trangia argument

[addyb]

I don't find the 28 'Mini' a waste of money. I own it, and it's not half bad. All it needed was a bit of modification.

I took an MSR windscreen, cut it down to size and poked some holes in the bottom. You can see the result in the crappy photo. The point is that the model 28 isn't actually all bad if you change a few things. I also have a piece of cork which I use as a ground insulator in cold weather. This all tucks nicely into the pot and doesn't take up much in the way of pack space.

Adam

 

[Timinwales]

Trangia for me I'm afraid I've had my 25K (stainless lined) for longer than I care to remember it's definately in its late teens maybe even 20 I also own a mini which imho is cracking to just bung in a day bag or for a solo overnighter(s).

The only issue I've had was last Sunday morningwhen the meths would'nt vapourize and so wouldnt light but after sticking it in my pocket while I struck camp it had warmed up enough and that was that.

This leads me on to a question though have we unknowingly fallen foul of some piece of European legislation in relation to flash points for readilly available spirits like meths?. I ask because I've used trangias in the past at higher altitude and much colder temps. If anyone has any thoughts I'd be interested.

Cheers Tim

PS for me Trangia works!

 

[rik_uk3]

My high regard for Trangia's is well known among my fellow stove collectors, as can be seen here




The only stainless steel version I own are a couple of the army units and to be honest I don't mind using aluminium at all. I must have about 10 or 12 Trangia's now of different types, without doubt my favourite stove. Put a Nova with a 25 or 27 and you have the perfect winter stove

 

[addyb]

Trangia for me I'm afraid I've had my 25K (stainless lined) for longer than I care to remember it's definately in its late teens maybe even 20 I also own a mini which imho is cracking to just bung in a day bag or for a solo overnighter(s).

The only issue I've had was last Sunday morningwhen the meths would'nt vapourize and so wouldnt light but after sticking it in my pocket while I struck camp it had warmed up enough and that was that.

This leads me on to a question though have we unknowingly fallen foul of some piece of European legislation in relation to flash points for readilly available spirits like meths?. I ask because I've used trangias in the past at higher altitude and much colder temps. If anyone has any thoughts I'd be interested.

Cheers Tim

PS for me Trangia works!

They're not great at melting show. It took me a long time to want to admit that but its true nor do I think its worth the fuel consumption. I CAN do it with my cork bottomed/windscreened 28 but it takes AGES and eats up fuel at an ungodly rate.

If anyone cares to dispute this I'm all ears!

Adam

 

[Timinwales]

They're not great at melting show. It took me a long time to want to admit that but its true nor do I think its worth the fuel consumption. I CAN do it with my cork bottomed/windscreened 28 but it takes AGES and eats up fuel at an ungodly rate.

If anyone cares to dispute this I'm all ears!

Adam

Conceeded even with good meths.....

But I still really like my trangia, has anyone tried these 'green ether fuel gel thingies I keep seeing advertised?.

Tim

 

[rik_uk3]

Conceeded even with good meths.....

But I still really like my trangia, has anyone tried these 'green ether fuel gel thingies I keep seeing advertised?.

Tim

None of the Trangia's are great snow melters, the Swedish army and the 28 are the worse. The 25 and 27 beat them because of the pan/wind shield design. If you want to melt snow in a Trangia, mount a Nova in one and watch the water come

 

[JonnyP]

Never used a trangia, but have smelt them, from others using them, or filling them....I have always used the fire, gas or my trusty whisperlite.......Now I have a wood burning stove, and intend on using that pretty much everywhere as it is free fuel.......

 

[addyb]

Gawd, those greenheat gel packages are awful. I have a container of blue gel and it's basically the same thing. In fact, you might as well compare them to the old 'Tommy Cookers' of the byegone era.

I figure if you want to carry a decent pocket cooker, stick with hexamine/esbit tablets. If you need more heat, add some small twigs to the tablet. It works just fine. But seeing as this is a Trangia thread, I'll add my last two cents to the argument.

- They're dead simple. A five year old could use one. (Not that he SHOULD but...)
- They're reliable. If the jets become clogged, you can clean 'em out with a bent paperclip. I carry one in my pack at all times. (Not that I get out much but...)
- Yeah, you can melt snow on 'em. But for my money, it's just not worth it.

I really can't think of anything else to say. I love my 28 dearly and wouldn't part with it for anything in the world.

Adam

 

[garbo]

I have used a trangia for twenty five years and it was ok, bulky ,but a year ago I was persuaded to get the SA model , for ten quid fantastic, I filed out some groves in the windshield so I can sit a frying pan on top, and now use a "HI-GEAR burner cos it is a lot faster to get warmed up and if there is a better bit of kit for fifteen quid out there I will drink my methts ok

 

[cyclist]

Why not the aluminium 25 or 27?

ti and st/st are much easier to clean "in the field" plus some very bad memories about alu pots issued by my government (not "T"-alu)

addyb: your windshield isn´t high & wide enough -you´re wasting fuel & time.
For what it does the T 28 pot/burner holder is by far too heavy: ~50g.
I´ve tuned (drilled a lot of holes) mine and it´s now at 32g - still way too heavy if compared to www.brasslite.com and beverage can stoves
Somewhere in the internet is a "Westwind" clone made from titanium with below 30g

 

[rik_uk3]

ti and st/st are much easier to clean "in the field" plus some very bad memories about alu pots issued by my government (not "T"-alu)

addyb: your windshield isn´t high & wide enough -you´re wasting fuel & time.
For what it does the T 28 pot/burner holder is by far too heavy: ~50g.
I´ve tuned (drilled a lot of holes) mine and it´s now at 32g - still way too heavy if compared to www.brasslite.com and beverage can stoves
Somewhere in the internet is a "Westwind" clone made from titanium with below 30g

The link between aluminium and going ga ga has not been proved, and was blown out of proportion by some and aluminium cleans ok, just stir your food and don't burn it I was given a Brasslite a couple of years ago to evaluate, to be honest I was less than impressed, have they improved it now?

 

[oops56]

I love to get one but got no passport oh well.

 

[cyclist]

oh that turned out maybe a little in the wrong direction: the alu pots were government issued - not the bad memories.
The rumors about alu and constant forgetting - that came IMHO probably from some starting-semester student or a professor who wanted some publicity. I don´t follow that track.
My concerns are just a bit in direction of well known Murphy: if it can go wrong it does go wrong... for pots and pans it turns out to me that it´s just a bit less complicated with ti and st/st. OTOH alu is by far a better heat conductor ("T" had a reason to introduce Duossal rather than just plain st/st). I don´t mind using a "T" teakettle and the alu made Kelly Kettle for boiling water.

AFAIK Brasslite stoves got some modifikations over the years: changing from pressurized to open burner (you´ve read the well known story "Laminar vs. turbulent flow" it´s published in zenstoves.net and other sources).
different stove sizes
pot stand extensions
The first burners have been produced by Aaron Rosenbloom himself, now they are made in Asia.

What I don´t like on "B´s" compared to my "T":
the pot stand in combination with a bigger pot (a modification is offered now, in the future the potstand will be different- to me it looks similiar like on the old Volcano stove, Simon stove and others)
the need for a fuel container on short (weekend) trips and measuring in advance the amount of fuel needed
and a major design fault IMHO: the stove beeing placed directly on the ground

 

[nobby]

I used to use a petrol stove SVEA 123 because it fitted in a bottle rack on the bike, but the thing always frightened me to death. It was like being in close company with a harrier jet taking off. Its high point was selling it on ebay over 20 years later and recovering what I'd paid for it originally.
I like the trangia on my boat and sometimes use the gas conversion, but for day rides and overnights a Crusader cooker and mug with hexy blocks. I rarely cook nowadays so I just boil water for drinks, eggs and pasta.
I also like hobo stoves and kelly kettles but hexy is quick enough and easy.

 

[twisted firestarter]

I don't get the argument about meths smelling. Sure it does but gas stoves give off carbon monoxide which doesn't smell but is very dangerous. surely it's a case of the better the devil you know

In case you hadn't guessed I love my Trangia

 

[Sgt Sim]

Tricky question. I was braught up on a Classic Trangia with spirit burner but have lately been comitted to the gas. If I have to pic one of them, it would be gas, but it would in that case be a gas burner in a Trangia stowe. The basic concept of the Trangia stowe is simply briliant... I do however still bring a small 300 ml spirit bottle and burner with me just in case.

 

[fred gordon]

You can buy a Trangia with a gas conversion kit. Runs off standard gas cylinders.

Best of both worlds ):

For me this is the problem with several polls of late, missing out the obvious options. Gas trangia stoves are very efficient and gives the best of both worlds. So, if you answer Trangia, or gas, what do you really mean? What does the result mean?

 

[Scots_Charles_River]

Gas is limited in cold temps and wind, even in scotland.

Meths rules

Nick

 

[rik_uk3]

Gas is limited in cold temps and wind, even in scotland.

Meths rules

Nick

True, back in January, I watched one of the lads trying to boil a pan on a pocket rocket or something, in the end, I took sympathy and boiled it double quick on my Trangia 25/Nova combo It was chilly though, I would imagine the air temp was around -5c or so that night

 

[Neanderthal]

Out of interest, who has got the oldest trangia here?. I've had mine some 22 years or so. Bit battered and bruised, but still does the biz..

In 1980 I met a guy on the Pennine Way with a Trangia, I was using a Bluet S200 Campinggaz stove at the time. I was so impressed I bought a Trangia for my next trip and used it until recently. These days I'm using homemade alchohol pop can stoves which are much lighter.

These days Trangias are made from thinner metal.

Stu