Anyone used a Meths cooker ?

[compo]

I have a Trangia which I use when fishing overnight. I also have one of the Swedish army cookers. My first experience of meths cookers was when I was a teenager and I bought one for about 2/- (10p) from Woolworths. That was like a paint tin with a press fit lid and worked a treat. I used it for many years.

 

[Christopher]

I have a Trangia. Takes a while to get going, bulky. Can be left to boil water while you get on with other jobs like pitching the tent. It also works in almost any weather, esp windy, and is almost maintenance free.

 

[jazzkat]

I used a trangia for years, but found gas easier, cleaner and more controllable.
Though to be fair how controllable you need it to be to boil up for a brew or warm some stagg chilli up is debatable!

 

[Brains]

Trangia is a brilliant piece of kit if weight Isn't an issue. The stove is self contained it has pans and even a kettle and doesn't weigh too much. It isn't very fuel efficient and you need to take a fair amount if you're out for a few days.
There is a gas conversion kit which reduces weight considerably but then it wouldn't be a meths stove.

Like for like, the Trangia is one of the lightest stoves on the market !
What I think people confuse is the Trangia is a cooking system, not just a burner, but you don't need to take all the kit every time.

I have a Trangia and also a MSR Pocket Rocket gas stove, which at 87gm for the burner unit is slightly lighter than the 118gm of the Trangia meths burner unit, however even the smallest gas cylinder is 200gm (150gm of gas and 50gm of bottle) whereas the fully loaded meths bottle is 300gm of meths and 95gm of bottle, obviously it does not need to be fully loaded.

So if you compare say one hour of burn time, then the Trangia comes out slightly lighter.
So no matter how light the actual burner you have to add the weight of the fuel, the bottle the fuel comes in, and how many hours the stove will run of the fuel and the BTU produced in that time (ie How long to boil a litre of water at room temperature)
You then need to include all the optional items;
The wind-shield, the pots and pans, the grippers and stirrers, the mug, the kettle, the chopping board, the cutlery, the kitchen sink etc.

Hence in over 20 years of multi-country and multi continental expeditions backpacking on foot, panniers on bikes and in barrels in canoes we have taken Trangia's
I only use the MSR as a hill walking backup, as burner & bottle fit inside a titanium mug with some emergency supplies to I can knock up a hot drink to ward off hypothermia whilst on the mountain.

By the way, the Trangia Gas burner is 180gm, so about 90gm heavier than the MSR pocket rocket, so the difference is about the weight of your watch.

 

[Brains]

Doesn't like to light below zero, so keep your meths in your sleeping bag in cold weather but other than that, great.

Same issue with normal "camping gaz".

Hence the mountain gas has a higher percentage of propane in it to burn at lower temperatures (and you pay more for it)

 

[nappadang]

Like for like, the Trangia is one of the lightest stoves on the market !
What I think people confuse is the Trangia is a cooking system, not just a burner, but you don't need to take all the kit every time.

I have a Trangia and also a MSR Pocket Rocket gas stove, which at 87gm for the burner unit is slightly lighter than the 118gm of the Trangia meths burner unit, however even the smallest gas cylinder is 200gm (150gm of gas and 50gm of bottle) whereas the fully loaded meths bottle is 300gm of meths and 95gm of bottle, obviously it does not need to be fully loaded.

So if you compare say one hour of burn time, then the Trangia comes out slightly lighter.
So no matter how light the actual burner you have to add the weight of the fuel, the bottle the fuel comes in, and how many hours the stove will run of the fuel and the BTU produced in that time (ie How long to boil a litre of water at room temperature)
You then need to include all the optional items;
The wind-shield, the pots and pans, the grippers and stirrers, the mug, the kettle, the chopping board, the cutlery, the kitchen sink etc.

Hence in over 20 years of multi-country and multi continental expeditions backpacking on foot, panniers on bikes and in barrels in canoes we have taken Trangia's
I only use the MSR as a hill walking backup, as burner & bottle fit inside a titanium mug with some emergency supplies to I can knock up a hot drink to ward off hypothermia whilst on the mountain.

By the way, the Trangia Gas burner is 180gm, so about 90gm heavier than the MSR pocket rocket, so the difference is about the weight of your watch.

I too own an MSR stove (whisperlight) and a Trangia. I rate both of them highly for different reasons and would use them both for different jobs.
With all accessories (light weight copper pans, windshield, grab,and fuel etc) the the MSR works out significantly lighter and easier to pack. Not only that and the was the point of my first post, a Trangia burns almost twice the amount of fuel my Whisperlight uses, making it much heavier if you intend to spend 5 or 6 days with all your gear on your back. If I were paddling for the same period of time I'd definitely take the Trangia.

 

[young Ed]

+1
I'm another for trangia bomb proof, don't cost an adsalute fortune and are cheap to run, great in wind can not go wrong with a trangia! get one today!
Cheers Ed
P.S of course my view has nothing to do with the fact that ai am a very very strong Swedish patriot!

 

[andym]

Like for like, the Trangia is one of the lightest stoves on the market !
What I think people confuse is the Trangia is a cooking system, not just a burner, but you don't need to take all the kit every time.

I have a Trangia and also a MSR Pocket Rocket gas stove, which at 87gm for the burner unit is slightly lighter than the 118gm of the Trangia meths burner unit, however even the smallest gas cylinder is 200gm (150gm of gas and 50gm of bottle) whereas the fully loaded meths bottle is 300gm of meths and 95gm of bottle, obviously it does not need to be fully loaded.

So if you compare say one hour of burn time, then the Trangia comes out slightly lighter.

As you say, it depends on how much fuel you carry. I can't remember the source (backpackinglight.com?) but IIRC someone did a study and found that gas has greater fuel efficiency, which over a period of time means that the combined fuel and stove weight weighs less - I think they said that this was after about 9-10 days. But I stress I am only going from memory. And of course in practice if you end up coming home with a half empty gas canister then this may outweigh the fuel efficiency benefits.

With all accessories (light weight copper pans, windshield, grab,and fuel etc) the the MSR works out significantly lighter and easier to pack.

Yes but there are ultralight alcohol systems (eg Caldera Cone) that are very light indeed. There's nothing to stop someone using the same cooking pots etc with both an alcohol stove and a gas stove.

 

[nappadang]

Yes but there are ultralight alcohol systems (eg Caldera Cone) that are very light indeed. There's nothing to stop someone using the same cooking pots etc with both an alcohol stove and a gas stove.

But they'd still be carrying twice as much fuel.
My first post did refer ro the Trangia, but I accept that other stoves may be more efficient and lighter.

 

[andym]

But they'd still be carrying twice as much fuel.
My first post did refer ro the Trangia, but I accept that other stoves may be more efficient and lighter.

I was thinking more of having the alcohol stove available as a backup - if you can't find compatible gas cartridges, or whatever.

I was making the point that the same pots and accessories can be used for both - so really the weight of the accessories isn't a deciding factor between alcohol and gas.

 

[nappadang]

I was thinking more of having the alcohol stove available as a backup - if you can't find compatible gas cartridges, or whatever.

I was making the point that the same pots and accessories can be used for both - so really the weight of the accessories isn't a deciding factor between alcohol and gas.

I understand that mate and agree. My initial post was referring to the fuel consumption of the Trangia. This is close to twice what I burn in the Whisperlight. My point was that this needs to be factored in if weight is a consideration.
I couldn't really compare any gas devices as I've never really used any. I don't trust myself with a potential bomb.

 

[BADGER.BRAD]

Thanks for a replies, much appreciated.I think I'll make one up first as a test to use in my workshop and then buy one a bit more robust.I really like how simple they are.

 

[Gravity Aided]

Pretty much what I did, still using it. When I initially tested it, I used 90% alcohol so I could see the flames without it being dark outside, so I could see the pattern and flame height. With Meths, you cannot always see the flame.

 

[MontyVeda]

if don't want to spend 40 odd quid on a proper Tangia, you can get this from Clas Olsen for 13 quid.

 

[Gravity Aided]

Nice- found it on Amazon as well, Mrs. GA alerted as to Christmas present presence.