Yak-camping stove recommendations?

[mingle]

Hey, I'm on a roll, so why not one more post?

How about stoves? Are multi-fuel/method stoves the go, or would one of the gas ones that use the cans of butane be a better bet?

The latter can be picked up for around $15-20 and a 4-pack of gas refills is a mere $6...

As ever, all suggestions or comments gratefully received!

Cheers,

Mike.

[eric]

Trangia. Compact, does 90% of what you'll need and uses a nice straight forward fuel.

Those butane ones that sell for $20 or so will rust in five minutes on the water, terrible things.

[mingle]

Thanks Eric - never heard of them (you can tell I'm not a real camper..)

Those butane ones would be probably be ideal for non-yak camping, I reckon...

I Googled the Trangia and found this excellent U Tube clip...



I'll get one of them...

Cheers,

Mike.

[mingle]

Further investigation reveals this one:

Tatonka Stove Set

What do you reckon?

Cheers,

Mike.

[Duane]

Trangia. Compact, does 90% of what you'll need and uses a nice straight forward fuel.

Those butane ones that sell for $20 or so will rust in five minutes on the water, terrible things.

I have had a couple of $20 ones for 3-4 years. They have survived beach side camping trips without any significant rust, haven't taken them on the water though. The down sides I have found with them is that they don't do a good simmer, even the low heat setting is flat out. And in strong winds you will go through more gas and the flame may go out. I probably need to get some sort of shelter sorted for them.

I've had a Trangia for 20+ years but probably haven't used it for 10. They are a nice simple compact set up and the only thing I've had to replace is the gasket on the burner to stop it leaking. Though with metho they are a slow heat, but I think you can get gas burners for them. The only reason I've stopped using it is I've stopped bushwalking (carrying enough ice for four days was killing my back )
If I was to get back into it I would probably go a non-stick version with gas.

[eric]

[url=http://cgi.ebay.com.au/tatonka-trangia-alcohol-spirit-stove-full-cook-set_W0QQitemZ260551798695QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_15?hash=item3caa18efa7]Tatonka Stove Set[/url

At that price you are starting to get to what a real Trangia would cost. I prefer aluminium over stainless, the salt water bothers it not at all.

A Mate of mine picked up one of those tatonkas for $10 from a camping store down this way a month ago.

[ElmerStratty]

I used a Trangia for work in snow/alpine environs a few years ago - running metho in freezing conditions is not the best as mates joking about my 42 minute noodles prove! After that I searched for, and located, a white spirit burner attachment that fits the Trangia (purpose built by Trangia) turning the Trangia into a MSR type stove.

You don't need this at sea level in Aust but the upside is it is a LOT faster. It can also run on Coleman fuel/white spirit and unleaded petrol.

[Junglefisher]

I use the cheap gas cookers.
We've cooked meals on the beach a few times and they're still going after 4 or 5 years, yes some rust but they still work.
They are bulkier than the flash units though.
viewtopic.php?f=56&t=17542&p

[simonsrat]

I have a Soto OD-1BS. Was about $100 ... made in Japan.




OD-1BS
Single Burner Stove for Backpacking

World's smallest stove in the single burner stove with igniter category. Stove is compact when pot supports are folded. When unfolded, firmly supports large pots. Case included.

OUTPUT: 2800 kcal/h 3260W 11000 BTU
Duration: Burns approx. 1.5 hours with 250 g canister
Weight: 160 g (5 oz)
Dimensions when in use: 15 x 15 x 8 cm (5.9 x 5.9 x 3.2 inch)
Dimension when stowed: 3.4 x 4.62 x 6.37 cm (1.34 x 1.8 x .5 inch)

Perfect for a cup of coffee. You can store the stove in a coffee cup ....

Cheers,

Steven

[kayaksportsmark]

I bought an MSR multifuel stove while travelling overseas which was good for when there was no white spirit in the village shops, could use petrol instead. Needed to be packed securely though.

[indiedog]

I used a standard trangia on my week long kayak trip to Fraser. Pain in the butt! Just so slow compared to the others and very wind affected. Also quite bulky especially for one person. I have now been using an MSR Pocket Rocket for the last several years in all environments and it's been brilliant. Fits inside my pot so it's just one self contained unit for cooking. No hassles on the beach either if handled sensibly and not thrown in the sand!

On the pots, my alum pots have rusted through in "spots" after about 6 years and are now useless. They are much better than the stainless (easier to clean, lighter) but lifespan is limited in salt water environs.

[mingle]

Thanks for the excellent replies (as ever!)...

I'm leaning away from the trangias now - I love the design and simplicity, but 10 minutes for a cuppa and the old "42 minute noodles" isn't my idea of fun!

I had a demo of one of the smaller gas-powered units at BCF today, similar to the one simonsrat mentioned - brilliant!

I haven't looked at any multi-fuel ones yet, but the gas one seems good value at $60...

However, I might start off with one of the Big-W/Bunnings butnane units, since I can get the stove, nice little carry case and 4 refills for around $22... Cheap as chips and although it's far from compact, it will fit comfortably in the Revo... If I get into yakamping seriously, I'll invest in a more serious stove...

Cheers,

Mike.

[mingle]

After a lot more digging around on the web, I found a few units that look quite good...

This one looks nice - almost like a prop from "Stargate" of something like that!


I have only a little experience with multi-fuels - my mate had one (Apex, I think?) that he used with kero and unleaded. Sometimes used to be a pain to get lit - plus you have to stuff around with petrol - not nice when you get it on your hands and them you have to eat...

Hmm... The more I look into it, the more I'm attracted to butane/propane - clean, simple, efficient and cheap... That multi-fuel I showed above can also run on butane, but used the (relatively) expensive screw-in type cannisters. I think there are adaptors out there that may do the job...

One of the best cheap butane solutions I can find, which might be worth a shot for the $$$, is this:

Mini gas stove

and...

Butane can adaptor base

I was also looking at a slightly bigger stove with a bigger/wider burner:

Stove with a bigger burner

Again, not big dollars and worth a shot...

Comments?

Cheers,

Mike.

[simonsrat]

There is only a difference of 800w of energy between the big and little ones. I can not comment on the benefits of the bigger one as my cooking gear is small and suited to my mini stove.

I think it would be worth a go, getting one off ebay. His buy it now price for the little one delivered is $35 .... a third of the price of my Soto.

Glad you posted this because I think I will get one of those adapters for my stove.

Cheers,

Steven

[Shoota]

If you want a stove that works, is solid and bullet proof plus cheap to buy than take a look at the Army hexamine stove, they use a solid fuel tablet and cook great. I've used them out bush with the army and also use them now when out on hunting trips. Packs up much more compact that a trangi or other stoves on the market. If it wasn't reliable or tuff it wouldn't have made it into the military for use.

Shoota