supply of fuel. Which is where the Trangia comes into its own. Horses for courses,
Willem
rualexander
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Joined: 2 Jul 2007, 9:47pm
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Re: Trangia stoves

Post by rualexander »

theenglishman wrote:As all of my travelling these days is just me I've moved to a Jetboil. It's just so much better in every way to a Trangia.

I buy those 'Look what we found' meals and with a portion of rice get a tasty dinner in 10 minutes - all in the same pot. The foil bag meal heats while the rice is cooking. And in the morning it's porridge that's been soaking overnight and while that's cooling I boil a big mug of tea. The gas cannister lasts ages and is so much more convenient than meths/alcohol etc.

I'll never sell my Trangia, but it's had its day....


Their Chicken Korma is terrible, I wouldn't buy them again!
As a confirmed petrol burner for many years, I've changed to a Trangia the past couple of years and think they are great, certainly in europe where meths is easy to find and cheap.
mercurykev
Posts: 260
Joined: 6 Jan 2007, 7:05pm
Location: Musselburgh

Re: Trangia stoves

Post by mercurykev »

I've got a few Trangias (mini, 25, 27 and Swedish army) and recently my preference has been for either the 25 or 27 with the gas conversion. I find it gives all of the flexibility and stability of the Trangia but with the speed and control of gas. With the kettle you can have a cup of tea in 3 minutes but you can still pull together a decent meal using the other pans. It really is a great camp kitchen set up.
hamish
Posts: 501
Joined: 5 Mar 2008, 11:29pm

Re: Trangia stoves

Post by hamish »

I have tried all sorts of stoves and whilst the trangia does have its disadvantages, I think it is the best stove for most of my camping ( mainly cyle camping and sea kayaking). It is simple, reliable, wind proof, easy to use and stable.
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pedalsheep
Posts: 1324
Joined: 11 Aug 2009, 7:57pm

Re: Trangia stoves

Post by pedalsheep »

Just thought I'd post this pic of a group of Trangia enthusiasts enjoying a fry up and a brew on the Isle of Wight.

Sizzle 006 [640x480].JPG
'Why cycling for joy is not the most popular pastime on earth is still a mystery to me.'
Frank J Urry, Salute to Cycling, 1956.
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hubgearfreak
Posts: 8212
Joined: 7 Jan 2007, 4:14pm

Re: Trangia stoves

Post by hubgearfreak »

pedalsheep wrote:a group of Trangia enthusiasts


is the collective noun a 'simmer' of tangia enthusiasts?
Aushiker
Posts: 323
Joined: 26 Nov 2011, 9:29am
Location: Fremantle, Western Australia
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Re: Trangia stoves

Post by Aushiker »

Rifraf was playing with a Trangia in high winds. It resulted in this outcome:

Image

Image

Backstory at the Australian Cycling Forums.

Andrew
Tango
Posts: 62
Joined: 3 Jul 2012, 6:15am
Location: Preston Lancs

Re: Trangia stoves

Post by Tango »

Used my trangia for the first time over the last week and pasta bolognese was easy to de and delicious

What a fantastic bit of kit and fuel so easy to come by in France
One day you life will flash before your eyes
Make sure it's worth watching!
leftpoole
Posts: 1492
Joined: 12 Feb 2007, 9:31am
Location: Account closing 31st July '22

Re: Trangia stoves

Post by leftpoole »

Hello everyone (?),
I have just 'come across' this thread. Very interesting.
I have a variety of stoves, some very expensive Titanium multi fuel too.
However I use mini Trangia or standard size Trangia 99% of my trips! In fact I feel guilty if I even think about taking a different stove!
I have recently sold my standard Trangia and purchased a non stick, hard anodized model.
In use, superb.
I would not be without my Trangia.
A post resurrected!
Happy camping..........
John
SA_SA_SA
Posts: 2360
Joined: 31 Oct 2009, 1:46pm

Re: Trangia stoves

Post by SA_SA_SA »

Trangia had a competitor in the Optimus 81 Trapper:

it had an external simmer slider (From low to !00%) with no need for messing around with a simmer ring!
http://www.spiritburner.com/fusion/showgallery.php?fid/474/fp/1/
http://www.spiritburner.com/fusion/showtopic.php?tid/12341/pid//

I think it would be possible to make a (wick based) drop in burner for a trangia with a similar feature: eg could be controlled by a peg pulled/pushed/rotated thru one of the air intake holes......
A pity trangia felt no need to respond to the competition :(
------------You may not use this post in Cycle or other magazine ------ 8)
leftpoole
Posts: 1492
Joined: 12 Feb 2007, 9:31am
Location: Account closing 31st July '22

Re: Trangia stoves

Post by leftpoole »

mercurykev wrote:I've got a few Trangias (mini, 25, 27 and Swedish army) and recently my preference has been for either the 25 or 27 with the gas conversion. I find it gives all of the flexibility and stability of the Trangia but with the speed and control of gas. With the kettle you can have a cup of tea in 3 minutes but you can still pull together a decent meal using the other pans. It really is a great camp kitchen set up.


Hello,
I have a Gas kit for Trangia but do not know why I bought it! I think Gas stove fine but Trangia has got to be Meths.
I really must have had a bit of an odd day when I purchased the Gas kit.....
John
Sherpa
Posts: 6
Joined: 15 Sep 2014, 5:07pm

Re: Trangia stoves

Post by Sherpa »

Love my 36 year old Trangia 25, the best £13.75 I have ever spent. Got a kettle for it just a few years later at a cost of £12.50 & now with new none stick pans,fry pan, pan lid, strainer & gas conversion. Old pans and fry pan very badly pitted after 30 + years of use. Dread to think how much all that cost. Recently converted my Primus omni fuel to fit and that works a treat. Some of the opitmas ones work well in it too, but priming pan is very low and a long match or similar is needed to light it. Still have a meths burner somewhere, not used that in some time. The gas conversion is very good a lot better than meths imo. The primus conversion has yet to be used in anger and with the choice of Propane, petrol and paraffin there should never be an occasion of not having anything to burn.
Andy

P.S

admittedly not used cycle touring but that detail will soon be rectified.
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