Swedish army trangia owners...

[Gotte]

Can someone tell me the dimensions of the Sweidsh army trangia cooker. I'm tempted by one because it looks like it's quite a convenient size for back packing and bike packing. Trouble is, I've already got a normal Trangia which actually weighs less (well, by about 100g). I't looks like it could be down to how much smaller and easy to pack the Army one is.
Can anyone tell the the height and width?
Thanks.

 

[rik_uk3]

Its bigger and heavier and slower to cook with (the army one that is).

 

[gsfgaz]

How di yi work that oot when it's basically the same meths burner , i think it's a cracking bit ot kit ...

 

[Jericho]

The size is 200x170x120mm (roughly)

 

[Gotte]

Thanks for that. Much appreciated. I'm off to measure my old one now.

 

[tenderfoot]

The advantage with the military on is its oval shape makes it more packable.
Also it can be used with an open fire
A stainless steel version is also available.
The military burner is heavier and supposed to be less efficient but you could use the civvy one from your other trangia.
you can sometimes get the military canteen without the burner at a discount.

 

[Sniper]

I use the Tatonka SS burner with it and it works brilliantly

 

[Gotte]

Packing was one of my main considerations, though weight as well (isn't it always the way). I'm looking at it more for cycling camping than backpacking. The army one would probably fit better, but weight is also a consideration. Not necessarily with the army versus the normal tangia, but also against the Swiss Army volcano kettle. i like the look of it in that it would fit better in a pannier, and is about half the weight. But the problem is it will cook less - it's basically a tall cup in a windshield http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SWISS-ARMY-VO...Supplies_ET&hash=item35ac807f88#ht_3406wt_905
No way near the options of the other two cooking wise. Also, there is the consideration of having to carry meths in a bottle and source it when in the field. The volcano kettle is better in that respect, though more work what with feeding wood into it. Also the volcano kettle is a lot more sooty.
decisions, decisions, decisions.
Always the way.
But I do love researching this stuff.

One last thing, anyone used wood on a trangia stove, instead of the meths burner. If I found that using wood in the windsheild was as effective as the meths burner, then that would make it easier, as I could use it without the burner.
Actually. I might just try it out, tomorrow, to see if it works or not.

 

[Jericho]

One last thing, anyone used wood on a trangia stove, instead of the meths burner. If I found that using wood in the windsheild was as effective as the meths burner, then that would make it easier, as I could use it without the burner.
Actually. I might just try it out, tomorrow, to see if it works or not.

I tried that.
The windshield was never the same afterwards.
It went kinda soft and floppy.

btw, the size difference between the ordinary and military burners:

 

[JonathanD]

I like the military package over the civvie version. The fact you can use the main part as a billie can over a fire, and the smaller as a pan is great, and it is much smaller in a back pack and worth the sacrifice in weight. That is what is was designd for afterall. The military burner unit is OK, but the civvie one has the edge with the simmer ring etc...

 

[rik_uk3]

How di yi work that oot when it's basically the same meths burner , i think it's a cracking bit ot kit ...

I work it out because the real Trangia has a far more efficient windshield system, the burner is better, smaller, heats up to blossom quicker than the military one or the Tatonka burner, ergo it boils faster using meths, oh, and I've timed both, that's how I work it out. People like the army setups, great, good for them, I don't like them but its only my opinion. Nothing to stop you using real Trangia pans over an open fire, I do.

 

[AndyinTheShed]

Years ago I got my first military Trangia in aluminium. I’ve since got a stainless steel one (from Germany).
I find they’re great for bike rallies. You can bung the thing in the pannier – it’s bullet-proof. You can stash plenty of other stuff inside there as well as the burner & fuel bottle (KFS, blast match, tea, coffee, powdered soup etc)

The big billie’s ideal to heat up water for a wash (a what??? At a bike rally??!?) The fact that it doesn’t boil in record time’s neither here nor there for me. The smaller pan (with home-made lid) just about right for the early morning brew.
Plus it’s great for cooking pretty much anything.
I’ve also made a little plate that fits over the pot support wires, so I can use hexi-blocks as a backup.

It is a bit heavy for going out on the pushbike though. So then I use a GI stainless mess tin & homemade West-wind style pot-stand.

Oh, and I‘ve seen several mentions now of the aluminium windshield going soft after using a wood fire in it.
It sounds to me like the heating up & slow cooling is annealing the aluminium. Perhaps it needs to be heated up & quenched in cold water (a job to do when you get home. Clean it up, heat in a conventional oven & then drop in a sinkful of cold water).
Just a thought….

 

[Radix lecti]

Good piece of kit,always works for me.My opinion.

 

[ged]

...seen several mentions now of the aluminium windshield going soft after using a wood fire in it.
It sounds to me like the heating up & slow cooling is annealing the aluminium. Perhaps it needs to be heated up & quenched in cold water (a job to do when you get home. Clean it up, heat in a conventional oven & then drop in a sinkful of cold water)...

Using wood as a fuel in a Trangia designed for use with a meths burner is IMHO a very bad idea. You could easily get the alloy hot enough to melt, possibly get it hot enough to burn, and in any case it will oxidize fairly quickly at wood fire temperatures and gradually turn into a completely useless refractory powder. It will rapidly become a disgusting sooty mess because it is not designed to burn wood cleanly. Bushbuddy and similar stoves are much better in this respect and if I were going to travel light and cook on wood that's the way I'd be going.

It never ceases to amaze me that the alloy base of my Ghillie kettle hasn't melted yet. However, as it's much thicker alloy, heat is conducted away from hot spots before they can cause a problem, and by the time the fire is getting hot the water is boiling so vigorously that the overflowing boiling water tends to put out the fire which I suppose could be some weird kind of take on a safety mechanism. It's still a disgusting sooty mess, and so is the inside of the kettle itself, but I just put it in a couple of polythene carrier bags which I replace now and again when they eventually get too dirty. The old ones make good fuel.

Heat treatment of metals is only part of the story, they are often also hardened by the forming process (work hardening) which is an integral and often very complex part of the product design. Both are rather difficult to do reliably in your kitchen, and alloys of light metals can be much less forgiving than those of iron.

 

[Chrisj]

If you are looking for something more packable than a standard trangia have you thought about the mini trangia. It doesn't have the capacity of the army trangia but I use it all the time for backpacking and find it is plenty big enough for my needs, although I do also have a standard one for when size and weight isn't an issue and I want to cook more sophisticated meals. The standard windshield is more of a pot stand than a windshield but I made a foil windshield from a foil baking tray which I scrounged for free after a party and it weighs just grams. The whole outfit probably weighs less than 350g.

 

[Gotte]

Thanks for that. Never realised aluminium could do that. I wonder why the Kelly Kettles stand up so well. Maybe it's thicker or a different grade alu.
I've measured my trangia and it's 220 by 220 (being circular) by 150. Comparing that with the Swedish army one which is 200x170x120mm, I'm not sure I'm actually saving that much space. Also, the one I've got is lighter, and includes 3 pans, a kettle and a pot lifter. I could leave a pan or two out and out and make it thinner - probably get it down to about the 120 width mark. Hmmm. I really like the look of the army one, but I don't know. I'd probably just be buying it for the sake of it. My other option, I suppose is the Trangia 27, or the even smaller one, but the smaller one looks a bit, well, basic.
Options, options, options.
Still kind of interested in the swiss volcano stove, though again, it's probably only really good for rehydrated food.
Might have a look at the Honey Stove, or maybe some of the homemade wood gas stoves on Youtube. I'm still undecided about meths vs wood, though. I wonder if there's an option out there that will allow both. There must be.

 

[ged]

... I wonder if there's an option out there that will allow both. There must be.

I think it's called the Aldi stainless steel cutlery holder. Check out the April Spitewinter meet pics thread.

 

[R.Lewis]

look at hobo stoves in the hobo stove gallery thread....

 

[rik_uk3]

And can we stop calling them army Trangia's? Its an insult to real Trangia's. In fact Trangia made a few, the minority of the burners, so really army alcohols sets is more appropriate.

 

[Pandabean]

Sorry to jump in, but does someone know the thread where someone did a comparrison of trangia burners and their times to boil water etc?
Cant seem to find it in the search, unless its in the trangia argument thread which I am working through.