Trangia stoves

[Mike Sales]

I used to use an Optimus petrol stove. It added a certain frisson to cooking. Touring in France I used to stop in filling stations for a refill of my litre bottle.

"De l'essence s'il vous plait."
"De l'essence. Dans cela?"
"Oui, pour la cuisine."

Probably I was written off as an Anglais fou.

Cheap to run, but I would not recommend it. Not very easy to regulate the heat, though it had plenty of power. Once I was sitting in the tent doorway cooking when it went out from lack of fuel, as I thought. I opened the filler cap to refill. There was still some vapour in the tank, and it was not quite out. It flared up between my legs. From this awkward position I managed to kick it some yards.
Please forgive my French.

[hubgearfreak]

sitting in a tent doorway with a petrol stove eh?
an i thought i was wreckless

[Edwards]

There is a control knob on the side of the burner..... fairly obvious ..... your turn .....

I've been cooking like this for years ... no bomb ...no problem ..... my actual, practicle experiance versus .......what exactly ???????

Please note I have not said about a bomb as I am interested, that is the reason for the questions.

C- for my one about the control. What I would like to know is how do you get your hand to the control knob?

Also have you ever thought about some sort of heat shield to go around the burner? This would also ensure that the gas jet was not inside the top windshield thus using non heated air.

[LANDSURFER74]

APOLOGIES EDWARDS,,,

i set the temp to near full and when things boil lift off pan and turn down heat.... even with my large hands (size 10) i have no problem.
heat control with the meths burner is fairly random at the best of times. I must say i was perfectly happy for many years with the meths burner..... but once you get a leak into your rucksack of meths it looses its attraction

[Edwards]

but once you get a leak into your rucksack of meths it looses its attraction

I know that feeling and it ruined what should have been a great trip.

Thank you for the info.

[hubgearfreak]

heat control with the meths burner is fairly random at the best of times.

very, very true

[MikewsMITH2]

My Dad would always keep a meths stove in the boot of the car, in a large biscuit tin along with a camping kettle filled with water, a supply of tea and a tin of carnation milk. In this way he could stop for a cuppa whenever and wherever he wanted. Back in the 60's there was nothing open on a Sunday.

My parents idea of a picnic was to grab the loaf out of the bread bin, the the marge from the fridge and a tin of salmon and a tin of fruit salad from the larder. This would all be placed in the washing up bowl along with crockery cutlery and a teatowel. The whole lot would be wrapped in a tablecloth and placed in the boot of the car. The sandwiches etc would be prepared at the picnic site.

I am still surprised now when a salmon sandwich doesn't taste of meths!

[psychling24]

I lived for a while in Canada. there weren't any Trangia stoves. most people used canned heat (sterno, or a couple of proprietary versions that are a little better), or liquid fuel. The easiest liquid fuel was denatured alcohol which you could get in any chemist. Pour some in an empty tin and put a little grill over it and you have a stove.

Canned heat isn't that bad. It's less likely to leak than meths, but it takes perhaps 50% longer to heat stuff & you can't really depend on cooking with it.

A mate of mine spilled the alcohol in his panniers, then accidently kicked over the tin can stove. quick end to his tour. no damage other than clothes and panniers. it goes out quickly, but not before burning the bottom of the pannier that had alcohol spilt in.

[pjclinch]

my Trangia is so old it doesn't have the hole for the gas hose.

So is mine...

But it's not hard to rectify that. I cut a small slot in the base with a hack-saw, which isn't as neat as the "official hole" but does the job fine.

I'm using the "official" gas conversion, which is one of those things like a Brompton Bag: if you look at material for your money it's a lot to pay, but if you look at how well it works you forget the cost after a fairly short while. There's a Go Systems version which is pretty similar for £30, still not cheap but not a fortune. I'd sooner pay that than have no access to simmer control without taking the pot off...

Pete.

[MikewsMITH2]

Can you still get those cheap meths stoves that were just a burner placed inside a circular tin
like a small Quality Street tin except it was pierced with fancy cutouts for ventilation? You just dropped in a match and placed your kettle or frying pan on top. They used to be available in any hardware or camping shop for a couple of quid. They did rust eventually, but were cheap enough to be almost disposable, like a modern disposable BBQ.

[rapidfire72]

I have the Trangia Mini and found it is pretty basic at that, but it is a ideal week-end stove, weighing nothing at all and compact. I have used it a few times and probably take it on my 4 day coast to coast trip next year.

[rapidfire72]

I'm using the "official" gas conversion, which is one of those things like a Brompton Bag: if you look at material for your money it's a lot to pay, but if you look at how well it works you forget the cost after a fairly short while.

Pete.

I have the official gas conversion, well worth the money invested and these stoves are made by Primus.

[ikenbikeit]

I went to Liverpool Blacks and they have an official Trangia gas burner for 30 pounds minus 25%. There is
only one left as this so- called meths fan bought the other one, to see what it was like.
Pretty fast.
I am ashamed to say I may be turning into a GAS PERSON!

[LANDSURFER74]

Sunday was another 4 hours in the White peak ..and beans and sausages on the top for grandad and connor ...and still no exploding coleman stove ....result!!! Trangia / coleman good ....

[andrew_s]

Since it's not been mentioned yet...

Meths will eventually corrode its way through an aluminium bottle, such as the silver Sigg fuel bottles. Coloured Sigg bottles are generally lacquered inside to prevent the aluminium tainting drinks and are OK so long as the lacquer remains undamaged.

A Trangia burner kept long term inside an aluminium pan or kettle will corrode the pan. This is why the burners come in a small plastic bag.