My New Alcohol Stove!

[RagingHampster]

I just ordered a Trangia Westwind from Moosineer.

http://nt1.adventuresports.com/shops...ail.asp?ID=225

I'm going to ditch the stand, and make a lighterweight version (steel cloth), along with an ovenliner windscreen. I can't wait.

I've debated endless hours while sleeping/hiking/working on what to use for a solo-long distance stove, and this is it (with mods). It is slow to boil, but I like this because it simmers great (from what I've heard). You can also do just about antything short of pounding your tent stakes in with it as well without busting it. I was nervous about making a soda-can stove due to it's durability problems. Next is building my custom tent after the new year!

[SGT Rock]

Good call. I think you will be happy with the combo you are proposing. As for soda can durability, I think after a couple of months seeing them on the trail you may change your mind.

[LBJ]

I use a Trangia stove. I like my gear to be as bombproof as possible and the Trangia compared to a soda can stove is like comparing an Abrams to one of the tanks the Iraqis used in the Gulf war! No disrespect intended to makers and users of soda can stoves.

[Moose2001]

RH - I would suggest not ditching the stand on your westwind. I picked up my stove in Hot Springs. One thing I noticed is a lot of the pepsi can stove users were either borrowing my stand or trying to figure out how to make something equally as good. If your concerned about the weight, here's a tip I learned from Dungeon Master. Clamp the three pieces of the stand together. Take your trusty drill with about a 1/2" bit and turn the stand into swiss cheese. Just make sure you leave enough material around the edges and make sure none of the holes connect. You'll significantly lighten the stand but still leave plenty of strength.

[MedicineMan]

I tout the alcohol stoves for the inevitable spill we all have with fuel and it is just plain old better for the ground we all live on, so kudos for you for switching....and again let me plug Aaron's Brasslite stove-a work of art, not to slam the Trangia's , just helping out a garage business.

[PushingDaisies]

The Soul Hiker alcohol stove is another good one from a "garage business." The stove with the pot stand comes in at about 1.7 oz. The pot stand is built right into the center of the stove, but can be removed if needed. Add a light weight windscreen, and you have a cooking set-up of just a couple of ounces. I was able to boil water in about 4-5 minutes.

You can get them at Neel's Gap. I'm sure that you could call the store there and buy one over the phone. I believe it is under $20.

If you want the ability to simmer, go to www.trailquest.net and check out the set up that Brawny and Rainmaker came up with for a homemade simmer attachment.

[RagingHampster]

I should be receiving my Trangia westwind stove by the end of the week. I've already decided on the big mod I'll be making. After searching around about a stand replacement, I now understand the stand is an excellent design. I'm going to replace it with an exact replica in titanium, with holes drilled amongst the body of it. This will only be about $15-$20 as http://www.thru-hiker.com sells titanium sheets. The windscreen will be ovenliner (a Sgt Rock tip). This should be very lightweight for a trangia setup. I'll use my MSR Titanium 1L Pot w/lid-frypan (I leave the .7L pot home), and my MSR Titanium fork & spoon. I'd use just the spoon, but I love a fork for linguine/angel hair, and a spoon or spork just doesnt cut it (no pun intended). I'm thinkning of getting a MSR Titanium mug for hot chocolate/tea. Fuel bottle(s) are obviously pepsi bottles.

[RagingHampster]

Well I just ordered the titanium sheets. Stove and sheets should arrive around the same time. The guy i talked to at Thru-Hiker.com was very pleasent and helpful. I did some math, and I figure the rigid titanium pot support/stove stand should weigh in around .7oz. The trangia stove itself weighs around 3.8oz with a simmer ring, and the windscreen I'm figuring less than an ounce. So total weight will be around 5 to 5.5oz.

I've also decided not to purchase the 1.8oz 0.4L MSR titanium mug, and simply bring my 2oz 0.7L titanium pot that came with the titan cookset. But with no handle, I'll have to either design one, or use a bandana.

[DebW]

Originally posted by RagingHampster
...MSR Titanium fork & spoon. I'd use just the spoon, but I love a fork for linguine/angel hair, and a spoon or spork just doesnt cut it (no pun intended).

I find that the Snow Peak Titanium Spork does work well for angel hair pasta, and soups and just about anything else. Not so good for scraping the bottom of the pot though.

[RagingHampster]

Not so good for scraping the bottom of the pot though.

Yet another reason I don't want the spork. I could make just a spoon work, but we're talking about 0.4oz here for "Lugging" that fork. Long pasta (linguine, angel hair, udon, yummmmm...) dressed with various sauces are some of my favorite foods even off the trail (and the reason why I have a bear gut lol). Chopping up long pasta should be a crime. I guess the 0.4oz Fork is yet another one of my luxury items

[brown bess]

you can purchase one of these trangia stoves off ebay for $6.50--that is just for the stove and a plastic fuel bottle....
or you can get the stove, and a couple aluminum pots+windscreen for under $10...but you wouldn't use the pots and windscreen for hiking(a little too heavy).
they are brass--swedish military surplus--mine was made by svea, weighs 4.5 oz with the cover.
if i remember right shipping was $3.
not as light as some of the homemade stoves but sturdy. i think they label them as "military mountain stoves" or something like that....

brown bess

[peter2003]

From talking to folks who have done a lot of long distance hiking there favorite alcohol stove is the cat food stove. SGT Rock has information on his web site on how to make one, and if you have a cat, the cost is cheep for the hardware cloth and wind break. I think SGT Rock charges about $12.00 for the stove plus shipping. I tried to make one but did not have any help and it did not turn out well. So I bought mine from SGT Rock for my 2003 thru hike. I not sure SGT Rock wants to retire from the ARMY and make stoves full time, however, for now he is still filing stove orders. My cat food stove and titan pot weigh in at about 8 ounces. I think this stove is the only way to go.
Lastly, SGT Rock has clear instructions on how many soda bottle caps of alcohol you need to cook various itmes. A great stove.

[RagingHampster]

Just got my Trangia in. Checked it out and stuff. I'm going to cook some Lipton Noodles in Chicken Sauce tonight at work for supper. I didn't have time to grab denatured alcohol today, so I'm going to use some Methanol (I know, don't get it on your skin) via DryGas. I'm not even going to try using Isopropanol. Burning Everclear is a shame, so this will be a denatured alcohol/methanol stove (unless there are extrenuating circumstances). I've yet to get the titanium stock for building a custom stand, so I'll post on that later. Definetlty a well built Item!

Forgot to add, everything nests nicely within the MSR Titanium Titan set I use (except for the stand which folds flat). This consists of...

1.0 Liter Pot
0.7 Liter Pot (Also used as Mug, can be left out to save ~2.0oz)
Lid/Frypan w/Foldout Handles
Aluminum Pot Gripper (Can be left home to save 1.0oz)
Mesh Stuff Sack w/Drawcord (Which Doubles as Pot Scrubber)

Total cookset weight (nothing left out) is 9.5oz

I also use the MSR Titanium Fork & Spoon which together weigh 1oz. I hate washing grease off plastic lexan, and it's not the greatest for scraping the bottom of hot pans with...

---Thanksgiving Dinner All Year!---

-Cook Stove-Top Stuffing in Big Pot (now your eating bowl).
-Cook Instant Potatoes in litte Pot (Transfer into Big pot next to stuffing when done).
-Cook packet of turkey gravy with a can of chicken in small pot (no need to rinse), pour over potatoes & stuffing.
-Rinse Small Pot & Make water for hot beverage (use small pot as a mug).

(Eat Walnuts, Hazelnuts, & Dried Cranberries while cooking. Pack a good desert for after like a mini "tabletop" apple-pie!)

I can assure you that you will feel like a million bucks after this trail-feast, and feel like you just ate out at a restaurant!

Sunday I had this meal on the Metacomet-Monadnock trail after 6 hours of snow-shoeing. I made orange-gatorade snow-slush for desert!

I turn 21 in 2 months, then i can make slushy rum drinks

[RagingHampster]

Oops, Double-Post, Sorry...

[RagingHampster]

I'm very impressed with the Trangia Westwind. Used about 1.5fl oz of Methanol to boil two cups of 60*F water, and simmer my Lipton Noodles to perfect consistency. It takes a little while (about 20 minutes total boil & cook time), but subtract the time it would take to set up a whisperlite, and it's not so bad. These results were also achieved without a wind/heat screen. I imagine the efficiency would improve even more once I build one from my oven-liner.

The other things I like are the durability, and the fact that you can store a little over 3fl oz of fuel in the stove. This would allow you to bring it on a dayhike for tea/coffee, or even a full meal on the summit (which I intend to do tomorrow at Mt. Grace on the Metacomet-Monadnock) without bringing a seperate fuel bottle (saving some bulk). Can't wait for the titanium stock, the new stand should cut atleat 2oz off the total stove weight.

Overall I'm very Impressed. If they would ditch the brass construction and make it from titanium, It would go on my ultra-list with the Petzl Tikka, Black Diamond Power-Stretch Gloves, and Platypus bottles. Gets an "A" from me.

[Footslogger]

Hey RagingHamster ...just read your post about storing fuel in your Trangia. Been there, done that and it works fine. Just one word of caution (from personal experience). Make sure that the Trangia is totally cooled down before screwing on the top cover. It doesn't take too much heat to break down that O-ring and once it gets out of shape all bets are off. First thing I do after cooking a meal is drop the outer cap over the stove. Then I eat my meal. After eating my meal I take the stove out of the stand. Then and only then do I apply the threaded cover to contain any residual fuel. Another thought (since you're talking about hiking with fuel in the stove) is to pick up an extra one of those O-rings and throw it in your miscellaneous bag for the hike.
Just my .02

[RagingHampster]

Yeah, I did the same thing last night at work when testing it. When finished cooking, I put the simmer cap on it (closed all the way) to stop the burning, and then let it sit like that until I was done eating. After which I screwed on the fuel cap. An extra O-Ring would definetly be a good idea. It must weigh about 1/10 of an ounce. I'm sure they eventually crack due to the drying effects of the alcohol. I don't intend on storing fuel in it on multi-day trips, just when I want 1 meal and a hot chocolate, such as on a day hike, or summer overnighter.

The slow (but efficient) burn time creates such precise simmering, that you could probably make some real nice trail cuisine. 3oz of fuel burning wide open lasts about a half hour. With the simmer ring choking it, even longer, I'd say upwards of 45 minutes (just a guess). I'll have to test it's exact burn-time per fluid ounce of methanol.

My whisperlite will only accompany me on multi-person, or extended winter camping trips (to melt snow) from now on.

[LBJ]

Raging Hampster,
If you make a pot cozy out of an old sleeping pad(or a new one for $5), and let your noodles cook in it, you will save a ton of fuel and weight. Mine weighs about an ounce and fits right over my Ti pot so very little additional pack space is taken up.

[Footslogger]

Hey LBJ
Tell me more about your coosy. I'v heard about these before and I acually have an old closed cell foam mat that I could use to make one. First thought that comes to mind though is ...how do you keep the coosy from melting onto the pot, or am I missing something in the concept ??

[LBJ]

Hey Toot(MJ?),
You need the closed cell foam pad, a tube of Shoe-Goo, and scissors.
Cut a rectangle of foam that will fit around the pot that you will use with a little room to spare. Glue this together into a cylinder. I taped the joint with duct tape to hold it together until the glue(Shoe-Goo) dries. Cut two circles to fit the top and bottom of the cylinder. Glue one to the cylinder. For the other circle, I glued velcro to the sides of the cylinder and the the circle to hold it in place. Cut a circle of oven liner to put in the bottom(I don't know if this is really needed, but I did it.) To use, boil your water put in noodles, rice, oatmeal, whatever, put lid on pot, put in cozy, velcro lid in place and wait whatever amount of time to required consistency of product you want. In my experience, no longer a wait than when I "simmered". No worry about melting the pad, it doesn't happen. Another benefit of cozy is that it gives pot and contents protection in pack. If these directions aren't clear enough, go to AT-L and ask. There is where I got my instructions. I think from maybe OrangeBug or Chainsaw.