Which Trangia?

[scraynes]

I've finally decided that the tragia stove is the way to go. Only downside seems to be cooking time, but with good planning that can be solved. It’s flexible, simple and easy to get hold of fuel seem to make it the right choice.

The next issue is which one to get?

I've decided that for the extra weight I'm better of getting the 25 series - again little extra weight for the increase flexibility. I can use is solo or for me and my little boy in years to come when the smaller one will be too small.

I've also decided not to get the kettle. I can always get one at a later date - and for boiling water it's just as easy to use one of the pots with the frying pan lid to speed things up.

So I'm left trying to decide which material to get. The basic aluminium, hard anodized or the non-stick.

I think the non-stick will be too easy to scratch and so won't be very durable and that the basic alu will stick more easily as well as look sooty very easily.

What are the advantages of hard anodized? Slight amount of non-stick? more durable? better at hiding the soot?

I'm thinking the HA is the better option - which leaves me deciding between the 25-1 HA or the 25-7 HA. The difference being that the wind shield are made of hard anodized as well as the pots and pan.

I know lots of you out there have Trangia's - so just wondering if you've got any real world experience which would help me with my decision.

Many thanks

 

[vernon]

The final choice is down to you. We all have personal opinions about which is best. You've done all of your homework. I don't think that you need to worry about durability. My thirty year old kettleless 25 series is still going strong. I think the only choice then was kettle or no kettle.

 

[andym]

Hard anodising if done properly should be very durable - I have hard anodised pots at home that I've taken a metal scourer to without problem (but be sure it is hard anodised before you test this out!). Possibly less sticking. Soot cleans off pretty easily.

 

[roundisland]

I have a 2 person non stick trangia and have used it many of times over the last few years and find it works really well. I found a second hand trangia kettle on ebay recently for a few pounds.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

just sold some of my trangia kits (3 of them) to get the ultra light weight version - make sure what you buy on that front is the newer UL version of whatever you get - (incidentally boiling times for water are quicker in the kettle and we eat out of the pans directly so the kettle means we can boil water whilst we eat). Some of the 'offers' are clearing out old non-UL models and there is a surprising difference in weight.

I considered the HA version but in the end stuck with the standard UL version. One tip you can do if it is really an issue for the potd going black is to put a little washin gup liquid on the underneath of the pot BEFORE cooking and apparently it stops the black soot or makes it easier to get off - just wipe over grass etc immediately after cooking. We had a non-stick one and got rid of it, we personnally did not like it. No experience of the HA version. We personally use the 27 version for 2 people (it is close on size but not too much of an issue)

I would recommend (and again this is from personal experience of about 25 years using trangia), to get the gas converter kit when you buy the trangia - it is possible and much cheaper than buying it separately. It makes life easier especially if you plan to use the trangia in cold weather (meths won't light in very cold weather, winter gas will (though after 1 week of -15C a couple of years ago and no warming evening my gas stopped burning warm enough to get food luck warm)). Gas is also easier and the trangia will still have a meths burner with it so you have both options. It is just significantly cheaper to buy it at the same time as part of one of the kits.

The gas is a cartridge gas which is resealable and comes in numeruos variations (summer, winter which are different combinations of different gases), you can also get an adaptor for single use cartidges (France) that allow it to be used with the trangia - costs under a tenner.

One other tip, is never leave meths in your meths burner - they leak and once you have spoilt your only meal, you won't make the same mistake - meths is awful and it takes a full container of water brought to the boil for 10 mins or so and then diposed of before the taste off the pots is gone. You have 3 options, 1 burn off the excess meths (you will learn to judge it with time), 2 decant it back into a better container AFTER it has cooled completely, 3 - once cooled completely, store the burner in another water tight bag and keep it away from anything that can spoil if covered in meths - eating implements, food etc.

 

[ComedyPilot]

Blah, blah, blah...................One other tip, is never leave meths in your meths burner - they leak and once you have spoilt your only meal, you won't make the same mistake - meths is awful and it takes a full container of water brought to the boil for 10 mins or so and then diposed of before the taste off the pots is gone. You have 3 options, 1 burn off the excess meths (you will learn to judge it with time), 2 decant it back into a better container AFTER it has cooled completely, 3 - once cooled completely, store the burner in another water tight bag and keep it away from anything that can spoil if covered in meths - eating implements, food etc.

And don't forget the 4th option, drink it, or sell it to tramps.......

 

[willem]

The teflon non stick is heavier and more fragile than hard anodized, but works better. Hard anodized is rather more expensive, however. My personal preference is to have the frying pan in teflon and the rest in hard anodized. Weight weenies can gain another 40 grams with a hard anodized frying pan, plus much better durability. However, replacement Trangia teflon frying pans can be bought separately, and are pretty cheap.
Willem

 

[andrew_s]

I would recommend (and again this is from personal experience of about 25 years using trangia), to get the gas converter kit when you buy the trangia - it is possible and much cheaper than buying it separately. It makes life easier especially if you plan to use the trangia in cold weather (meths won't light in very cold weather, winter gas will (though after 1 week of -15C a couple of years ago and no warming evening my gas stopped burning warm enough to get food luck warm)). Gas is also easier and the trangia will still have a meths burner with it so you have both options. It is just significantly cheaper to buy it at the same time as part of one of the kits.

If you use gas in cold weather, it is best to run the stove with the canister upside down (once you've got the stove running, and provided the stove has a preheat loop, which the Trangia gas burner does).
Using the canister upright means that you are using the gas that's boiling off the top of the liquid gas in the canister. The problems with this are that the liquid gas gets cooled, and that more of the propane part of the gas mix is burnt than the butane part. The end result is that by half way through the canister there isn't enough propane left in the mix to give any sort of performance at the burner. The boiling point of butane is about 0°C, and below that you'll be doing well to use a half used canister at all.
If the canister is upside down, liquid gas is pushed out of the canister and turns to gas at the preheat loop. There is no evaporative cooling and no preferential burning of propane, and hence performance remains good right to the end of the canister. A drawback is that flame adjustment is somewhat delayed action.

 

[Ticktockmy]

I think there should be a sticky regarding Trangia,s as this comes up time after time after time, and there enough Trangia Compertent peeps on this forum to create one..

 

[scraynes]

Right I've placed and order and it's on the way.

In the end i decided that the 27 should be large enough for 2 basically. Decided to get the Hard Anodised one. If you look at their website, you'll see that they do models where all the windsheald are hard anodised as well, but they aren't for the uk market - just Europe. I think they look better, but performance isn't any different.

I didn't get the kettle, because I had it in my mind that i can boil water in the pot and use the free space for cooking assortments. I have to say that i now think that a kettle might be a good idea if 1-it's quicker to boil and 2-I can boil water by sitting it on top of a pan.

In the end I didn't have a choice - I've ordered from our famous 'rainforest river' who didn't have the kit with kettle, but i can get it at a later date as a seperate item. The deal was too good to be true. Free delivery, ex Vat (I live in Jersey) and a promotion of a £10 voucher for spending over £50 on 'sport' items. I did find another very good deal from a 'simple walking' shop - but not quite as good.

I also decided to get the trangia fuel bottle - I don't want fuel spills in my panniers - and decided on the 1 litre bottle as I don't have to fill it, but would be useful if I'm away for a couple of weeks.

As soon as it arrives, I'l be investing in a plastic pot for the burner - thanks for that tip.

Again thank you to you all for the replies - they've helped me make my decision.

 

[willem]

If you want to fit that bottle securely on your bike's frame, I suggest the Bikebuddy MK3: http://www.bikebuddy.co.uk/
Willem

 

[scraynes]

Thanks for that Willem,

I'd found that one on one of your previous threads.

 

[andym]

BikeBuddy is a nice bit of kit, But you could use some shockcord to secure it and stop it rattling around,

 

[willem]

The Trangia bottle in my Bikebuddy (or the stainless thermos in another) does not rattle at all (unless I misunderstood Andym). One of the reasons I use the Bikebuddy is that it is the most secure way to have a bottle hanging underneath the downtube (ordinary bottle cages are not quite secure hanging underneath that tube).
Willem

 

[zacklaws]

Right I've placed and order and it's on the way.

In the end i decided that the 27 should be large enough for 2 basically. Decided to get the Hard Anodised one.

Good choice, its the model that I use, but its not the fact that its too small for cooking for two as I sometimes struggle to cook a meal for one, its what you cook, if your boiling spuds, stews, soups etc, theres no problem, its if any of the meals require stirring a lot like a stir fry, there's not much room for manoeuvre in the small pans for moving stuff around it, hence you cannot fill the pans so deep, otherwise food is always getting knocked over the edge of the pan.

But I bought the corresponding billy can for the 27, and its the only pan that I use its that good, and big enough for stirfries and probably large enough to cook a small meal for 4 in. Also when packed away, all the components fit inside the billy.