What's the best camping stove?

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Cowsham
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What's the best camping stove?

Post by Cowsham »

Anyone got suggestions for a camping stove -- gas -- gel -- bar-b-q ?

I need it to be fairly light to be able to carry it on bike but stable in grass as well.
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willem jongman
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Re: What's the best camping stove?

Post by willem jongman »

In my view it is the Trangia stove system on meths. The 27 model for solo tours and the 25 model for two or three. I prefer the fully hard anodized version because it is easier to clean and mildly non stick. The system has two advantages. The first is that you can cook real food, including fish or steaks, unlike on many small gas stoves that do not simmer well enough and are only good for boiling water. The second is that the fuel is easy to get in almost all EU countries, so I am not wasting time worrying about where to get the right kind of gas cannisters. It is light, but not the lightest system, but for that you get two pots, a decent size frying pan, a stable stand and a great windscreen, all nested into each other like Russian dolls.
Jdsk
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Re: What's the best camping stove?

Post by Jdsk »

willem jongman wrote: 19 Apr 2022, 10:03pm In my view it is the Trangia stove system on meths.
I agree.

There's a vast amount on advantages and disadvantages and preferences in the archives.

Jonathan
Cyclewala
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Re: What's the best camping stove?

Post by Cyclewala »

Indeed, Trangia is the best all round stove for someone doing proper cooking.

If you go down this route, there is a massive delay with orders. Camping has become fashionable due to staycations and Trangia just can’t seem to meet demand. I have items ordered in Jan21 that are still awaiting delivery. Yes, 15 months - a billy pot. Other items, ordered at the same time, arrived in Oct21.
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Paulatic
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Re: What's the best camping stove?

Post by Paulatic »

For me it’s a mini trangia. As a solo traveller it fills all my needs and takes up little space.
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PH
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Re: What's the best camping stove?

Post by PH »

Do you want to cook or heat things up?
My choices are - Trangia for cooking, Jetboil (Or similar, I have a Primus Lite) for heating things up (Mostly water)
bohrsatom
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Re: What's the best camping stove?

Post by bohrsatom »

For proper campsite cooking I love my gas Trangia 25. It’s neither especially light (almost 1kg) nor that small, but there’s very little you can’t cook on it, and the size is just right for two hungry cyclists.

For a lightweight setup I have a pocket rocket with a titanium kettle, which together weigh about 1/4 of the Trangia but can’t really do much more than boil water

In general, actual cooking = bigger and heavier, and attempts to cook proper meals in titanium pots will go badly
Psamathe
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Re: What's the best camping stove?

Post by Psamathe »

I've had two pocket rockets, 1st let me down mid tour so was replaced along the way. 2nd let me down mid next tour so had to be replaced along the way.

Should have learnt after the 1st but I didn't. I have learnt now and will be taking something different next tour.

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Tangled Metal
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Re: What's the best camping stove?

Post by Tangled Metal »

Just go down the rabbit hole and start trying a few out. It's personal opinion as to what's best. If you want to ask this on an ULbackpacking forum you'll soon see that's the truth!

If you get the trangia get a gas burner for it. More controllable and reliable in all conditions. I've had a meths burner in trangia 27 take 50 minutes and still not boil about 600ml of cold water due to the cold temperature. Conditions I've never failed FYI boil water with even a simple can top had stove.

Avoid trangia mini at all costs. The worst possible meths stove bar none! There is no wind resistance and unless calm you might spend more time relighting it than cooking! Unless you get a second windshield for it then you might as well just get the solo trangia 25 instead. If you really insist in getting a trangia mini don't, seek out the clones produced by trespass iirc or Robens. I got one for £10 and it was better made than my mate's £30+ official trangia mini. I meant fully rolled pot edges not poorly rolled trangia ones that cut high if not careful. Better made all round.

Look into alternative meths stoves if lightweight water boiling. Vargo triad, caldera cone even white box stove with pot support. Can use titanium candy cane pegs for this, three stuck into the ground at the same height as the stove works well and then you can use them on your tent or tarp, bonus multi use saves weight!
Tangled Metal
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Re: What's the best camping stove?

Post by Tangled Metal »

Whatever you get use a soldering or plumbers mat underneath to prevent scorching of the ground/grass.
Jdsk
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Re: What's the best camping stove?

Post by Jdsk »

Cowsham wrote: 19 Apr 2022, 9:48pm Anyone got suggestions for a camping stove -- gas -- gel -- bar-b-q ?

I need it to be fairly light to be able to carry it on bike but stable in grass as well.
That's started roughly as usual. although I'm missing the recommendation to use scavenged dead wood as the only fuel.

How about narrowing down the specification: how many people, cooking or only boiling water, what countries, and what range of altitude and ambient temperature?

Thanks

Jonathan
Carlton green
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Re: What's the best camping stove?

Post by Carlton green »

Cowsham wrote: 19 Apr 2022, 9:48pm Anyone got suggestions for a camping stove -- gas -- gel -- bar-b-q ?

I need it to be fairly light to be able to carry it on bike but stable in grass as well.
What are you planing to heat, where will you be using it (which countries) and at what time(s) of year? I’ve no answers for you other than there’s a lot of different functional alternatives out there and we sometimes get too hung up on detail.

There was a thread sometime back about brew stoves, if you can find it then perhaps overlapping content might help.

Edit. Brew Kit Thread: viewtopic.php?t=147158&hilit=Brew+kit
Last edited by Carlton green on 20 Apr 2022, 10:31pm, edited 2 times in total.
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simonineaston
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Re: What's the best camping stove?

Post by simonineaston »

There's camping and there's camping and there's cooking and there's cooking. Across the spectrums, the choice of stove can vary wildly. What's a favourite for one person wouldn't be considered by another, not 'cos the stove is rubbish but because the usage and criteria are so different.
The twin gas burner, with grill and its attendent 3kg 'gaz' bottle that I always take with me whe setting up a base camp for star tours is obviously an impossible choice for someone doing a multi-day, full-loaded, semi-wilderness trip.
A tiny, fold-a-way gaz burner, with a couple of the smallest cartridges might work well in the context of city-based touring where the user will be eating bought food most of the time and a stove is only needed as a back-up or for making a quick brew.
If the trip involves straying into height or cold, then a specialist stove that makes plenty of heat might be appreciated. Plenty of water has to be heated and food is often of the dried or packeted type.
As others have said, if the plan is to be self-sufficent and cook plenty of meals, using fresh ingredients, then a Trangia-style stove / pan set, burning what we in the UK call methylated spirits, is hard to beat for stability, controlability and versatility. The stove, pan and fuel combo is however fairly bulky and heavy. On the plus side, there are few moving parts, fuel is widely available and once the basic techniques are discoverd, the stove can produce excellent results. Stove / pan sets are available in various sizes and finishes too. There's the option of a gaz burner, which makes the system very versatile. A complete set-up from scratch can be rather dear, however.
The Vango website is a good place to view alot of the components available for the Trangia system - see here.
S
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st599_uk
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Re: What's the best camping stove?

Post by st599_uk »

I've got a small wood/charcoal trough that can be used for meat, fish, veg etc. and can sit a billy can on for water, soup...

I've then got a small meths burner from Speedy which can sit just below the grill for boiling water, small pans etc.
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Sweep
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Re: What's the best camping stove?

Post by Sweep »

Psamathe wrote: 19 Apr 2022, 11:07pm I've had two pocket rockets, 1st let me down mid tour so was replaced along the way. 2nd let me down mid next tour so had to be replaced along the way.

Should have learnt after the 1st but I didn't. I have learnt now and will be taking something different next tour.

Ian
what was the problem?
There are several near copies aren't there?
I have a Vango thingie - cost around £20 - which I think is simikar - use it for making espresso. Been fine so far.
Sweep
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