Trangia stoves

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Manx Cat
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Trangia stoves

Post by Manx Cat »

Ive been scouring the 'net' for a good stove.

Trangia seem to come up again and agan and I am considering looking for a Trangia for 2 with a kettle.

Any pros and cons would be appreciated.

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Re: Trangia stoves

Post by Aushiker »

Cons: Heavy and bulky for what they do/how they peform
Pros: Well they burn metho so if you like to wind down and relax whilst you boil the kettle they great from that perspective. Also they are very durable. Oh they also have good resell value :)

I sold my Trangia and have now got a Trail Designs Sidewinder Ti Tri. Considerably lighter and packs down into my pot.

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hubgearfreak
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Re: Trangia stoves

Post by hubgearfreak »

Manx Cat wrote:Ive been scouring the 'net' for a good stove.


does good mean

light
simply boil water for tea and pot noodles
cheap
compact
unbreakable
no replaceable/servicable parts
cook a proper meal



if the bits in blue matter most to you, then a trangia's a good bet. if the bits in blue aren't top of your priorities, then a trangia will dissapoint
LANDSURFER74

Re: Trangia stoves

Post by LANDSURFER74 »

After 30 yrs use i have replaced the meths burner unit in my Tranga with a compact gas burner .... so much easier and you dont stink of meths all day long.
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Re: Trangia stoves

Post by Vorpal »

I reviewed a ThermoPro stove a couple of months ago. I may have posted about it on your camping thread? Anyway, the review is viewtopic.php?f=18&t=55051
I can't speak for the Trangia, but mine is lighter and much cheaper. The only con is that it doesn't come with the pans, etc.

I though it was an excellent stove, and boiled water as quickly as a good electric kettle.

I would say that the biggest disadvantage of meths stoves (I have never used a Trangia, I have to admit), is that things take much longer to cook.

My coffee percolater takes about 5 minutes to make coffee on my current stove. 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.

Having used both meths stoves and vapour gas, I would never go back to meths. The little bit of extra hassle to carry & hook up a gas canister is more than worth it.
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.”
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hubgearfreak
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Re: Trangia stoves

Post by hubgearfreak »

Vorpal wrote: it took about 15 - 20 minutes on the last meths stove I had.


spot on. i should have added quick to my list.
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pedalsheep
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Re: Trangia stoves

Post by pedalsheep »

As others have said it depends a lot on what you want it for.
Trangias are safe, easy to use and just about impossible to break (unless you run over it). They are bulky but if you're cooking for 2 you will need bigger pans than you would use with a stove intended for solo use. They are heavy but you don't need to always carry both pans, frying pan and kettle. If you only want to boil water you can just take the kettle and meths can be easily carried in a smaller container - you don't need to carry 500ml just to make one cup of tea whereas gas cylinders are a fixed size. They are silent in operation which is nice and you can leave the kettle on while you do other jobs without fear of mishap if you turn your back on it too long. There is a certain undefinable quality to brewing up on a Trangia and they do cook well and are good for fry ups if you use the non stick frying pan. However they are undoubtedly slow (what's the hurry?) and they do leave soot on your pans which I don't like - its easy to end up with black hands and then black sleeping bag etc. Adding a bit of water to the meths helps a bit.

After all this praise of Trangias I now have to confess that I rarely use mine, I prefer gas! I do however do all my cooking on a gas stove using my Trangia pans. For short solo trips or just brew stops I like my Snowpeak Gigapower and titanium mug (bought cheap in the States). The Primus ETA Express is excellent for speedy brews for 2 and can be used with other pans for general cooking. Santa is bringing a Primus Express Spider which works well with larger pans, is more stable and has better performance in cold weather.

I think you know I like stoves!
'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
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Re: Trangia stoves

Post by hubgearfreak »

pedalsheep wrote:There is a certain undefinable quality to brewing up on a Trangia and they do cook well


the gentle simmer is great, i've done a rather passable ratatouille on mine, which i imagine would be a challenge on other stoves.

pedalsheep wrote:I think you know I like stoves!


there's many round these parts with several, but not all will admit to it :oops:
Manx Cat
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Re: Trangia stoves

Post by Manx Cat »

:)

Im not 100% sure right now what I want a stove to do, because I have never camped before.

The replies above have ensured more hours of research as I had not heard of Primus or the 'Go system', light weight is def the way for me, the cons of Trangia have sort of made me re-think my needs (hate dirt and oily fuel smells, so instantly put off it now) :)

Next spring will be my first go at this. Santa has sorted me a tent I understand. He has managed to get a Vango Tempest 2 man that went cheap as chips.

WHen I set off into the great camping unknown, I will hopefully be trailered, tented, and have some kind of cooking facility. It all sounds quite exciting and as rurally romantic as it can be when your alone that is....
Currently, I am assuming I will only be heating water for porridge and for tea. The rest of my meals I intend to get elsewhere, I am not sure what you can cook in a single saucepan, so preparing for the worst.

Might I ask too, about recipes, 10 days of cous cous, oats and marmalade will soon sound much less interesting than they do now...
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hubgearfreak
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Re: Trangia stoves

Post by hubgearfreak »

Manx Cat wrote: I will only be heating water for porridge and for tea.


and also, it needs to be clean, light and compact?

having had a go with a friend's jetboil, that seems to be up your street.
rualexander
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Re: Trangia stoves

Post by rualexander »

For short trips such as weekends then I would recommend using gas but for anything longer gas gets quite expensive.

I used petrol stoves for many years but got a Trangia at a good price a couple of years ago and really like it.

It is slower to boil using meths (only about five minutes longer really) but there's no real hurry usually so it's not an issue normally.
I don't find the pans sooting up, they discolour slightly but it doesn't make other stuff dirty. And the smell of the meths is not a problem, it doesn't contaminate the way paraffin or petrol would.
I would definitely recommend getting the version with hard anodised pans (designated with HA in the model number) as they are virtually non-stick and it doesn't wear off the way the actual non-stick pans would.
Also you can get the gas conversion kit if you want to use it with gas (the official version is about £50 but there is a copy version at £30), and also a multi-fuel conversion kit if you want to use petrol etc. So it is a very versatile system.
And if you want to travel light you can get a trangia Triangle and just take a small pan.
LANDSURFER74

Re: Trangia stoves

Post by LANDSURFER74 »

my coleman gas burner which works with resealable canisters was £12 ..... and fits perfectly into my Trangia
rapidfire72
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Re: Trangia stoves

Post by rapidfire72 »

LANDSURFER74 wrote:After 30 yrs use i have replaced the meths burner unit in my Tranga with a compact gas burner .... so much easier and you dont stink of meths all day long.
I have the Trangia 27 c/w kettle, nice little stove. I've replaced the meths burner with a gas converter, not cheap, but better than messy meths. The Trangia 27 is good in windy conditions and very stable. I've used a Pocket Rocket with Titan Kettle, on a fortnight's coast to coast, using a diet of rice and fish. But the Trangia 27 does have a better scope for better menu.
rapidfire72
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Re: Trangia stoves

Post by rapidfire72 »

Manx Cat wrote::)

I am not sure what you can cook in a single saucepan, so preparing for the worst.

Might I ask too, about recipes, 10 days of cous cous, oats and marmalade will soon sound much less interesting than they do now...
If, you do a 70 mile bike ride, I don't think you would be a bit fussy about food. I ate savoury rice c/w tuna or sometimes chicken for a fortnight on a MSR Pocket Rocket and MSR Titan kettle.
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pedalsheep
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Re: Trangia stoves

Post by pedalsheep »

Santa has sorted me a tent I understand. He has managed to get a Vango Tempest 2 man that went cheap as chips.



I've got a Vango Tempest 3 man that I use for car camping for 2. I've been very happy with it, excellent for the price, its basically a cheaper, heavier copy of a Hilleberg Nallo.

If you've gone off Trangias I'd recommend Primus ETA Express, compact, faster and lighter than Jetboil . The heat exchanger is on the pan rather than the stove as with Jetboil so you can use it with ordinary pots as well. You can't really cook properly on a Jetboil - you'd burn your porridge!

There's quite a bit on my stove fetish on CycleSeven! :wink:
'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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