New camping stove

[Rusey93]

Hi there,

I'm new to the forum so hi everyone, i'm based in Devon near Dartmoor and want to do abit more wildcamping up there, i'm looking at getting myself a new stove as i've had a hand me down Trangia for a while now and want to buy something that'll last and be easier to cook on. Am i best to buy another Trangia, i was looking at the Hard Anodised one they sell now as it looks very durable? the reason i like the Trangia is that everything is contained in one package. Or would i be better getting a gas burner and pan set? I already have a Gas burner, it's just i find the gas VERY expensive, but i suppose it would still be cheaper than buying a new stove? what pan sets does everyone use?

Cheers!!

 

[Outdoordude]

I use a trangia and love it. Although it is not light it is a very practical system. Stick with it or get the HA one. Im looking now to venture into lighter mini alcohol stoves.

 

[SimonM]

Don't get me wrong, I have more stoves than I know what to do with...but if it ain't broke, why buy a new one?

Trangias are still one of my favourite stoves...and I still use Meths, not a fancy gas or multi fuel add on, but they do take some getting used to.

Simon

 

[Rusey93]

I suppose i could just look at changing the pans to a non stick one, it's just the pans aren't in great condition to be honest and i hadn't thought about just changing the pans? any ideas on where these would be best to get from?

 

[SimonM]

I use a cheap non stick flan tray from Asda as a frying pan with my Trangia...the other pans only get used for boiling up so tend to be pretty much self cleaning.

£2.99 flan dish or new stove...save your cash and buy something that you don't currently have.

Simon

 

[Outdoordude]

The thing about buying new bans is that there about £50 for a full set. For that price why not shell out £70 for a completely new one.

 

[copper_head]

Hi Rusey welcome to the forum,

Well a popular piece of kit on here, and with me personally, is the Swedish Army Trangia, its more or less invincible and you can use the pans over a campfire. Heavy though!

I like gas stoves too, purely for convenience. Although gas cartridges can be expensive there are things you can do to make that gas go further. A heat exchanger pan (I have a Primus Etapower pot) coupled with a windshield also my stove has a pre-heat tube which warms the gas before ignition, cant find a link to it but its a Fire Maple something or other . A word of warning on the heat exchanger type pans, they're great at heating up water really fast but don't try and simmer anything it dosen't work.

What sort of thing do you use yours for? If im backpacking with a tent ill take a gas stove for the low pack weight, if im in the woods I tend to take a meths burner of some sort as a back up for a campfire.

Here's a Honey Stove with a Crusader mug and the meths burner form the Swedish Army Trangia, a good combination IMO

Cheers
Kit

 

[spiritwalker]

keep the trangia they are reliable and cheap to run, maybe knock up a hobo stove as an alternative fuel type and just get a non stick frying pan for your trangia....

 

[Big Stu 12]

Myself, I have a Swiss Army Trangia, yes it is heavy in comparison to a Trangia, but as it has already been said very hardy, One of my mates has one and we both love them , they will fit in the Bergan better due to their shape, can be used no problem on a fire, my mates one has a second dish in, and he finds that handy, I have also used mine in the same way as a Dutch oven by turning the top over and filling with embers. you can also use the wind shield and light a small fie in the base as well....

I gave up on Gas many years a go, yes expensive, and the fact that get much lower then a few Degrees can be difficult to work well, due to temp required to turn the liquid into gas.

I also have a hexi burner as a back up if all else fails or I run out of meths, I also use this when out and about on a bimble as you only have to carry a couple of blocks, no mess, no liquid fuel.

What I would say, is try to get along to meets, talk to people see things in action, and try a few ways, other then spending put a large wodge and getting stuck with one method of cooking, then seeing another you like the look of,

I have used a Trangia many years ago when they first came out on the market, good bits of kit, but after using a few different types of kit tend to always go back to a fire, when in camp, and other kit for other uses, I also like to have kit that has cross uses as well.

what about something like the esbit range.... this one give you the back up of hexi if required they ony in the £30 range

http://www.esbit.net/product-detail/items/CS985HA-hard-anodized-aluminium-985ml-cookset.html

or more like a trangia... £50 ish

http://www.esbit.net/product-detail...h-alcohol-burner-hard-anodized-aluminium.html

just a couple of ideas

 

[Shewie]

I like a wood burner as first choice with a lightweight meths option as a backup. Usually I do most of my cooking and boiling over an open fire but there are times when that's not possible. If I'm carrying a lightweight wood burner like my Bushbuddy, I'll pick up dry fuel as I find it and store it in a small bag until it's needed, it only needs a small handful to boil a pot.
For times when I'm in areas with no fuel I can use the small meths stove, I usually only carry a couple of ounces of fuel but it's enough to get a couple of brews and a meal from.

There's no fuel cheaper than wood but it does take some practice to use them in all weathers

 

[Andy BB]

I use a trangia and love it. Although it is not light it is a very practical system. Stick with it or get the HA one. Im looking now to venture into lighter mini alcohol stoves.

Two light-weight ones I can personally recommend are the Etowah 11 and pretty much anything from minibull designs! But as a general, all-round set the civvy trangia (25 or 27 - and worth noting that the 25 is the bigger set!) is hard to beat. If you're looking to upgrade your basic Trangia system to HA, remember you can buy the HA pans separately - the windshield/burner etc is the same in both sets.

The military Trangia set is cheap, but very versatile - you can use the pots on an open fire, as an oven as mentioned above, and the windshield can double as a woodburning stove.

 

[rik_uk3]

Stick with the Trangia and get the gas insert for it.

 

[lannyman8]

i would go with this esbit stove http://www.esbit.net/product-detail/items/CS585HA-hard-anodized-aluminiium-585ml-cookset.html , it is used with hexi or you can use the tragi burner, or i made a vasaline tin burner for about £ 0.99, the stove is designed to "HEAT" water not boil it, but with a very simple modification it can boil the full pan in about 5 mins, and with this mod it can be used with other pans, have a look at this thread to find out some more.

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=91539&highlight=

for around £20 you cant go wrong though, its ideal for small meals or brews on the go, can be multi fuel if required and relatively efficient with an in expensive mod...you can also add non stick pans from the £ shop to add space for more cooking if you like, so for around £30 you have a mulit fuel multi pot efficient stove and you still use meths which i like...

i should also say now that i used very small nuts and bolts through the tin can in the end, it worked better and has no chance of burning off...

 

[Teepee]

I own and use all sorts of stoves of different types, including Trangia sets.

My favourite system by far is a £2.99 hobo stove made from a £Stretcher Stainless sink drainer. I take a DIY cat alcohol stove and fuel for when I'm not using wood and also take hexy tabs to also burn in the hobo.


Typical-the cheapest stoves in my collection are my favourite and also the lightest and most fun to use

 

[lannyman8]

I own and use all sorts of stoves of different types, including Trangia sets.

My favourite system by far is a £2.99 hobo stove made from a £Stretcher Stainless sink drainer. I take a DIY cat alcohol stove and fuel for when I'm not using wood and also take hexy tabs to also burn in the hobo.


Typical-the cheapest stoves in my collection are my favourite and also the lightest and most fun to use

well you cant beat the hobo stove i suppose, and well worth a go at making one, i use my one allot but find it a bit big at times and fuel can be a problem when im walking, then i go with the esbit and meths, for me it depends allot on what im doing and where im going, the biggest issue is the fuel supply for the hobo and not just being able to stop for a brew when i want to....

 

[Rusey93]

In the end I managed to get the non stick trangia for a really good price, A large outdoor retailer matched the amazon price and beat it by 10% so I can't complain with that so I got the set with the kettle for less than £50!

Will try it out soon hopefully and then see the difference between the non stick and the aluminium