Trangia mini

[Kim]

Propane will boil off first, creating an increasing fraction of the isobutane.

Indeed, which is why canister top stoves get weaker and weaker as the canister gas gets used.

I don't think that's the whole story:  I'm in the habit of using pure butane cartridges when low-temperature performance isn't an issue (as they're dirt cheap), and they also get weaker as the gas is used up.  I reckon simple loss of thermal mass as the amount of liquid in the cartridge reduces is also a problem.

[andrew_s]

I reckon simple loss of thermal mass as the amount of liquid in the cartridge reduces is also a problem.

I hadn't thought of that, but it's true.

On the same lines, Primus do a "winter" version of PowerGas, in which the gas is the same, but there's a felt/paper liner so the gas can evaporate without cooling the bulk liquid so much (or that's what the blurb says, anyway)

[clarion]

Primus sell heat pads to sit under the canister.  They seem to be effective in cold weather.

[SA_SA_SA_SA]

Although we have a proper Trangia for when weight isn't an issue, my first meths stove was a Clickstand - the design of which was ripped off by Trangia to make the Triangle.

I wonder if the Triangle's more open 'wire' burner support allows more oxygen thru than the clikstand's perforated metal burner support.

The windshield supports can be replicated(slightly less conveniently) using curtain hooks*.
I wonder why Trangia left them off: did they need a legal 'significant design difference'?


*see review by 'Fenlander from United KingdomOwner25 January 2011' at http://www.jackson-sports.com/en/Trangia-Triangle-Reviews/r-8112.aspx

NB I think the Trangia burner might have a wick inside the jets' chamber (my esbit clone did).

[mrcharly-YHT]

NB I think the Trangia burner might have a wick inside the jets' chamber (my esbit clone did).

I thought it did, to just under the holes. If you put just a bit of meths in, it would wick up. Googling suggests there is something like rockwool in there.

[SA_SA_SA_SA]

If you have no interest in simmering, the smaller esbit alcohol/solid fuel tablets triangle is a possibility
( has slots for edge of esbit alcohol burner so  presumably fits trangia burner)
http://www.biggrassfield.com/ce-cs75s_cookware-stoves_esbit_ultralight_stainless_steel_solid_fuel_stove.htm

Has much smaller gap for air though?

[SA_SA_SA_SA]

The triangle has an advantage over current 27.25UL trangia sets:

it has air holes all round whereas despite an official Trangia* warning about how the new 25/27UL base may melt if holes not aimed into wind: they have not updated the base to have holes all round to negate this.

[Kim]

Isn't that a feature, rather than a bug?  By only having holes on one side, the airflow is directed past the burner and round the pan.  If it blew straight through efficiency might suffer...

I've not found this a problem in practice (maybe my 27 is older and immune from risk of meltdown?) - if the wind isn't blowing in a consistent direction, it tends not to blow in the wrong direction for very long.  If it changes direction properly, it's easy enough to rotate the whole thing by the cool lower part while it's in use.

[SA_SA_SA_SA]

Isn't that a feature, rather than a bug?  .....

I only saw it reported as a problem with after the intoduction of the UL material*
but it seems a pain to have to rotate the UL variant  stove every time  the wind changes direction so I would count it as at least a nuisance if not a bug... Surely better to design around holes around, even if some other change required but thenl is OK on triangle, ...


(when I used my ancient late eighties non-UL base in the mountains I never bothered and used to sometimes deliberately aim the holes out of the fierce mountain wind to try to  tame the flame more than the  simmer ring..)


*http://trangia.se/en/faq/
see Section entitled 'My vessels or windshield has melted, how could this happen?'

I came across the 'ULs 'new' feature' (years ago) on the site of a disgruntled Australian who was unimpressed by this new property  of the UL versions compared to his old models (with photo of melted base).
This is a different (less disgruntled, despite a more alarming detailed description of event, person) who suffered the same sort of thing:
see post by  rifraf
]http://www.bicycles.net.au/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=42497&start=200]
see post by  rifraf
 
NB Tatonka make a 25 clone with a stainless base (and pans and lid...and burner).

EDITed to tidy links

[Kim]

Cor, that's impressive for a meths stove.  Having read http://www.trangia-central.com/trangia-materials.html I reckon mine is plain aluminium.  It's certainly survived a couple of reverse-polarity wind incidents, including with the gas burner (indeed, the gas burner makes rotating the stove a fair bit more tricky).

[SA_SA_SA_SA]

...reverse-polarity wind incidents, including with the gas burner (indeed, the gas burner makes rotating the stove a fair bit more tricky).

The gas supply to the gas burner is limited(fixed) by the setting on its remote needle valve atop the gas cylinder, so perhaps it is a meths burner  only problem? Which would be good given the awkwardness of rotating a gas powered Trangia 27/5.

[Jakob W]

From the description above, it does sound like it took a howling gale to cause a meltdown though; it needed to be enough of a draught to cause a pressure drop in the base and draw the flames down. Still impressive for a meths burner, but not something I'd worry about for day to day use.

[SA_SA_SA_SA]

From .....

I was just about to post that (it seemed to need extreme-mountain-grade-wind rather than usual lower level camp site grade wind) but you have saved me the trouble: 

EDIT However the Trangia 27/25 are sold as Mountain stoves.

[SA_SA_SA_SA]

I always wondered if Trangia did any performance testing after adding the large hole for the gas cable: it is rather larger than the normal small vent holes (where I think fluid dynamics means some 'air-braking'): could it be the  main cause  rather than the UL material?

My original non-UL heavy base had no such gas cut-out.