trangia argument
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Here are my observations:
Pros:
- Cheap to buy/run
- Simple, easily maintained
- Fuel easily available
- Lightweight
Cons:
- Smelly fuel
- Not as efficient as gas/petrol
- Not as clean as gas
- Little flame control
- On/off control primative
- Not enough heat for a fry-up!
I like my Trangia burners but they are nowhere near as powerpul as an MSR petrol stove but they are simpler and less hassle.
Pros:
- Cheap to buy/run
- Simple, easily maintained
- Fuel easily available
- Lightweight
Cons:
- Smelly fuel
- Not as efficient as gas/petrol
- Not as clean as gas
- Little flame control
- On/off control primative
- Not enough heat for a fry-up!
I like my Trangia burners but they are nowhere near as powerpul as an MSR petrol stove but they are simpler and less hassle.
You can buy a Trangia with a gas conversion kit. Runs off standard gas cylinders.
Best of both worlds
):
Best of both worlds
):
I remember once, when camping, i had to visit the nearest farm to borrow a pair of stilsons to open the burner. the meths had chrystalised the lid on. valuable lesson learned, to check it before setting out !!
As for the speed of cooking, i figure i'm in no hurry...
A drop of water in the burner with the meths seems to help with the sooting.
If you make a brew first, the burner is / should be warm enough to do a fry. Just wish i had the nonstick version.
martin...
As for the speed of cooking, i figure i'm in no hurry...
A drop of water in the burner with the meths seems to help with the sooting.
If you make a brew first, the burner is / should be warm enough to do a fry. Just wish i had the nonstick version.
martin...
Trangias boil water very quickly and don't go wrong (except in blizzards but that's another story). The rest was covered by Adi. It's my stove of choice :biggthump
Of those I've tried:
Gas - the hillwalking fraternity seem to go mostly for gas, for UK use. Convenient. I had an epigas one with integral windshield. However, on a cold day, sitting on the snow, a half empty cylinder and a 30 knot wind, it struggled a bit. None too stable, either.
Petrol - MSR ones are apparently good. Russian copies of the famous Optimus are cheap, apparently good, but heavy. Used to have a Coleman Peak One, which had two settings; 'barely working' and 'Achtung, flammenwaffen'. Good for melting snow as bags of heat.
Trangia - I am a convert to Ye Olde Swedish Army Trangia. Never fails, never falls over, never sets fire to your eyebrows, you can set it up and get on with something else. Bit heavy, but good. Readily available new and unissued just now, but for how much longer?
Home made alcohol stove - see the web. The lightest option by quite a bit.
Hexamine - Did not like it in my service days. Do not like it now.
Gas - the hillwalking fraternity seem to go mostly for gas, for UK use. Convenient. I had an epigas one with integral windshield. However, on a cold day, sitting on the snow, a half empty cylinder and a 30 knot wind, it struggled a bit. None too stable, either.
Petrol - MSR ones are apparently good. Russian copies of the famous Optimus are cheap, apparently good, but heavy. Used to have a Coleman Peak One, which had two settings; 'barely working' and 'Achtung, flammenwaffen'. Good for melting snow as bags of heat.
Trangia - I am a convert to Ye Olde Swedish Army Trangia. Never fails, never falls over, never sets fire to your eyebrows, you can set it up and get on with something else. Bit heavy, but good. Readily available new and unissued just now, but for how much longer?
Home made alcohol stove - see the web. The lightest option by quite a bit.
Hexamine - Did not like it in my service days. Do not like it now.
i put, trangia, purely because it's bomb proof, i've heard of these being dropped down cliffs, bent back and used minutes later, gas would be more exciting!
as for the lid getting stuck, this happened to me once very embarrasing, try lubing the threads with vasaline, also have a rubber band handy it helps you get a grip of the lid with gloves on or cold hands( i use a bit of bike innertube).
meths also has other aplications such as cleaning fluid, a fire lighter/starter, and also to harden skin(though i don't do this).
mine has flared up1ft high fireball (twice now) and i still haven't figured out why, (no rain, or other possible cause)otherwise i would say safe to use in a tent dorway. i have spilt burning meths before in a tent,(my scout leader told me to refill the trangia but gave me no instructions, so i literally poured more in whilst alight, (i coulden't see the flame) for this reason i would say it is a potential fire risk compared to refilling gas or petrol stoves, when meths burns you can't see the flame in daylight which is asking this to happen.
if i was doing a long haul trip i would use my MSR whisperlite international 600, purley because it's reliable, hot, and you can get petrol everywhere, meths and gas are not so easy to find, oh and you can also run my MSR on diesel meths, aviation fuel, white gas, vodka(any alcohol!), pretty much anything that will burn and i have heard of people welding plastic canoes with them! petrol also doubles as obviously a vehicle fuel so one can be siphened to the other where needed.
hexamine: i used to swear by but it's expensive, dirty and not so hot or controlablein comparison.
fire gel: seems more of a gimmick.
gas IMHO is more of a one hit wonder:
possitive, it's easy to use, light, compact ect.
neggatives, difficult to get hold of and the right size, it is far more dangerous to carry and store.
the cookers they fit to (apart from hose versions) tend to be top heavy.
gas can be difficult to light in cold conditions. (as can meths).
as for the lid getting stuck, this happened to me once very embarrasing, try lubing the threads with vasaline, also have a rubber band handy it helps you get a grip of the lid with gloves on or cold hands( i use a bit of bike innertube).
meths also has other aplications such as cleaning fluid, a fire lighter/starter, and also to harden skin(though i don't do this).
mine has flared up1ft high fireball (twice now) and i still haven't figured out why, (no rain, or other possible cause)otherwise i would say safe to use in a tent dorway. i have spilt burning meths before in a tent,(my scout leader told me to refill the trangia but gave me no instructions, so i literally poured more in whilst alight, (i coulden't see the flame) for this reason i would say it is a potential fire risk compared to refilling gas or petrol stoves, when meths burns you can't see the flame in daylight which is asking this to happen.
if i was doing a long haul trip i would use my MSR whisperlite international 600, purley because it's reliable, hot, and you can get petrol everywhere, meths and gas are not so easy to find, oh and you can also run my MSR on diesel meths, aviation fuel, white gas, vodka(any alcohol!), pretty much anything that will burn and i have heard of people welding plastic canoes with them! petrol also doubles as obviously a vehicle fuel so one can be siphened to the other where needed.
hexamine: i used to swear by but it's expensive, dirty and not so hot or controlablein comparison.
fire gel: seems more of a gimmick.
gas IMHO is more of a one hit wonder:
possitive, it's easy to use, light, compact ect.
neggatives, difficult to get hold of and the right size, it is far more dangerous to carry and store.
the cookers they fit to (apart from hose versions) tend to be top heavy.
gas can be difficult to light in cold conditions. (as can meths).
Gotta be gas for cleanliness and convenience, but for sheer reliability it's the Trangia every time for me :biggthump
It works and there's nothing to go wrong
It works and there's nothing to go wrong
Paganwolf
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Trangia's are top cooking kit, have a look at this i picked a couple up from Australia and just found this link if anyones interested, STAINLESS STEEL BURNER 
and they also do a stainless simmer ring, works really well seems better than the swedish brass job, gives of a better flame IMO and the simmer ring adjuster allows you to adjust the heat quite well.http://intranet.tatonka.com/infosys/infocgi/artinfod.dll?185@1 i haven't tried to order one from Germany yet, oh and they're nice n shiny 
and they also do a stainless simmer ring, works really well seems better than the swedish brass job, gives of a better flame IMO and the simmer ring adjuster allows you to adjust the heat quite well.http://intranet.tatonka.com/infosys/infocgi/artinfod.dll?185@1 i haven't tried to order one from Germany yet, oh and they're nice n shiny 
I absolutely cant stand trangia
the fuel is prone to leaking all over your kit.
it stinks.
it gives of about as much heat as a bic lighter and takes forever to even warm your water.
the flame is invisible so you cant tell if the water isn't boiling because meths takes forever or because its gone out, you cant tell that you've spilt it either except for the smell.
the slightest breeze before you get the shield on and it goes out.
pots get covered in soot.
they are not that light, many gas cookers are as light the trangia burner.
they are not efficant, look at all the wind shields required to protect the variable flame and the extra weight and bulk of carrying it.
I remember taking a group of scouts out for a few days in the brecon beacons
and watching the group try to prepare a meal in typical brecon weather.
In the end I had to cook for everyone on an MSR.
gas is more dependable than meths in my opinion, in most good gas cookers there is only 2-3 moving parts, turn the tap and light.
they are so small I can put it in my pocket and boil a liter water in just over a minute, a distant dream for a meths burner
its a shame you cant get the canisters abroad (outside europe) easily but then it can be difficult to find meths too. but gas cookers will run off blow torch canisters if you find them (same thread)
choice between meths and gas........ gas for me, but that just my choice
the fuel is prone to leaking all over your kit.
it stinks.
it gives of about as much heat as a bic lighter and takes forever to even warm your water.
the flame is invisible so you cant tell if the water isn't boiling because meths takes forever or because its gone out, you cant tell that you've spilt it either except for the smell.
the slightest breeze before you get the shield on and it goes out.
pots get covered in soot.
they are not that light, many gas cookers are as light the trangia burner.
they are not efficant, look at all the wind shields required to protect the variable flame and the extra weight and bulk of carrying it.
I remember taking a group of scouts out for a few days in the brecon beacons
and watching the group try to prepare a meal in typical brecon weather.
In the end I had to cook for everyone on an MSR.
gas is more dependable than meths in my opinion, in most good gas cookers there is only 2-3 moving parts, turn the tap and light.
they are so small I can put it in my pocket and boil a liter water in just over a minute, a distant dream for a meths burner
its a shame you cant get the canisters abroad (outside europe) easily but then it can be difficult to find meths too. but gas cookers will run off blow torch canisters if you find them (same thread)
choice between meths and gas........ gas for me, but that just my choice
bambodoggy
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
I don't really like either Gas or Trangia....although I think I'd chose Trangia over gas.
I tend to swap between Hexi, Coleman Petrol stove and open fire depending on where I am and what the restrictions are. I very rearly if at all use a Tent so the cooking inside and safety associated with it doesn't really apply to me.
I know they are a bit unpredictable but for simplicity I prefer Hexi and for permanant camps I prefer the Coleman Petrol Stove..... I prefer an open fire to either but can't always have one.
I've only used a Trangia a couple of time and found it more trouble then it was worth....leaky meths....top fusing to the burner if you put it on before the burner has totally cooled....this melts the rubber O rings and then next time you use it, it leaks (yes I know this is just good housekeeping but I like idiot proof - I can think straight now but not with a broken leg on the side of a mountain with mild hypothermia etc) Once going they aren't bad though. Used Gas once...hated it and was paranoid the whole time carrying a gas cylinder on my back....not such a worry for civvi's but a big fear for squaddies. Having said that if I'd slipped on a scree slope and bounced down a Mountain side again I'd hate to know I had a gas bottle on my back!
I haven't ticked either box on the vote as I don't like either
I tend to swap between Hexi, Coleman Petrol stove and open fire depending on where I am and what the restrictions are. I very rearly if at all use a Tent so the cooking inside and safety associated with it doesn't really apply to me.
I know they are a bit unpredictable but for simplicity I prefer Hexi and for permanant camps I prefer the Coleman Petrol Stove..... I prefer an open fire to either but can't always have one.
I've only used a Trangia a couple of time and found it more trouble then it was worth....leaky meths....top fusing to the burner if you put it on before the burner has totally cooled....this melts the rubber O rings and then next time you use it, it leaks (yes I know this is just good housekeeping but I like idiot proof - I can think straight now but not with a broken leg on the side of a mountain with mild hypothermia etc) Once going they aren't bad though. Used Gas once...hated it and was paranoid the whole time carrying a gas cylinder on my back....not such a worry for civvi's but a big fear for squaddies. Having said that if I'd slipped on a scree slope and bounced down a Mountain side again I'd hate to know I had a gas bottle on my back!
I haven't ticked either box on the vote as I don't like either
My main gripe about gas (other than having seen two tents on two separate occasions disappear through unsafe use of gas powered device) is the canisters. They are light and cheap but also just seem to me to be a real waste (read - crime against the planet) and present a huge disposal issue.
Adi007 said:
...and you find that you have lots of partly used cannisters because you end up taking a fresh one away with you.
Another point in Trangia's favour - it is very popular in its native Sweden.
The Swedes, in my humble experience, know what they are doing.
The Swedes, in my humble experience, know what they are doing.
bambodoggy
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Doc said:
I'd only ever seen/used the normal round civvi trangia's before and my below statements are based on that.....however...
At Ashdown the other week I saw Bruce using the Swedish Army one and I have to say if I was to use Trangia it would be that one....it looked a bit more up to the job....same applies for melting the O rings to the burner though!
