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5/15/2016 9:47 am  #1


Trangia Stoves?

Does anyone have any experience with the Trangia Stoves?  I saw a post that MartinG had posted to showing his setup and it looks pretty good.  Just looking for opinions on it and pro's/cons to it's use in various seasons (i.e. how does it work in winter, etc).

I'm looking for an alternative to my MSR stoves as I want something with less moving parts (i.e. less to go wrong).  I've had a couple stove failures in the winter and would like to have an alternate option.

Thanks guys!

 

5/15/2016 4:06 pm  #2


Re: Trangia Stoves?

Hey Steve,  I have one but I only us it there is a fire ban.  I do prefer it to carrying gas, so it's the only backup stove I use to my twig stove or an open fire.
In the winter, you need to keep the alcohol warm, so you'll need to carry the reservoir in your coat, or use the warming accessory.
I find that it's not great for long cooking, and it's not as hot as gas. I think I needed to fill it twice to fry two pans of fish, and it didn't get the oil quite hot enough.  I remember it taking a at least 10 minutes to boil a litre of water.
It sounds like I'm not a fan, but that's not true.  I still prefer it and I like the compact setup.

 

5/15/2016 5:35 pm  #3


Re: Trangia Stoves?

Thanks Shawn.  I don't mind having to wait a bit longer for water to boil etc.  I love my Dragonfly but man that thing is loud and I would love to have something a bit simpler and quieter (and more reliable). 

     Thread Starter
 

5/15/2016 8:58 pm  #4


Re: Trangia Stoves?

Hi Steve,

Backpacking alcohol stoves are not the best choice for cold winter use. I say backpacking stoves because larger scale alcohol stoves are frequently used by serious winter and arctic travellers. Due to reliability, lack of moving parts and lack of available natural fuel it is frequently chosen over other forms of stove. Google Musher Cookers. You may find they work for your winter base camps!

Trangia stoves in particular are not that great in the cold because they take a while to "bloom" and they have a small fuel capacity. You may find they go out before your water is boiled. Thats said, I still use a Trangia in my hot tent. Primarily because there are no parts to break or lose, the stand is bomb proof and ambient temperature is not an issue in a hot tent.

I sold my Whisperlite, Kelley Kettle, Firebox etc... Although I do still have an invertible cannister stove that I have used winter backpacking. Most of the time I use alcohol. For three season use I have been using a Fancee Feest stove. The Fancee Feest blooms almost immediately in any temperature and has a higher capacity reservoir than a Trangia. It weighs less than an ounce. The simmer ring (if I take it) weighs 1/2 ounce. I typically use 3/4 of an ounce of fuel for a meal. No moving parts, no soot, no fuss, very compact. Stability is an issue, so you have to be careful with your pots (or make a pot stand). 

http://www.woodgaz-stove.com/fancee-feest.php 





Last edited by MartinG (5/15/2016 10:02 pm)

 

5/16/2016 6:36 am  #5


Re: Trangia Stoves?

Very new to this game, but played around making my own "beer can" stoves over the winter . . . have yet to test them out in the bush, but for all the previously mentioned reasons I'm itching too - silent, simple, compact, light.

It was also a fun project to play around with, you can google multiple instructions with ease, so I won't get into that.  I'm considering it for summer solo work, when I'm not really eating 'fancy' and just looking to get hot water for a coffee and oatmeal, or re-hydrate a pouch.  Boiled a small primus solo pot of water (2 cups) in under 10 minutes, in the garage in near 0C conditions, but I can see it having a hard time with the fish oil etc. I think I posted on this in the equipment forum and someone had the bright idea of having 2 stoves, so you could light the 2nd one when the first burnt out . . . 

 

5/16/2016 9:27 am  #6


Re: Trangia Stoves?

Any ideas where to buy carbon felt to make one of these stoves. I've made a wood burning stove before but would like to try this out. It's great to have options


"Anyone can make love in a canoe, it's a Canadian who knows enough to take out the centre thwart!        Bahahaha!
                                                                      - Philip Chester
 

5/16/2016 2:00 pm  #7


Re: Trangia Stoves?

Thanks for the info guys. MartinG I found an interesting clip on Youtube that shows a guy rolling a tiny piece of toilet paper and sticking it in the stove as a wick and he says it makes it very easy to light cold conditions.  Have you ever tried that?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2hwvVTiIZM

I tried making an alcohol stove a couple years back and had it blow up in my face (burnt all my eyebrows off).  Obviously I did something wrong as it blew the top right off.  I've been to scared to try again lol

     Thread Starter
 

5/16/2016 2:09 pm  #8


Re: Trangia Stoves?

We made a cat food tin stove (similar to the beer can versions) last year and weren't super impressed. It took forever to boil a litre of water and was very sensitive to any wind. I loved the idea of such a light weight option but it was ultimately too unpredictable to become our main stove. 

The trangia has always intrigued me though as a more standardized option. 

 

5/16/2016 2:47 pm  #9


Re: Trangia Stoves?

Hey Steve,

It's not that it is hard to light the Trangia. At least I've never had that problem. In freezing temps it is slow to "bloom". Blooming is when the vapourized gas jets start burning with pressure. This can take a minute or so. Then sometimes when you put a cold pot on, it goes out. Waste of fuel. There are tricks you can use to keep your stove warm or preheat it, blah blah blah... Just a hassle in cold temps. That said It's never been an issue for me in the hot tent.

Fancee Feest is a little different than Trangia, Beer Can or Super Cat stoves. It is a wick stove. It doesn't rely on pressure jets at all. I typically boil a liter of water in 7 or 8 minutes. An ounce of fuel will last 10 or 12 minutes or so. With the Simmer ring it can last 20 minutes. When full it can simmer for about 45 minutes. Lots of videos out there on how to make them. Very easy. Since it is not a pressurized stove there is nothing to blow up .

I just bought mine from Zelph.
 

Last edited by MartinG (5/16/2016 2:50 pm)

 

5/16/2016 4:26 pm  #10


Re: Trangia Stoves?

IMO  - Alcohol stoves are for a single person and up to 2 ( maybe 3 ) cups of water. 
any meals you are cooking are dehydrated and you just need to boil water. 

I've been through many stoves and since weight is a concern for me, I currently use the fancee feast stove with an 800ML optimus pot. 
This is my spring --> late fall setup
I dehydrate my own meals so most are just add water - boil - put pot in cosy and wait 20 minutes. ( I also cook steak and potatoes the first night ) 
with the alcohol - I can plan meals and bring just enough fuel for the trip. it takes just under 1oz fuel to boil 2 cups water, so I add up how many meals Im cooking and bring that much fuel. I like it because there really is no waste( like mini propane stoves ) 

I'm also a big on using fire to cook - the pot I use ends up over/in the fire to heat water as needed.

In winter - I use fire to melt snow and cook - I bring a SVEA123 that is used for my morning coffee - as I sip my coffee I start the fire to continue cooking 

the trangia are good ( i've had several and still have one ) but I like the fancee feast - you can make it but for the few $$ I just bought one 

Also - for alcohol stoves - you MUST have a windscreen! any heavy aluminum foil can work. 

cheers



 

 

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