stove and pot combination for week at a time

[jameshs]

I am off in a month on a course that is self catered and have not done this before (the kit list includes a stove - whereas I have only ever used open fire before).

Anyone have any advice ....

I have looked at the jetboil and larger pan version and am concerned that the pans cannot be used on open fire - so they seem excellent, but limit you to gas when I might want to switch to wood.

I love the look of the penny/coke can stoves - can these really deliver a week worth of cooking for one (I understand taking more meths!) - could it heat a tin of beans, or are they restricted to boiling for a brew?

What would you put on them - a zebra billy? Hobo style?

TIA


James

 

[John Fenna]

I would advise taking a cheapish gas burner (as found in any camping shop) plus your normal billies that can be used on an open fire, hexi stove, kitchen range etc
I am very fond of my home made billies, made from charity shop/pound shop stainless steel canisters but mess tins (cheapo ally ones or the Crusader stainless ones) are very versatile as well.
For a minimalist take on things a military metal mug and a hexi burner would work too - and if you switch to wood the hexi is a great firelighter!
A hobo stove with hexi blocks or a meths burner (or both!) plus home made billies will be cheap and versatile.....

 

[Joe]

The only addition I would make to Johns list is a piece of strong tin foil, like the cheap 'throwaway' roasting dishes are made from. There's normally enough length and width in a roasting dish to make good windshield for a simple gas stove or hexy burner - which will speed up your cooking time and save fuel. Just fold the sharp edges over flat for safety and to add a bit of strength on the edges and keep a few strong paper clips on it for joining the two ends together once bent round into a tube shape.

I know what courses are like - you will have so many projects to be getting on with that cooking time will need to be minimal (unless it's a communal occasion around a camp fire).

Have a good course

 

[jameshs]

Thanks for those - so is it definately Gas then hex over a meths driven penny stove?

I used to use the hex ones in the army ... great for a brew! but wondered if the penny stove was any good - I think I read 9 mins for 500Ml of water, which is quite slow?

Thanks

James

 

[fishy1]

Penny stoves are decent for meths stoves, I'm sure the burn time is faster than that. Although all meths stoves are pretty dreadful except in warm, calm conditions. I remember waiting about 1/2 an hour for a trangia to heat some water (not boil it), in winter I wouldn't use one at all as they are hopeless, hard to light and slow. Hex stoves- I used these a couple of times, sooty, but reasonable.
gas stoves are OK, expensive to get gas for, and again don't work in cold weather.

 

[spamel]

What's the rush? You're meant to be enjoying the outdoors! Bob your billy on to boil and go and look at some trees or something!

 

[rik_uk3]

John Fenna has it right, pick up a cheap gas stove and some army mess tins and away you go, its good starter kit and you won't starve

Fishy1, what Trangia were you referring to when you said

"Although all meths stoves are pretty dreadful except in warm, calm conditions. I remember waiting about 1/2 an hour for a trangia to heat some water (not boil it), in winter I wouldn't use one at all as they are hopeless, hard to light and slow."

The Trangia 25 and 27 work better in windy conditions and if you pre heat the meths in sub zero conditions, they still work very well, so your remarks counter my own experience and that of many thousands of Scandinavians who use them all year round without fault or complaint

 

[Gailainne]

Another option is a Swedish army Trangia, you can pick them up used for £11-ish, self contained meths stove with billy, pan and windshield, billy and pan also can be used over an open fire, great bit of kit.

If you look at my Avatar thats me in Sweden earlier this year on the winter WEISS course and thats a Trangia 27 at my feet, we cooked all our meals on it, down to minus 17-20 C with no problems, didnt even bother or need to pre heating the meths first.

Stephen

 

[rik_uk3]

Another option is a Swedish army Trangia, you can pick them up used for £11-ish, self contained meths stove with billy, pan and windshield, billy and pan also can be used over an open fire, great bit of kit.

If you look at my Avatar thats me in Sweden earlier this year on the winter WEISS course and thats a Trangia 27 at my feet, we cooked all our meals on it, down to minus 17-20 C with no problems, didnt even bother or need to pre heating the meths first.

Stephen

Spot on chap, some use the pre heat some don't, I've only been out and about at -10, the Trangia's worked fine. With most of the Scandanavian stove collectors, the general rule is not to bother, or carry the burner or small fuel bottle in you pockets to keep it warm. Paraffin is still fuel of choice over there for most campers using liquid fuel stoves, petrol stoves were banned for many years and the classic Optimus 111T multifuel and 199 still seem to prefer paraffin to be honest, I use both fuels in these stoves, depending upon my mood, fancy and stove of 'the moment'

I look on the Army 'Trangia' as an over the fire mess tin set with a meths burner backup to be honest.

 

[Fin]

I'm with the Trangia camp - for your particular circumstances. A 27 with add-ons (kettle etc) will provide you with everything you need as a, self contained, solo cookset - and will cook for two at a stretch. Disadvantages? Fairly expensive initial outlay - but you could consider it an investment for all the years it will last. Knowing how much meths to take will require some practice and experience but a month is plenty long enough for some back garden experiments.

Having said all that, I'm very much an open fire or Hobo type and my Trangia has been relegated to a super reliable back up.

Just a quick thought on pots for Hobo stoves: In my experience, the tall, Zebra type, billys aren't well suited to sit on the hobo without frequent stirring, as the bottom of your meal gets scorched before the top gets warm. A pot hanger, a la open fire would work - but that would defeat the simplicity and speed which a hobo stove offers. I have a Bush buddy (basically a posh hobo) and have paired it with a 1.6L Tatonka billy,which is wider and flatter than the Zebras and gives more even heat distribution - this my current No1 set up.

Good luck.

 

[pothunter]

Mess tins and a cheap gas stove, the stove should pack into the mess tins with matches knife, fork and washing-up liquid (gas bottle separate). Quick clean and convenient it has to be a winner on a course where time might be limited.

For boiling water I use a small Kelly kettle as it is quicker than just about anything, but don't know if this is an option for you.

Enjoy your course, Pothunter.

 

[rik_uk3]

If you fancy a Trangia type setup how about this

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CAMPING-STAIN...ryZ16036QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

seems a good price

 

[fishy1]

John Fenna has it right, pick up a cheap gas stove and some army mess tins and away you go, its good starter kit and you won't starve

Fishy1, what Trangia were you referring to when you said

"Although all meths stoves are pretty dreadful except in warm, calm conditions. I remember waiting about 1/2 an hour for a trangia to heat some water (not boil it), in winter I wouldn't use one at all as they are hopeless, hard to light and slow."

The Trangia 25 and 27 work better in windy conditions and if you pre heat the meths in sub zero conditions, they still work very well, so your remarks counter my own experience and that of many thousands of Scandinavians who use them all year round without fault or complaint

It's either the 25 or 27, whichever is bigger. I use the pans now, but not the rest. If you pre heat anything it will work well. But it takes longer and uses more fuel. You can say keep it next to your body, but with water and stuff you only have so much room. Lighting is difficult in the cold. In my experience, they are difficult to control and fuel hungry. In light wind maybe they run better, but in stronger stuff, hopeless. And cold is not good in my experience. Plus, they don't exactly heat fast.

 

[crazyclimber]

on this I have to agree with fishy1 - having spent the winter chopping and changing between the SA trangia, mini trangia, a mini titanium meths stove, hexi, jetboil and the optimus nova meths is my last choice, and in fact I've sold most of it. Yes it can work, yes you can cook on it... but it's just darn inconvenient compared with the others. I don't know whether others have found a trick I haven't when it comes to lighting it in the cold but I tried every one I could...it's still smelly and slow and not particularly safe IMHO, the mini would often not bring water to the boil if there was any breeze at all (despite all the foil windshield you could hope for), and neither the mini trangia or SA are particularly light by the time you factor in how much more fuel you need over a longer trip compared with something like a jetboil or nova. They're reliable I give them that, but I would never use meths in a tent whereas I will use a jetboil, and for the ultimate in very light weight and reliability hexi is better... or a hobo.
Now everyone has their own style of cooking - for someone who likes 'real meals' a 27 or 25 trangia could be a good choice; lots of pans, compact package, reliable, and I don't doubt the better wind protection helps with cooking times... and if you don't mind waiting around for your food, why not? Gives you a chance to enjoy the outdoors to nice smells!
Personally my preference is either taking mess tins for an open fire and hexi blocks for if I don't want to light a fire, or for longer trips now in the non-freezing UK it's the jetboil every time. Takes some getting used to treating the stove essentially as a kettle and cooking in freezer bags, but do it well and a single small cylinder lasts me just under a fortnight and that's not limiting me to small / lukewarm meals, just means using a pot cosy to rehydrate pasta meals or using rat pack boil in the bag type food.
Each to their own and I know a lot of people disagree with me regarding the jetboil, but it's so so easy, reliable and convenient... when you just want fast warm grub I do think it's hard to beat.
Hope that helps or at least gives you something to think about James.
Ioan

 

[crazyclimber]

Jesus - OK so yeah I can't half write essays when I get going!!

 

[rik_uk3]

It's either the 25 or 27, whichever is bigger. I use the pans now, but not the rest. If you pre heat anything it will work well. But it takes longer and uses more fuel. You can say keep it next to your body, but with water and stuff you only have so much room. Lighting is difficult in the cold. In my experience, they are difficult to control and fuel hungry. In light wind maybe they run better, but in stronger stuff, hopeless. And cold is not good in my experience. Plus, they don't exactly heat fast.

I can't understand what you are doing wrong, the Trangia 25/7 thrive on high winds, you have me puzzled Practice with the simmer ring and you will get about a 50 cook time, they can simmer well. The army 'Trangia' are much slower and don't do so well in wind though.

 

[robadams]

Trangia all the way,

Simple design and very versatile. You can even buy extra pans from nonstick to Stainless steel. They last for years if treated well and the worse the weather the better they perform.

 

[Lasse]

I'd also recommend Trangia, been using a 27 for a couple of years and hasn't let me down apart from the time I was stupid enough to use a completely wrong fuel... (which ruined the burner btw) But with the right stuff, methanol or ethanol, I've used it at minus 6 on top of snow, in very windy areas or beautiful summer countrysides ;-)
Now got an army trangia from Sweden for 35sek and will be testing how that works out (looks more usable on open fire)

 

[rik_uk3]

I'd also recommend Trangia, been using a 27 for a couple of years and hasn't let me down apart from the time I was stupid enough to use a completely wrong fuel... (which ruined the burner btw) But with the right stuff, methanol or ethanol, I've used it at minus 6 on top of snow, in very windy areas or beautiful summer countrysides ;-)
Now got an army trangia from Sweden for 35sek and will be testing how that works out (looks more usable on open fire)

Your right, if you look on the army 'Trangia' more as an open fire cookset with a meths burner backup you won't be dissapointed mate.

 

[Sickboy]

Cheap gas burner, billy cans, nothing else comes close for ease of use and speed.
If you can stretch to the expense try and get one of the fold up ones with the hose to the canister. They are much more stable with larger pots for the future http://www.simply-outdoors.co.uk/Pr...oogle/productID/244/groupID/10/categoryID/105
I'll not comment on trangia's, i'll just say i don't use them.