Cheap small cookset stoves

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Bigtallfatbloke

New Member
Well I'm not going up the Andees or anything but I'd like to be able to cook a basic hot meal, make some porridge for brekkie and a cup of tea as and when...I dont have much cash after getting a new bike, tent, sleep bag, saddle, spds, shoes etc....I saw this:

http://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/ishop/877/shopscr345.html

It doesnt say how much it weighs though...but if it's good enough for Sweedish soldiers it should be good enough for me I suppose....and it's only £13 ish which is cheaper than even the cheapest meth burners I have seen.....(I cant be bothered with all that pepsi can mallarky)

...I had decided on gas after reading stuff on the other forums...but this is cheap and looks like it will do what i need in an emergency...or a couple of nights on a beach or something.
 

SamNichols

New Member
Location
Colne, Lancs
Trangias are light, and if you eat straight out of the pan, then there isn't a great deal of washing up, they fold up to a fairly small size, the size of the largest sauce pan in fact. If you have an army surplus shop nearby, then you could also try a hexi stove, which burns a flammable tablet ( a bit like a fire lighter i suppose). You can't adjust the flame at all, but they get plenty hot enough (they do taste a bit though).
 

Amanda P

Legendary Member
I reccommend a Trangia - but why gas? Meths is slower, but you just have to plan around that.

Pack your Trangia at the top of your bag. When you stop to set up camp, whip it out (the Trangia, that is) and set it boiling. By the time you've got your tent, sleeping bag and all the rest of it set up, you've a pan full of hot water for your tea, pasta or what-have-you.

It won't blow out - in fact the harder the wind blows, the hotter it burns. If it falls over, the danger is minimal. There's no flaring up if the fuel sloshes. It doesn't need priming or pumping. There are no bulky cartridges to carry. You can run it on vodka if necessary. It doesn't look much like a stove on an airport x-ray, so fussy airlines are less likely to confiscate it. It all packs away into a single neat package inside its own pans. It has its own windshield. It's light. Spares are easy to get hold of.

The only drawback is that it can sometimes be difficult to find fuel. But if you're only away a week or two in Europe, it's easy to carry plenty.
 
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Bigtallfatbloke

Bigtallfatbloke

New Member

Amanda P

Legendary Member
Neither. Go for a 27 series. The extra weight and bulk are negigible with a bike (maybe not if you're backpacking). It's more stable and the extra pans worth having - you can eat out of them, or eat your beans out of one while your rice pudding is heating up in the other. You can always leave all the pans but one at home if you're really roughing it.

They last for ever, so the extra cost is a worthwhile investment.

In my humble opinion....
 
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Bigtallfatbloke

Bigtallfatbloke

New Member
Thanks for helping me...that seems to make sense..like you said I can leave a pan at home if weight is critical...I am now veering towards this non stick version of the 27

http://www.simplyhike.co.uk/ProductDetails.aspx?StockID=23185&Affiliate=Froogle

...my first tour this summer is going to be like a testing ground for next years more adventurous adventure....so the lightweight army thing could be a false economy...hmm...

...gonna have to learn to cook as well :blush: :rolleyes: :thumbsup:
 

Amanda P

Legendary Member
Bigtallfatbloke said:
...gonna have to learn to cook as well :?: :?: :sad:

No you aren't. Just go to the supermarket and buy those pasta'n'sauce things. You just heat up some water (with a dash of milk and marge in it if you have it - doesn't matter if you haven't), bung in the pasta and powder from the packet, and simmer it for ten minutes (you'll need the simmering cap thingy in your Trangia for that). Then eat it out of the pan with a spoon or fork. Mop up the leftover sauce with a piece of bread.

Not proper cooking, but light and compact to carry, cheap, and quite filling. They come in five or six different flavours, so as long as you like pasta, you can vary what you eat to a degree!

If there's a shop near your camp site, you can buy tinned stuff. It's a bit heavy to carry routinely, but no real cooking involved there.

Pesto with pasta is also good. You can do rice pretty easily, and bung in tomato puree, pesto, tuna, baked beans, whatever.

All much cheaper than the dehydrated meals they sell in camping shops, but just as good.
 

SamNichols

New Member
Location
Colne, Lancs
There is absolutely nothing worse than sitting down to either dehydrated or boil in a bag meals after a long day of hiking. Always avoid the camping varieties- they are over priced and depressing.

Bean Feast Chilli Con Carne is a good one, and has a fair bit of protein in it. Mop it up with bread, as suggested.
 

Brock

Senior Member
Location
Kent
I think you should set your sights higher than packets of pasta n' sauce. When you're nearing the campsite keep an eye out for local produce, free range eggs and nice fresh farm shop veg etc. The meal is important for state of mind as well as body, and should form a significant part of the memories of your tour in my opinion.
These lamb chops and sliced local garlic were a treat from Chichester that cooked up beautifully in the Trangia. Delicious and filling and not really any harder to prepare than a tin of beans.
A small chopping board and a decent multi-purpose knife are essential if you ask me.
 

Amanda P

Legendary Member
Fair point.

BTFB seems to want to avoid learning to cook, though, and pasta'n'sauce is a useful backup when it's raining and the pubs are shut and the village shop only opens on Tuesdays and....

'Course, you can always pick your food up along the road as this guy does....
 

Brock

Senior Member
Location
Kent
Heh great link Uncle Phil, I'd love to have the balls(?) to cook up some of the road kill I see around. Apparently badgers cheeks are delicious. :?:
 
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Bigtallfatbloke

Bigtallfatbloke

New Member
I was thinking of using an upturned pot or the frying pan as a chopping board and my swiss army knife. ActuallY i can cook ok...I was just kidding above. I am more than capable of just about anything except road dinner which I always mess up....but on this type of cookset I'll just be doing the easy stuff to start with ...like Boueff Bourginonion, Burf strongonchops, Pasta a la saddleeri etc.... :?:
 

habibi

New Member
Location
Inverkeithing
After many years of using an MSR Dragonfly, I've switched to using an MSR Pocket Rocket Titan Kettle Kit, for any trip under a fortnight's duration. The kettle doubles as a pan and mug. Ultralight, and boils water very quickly.
 
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