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What is the best fuel to use for a trangia stove (using the spirit burner, not the gas burner or gel burner), and where do you get it from? I just did a practise cooking session in my back garden this evening (as I'm hopefully going to South Wales camping + climbing this weekend), and used Barrettine Mineralised Methylated Spirits from Halfords. It burned for a decent length of time and was hot enough to cook my food pretty quickly, so I'm not against using it again, but the flame was yellow (IE not a clean blue flame) which left my pan quite sooty, so ideally would like to find something that burns more cleanly (in addition to being reasonably low-cost, burns long and hot, easily available, etc)
In reply to jakelevi1996:
I've always found meths to be fine but you could try bioethanol which most outdoor shops will stock: https://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/p/vango-1-ltr-bio-ethanol-spirit-D3522011.h...
In reply to jakelevi1996:
Dilute the fuel you have with 5-15% water, try it with a burner full of fuel rather than your whole fuel bottle.
Sounds strange but it is supposed to reduce soot deposits.
http://trangia.se/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Selecting-the-right-burner-for...
Post edited at 05:12
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In reply to jakelevi1996:
Most DIY shop meths is rubbish.
If you live in S Wales or the SW buy it in bulk from Trago. It's a fraction of the price and burns really well. No idea where they source it from but its good stuff!!
Post edited at 06:47
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In reply to elsewhere:
I was shown this in the late 80s and have used it since - works well and you know when you forgot (lots of scrubbing).
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In reply to elsewhere:
I'd agree it does a bit at the expense of making it slower.
The real answer is to bin the meths and get a gas converter, the Gosystem one is cheaper and basically the same as the official one. If you do you will never look back, it gives you the best of both worlds. Makes what is quite a slow stove faster than an electric kettle and much more controllable than meths.
Post edited at 08:19
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In reply to Neil Williams:
> I'd agree it does a bit at the expense of making it slower.
> The real answer is to bin the meths and get a gas converter, the Gosystem one is cheaper and basically the same as the official one. If you do you will never look back, it gives you the best of both worlds. Makes what is quite a slow stove faster than an electric kettle and much more controllable than meths.
Have to agree. Switched to gas and it is brilliant. Doesn't use that much either.
In reply to Neil Williams:
> I'd agree it does a bit at the expense of making it slower.
> The real answer is to bin the meths and get a gas converter, the Gosystem one is cheaper and basically the same as the official one. If you do you will never look back, it gives you the best of both worlds. Makes what is quite a slow stove faster than an electric kettle and much more controllable than meths.
I always think they give the worst of both worlds. An intrinsically heavy cooker with a compromise gas burner.
Trangia use is about patience, the ability of the cooker to take a direct missile strike and survive, they are also suitable for teaching kids the virtue of buying light kit if and when they can afford it.
Personally the trangia's best attraction is that it's the piece of kit of an age that's closest to mine....its 38 years oldish and is fully original and all accessories work still, unlike its owner....
Gas kit ? Path!
😁
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In reply to Wainers44:
> I always think they give the worst of both worlds. An intrinsically heavy cooker with a compromise gas burner.
They are heavy but the wind resistance is unrivalled. You'd maybe be better with a Jetboil if you're just eating dehydrated rubbish, but as I prefer proper food I'll take the weight.
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In reply to jakelevi1996:
Hands down the best fuel for liquid fuel stoves is called Aspen 4 and it’s for chainsaws and stuff. It’s like a posh persons petrol. You can get it here and there in places that sell lawnmowers and stuff.
Suprised no ones mentioned it on here as most stove brands recommend it and most of these gardening shops know it’s used in stoves too.
(it’s about £20 for a bottle that would last you about 5-10 years of regular camping)
Post edited at 08:54
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In reply to jakelevi1996:
I use Barrettine meths, and don't get sooting. But then I use a home-made burner and caldera clone...
If it's matt, particulate soot, wipe it off on the grass. If it's shiny, just leave it; it won't rub off (hence the need for scrubbing), and being black, will improve the heat transfer.
In reply to Donotello:
If it's petrol and you put it in a Trangia you will get an impressive bang and a minimum of singed eyebrows. Trangias only safely burn spirit type fuel. They are not the same as pressure stoves.
Post edited at 09:08
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In reply to Neil Williams:
> They are heavy but the wind resistance is unrivalled. You'd maybe be better with a Jetboil if you're just eating dehydrated rubbish, but as I prefer proper food I'll take the weight.
Only ever cook food from proper ingredients so no idea why anyone buys jetboil.
Alpkit wind shields are cheap and light if you want to go upmarket from a bit of foil. I use the trangia about 25% of time and a nice little gas stove with a windshield for the rest. I personally just dont rate the gas conversions.
Mind, they are better than the gel tins, dont even get me started on those bits of rubbish...!!
In reply to Toccata:
Try a used tea bag, I found that always took the soot off the undersides of mess tins after cooking with Hexamine stoves (the only stove I have found less useful than a trangia).
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In reply to Neil Williams:
> If it's petrol and you put it in a Trangia you will get an impressive bang and a minimum of singed eyebrows. Trangias only safely burn spirit type fuel. They are not the same as pressure stoves.
I don't think it would bang, it would be the same as putting petrol in a cup and lighting it, but it would smoke horrendously and burn inefficiently and produce unpleasant side products you wouldn't want to breathe in.
In reply to spenser:
I use to use Tetrosyl panel wipe in my MSR liquid fuel stove. It's near enough 100% Hexane from memory, burnt well, very little soot and no residue. It goes for £10 - £15 for 5 liters .
In reply to Wainers44:
> I always think they give the worst of both worlds. An intrinsically heavy cooker with a compromise gas burner.
> Trangia use is about patience, the ability of the cooker to take a direct missile strike and survive, they are also suitable for teaching kids the virtue of buying light kit if and when they can afford it.
> Personally the trangia's best attraction is that it's the piece of kit of an age that's closest to mine....its 38 years oldish and is fully original and all accessories work still, unlike its owner....
> Gas kit ? Path!
> 😁
I've had mine run head to head with other gas burners and it is either as fast or faster in calm conditions and better in windy condition.
People always go on about how heavy they are. They are usually comparing a stove to a full trangia set. Add the weight of a kettle, two pans and a windshield to the stove and the trangia will weigh the same but be more neatly packaged.
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In reply to Donotello:
> Hands down the best fuel for liquid fuel stoves is called Aspen 4 and it’s for chainsaws and stuff.
DO NOT USE PETROL-BASED FUEL IN A TRANGIA
They are alcohol stoves.
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In reply to DubyaJamesDubya:Petrol vapour is the bit that can seriously go bang (petrol has more explosive power than Dynamite). You might be 'lucky' and start with a toxic burning cup, but if for any reason you extinguish and try to relight, or even cause a splash and so liberate unburned vapour, be prepared for a real explosion.
> I don't think it would bang, it would be the same as putting petrol in a cup and lighting it, but it would smoke horrendously and burn inefficiently and produce unpleasant side products you wouldn't want to breathe in.
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In reply to Wainers44:
> Only ever cook food from proper ingredients so no idea why anyone buys jetboil.
I think you have answered your own point here!
Jet boils are ace for heating water quickly, and if you have the pan mount converter it can cook food too. I used mine for cooking boiled eggs, rice, pasta and re heating food I cooked at home.
A gas trangia is better for cooking meals from scratch but my god they are heavy bulky things.
2
In reply to DubyaJamesDubya:
They (trangias) are slower...but hey I am a trangia believer honest!! They are heavier, even with the extra bits you need. Regularly winter backpacking over long distance makes me a bit kit weight paranoid! So a lightweight gas cooker with windshield titanium pans is my own personal preference.
I would still use my lovely heavy slow but reliable and indestructible trangia whenever I am not blasting across 25miles of mountain or moorland in the day!
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In reply to jakelevi1996:
As suggested by elsewhere dilute with 5-5% water. Or try - if you can get hold of it - Industrial Methyalated Spirits which doesn't contain the dye. It produces less soot.
In reply to elsewhere:
Plenty of disinfectant about these days surely that's mostly ethanol with a bit of water?
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In reply to AlanLittle:
> Plenty of disinfectant about these days surely that's mostly ethanol with a bit of water?
I experimented with running a meths burner on hand sanitiser when I was a bit drunk a few weeks ago. It did burn but it took ages for the flames to bloom from the jets. At least I wasn't drinking the stuff I suppose.
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In reply to jakelevi1996:
Bog standard DIY shop meths... Soot.
Alchool de Bruler in France..... Much better.
On the gas vs meths debate, I converted to gas years ago and never regretted it. I still use the Trangia as the main stove when car camping.
If on the bike, i revert to an Alpkit Koro as low volume becomes critical. Mind you, it doesn't get used for anything more than brews and porridge.
With a Trangia, you can do 'tower cooking'. That is to say, one pot on the flame, the the lid above and the second pot above that (keeping warm). Rotate as required.
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In reply to jakelevi1996:
Trangias meh. Home made alcohol stoves are where it's at, hours of fun.
1
In reply to Tigger:
> I use to use Tetrosyl panel wipe in my MSR liquid fuel stove. It's near enough 100% Hexane from memory, burnt well, very little soot and no residue. It goes for £10 - £15 for 5 liters .
I've used this stuff too in a Primus omnifuel and its really good, but not suitable for alcohol stoves like a trangia
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In reply to mishabruml:
Ah ok, I've never owned one, I wasn't aware of a fuel difference. Thanks for the heads up.
1
In reply to DaveHK:
Oh yes!!! Now we're talking.
Trangias remind me of my early Ten Tors training and noodles with a faintly methsy taste. Delicious.
Eventually, one of my mates got a pocket rocket for Christmas and I tried my best to share a tent with him....
Post edited at 19:38
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In reply to jakelevi1996:
I use this stuff. Add the 10% water, and it doesn’t soot to bad.
https://www.diy.com/departments/la-hacienda-bio-ethanol-fuel-2l/540224_BQ.p...
In reply to jakelevi1996:
Thank you all for the useful and enthusiastic responses I didn't realise that Trangia actually officially recommends diluting meths with 5-15% water. I will probably try this first as it would be the simplest solution if it works. I can also deal with the flame being a bit less hot, I was cooking red lentils and rice (seasoned with some delightful tabasco sauce), and the undiluted meths were burning so hot that I had to mostly cook without the lid anyway, because the water kept boiling over. So a bit of water might produce more efficient cooking, as well as less soot.
@DaveHK I love the story about burning hand sanitiser
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In reply to Dave Cundy:
We use a double set of Trangia pans with our camping stove and the stacking system works there too. Love the kettle, just the right size for our two mugs.
Trouble I find with a Trangia is its messy, with sooty plans and an unpleasant lingering smell of meths. Adding water to the meths helps with sooting and makes the psns easier to clean, but doesn't drive the problem.
Post edited at 06:33
In reply to Wainers44:
> I always think they give the worst of both worlds. An intrinsically heavy cooker with a compromise gas burner.
Most kit is about what compromises you're willing to make. I use a variety of super lightweight alcohol burners. I'm happy to compromise on the boil speed for the weight and size savings but some people hate waiting an extra few minutes for their brew and they're not much cop if you want to actually cook.
Post edited at 06:42
In reply to Wainers44:
> Only ever cook food from proper ingredients so no idea why anyone buys jetboil.
We use ours as a travel kettle, absolutely brilliant and wouldn't be without it. Makes much better tea than using a flask.
For actual cooking, I would agree that there are other far better options on the market. The pan adaptor converts an excellent water boiler into a mediocre stove, and once you add a pan to the setup its neither lightweight or compact.
In reply to Jenny C:
> and once you add a pan to the setup its neither lightweight or compact.
Even without that Jetboils aren't lightweight or compact although it depends what you're used to!
In reply to Jenny C:
> We use a double set of Trangia pans with our camping stove and the stacking system works there too. Love the kettle, just the right size for our two mugs.
> Trouble I find with a Trangia is its messy, with sooty plans and an unpleasant lingering smell of meths. Adding water to the meths helps with sooting and makes the psns easier to clean, but doesn't drive the problem.
Convert to gas. I promise you won't look back.
In reply to DubyaJamesDubya:
> Convert to gas. I promise you won't look back.
Agreed. Get the GoSystem adapter, it's cheaper and basically the same.
In reply to jakelevi1996:
Modify it and fit a primus omni fuel using the Nova mounting plate.
In reply to jakelevi1996:
I've just inherited an old Trangia stove and am planning on taking it to Kosovo next year as, annoyingly, screw on propane butane gas cylinders can't be bought there which would be my first choice.
Do Trangia users ever have a problem buying Meths in out of the way places?
I presume you can't take any sort of fuel on airplanes?
In reply to Babika:
Less problems than with gas, you need to know the local name for it, I don't know what it is in Kosovo. Used local moonshine in Bolivia, it was quite smoky.
No you can't take it on aircraft.
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In reply to DubyaJamesDubya:
I can't remember when we last used the trangia or multifuel msr stoves. As you say gas all the way, less mess , less smelly and easier to control.
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