[at-l] Re: Trangias and Tuna Cans

[Jim Mayer <JamesLMayer@netscape.net>]

I have a Trangia Westwind stove, and used it happily for about a year, but now
use the tuna can version.  Here are a couple of comments about both stoves:

Tuna Can:

I use just the inner burner part of the "Mayer-Robinson" design (a URL was
posted recently).

The best way to use this stove is to measure a small amount of alcohol and
then let the stove burn out.  This way there is no smell and no mess.  I find
that about two tablespoons will boil about two cups in five minutes.

I carry alcohol in the small Nalgene bottles.  You can get them in 4oz, 8oz,
16oz, and (of course) the big 32 oz bottle, though I cannot imagine carrying
that much fuel.  I find that an 8oz bottle lasts me about a week (I generally
just cook one meal a day).  If you get the wide mouth version of the Nalgene
bottles the cap is good for measuring fuel.

If the stove burns out too soon don't worry.  It cools down in way less than a
minute.  Once it is no longer hot, you can add more fuel and relight it.

The Trangia:

The Westwind is quite a bit heavier than the home made stove and, in my
experience, is slower and less convenient.  That's not to say that it is a bad
stove... it is a good one, I just like the little home made job better.

The Trangia has a cap with an O-ring that, in theory, allows you to store a
bit of fuel in the burner.  In my experience it tended to leak.  My personal
recommendation is to measure the fuel and let the stove burn out.

Both Stoves:

You need a windscreen.

You can burn any sort of alcohol (denatured, ethanol, rubbing alcohol), but
please don't try to burn hydrocarbon fuels in an open burner.  Especially,
never try to light up gasoline.

The alcohol stoves are very convenient.  I find them much less bother than the
Whisperlight I used to carry.  Although they don't put out the same heat, they
don't need priming either.  I suspect that the "get ready -> eat" time is
about the same with both stoves.  And, of course, if you are rehydrating
veggies the faster boiling time won't do you any good anyway.

Happy Hiking.

-- Jim

-- Jim Mayer


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