Trangia or Gas Stove

[Baldy]

Just looking to get a basic idea on what people use and why...

Ive borrowed a large Trangia a couple of times and find it to be a great little bit of gear, not exactly cheap to buy new though...

Ive never used one of the small Gas stoves, other than one of those $20 butane stoves, which are ok for car camping but too bulky for the kayak. The ones I found online seem to vary in price alot, from around $40 to $180. Some of them seem to be for only boiling water, with no real way of adjusting the heat. I'd like to get something that has the option for adjustment for frying fish, obviously.[I havnt had a chance to try the trangia for this, It would be possible if not a bit hard to adjust once hot] Just used it for tea and noodles so far as ive had the butane stove or fire and a full size frying pan in the car.

For now I can keep borrowing the Trangia but Im just looking into what people use, eventually I will get something of my own.

Cheers
Baldy

[leftieant]

I've been using a Trangia for hiking, and it has been great. However I'm thinking about an upgrade in the not too distant future.

Item #1 on the hitlist is probably going to be an MSR Whisperlite:

http://www.msrgear.com/stoves/whisperint.asp

I'd also been thinking about this one:

http://www.msrgear.com/stoves/dragonfly.asp - although you do need a pair of earmuffs when its on - sounds like an F-18 taking off!

[Astro]

Just looking to get a basic idea on what people use and why...

Ive borrowed a large Trangia a couple of times and find it to be a great little bit of gear, not exactly cheap to buy new though...

Ive never used one of the small Gas stoves, other than one of those $20 butane stoves, which are ok for car camping but too bulky for the kayak. The ones I found online seem to vary in price alot, from around $40 to $180. Some of them seem to be for only boiling water, with no real way of adjusting the heat. I'd like to get something that has the option for adjustment for frying fish, obviously.[I havnt had a chance to try the trangia for this, It would be possible if not a bit hard to adjust once hot] Just used it for tea and noodles so far as ive had the butane stove or fire and a full size frying pan in the car.

For now I can keep borrowing the Trangia but Im just looking into what people use, eventually I will get something of my own.

Cheers
Baldy

borrow the set again and try it at home first...i will be going through the same process in the future and will follow this to see what you decide....i see no problem with frying fish...pan gets too hot lift off the heat

my preference would be for the trangia, but i haven't had the chance to try one...i thoughts are more based on reputation and wide acceptance

[Baldy]

Gday Ant,

Great minds think alike eh mate, Ive just been drooling over that msr dragonfly, having the options of different fuels must work out cheaper than buying those purpose gas cylinders you would think, in the long run anyway. And if we can believe the marketing blurb its got that dual valve thingamabob....the best setup for fine adjustment of the heat they reckon.

Do you think you would be able to use the Trangias parts to cook with one of those liquid burners? or would they burn the arse outta them?

Hey Astro,

Thats one good thing about those Trangias is they have the bits to cook in, so if I went with the gas/fuel stove I would need to buy those seperate bits. After a quick look around online it seems the top of the line trangia kit is around $200[some kind of double layer setup, ali on the outside and stainless inside] theres also a non stick version for just shy of 200.
http://www.wellingtonsurplus.com.au/lis ... A+PRODUCTS They seem to have a good range.

Im still not sure, it will be a while before I'll be getting either one but its good info to have Like you say, I need to test a few flattie fillets in my borrowed one and see how it goes, a trip or two in the new tent will help me decide as well. Cooking in the vestibule in the big tent is ok, im not sure how it will go in a smaller tents....I still get a bit paranoid in mine, I'd hate to knock that thing over The think that attracts me to the gas/fuel burners is the ability to boil large amounts of water fast!!....to be able to quickly get a cuppa going without too much fiddling around would be the ducks guts at times....hangover+frost=no reason to get up and fish

Cheers
Baldy

[ausbass]

i love my trangia and use it all the time when camping/canoeing no probs with it yet!

[Duane]

I've got an aluminum Trangia that's almost 20 years old, I've had to replace the o ring on the burner a few times but other than it still works pretty much like new.

On the good side they are light and compact.

On the bad side it can take quite some time to boil a pot of water.

The other downside is that the aluminium one can take a hell of a lot of scrubbing to get clean.

I don't use it much these days but as it's not going to rot sitting in the cupboard I'll hold onto it for a bit longer.

I also have the $20 gas burner, I've only used it for car camping but have seen somewhere on the net a sea kayaker taking it away for a multiday trip. I'm so happy with the gas burner I'm thinking of getting a second one!

[Baldy]

Hey guys.

Thanks for the feedback, I ended up going with the Trangia.....boy...I didnt know how loud those fuel ones can be or the potential issues with them[maintenance, flare ups, the chance of them not working when I need it] So I'll just have to wait that bit longer for my cuppa The simplicity of it won in the end, its no wonder they are popular and last so long.

After checking out the Duossal set in the "flesh" I wasnt quite convinced, so went with the new one, some kind of ultra light hard anodized ali, even came with its own 900ml kettle! there wasnt alot of difference in price so I got the large one.

Got it at a good price too, about $15 cheaper than anywhere I could find online[In Oz] And from the quick look I had nothing international that was much better, counting the shipping on top anyway. Just goes to show not everything is cheaper online though. The young fella in there knew his stuff so I'll give them a plug, got it from that Jolly Swagman camping world place, the one with the bottom floor thats got more stuff than you can poke a stick at I think just about everyone has some kind of sale on, they were marked down on the shelf and I got no further discount so thats not the reason for the plug, it was just good service for a nice change, the first bloke wasnt sure about them so called the young fella over rather than just sell me whatever.

Im going to test how it goes frying fish, if it struggles like the fella in the shop thinks it might, I will look into getting the gas conversion kit for it later on.

Now I just need to learn to cook ....I just need to start swearing alot right....

F... you all
Baldy

[Duane]

Im going to test how it goes frying fish, if it struggles like the fella in the shop thinks it might, I will look into getting the gas conversion kit for it later on.

Now I just need to learn to cook ....I just need to start swearing alot right....

F... you all
Baldy

Hi Baldy

When I got my trangia, the first thing I cooked on it was marshmallows (saved washing up) on the lounge room floor.
They aren't too bad in the Jolly Swagman, did you take a look at the yak accessories upstairs while you were there?

I didn't know you could get a gas kit for the trangia, I'll have a look into it.

[Baldy]

Hey mate,

Yeah I did take another look upstairs there, I usually go in for a browse when im in town, some nice toys up there but the budget couldnt stretch to anything else this time

I had a close look at the C-tug though, bit more solid than i thought....very tempting but very hard to justify the price when the $20 box trolley does the job 90% of the time, one day maybe. I plan to do a bit of camping out of the kayak so it would earn some of its pricetag then.

The gas kits arnt cheap, about $100 I think, I reckon you could mcguiver a cheaper gas one up....its just the trangia one slots into where the burner normally goes so its all neat and sturdy.

Cheers
Baldy

[Astro]

just make sure you heat the pan thoroughly before putting the fish on and you should be fine

[Biggera Yakker]

I use one of those $20 ones with the gas cartridges. I just put it in a garbage bag, wrap it up and strap it to the front of the yak. It's been great!

[jonas]

i have had a Trangia for about 15 years and love it. It is amazing how much of a difference having a lid on things make in the speed of cooking, using the fry pan upside down on the post is the go. About 2 months ago I lashed out and purchased the tea pot for the Trangia. i have wanted one for years but held off. But in the tea pot is one of the best investment I have made. Fits inside the stove when packed up and is mor efficent at boiling water and you always want a cup of tea after ameal and can't be bothered getting up to clean a pot now I have the tea pot life just got easier.

[ManjiMike]

when the $20 box trolley does the job 90% of the time, one day maybe. I plan to do a bit of camping out of the kayak

Cut the plate of the bottom of the trolley and you have a cheap bbq plate
Not even those big and heavy trangias are big enough for my fish

Cheers Mike

[Ado]

I'm a bit of an outdoors nut. The mini gas stoves are fine, bit pretty much useless in wind or very cold temperatures. They are also pretty easy to destroy, unless you buy quality (such as MSR). Very few serious outdoors types use gas, especially if your life depends on it (ski touring, mountaineering, caffiene addict, etc). Gas won't work at all once the temperature drops much below freezing, so you WILL DIE!

The Trangia is a great piece of kit, and is used by lots of serious adventurers. The advantage is that it's virtually maintenance free, comes with its own pot, and is relatively quick to boil water and cook. The disadvantages are that you need to carry a separate bullet proof fuel bottle, it only runs on metho, it is bulky, it's hard to use a frypan on, it's a bit fiddly to adjust temperature, and will cause a major fire if you knock it over and spill the metho. The main disadvantage (bulk) is more a problem with a pack than a kayak, but it is still unlikely to fit down a 8" hatch.

The ultimates stoves, and the one's favoured by mountaineers, etc (or anyone that does a lot of cold temperature camping) are the MSR (Mountain Safety Research). I have used MSRs for decades, as have the vast majority of my friends. They are a serious weapon, with a serious price tag, but they WON'T let you down. The advantages are they are very compact and light, most will burn almost anything (but stick to white spirits if you can to reduce maintenance and cleaning), they are VERY hot under any temperature condition, many have a reasonable heat adjustment (Whisperlight and Dragonfly), very fuel efficient, come with their own fuel bottle (up to around 1L which will last up to a week), won't burn your tent down, and are very reliable. The down side is price ($150 to $250), the need to prime them (outside the tent) and noise (they terrify small children and clear family picknick areas). I have a Dragonfly and have had it for more than 10 years. Before that I had an XGK. They are the real deal if you have the bucks.

[leftieant]

Amen good brother, Amen.

I concur that metho is the only suitable fuel. Once I had the (mis)fortune of seeing another person attempt to fuel their Trangia with Shellite. It did not go well. Imagine 1 metre high flames, inside a timber ski hut - not pretty, and a whole lot of trauma trying to put it out.

Not good, not good at all.

And yes, the gas canister style stoves (the $20 jobbies) do freeze up at low temps. I've had mine freeze up as warm (?!) as 2C. At that temperature it's an annoying inconvenience. Any colder and it could be fatal, especially if it keeps me from coffee.