Trangia alternatives?

[Rich.H]

I'm looking to get a meth stove set but funds are a bit tight. Ideally I was looking at the Trangia 27 with kettle set. But I have had a look around and seen a few versions of this from other places for half the cost, two of which are here.

http://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/s...oves/cooking-set-with-meths-stove-232483.html

http://www.sportsdirect.com/karrimor-cook-set-and-burner-787083

Anyone had any experience with these cheaper versions? Are they half the quality in addition to half the price? As long as I get 12 months from it I'm happy as I can then upgrade to a Trangia.

 

[rik_uk3]

The Gelert sets are OK, http://www.clasohlson.com/uk/Asaklitt-Spirit-Stove/34-3320 has no kettle but is a really good 1-2 person cooker, I've got one, member Ian here (who knows his stoves) rates them highly too.

 

[PDA1]

I also have the asaklitt set. Very good for heating up food and boiling water. Not so good for frying, as the aluminium used is not teflon coated. easy enough to get a non stick cake pan to use as a frying pan, and add a flame reducer made from the base of a 12 oz drink can.

 

[Dunx]

Got the miltec version from amazon.... Not bad, but as above not great fro frying. Also the burners cap doesnt seal well and leaks meths if you leave any in it...

 

[David Morningstar]

Something I like about the Asaklit style of stove is that the pot is very well supported for stirring. In a Trangia clone with little folding pot rests this is always a two handed job because the pot skates about and needs to be held with the potgripper. This is not the case when the pot is supported by the edge of the windscreen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cjIZ_-mV0Y

 

[Nohoval_Turrets]

+1 for the Gelert sets. I got the mini one, mainly because I like the pot. I did a few tests of the burner, and it compared favourably with the Trangia. The flame wasn't as even, but it boiled water just as quickly - or slowly, depending on your point of view. The one drawback to it was the simmer ring. The swivel part of it didn't sit down properly on the main part, so it wasn't terribly controllable. The pot itself is great - it's now my main solo pot.

I've seen the bigger sets in action too, and they're really the same as the trangia ones. The quality of the aluminium is good.

 

[ADz-1983]

I would just save up for the Trangia 27 set. Its MUCH better quality and half the weight, yes its also double the price but its worth it!

 

[Riven]

Save your money and buy a trangia. Will last years, mine has. It might seem expensive but they really are worth it in the long run.

 

[Andy BB]

Meta-50? Solidly built, and has the added advantage of being able to use 2 pans at once - say heating water for a brew whilst your stew bubbles away!
It's also stupidly fast boiling water - I think it must have to do with the angled pans.

 

[bilmo-p5]

The Gelert sets are OK, http://www.clasohlson.com/uk/Asaklitt-Spirit-Stove/34-3320 has no kettle but is a really good 1-2 person cooker, I've got one, member Ian here (who knows his stoves) rates them highly too.

+1 to the Clas Ohlson. Cheap & cheerful. Good value budget stove set.

 

[neoaliphant]

I got this one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k27webtO4Fo
Very small and sturdy

Al

 

[petrochemicals]

soooo the burners not going in the wood burner ?

I'd go for a multifuel then if your going to be static. Meths is ok for occasional part time and lightweight use but is a bit heavy maintainence, especially in warm conditions, it starts off weak ,gets to optimum, and before you know it the entire reservoir is boiling away, and when you leave it to cool it just evapourates, in no way will it replace a heavyweight cooking option like a wood burner, imvlho owinw fyi. Like a wild fire ! Or something !

Edit.

Cant vouch for it, havn't got one, but apparrently there are steel trangias military grade, that you can have a fire in too.

 

[spiritwalker]

dont dismiss the swiss army version cheap and also doubles up as a good billy set over the fire
http://www.militarymart.co.uk/index.php?_a=product&product_id=2322
the gelert ones are fine i had one for years until i inherited a proper trangia.

the best plan is get the gelert one if you want the kettle etc and then replace the frying pan with a trangia non stick one to fit

 

[Darwa]

I got this one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k27webtO4Fo
Very small and sturdy

Al

Looks pretty good. Is it this one by chance?

Clicky

 

[Rich.H]

Thanks for all the variations I went with the Clas Ohlson for the time being. The Trangia I have is this one http://www.militarymart.co.uk/index.php?_a=product&product_id=2322 Had it years but it was an impulse buy before I even knew how they worked. This resulted in me using parts of it and the rest sitting in a box.

While it's still in near perfect condition I do like the newer designs with more pots/pans etc. But does anyone know if this older Trangia design has a good burner that would be worth swapping out the Clas Ohlson one for? Finally what sort of container do folks use for carrying fuel? I'm a little apprehensive about just using a plastic bottle to find at the end of a day its broken and leaked all over my bergen.

 

[Andy BB]

The very best - ie safest - container is undoubtedly the Trangia fuel bottle with safety valve - eg http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&...hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_gb9mkiuw0_b

Re the burner, the Trangia one is probably more "bullet-proof" (and heavier!), but I've never had any problems with the Clas Ohlsen one. Puts out a decent flame pattern (although can't remember now if it has a "simmer ring" or not.)

 

[ged]

... does anyone know if this older Trangia design has a good burner that would be worth swapping out the Clas Ohlson one for?

The brass military burner (if that's what you mean) is heavier and takes longer to 'bloom' than the civvy one. I have several similar burners and they all work fine but most of the civvy brass ones have leaked on me. Not everyone has had the same experience, that's just mine.

Finally what sort of container do folks use for carrying fuel? I'm a little apprehensive about just using a plastic bottle to find at the end of a day its broken and leaked all over my bergen.

I would have no hesitation at all carrying meths in one of the drinks bottles made from PET (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyethylene_terephthalate).
I use them all the time. They're more or less free, they're light and very tough, although they can split under pressure if you nick them with a knife or other sharp object.
The ones that contain carbonated water or other gassy drinks are likely to have good stoppers which won't come undone unexpectedly.
Make sure that you label the bottle clearly if you use something like that.
If you can afford proper fuel bottles obviously from the point of view of clarity it's better but they do tend to be heavy and some of them don't pour so well.
For meths I like the Trangia fuel bottles, they pour reasonably well but the stoppers have a habit of seizing up. http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=trangia fuel bottle
I wouldn't use unprotected aluminium drinks bottles for meths, they tend to corrode if left full for a long time.
I always carry a little contact lens solution bottle of meths for priming stoves and starting fires.

 

[rik_uk3]

+1 For the Trangia bottle with safety pourer.

 

[David Morningstar]

A friend of mine once found herself dribbling a trail of meths across a train station after the bottle it was bought in got squashed in her backpack.

I have a Trangia fuel bottle. It is a bit pricey but the nozzles are great for accurate metering of fuel. Its worth getting if you are going to be using a meths burner a lot.

The Swedish military meths burner is much larger in diameter than the civilian Trangia one so it wont be a swap fit. The civvy simmer ring doesnt fit on the military burner either. You can use the civvy burner with the oval-section military pans (where the burner just sits on the ground) to get the use of the simmer ring. Adding a potgripper to wrangle the pans and the windshield is a good idea too.

 

[Chillistarr]

Had pretty similar results from the real-mcCoy (if elderly) Trangias I used in Scouts as I have from my Lidl knock-off (tiny camping kettle from Tesco fits inside nicely too...) or the oval mil version, though mine is Swedish. Points re weight/mass of burner and lack of non-stick already made are both valid. As for bottles, I tend to go with old washing-up-liquid bottles (clear plastic, flip-top style) - good seal, tough plastic, squeezy and a nice controllable stream rather than a pour. Needs consideration when packing to avoid it rubbing up against something else and popping the lid open, but so far, this has never happened with mine. The bottle that came in my Swedish one is pretty good, if a little on the small side.