Cooking equuipment

[samid]

I'd suggest either an MSR Superfly, which will take either regular screw-on or Camping Gas click-on

I had (still have) one of those. While the ability to use different types of canisters is a plus, there's a downside to that versatility as is usual in such cases -the fitting is clumsy and not always works that great. Also, because the stove is mounted on top of a canister, the whole setup is somewhat unstable. YMMV of course.

 

[Chris James]

Trangia plus gas adapter strikes me as being a not very light gas stove with a very large and heavy windshield.

I agree that Trangia with gas convertor is very hefty compared to canister type burners, hence me saying that I mostly use it car camping for climbing trips.

However, the burner weighs less than many alpine burners - which it should be compared to eg the gas convertor weighs 230g, Primus Gravity II is 263g. It is also very stable and bomb proof whereas several other burners I have used are extremely flimsy, it is also very controllable, partly due to the good burner design and partly due to the effective windshield.

The pots fit in the unit (and you can take only one), so the only real weight penalty is the windshield which is heavier than a lightweight stand alone one. Having said that, the windshield actually works and gives complete coverage of the burner in all directions which is useful in blustery conditions - and due to the two piece design you also have a built in reflector too.

According to the Needle Sports website the top and bottom windshields of the Trangia weigh a total of 311g. The Primus gravity windshield and reflector (which looks like it is made of tin foil and only offers very partial coverage) is 113g. I suppose it depnds on whether you think 200g is a big weight penalty and whether you think the Trangia offers anything for that extra weight.

As I said in my previous post, it is all a bit of a balancing act. Canister top burners, for example, only weigh 70g ish but in my experience are quite flimsy and a bit of a pain to use. If using gas I would always go for an alpine type burner.

 

[willem]

According to the Trangia website (under instructions for use) the top and bottom windshield of the new 27 UL weigh even less: 262 grams. The gas burner itself is 178 grams. The rest is pots and pans, and pretty light ones at that.
Anyone who finds this or something like this too heavy, has to be satisfied with either a top of the cannister gas stove that is unstable and easily blows out in the wind, or a lightweight meth stove like the Clikstand, the Trangia 28 mini (plus extra windscreen) or the Caldera cone. There is no free lunch.
Willem

 

[aqaleigh]

if you want cheap - light and easy with pot pan etc. included check out

Gelert Phoenix 5 Piece Camping Cookset and Stove

around £15 in total and weigh just 300g total

basically a copy trangia

meths fuel burner

i've used this on a tour and it was great for the money

 

[andrew_s]

According to the Trangia website (under instructions for use) the top and bottom windshield of the new 27 UL weigh even less: 262 grams. The gas burner itself is 178 grams.

Compared to 70g for a canister-top stove and 50g for a windshield, and a free choice of whatever lightweight pans you want.
Trangias have advantages, but being particularly lightweight is not one of them.

Out of curiosity, does the top of the pan sit above the windshield so the frying pan can be used as a proper pan lid?

 

[andym]

Compared to 70g for a canister-top stove and 50g for a windshield, and a free choice of whatever lightweight pans you want.
Trangias have advantages, but being particularly lightweight is not one of them.

True, but although it's hard to believe, there are other alcohol stoves apart from the Trangia and you don't have to buy Trangia pots. I think in general the lightweight alcohol stoves have the edge over gas in terms of weight for shorter trips - for longer trips the greater efficiency of gas stoves win out because of greater fuel efficiency.

 

[Chris James]

Out of curiosity, does the top of the pan sit above the windshield so the frying pan can be used as a proper pan lid?

Yes, in fact arguably the best use of the frying pan is as a lid, it is designed to operate as one. Burning meths doesn't give out much heat, but the stove is well designed to make the best use of what there is.

This is one of the reasons why the kettle is a bit of a waste of money as water can be boiled more efficiently in the post using a pot and lid.

 

[P.H]

First things first, you need to decide whether you're going to be cooking or heating things up. If you're cooking, then the Trangia is the best thing I've used, I doubt you could save much weight and still have the same capability. If you're heating things up, either a lightweight gas stove and a Ti mug/pan or my favorite a Jetboil.

 

[aqaleigh]

Compared to 70g for a canister-top stove and 50g for a windshield, and a free choice of whatever lightweight pans you want.
Trangias have advantages, but being particularly lightweight is not one of them.

Out of curiosity, does the top of the pan sit above the windshield so the frying pan can be used as a proper pan lid?

it does yeah

 

[ontheroadtofrance]

thanks

thanks for all the comments guys very helpful i will tell you my descision

 

[Cromcruaich]

If you're expedition biking, i don't quite understand the obsession with weight.

Trangias are a work of art as far as i'm concerned. If you really want to cook it cant be bettered - you can do a full fried brekkie on one if you wanted! Quality kit to last a lifetime and hand down to your kids when you are over the hill.

If you aint so bothered about actually cooking but just heating and boiling pots of stuff, then units like the msr pocket rocket coupled with a titanium mug are excellent.

I wouldnt be without either option, the pocket rocket gets taken backpacking, the trangia for everything else.

 

[hubbike]

There is another option, by far the most lightweight of any alcohol stove, and the best bit is it is free (as long as you drink beer)! Have a bash at making one of these. All you need is a pair of sissors and a nail to punch the holes. Burns just as well as a Trangia but you need to fashion your own pot stand/windsheild.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverage-can_stove

 

[meic]

You have to think about where and how you will be getting fuel when you are touring.
Gas cylinders from most large towns in millets etc. Meths from any hardware store. Neither of which are very cheap.
Parafin is hard to buy. You can get a gallon container in a hardware shop.
Petrol from petrol stations if they will let you and what is the minimum delivery? or buy it at a very high price as Coleman Fuel (£5/L)

 

[oxford_guy]

BTW you can "cheat" and get a gas adaptor for the Trangia (which I've done,), which makes using them much less messy and its easier to adjust the heat whilst cooking, though meths may be more readily available in some places (and you can transport it my plane). On a long tour, could be useful to take both the gas adaptor and the small meths burner, to give you more fuel options. Another tip with Trangias - swap the frying pan for the non-stick version, its pretty durable and far easier to wash up.

One other benefit with Trangias is that spares are readily available (in Europe, at least).

 

[andrew_s]

If you're expedition biking, i don't quite understand the obsession with weight.

A cycle-camping trip along the Alps (Geneva -> Nice?) isn't an expedition, it's a holiday. I wouldn't want to carry more than I had to up those cols.
There are airline weight restrictions to think about too.

On which point, it's not unheard of for airline baggage people to be a bit draconian, confiscating things like empty stoves and fuel bottles as a hazard. Don't try taking any fuel with you, it will only provoke them.

You will therefore have to fuel up as soon as you arrive, pretty much. On the gas front, Camping Gas puncture canisters, and Camping Gas CV270 valved canisters are readily found in many village supermarkets. UK-style threaded valve canisters are quite a bit harder to find - you generally need to look in sports/outdoor stores. There are adapters to allow both types of camping gas canister available here