A question of cookers?

[Hjaltlander]

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone could recommend, any cookers.

For example, when I was a kid, and in the army cadets, I used hexy cookers, simple to light and use, but not very long lasting. I also remember using some form of Primus (I think) cooker, which was a bu**er to light, terrible to clean and was heavy, but probably, would be ok, with a little bit of knowledge and T.L.C.

Also I have used, small micro gas burners, the type that screw into the canister, good, fast and easy to use, but not great for balancing a pot of water or simillar on top.

I have never used a Trangia or simmilar, and am curious how good they are, I did notice some on ebay earlier today.

An unissued army one for about £15, or a civvy, Trangia style with kettle and pots etc, for about £25, any thoughts?

So, what do you use? Why do you use it? And, why is it better than XYZ?

I figure i'll always carry a spare hexy cooker in bottom of bag, just in case, but what would you recommend for your main cooker?

Cheers, Hjaltlander

 

[mal]

Hi id go for swedish army cooker or click-stand with a billy can

 

[oops56]

Now i know this my not be called a stove but it works good just for boiling not fry with it yet now this is a pumice rock stove using alcohol just pore some on them and a way we go need no pot stand just stand on edge the one on the right 3 in. long by 1-1/2 wide by 7/8 thick good for a pot 5 in. or bigger using two of them the one on the left one cut in half just right size for coffee cup there is lots of stoves but this works mite need wind screen if there is wind

 

[Aliwren]

I use a trangia and am very happy with it, I like that everything packs down into a relatively compact unit. You get the stand, windshield, burner unit or gas kit, two boiling pans, kettle and frying pan all in the set. Prices vary as you can choose non stick or various other finishes. It is extremely simple to use and well built. Not much experience of other systems so I am interested to see what others use...

 

[woodwalker]

if you are into trangia style ones but want something smaller, there is a link here that tells you how to make a much smaller and lighter version. Requires a bit of DIY though.

woodwalker

 

[Pablo]

Hjaltlander,

If you want to try a trangia, go for a swedish army one to see if you get on with it. You can get them as low as £10. The civilian ones are a bit more sophisticated but quite pricey. http://www.bearclawbushcraft.co.uk/trading/cookware.htm

Pablo

 

[addyb]

I've used pretty much every type of stove on the market. No that's a lie, I HAVE used every type of outdoor stove on that market. Here are my "morning coffee" thoughts:

1) I hate petrol stoves and try to avoid using them if I can. I hate flare ups, I hate the noise, I hate singing my eyebrows and I really hate having cracked o-rings. I remember once I was out with my Dad with the intention of going for a 10 trip into the mountains; but our first night in we realized our MSR Whisperlite was useless due to a cracked o-ring. Strangely enough, we happened upon some other climbers doing the very same climb and they gave us a spare o-ring. Needless to say, we were VERY lucky.

2) Cannister stoves are both good and bad. They have a very high BTU output and are useful at altitudes that petrol stoves aren't. The trouble with them is that when the cannister starts to run dry, the pressure in it drops and they don't work nearly as well as when full. As well, the cannister produces a lot of garbage; its been said that the Everest basecamp is littered with fuel cannisters.

3) Trangia stoves are fantastic, most of the time. If a person doesn't mind waiting a few extra minutes for his/her dinner to cook, or waiting even longer to melt snow, then it's the stove for you. It's completely silent, works even better in the wind and the best part: It has no moving parts, so nothing will ever go wrong. They just take time to cook.

4) There's nothing wrong with Hexy stoves. I have an Esbit cooker and a US trioxane canteen cup "kidney" stove. For day hikes when you want a quick up of coffee, or you're a squaddie and you need your ration cooked, then hexy is what you want.

In the end, all you have is fashion. Simply choose whatever stoves works the best for you.

Adam

 

[EdS]

I generally usee either a go gasalpine or one of these wood burners

http://www.canoepaddler.me.uk/fireboxes.htm

been using them at home ovr the weekend as we lost power. The big one is heavy, only really for car trips (figure great on the beach). The little one is just about right for Cursader type cup of Trangia kettle.

 

[redcollective]

if you are into trangia style ones but want something smaller, there is a link here that tells you how to make a much smaller and lighter version. Requires a bit of DIY though.

woodwalker

These are quite good, I've made two. Couple of observations though - it is very easy to make the holes to small/large/too many/too few, unless you use a drill of appropriate size - my first one I punched through and reduced the number of holes because my need-stuck-in-cork awl was a little large... I ended up with a very slow boiler. The second one was a bit of a bomb and felt a little unsafe hehehe Good fun to make though - the hardest part is getting the two halves together with the alu shim - keep your plasters handy!

 

[Kirruth]

I've got a trangia and a hexy stove.

The trangia runs on meths, which is pretty easy to get wherever you go, works well, is very simple. A little bit fiddly and you have to be careful to let it cool down before adding more meths and such. For cooking big meals, or for a bunch of people, trangia is the choice.

The hexy is small, compact; contains small blocks which you set light to on the fold-out stove. Not everyone likes the taste of hexy-cooked food, but you can live on it. The hexy blocks make great firelighters for real fires. For solo wandering, or making a quick cup of tea, hexy is the choice.

There's nothing wrong with getting both. Trangia for the main pack, hexy for the day sack.

 

[Nemisis]

I too use the SA trangia as has been said nothing to go wrong so long as it has fuel no valves switches etc. I carry an esbit as a back up or boiling water for a brew depending on what i'm cooking in the trangia.I have a spare burner for the trangia and the simmer top just saves waiting for the burner to cool if I run out mid meal.
Dave.

 

[neo_wales2000]

Take a Trangia and dump the hexi, the Trangia will never fail so long as you have fuel. I have used the military type, but favour the smaller 27 for solo trips and the larger 25 for two or three people.

If I'm on my own, its always a Trangia 27, but if there are more of us I pick a stove from my collection of around 60 cookers (I know, a sad hobby for a grown man)

 

[oops56]

No its not sad to have to many stoves i got close to 100 of them still buying don't even camp or hike any more just take short walk into the woods once in make coffee or some noddles but i like all kinds of alcohol stoves the best plus i make them i got most of the stoves still in boxes not fired them up yet one of these days

 

[AJB]

My 2 cents.

I have hexy, green gel stuff with the crusader cooker, gas, Kelly Kettle, army and civy (with gas conversion) trangia, petrol…

They all have there good and bad points. But I would say the first thing you need to think about is not the stove, but what you’re going to cook, for how many and how you’re going to get it there.

My MSR petrol boils water like a volcano, but it won’t cook slowly, the green gel will warm through food fine but it won’t make a decent brew.

There all a trade off just like Arga’s and fan ovens. Decide what you want it for then ask the question again (that’s not meant to sound as arrogant as it does- )

AJB

 

[addyb]

No, AJB is absolutely right on the money with that. If you know the limitations of your gear, and you like working with it, then use it!

I'd say that I use a pretty eclectic choice of outdoor gear, a mixture of old and new technology. It works for me, and I'm also steadily improving it.

For instance: Hexy tabs are extremely hard to come by where I live. So hard in fact that I got a childhood friend of mine in our Royal Military College to mail me a box. I wanted to conserve fuel by using only half a tablet at a time. But I couldn't get the water in my canteen cup to boil properly. So I thought "How can I work with this?" and I made a tight-fitting lid for the cup. Success! Hot water using less hexy!

MSR white gas stoves are really great if you want to weld, braize, or work in the metallurgy industry. They seem to have two settings: HOT and OFF. I'm sure we've all lost many a dinner on an MSR stove because they don't really like to simmer. But on the other hand, if you want to melt snow for a large group of people very quickly, then go for white gas.

Just my $0.02 cents!

Adam

 

[AJB]

"MSR white gas stoves are really great if you want to weld, braize, or work in the metallurgy industry" - made me lol in the office - getting strange looks!

If you need Hexy - there are a few hundred people here who will gladly post it to you.

Andy

 

[leon-1]

I have used a lot of stoves, (EpiGas, Bluet, Coleman, MSR and Peak) there are pro's and con's to all of them as some of the others have said, but now I tend to use Trangia pretty much all the time.

It may be worth making a small alcohol burner, they are pretty effective most of the year round and it wont bother you too much if you break it as they cost little to make.

 

[Rocket]

The only one I use at the moment is a Crusader from BCB. Makes up a nice brew and it can be used for cooking with ease.

 

[addyb]

Nah, I'm alright with hexy tabs for a while. Besides, who would want to mail ME hexy tabs? I live all the way in The Great White North of Canada!. My RMC friend just mailed me a box, and they should last me for a while.

When I first bought an Esbit stove, I had a box of 6 large tablets with it. Of course, that was years ago and they have long since been exhausted. I couldn't find any for ages, so I settled on buying US issue trioxane tablets. They're horrible! They burn very quickly, and I could never get a canteen cup of water boil. No wonder they're no longer issued. But they DO light a lot easier than hexamine, I find.

It's good to have friends in the military because the CF doesn't really seem to notice when small bits of kit go missing.

Adam

 

[oops56]

Now here is a stove that will make your day
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8791708385&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT&rd=1