Trangia Mini Stove

[PaleoHunterGatherer]

Hello folks. Just bought this beauty, and tried it out. Quiet, small, and if your not in a hurry for your cuppa...
So I'd like to hear your pros and cons on this interesting 'smaller brother' of the Trangia 25 et al.
Cheers
Alex

 

[andy_e]

As long as you use some sort of windscreen, I think they're great, simple and reliable like all trangia versions. A lot of people don't like meths, but personally I don't mind the smell.

 

[Zodiak]

I agree these are really handy bits of kit and I also agree about the windsheild.

I have used one, it was exactly what I expected, and I want one but having upgraded my 25 with teh gas convertor, non stick fying pan and bigger kettle (non trangia) I don't think that Mrs Z would approve.

They are also MUCH better than the Hi-gear / LIDL/ ALDi clones that look almost the same but take for ever to boil up.

Its a good bit of kit that should last for years, enjoy it.

 

[Graham_S]

I've got one, and I love it. with a windshield made from a disposable barbecue added, it becomes much more efficient.
I can manage a full english breakfast for two on mine with very little effort

 

[Humpback]

Do any of you have experience of the winter attachment shown on the Trangia site but apparently not readily available in the UK?

 

[Zodiak]

Sorry message removed I got confused with the multidisk

 

[addyb]

It's a great little stove when used in moderate weather conditions and with a better windscreen. It doesn't do much in winter or for melting snow but for a one or two nighter the 28 'Mini' does quite well.

Adam

 

[irishlostboy]

the winter attachment? is that the baseplate thing? i cant imagine needing that in anything less than arctic conditions. i have had trangias out in -12 with serious wind and rain at altitude, and had no problems with is so long as it is set up right. i have no clue how the winter attachment works though. is it to warm up the fuel cell prior to operating? its a funny little gadget.

 

[spamel]

One sits in a 10 cm Billy perfectly. The 10 cm fits perfectly into the 14 cm Billy which fits perfectly into my hobo stove, so I have a 2 pan nesting set with two means of cooking, both at the same time if necessary. Can't fault it and the only bit I got was the pot support as i already had the burner from my larger trangia. The pot support cost: nothing! It was in a damaged package and they were gonna bin the lot but broke it up for parts and didn't expect anybody would want the pot support!

 

[demographic]

I have one, and after I made a windshield out of two bits of aluminium sheet and three rivets its a lot better than when new.

With a bit of luck these pictures will show up...

The top aluminium sheet has little cuts in the bottom of it so it sits on the rivets well and it all fits nicely in the pot.

Sorry for not taking the stove outside to set up on a grassy area and showing it next to a freshly carved spoon leaning against a sharp knife ontop of a bearskin as is usually the done "Bushcrafter" way but I just did it on the computer desk.

It doesn't look too contrived does it? Should I have moved the phone cable?

 

[Shewie]

Nicely done Demo, might have a crack at that


Rich

 

[spamel]

You'll be alright if you say you were using the telephone wire to construct snares and was using the computer desk to fashion some sort of rifle!

 

[demographic]

Nicely done Demo, might have a crack at that


Rich

Its really a doddle to do, I had some very thin aluminium sheet pulled from the skip of the local newspaper offices by an ex girfriend who used to work there.
Some of it even had the Gazzette newsprint on it, I don't have my verniers on me (they are in the shed, its dark and theres no lights and I can't be arsed) but its less than half milimeter thick.

Dunno where else you would find it though.

You'll be alright if you say you were using the telephone wire to construct snares and was using the computer desk to fashion some sort of rifle!

Yeah, good point...

Just wait till that cat walks over the desk next time, its toast

 

[rik_uk3]

You can always use a bit of tin foil held fast with a paper clip as a wind shield, it does work

 

[addyb]

the winter attachment? is that the baseplate thing? i cant imagine needing that in anything less than arctic conditions. i have had trangias out in -12 with serious wind and rain at altitude, and had no problems with is so long as it is set up right. i have no clue how the winter attachment works though. is it to warm up the fuel cell prior to operating? its a funny little gadget.

Yes, the winter attachment is used to pre-heat the meths burner so that its easier to light. But it won't fit the '28' model which makes the Mini next to useless in the winter, regardless of whether or not you have a proper windscreen and a good insulator between the small pot stand and the ground. I don't own any of the larger Trangia models so I really have no understanding of how they operate in winter conditions, but I can say that its a lost cause with the '28'. I've tried it and for my two cents of an opinion, it's just not worth the fuel consumption.

Adam

 

[irishlostboy]

I don't own any of the larger Trangia models so I really have no understanding of how they operate in winter conditions...

cookers are a real personal piece of kit, and in winter a truly vital piece of kit. everyone has their favourites. some people hate the trangia. i think its the weight the don't like. as for performance of the 25 and 27 model; i have used them both extensively in Ireland in winters, and had no problems. in proper arctic environments it may not fare so well though. has anyone experience of them in arctic conditions? i was weaned on trangias though, so i cant really give comparisons.
and the cool thing about trangias is, you can always get the military version for half nothing on ebay or in most army surplus stores. with the army surplus ones, make sure you have a pliers handy. and i always needed to use a bit of wood to keep the handle of the big pot away from the windshield, as it would get quite hot.

 

[John Fenna]

With the Swedish military Trangia slot a trimmed bit od wood into the D rings on the lid handle and tou have an extended, heatproof handle - no more hot hands!

 

[big_swede]

cookers are a real personal piece of kit, and in winter a truly vital piece of kit. everyone has their favourites. some people hate the trangia. i think its the weight the don't like. as for performance of the 25 and 27 model; i have used them both extensively in Ireland in winters, and had no problems. in proper arctic environments it may not fare so well though. has anyone experience of them in arctic conditions? i was weaned on trangias though, so i cant really give comparisons.

In real cold no meth stoves work very well. The whole principle behind the trangia-typ burner is that the alcohol gets vapourised. That is why you get a yellow flame the first couple of minutes when it's lit, and the blueish/invisible flame after a couple of minutes (that is, the vapourised fuel is dominating the combustion). As meths can go well below freezing, it is not only hard to ignite, it is also very energy consuming to get it to vapourise. Another factor here is the efficiency of the combustion wich is lower in colder temperatures. I've used trangias (both 'real' trangias, and the army kind) in cold weather (-42 was the coldest with a trangia, IIRC), and though I kept the burner in my pocket, along with the spare fuel it is no match for a good multifuel burner. It is possible to melt snow, keep it well insulated from the snow/cold ground and it will perform moderatly, but if you intend to do any extended winter camping, a multifuel saves you time and weight (in fuel) which will make you a hapier puppy. That said, I still think the civilian trangia, with a multifuel burner (several models fit into the trangia, e.g. whisperlite, optimus nova, trangias own etc.) is unbeatable in cold windy conditions. The flimsy foil-kind of windshields you get with most multifuelssystems are cr4p and makes the stove less effecient.

 

[nicodiemus]

Don't they make an attachment for arctic weather to pre-heat the meths?
I still bet it would lose a lot of heat, just down to the sheer raisin factor.

 

[big_swede]

the winter attachement is just a waste of time and money. It is still not very efficient.