Cycling UK Forum

Hi guys

I know the whole which stove topic has seen a lot of use, however, I was wondering what people's thoughts were on the stove to use when venturing outside of Europe. Essentially, I really like trangias, however, I'm planning on cycling out of Europe and into Asia and feel the trangia and its limited fuel use will restrict me and potentially cause problems. Are multi-fuel stoves the way to go when cycling that far afield on both ease of use and price? I'm counting out gas canisters as their availability greatly decreases once outside of Europe and if they are available I imagine they will be pretty expensive. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Cheers

My usual contribution (do a search!) is that you'll never be far from a source of petrol so why faff about with contaminated third world kerosene. I strongly recommend to you the trangia of petrol stoves, the Svea 123. Basically it's bombproof - no filter to clog no fuel line to snag no pump to cause difficulties. It self-pressurises and as a wick draws the fuel up to the burner, contaminated fuel isn't a big issue. Ditch the "saucepan" and the weight isn't as bad as the headline figure. To prime it I heat the base with a pocket rocket that converts a normal lighter to a jet lighter but you can use a dropper bottle of something or (apparently) warm it with your hands. Someone will be along soon to post that if you put petrol in a Svea your arms will fall off but I only ever used petrol in mine and have never had a problem.

I don't know what the availability of spirit for Trangias or similar is beyond Europe, so no comment on that.

A mullti-fuel stove is probably the safest bet for being sure: they pretty much all burn petrol so if there are cars you can get fuel. Note that not so many run on diesel, which needs a hotter burn, so if you want to be sure you can work it when there's nothing but trucks do check on whether your Weapon Of Choice does that. Running on diesel, or even paraffin, generally benefits from alternative priming fuels as they burn very poorly until they're really going. You might want to consider an alternative priming fuel for petrol use too, as it can be a little... spectacular! A wee squirt bottle of meths is good for priming, though obviously you may end up with the same issue as Trangia fuel availability. Having said that, priming doesn't use much so you can eke out a supply for much longer. Similarly priming paste should work well, but you may not get everywhere, but if you've got something that burns easily you're there.

Note that automotive petrol is usually packed with all sorts of extras to make modern cars run better, but which tend to clog up stoves. So if running in petrol use "white gas" or Coleman Fuel or similar if possible, or be prepared to do a fair bit of cleaning. Some multi-fuels will do gas cartridges, which might be a bonus when you can get them as it means no faffing with smelly fuel.

If you get a pressure stove do practice a fair bit before using them in anger. IME the first attempts at priming are not pretty, but an experienced user can get them going with a minimum of fuss and flare. Once they're going they're okay, but the priming does have potential for interesting fireballs...

Pete.

Primus omnifuel's are the least hassle. I've had mine 8 years and it's still good and with me now. Bought an MSR and it burnt dirtier and needed cleaning more often.
The omnifuel will also run in gas cartridges if you want it to. It costs more but it's worth it.

Gary
www.longbikeride.co.uk

I've taken a trangia to China before, now I'm not going to say it was easy to get a hold of suitable fuel for it but it can be done. I was able to speak with trangia direct and had them email me a list of the correct spellings etc for the right fuels for the right areas, some parts have a different word for it. This was a number of years ago so cant be more helpful than that. But if you wanted too the trangia could work, just dont expect it to be an easy task to obtain though.

Medic101 wrote:I was able to speak with trangia direct and had them email me a list of the correct spellings etc for the right fuels for the right areas, some parts have a different word for it. This was a number of years ago so cant be more helpful than that.

It is probably this list (PDF, linked from this page), or a forerunner of it.

Rick.

Full marks Medic101 you are a true believer. Much as I love my trangia, you can have problems sourcing meths in the wilds of Scotland sometimes let alone more exotic places...

Has anyone ever used the little Trangia style homemade stoves made out of old coke cans?

hotsauce wrote:Has anyone ever used the little Trangia style homemade stoves made out of old coke cans?

I've had a go, but didn't persevere.
Obviously, there are many different designs, so this is a bit generic, but...
The heat output is (or can be) similar to that of a Trangia burner, but they often won't go so long between fills.
You don't have the Trangia windshield, so you've got to add in a potstand and a decent windshield. Don't skip the latter as it doesn't take much of a breeze before you can't boil a brew on a fill.
They aren't that strong, and it's not that difficult to squash one by ramming stuff into the pannier on top of it, or with an incautious foot.
IMO, they are best suited to a solo weekend trip, where luggage is being kept to a minimum.
It could be handy to know how to make one, in case your proper stove gets confiscated by airport security.

Best of both worlds, take the Trangia and use meths when available, then stick the multifuel burner in when you can only get petrol etc. Slightly more weight to carry but no big deal on a long tour.
http://www.trangia.se/english/2941.news ... angia.html

hufty wrote:Full marks Medic101 you are a true believer. Much as I love my trangia, you can have problems sourcing meths in the wilds of Scotland sometimes let alone more exotic places...

There's a reason they don't sell meths in Scotland

hufty wrote:My usual contribution (do a search!) is that you'll never be far from a source of petrol so why faff about with contaminated third world kerosene. I strongly recommend to you the trangia of petrol stoves, the Svea 123. Basically it's bombproof - no filter to clog no fuel line to snag no pump to cause difficulties. It self-pressurises and as a wick draws the fuel up to the burner, contaminated fuel isn't a big issue. Ditch the "saucepan" and the weight isn't as bad as the headline figure. To prime it I heat the base with a pocket rocket that converts a normal lighter to a jet lighter but you can use a dropper bottle of something or (apparently) warm it with your hands. Someone will be along soon to post that if you put petrol in a Svea your arms will fall off but I only ever used petrol in mine and have never had a problem.

Gosh - just followed that link and saw that the stove Grandfather left me is identical to the old Brass one in the article - it was the one he used when he was in the trenches (Somme etc).

I seem to remember reading that alcohol as a fuel is bulkier, per heat unit. So you will probably get through your bottle of alcohol quicker that you would a bottle of petrol or kerosene.

. Mostly I use a Trangia - which is my favourite - but it does seem to get through the juice quite quickly.
. I also have an Optimus Nova+ using kerosene, and a little bottle of lighter fluid as a primer, to get it started when using kerosene
. I use to own an MSR whisperlite, not quite as user friendly as the Optimus.

If I had to take one on a world trip it would be the Optimus. It is really well made, easy to handle without getting your hands all dirty, it packs down very small if you only use a basic cook set, and you can swap the jets over for different fuels.

One fault with the Optimus - it needs anchoring down with a peg, as it is so light that it can be unstable until you get a heavy pan on it. So in the photo you might just see a little yellow peg that is being used to keep it stedy !

Seen here in France cooking some fish bits from the market - smell that garlic !

bretonbikes wrote:

hufty wrote: the stove Grandfather left me is identical to the old Brass one in the article - it was the one he used when he was in the trenches (Somme etc).

Yep it's a design classic, still being made and marketed... Optimus Svea 123, although I would happily set off on an extended tour with your grandfather's stove.

Before the Svea I had a terrible time with a Nova+ involving a few cold noodle suppers with no mug of tea, which is why I swapped. The filters kept clogging up due to dirt in the local fuel (in the end I just took the filters out), and the fuel line came uncrimped at one stage which was obviously pretty dangerous. IIRC there was even a bit in later versions of the instructions warning about this - its when you try to turn the hose to adjust the flame but it gets stuck. If you do want a multifuel stove with a pump and so on, the nonplussed Nova looks to me like a more robust design even if it isn't so compact, or just go with another brand.