Reddit reviews Trangia Spirit Burner with Screwcap

Yes and no. Denatured alcohol from the paint section is your best bet. Rubbing alcohol has too much water in it usually, unless you find some 99%. It will work, but not as well. A quart of denatured is $5. Rubbing alcohol is about twice that price.

Heet costs more and there's little difference. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOLoLx5lF6U

Here's the one I use. (fixed, thanks breadpad) You can put it out and it screws closed to save the fuel. In practice, this sounds better than it works. Just don't overfill, and burn it till it's dry. Comes with a simmer ring. I fooled around with the can ones. My friend's monster can stove is nice. Soda can stoves don't hold enough fuel.

A lot of people are going to suggest that you just build your own. It's pretty easy to do so out of a cat food tin or a soda/beer can. There's a ton of websites and YouTube videos with directions on how to do so, so a google search for instructions should easily yield results. Homemade alcohol stoves are also going to be lighter yet than any commercially produced models.

The only commercially produced brand of alcohol stove that I have any familiarity with is the Trangia Spirit Burner. They are pretty cheap (usually around $15) and while they are light, they are noticeably heavier than a soda can stove is. They are much more durable than most homemade models are, though.

The one thing that I like about the Trangia is that you can purchase it with a primer for it improves the stove's efficiency in cold weather. You could probably build one yourself to use with a homemade stove, too, though.

(Edited to add links.)

My wife and I started with a Trangia alcohol stove. It is great because you can store unused alcohol in the screw lid container, and it's very robust. The "simmer ring" isn't all that useful-except as a good way to snuff out your stove. The cons are it is heavier than other alcohol stoves.

Generally, alcohol stoves take longer to boil water than a canister stove. There is also the added risk of open fuel that is quite flammable. I've seen many a fireball happen from people with more than questionable alcohol stoves.

Ultimately we changed to a MicroRocket canister stove. The convenience of the canister stove just outweighed any additional weight (honestly, after a 1000 miles of hiking, the tiny difference in weight really doesn't matter). It cooked so much faster, was way quicker to set up, and we were not nearly as leery about cooking in our vestibule on some crappy days. At the end of long days all I want is to shovel as much food into my mouth as fast as possible.

Availability of canisters is abundant. Canister stoves are extremely popular on the trail and the outfitters know that. Practically all of the outfitters carry canisters. Finding denatured alcohol is quite easy as well. Either outfitters give it away, sell it by the ounce, or there is a local store to get a bottle of HEET (yellow bottle).

You will have to refuel more frequently with an alcohol stove. Probably on the order of once a week you will be looking for resupply. With a canister it's more like once a month (8oz.). We went ~500 miles on one canister, cooking 1 meal a day for 2 people. Others I know completed the entire trail in 4-5 canisters.

Some people have had canisters mail-dropped in, because they found cheap deals on the canisters. They are supposed to be packaged accordingly to USPS hazardous material standards, but I have seen people receive them in their regular mail drops. Do so at your own risk and all that.

In my opinion, I would recommend a canister stove. If I were to thru hike again I would take my canister stove, hands down.

Here's the solid fuel: https://www.amazon.ca/Esbit-Ultralight-Folding-Pocket-Tablets/dp/B001HYIHGC/

Canister stove from Etekcity: https://www.amazon.ca/RioRand-Backpacking-Canister-Camping-Foldable/dp/B00FFWJIOM/

Alcohol stove: https://www.amazon.ca/Trangia-Spirit-Burner-with-Screwcap/dp/B000AR7970/

Melitta pour-over filter holder: https://www.amazon.ca/MELITTA-Plastic-Pour-Over-Coffee-Filters/dp/B00CHILTMG/

Gooseneck pot: https://www.amazon.ca/Blesiya-Stainless-Coffee-Kettle-Gooseneck/dp/B07R47CNFW/ (You need the gooseneck for a good pour-over coffee!)

You have an extra 0 on that link so it doesn't work. Here's the correct link:

http://www.amazon.com/Trangia-Spirit-Burner-with-Screwcap/dp/B000AR7970/

Edit: typo

Get you a emberit fireant
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P2XDTMQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_9L0TzbSYJECS7

And a trangia alcohol stove
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000AR7970/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1505184435&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=trangia+alcohol+stove&dpPl=1&dpID=41d9tYSe2BL&ref=plSrch

I love this combo. The trangia stove fits right in the top of the fire ant.

When the weather is bad or if I'm in a hurry I'll use the trangia + fireant. I'll dig a hole in the ground and put th fire ant down in the hole as a wind screen if I'm using the fireant + trangia combo.

If it's not raining I'll use just the fireant. load it up with some wood shavings and other tinder and light it up!

I have one of these mil surplus sets, the stand works perfectly as a windscreen & pot holder, I use it with a trangia burner and this snow peak cookset. I bought an extra silicon bowl and a few cups and can stuff 2 bowls and 4 cups in the cookset & it still fits in the nylon mesh bag it comes with.

For the trangia stove, it boils water quite fast with this setup, you can adjust the flame, and it has a screw on lid so you can save unused fuel, well worth the $15.

Water System:

-Sawyer Micro Squeeze w/ adaptor for back flushing
($45.40 on Amazon )

-2L Evernew Water Bag
($15.82 on Amazon )

-2 1L Smart Water Bottles ($5)

Cook Set:

-Toaks Titanium 900 ml pot
( $60.81 on Amazon )

-Light My Fire Spork
( $3.56 on Amazon )

Or, you could use a long handled spork to reach into dehydrated meal bags, e.g. Boundless Voyage, Toaks, Snow Peak, etc (More Expensive)

A cheap disposable option is a Dairy Queen large spoon if you don’t require a fork.

-Optional hot drink mug: GSI Infinity Backpackers Mug
( $11.09 on Amazon )

Stove:

Alcohol Options:

• DIY cat stove with integrated pot holder (go on YouTube)
  
  -Trangia or Titanium alcohol stove e.g. Vargo Triad
  
  -Make a DIY beer can or aluminum flashing windscreen (YouTube)
  
  [You need to make sure that the alcohol stove has a snuffer cap if a fire ban is in effect]
  
  [If you use an alcohol stove, you will need a leakproof fuel bottle- check MEC, Litesmith, or use an old fuel stabilizer bottle]
  
  [In Canada, good alcohol fuels are Methyl Hydrate and Captain Phab Marine Stove Fuel]
  
  Gas Stoves:
  
  I don’t use a gas stove, however, here are a few I have heard of that are more affordable.
  
  
• MSR Pocket Rocket 2
  ($59.95 on Amazon )
  
  
• BRS Titanium Burner
  ($20.93 on Amazon )
  
  

Add an alcohol stove, bottle of denatured alcohol, cook kit, and pot stand.

Ditch the water packets and get a Klean Kanteen bottle. Keep it filled with water, and add another non-crushable container for extra water.

Now you can make hot tea, hot chocolate, coffee, grits, oatmeal, etc.

Add a hooded blanket tarp thing, some paracord, and a surplus military wool blanket. Maybe some cheap trekking poles or bamboo garden poles. Now you have a poncho and shelter! Add a few "contractor grade" trash bags just in case.

Add a pair of wool socks and comfortable shoes.

Extra batteries for the flashlight.

Safety vest or some kind of reflective thing.

PS: those lifeboat rations taste awful

These things are cool and I've made a few but I've never had one that lasted long. I found a Trangia alcohol stove and it works the same but is made much stronger and has lasted me on all my hiking and camping trips for the last 5 years.

I think it would be worth it to spend a few dollars and have something that is durable and lasts as opposed to something that will fall apart quickly.

Cat food can stove, denatured alcohol and ramen. Cost a fraction and provides sufficient calories. Add a few snickers in there for variation.


This is the best suggestion. Ramen can be eaten without cooking too. Throw in a few sauce packs from restaurants like soya, chili sauce, mayo, Vary up the Snickers with Tiger bars, granola bars, Cliff bars etc. A few packs of tuna and chicken in the foil packs. A few tins of Vienna sausage. 20-30 dollars should get you an awesome and compact 72 hour food kit. People tend to over think this.

Here is a better stove for 15 bucks ( I use 90% rubbing alcohol -- available at any pharmacy -- a lot for less than five dollars):

Trangia Spirit Burner

I've made many alcohol stoves and have found that the penny stove is the best overall design. You can pour unused fuel back into the bottle and it has pretty good heat output. If you don't mind a little more weight the Trangia stove is a good option-it's quite a bit more durable than the penny stove, and you can carry it with fuel in it without spilling.

I've made several quilts, both down and synthetic. Down is a bit of a PITA to deal with so take that into account. A climashield quilt is pretty easy on the other hand-quilt it with yarn and very easy to handle during construction. Not compressible though, unlike down. I do also have the EE Revelation in regular/regular/20 degree rating and am very happy with it. I was out with it the other night in Shenandoah-33 degrees with high humidity and was nice and warm sleeping in a base layer and underwear.

I've met lots of people with dragonfly stoves - it presses home though why the whisperlite is named as such. the noise THE NOISE that a dragonfly makes..
this (control) is a real problem with whisperlites though - if i want to apply less heat than the lowest working setting (will vary with fuel type and quality), i tend to just hold the pan above the flame - practical enough when frying eggs, perhaps less so with more elaborate cuisine.

an inexpensive way to have a gentle simmer - buy (or better, make your own) spirit burner; very light and inexpensive so no biggie if you decide you don't like it. they don't have the grunt that petrol or gas stoves have, but i was impressed with how good they actually are. (something like www.amazon.co.uk/Trangia-Spirit-Burner-With-Screwcap/dp/B000AR7970 or home-made - http://www.instructables.com/id/Can-Stove/ ) a spirit stove is hardly an encumbrance, so you can simmer your dinner on it, while making tea AT THE SAME TIME. (my god, the luxury)
a small bottle of ethanol is useful to have in any event, for lots of things, not least cleanly priming your whisperlite, or getting the f*cker to light at all if you're using paraffin or diesel.

Actually, a wide-mouth stainless steel bottle is more practical. It can serve as a drinking container as well as something to boil water with. You can get a fish mouth spreader to hang it over a fire and a cup/pot that will "nest" over it. Or you can rig up something to hold up the bottle so you can run an alcohol stove under it.

Here's a pre-assembled bottle cooking kit:

http://www.thepathfinderstore.com/the-ultimate-bottle-cooking-set-gen2/

Here's the most widely used alcohol stove (you can make your own too, if you've good the tools handy, but if you don't have the tools it's smarter to just buy one):

http://www.amazon.com/Trangia-Spirit-Burner-with-Screwcap/dp/B000AR7970

For cooking issues in a real crisis, I made one of these burns very little wood, small sticks/twigs/woodchips. I made mine out of an old computer case, but any sturdy sheet metal will do. I also have a trangia which runs on alcohol. And a dutch oven which can be used over a campfire or buried with coals. For home heat, I have built a rocket mass heater before, they work great and stay warm long after the fire is out, but I rent now, so I have a small woodstove I can quickly hook up to the chimney if need be. Not that you asked about any of that =]

2. Keep all of your valuables (electronics, passport, wallet, etc.) in an easy-to-remove bag. I use a small ulock and try to lock my frame to something and then run a small cable lock through the handles of panniers. My wheels have anti-theft bolts on them, so they're not easy to steal. Keep in mind that most theaves are opportunists and want something quick and easy--so don't make your bike quick and easy. For grocery stores: some stores will let you roll your bike into the entrance area or leave it leaning near the cash register.
   
   
3. Personally, I like a warm meal / coffee especially when the weather is wet. If you're on the fence, I'd suggest buying a Trangia alcohol stove ($20!) and you can always ditch it if you're not using it. I use it in conjunction with the Vargo Hexagon Wood Stove but you can get a smaller/lighter pot holder. The stove is light, runs silently and the fuel is cheap and easy to find.
   
   
4. This time of year is a good time to get apparel on sale. Check out brands like Pearl Izumi or the house-brand at Mountain Equipment Co-op (if you're Canadian.) For touring you can usually skip a proper jersey and instead do a merino t-shirt, you don't really need the pockets since you've got bags with you.

> Fancy Feast stove

That's what Andrew Skurka uses. He says that he has tried various other builds, but none of them saved him enough fuel (vs the FF stove) to be worth the bother.

Personally, I like my Trangia, but I'm not an ultra-lighter. It's still pretty damn light, though, and very strong, since it's made of brass.

What about a Trangia stove?

You could even make a coke can stove. I have one and it works well. The only criticisms I have of it is that you have to guess how much alcohol to use in it and there's no way to control the temperature. Minor complaints though, especially since it's made from two recycled coke cans.

They use methylated spirits. Pretty easy to use. Really lightweight, even with the fuel.

You can also buy alcohol stoves that are pre-made, and they’re cheaper to get fuel for and you don’t end up carrying an empty fuel canister around.


amazon

trail designs

I like these a bit better for this. You can build one out of a soda can too. My thought here is that you can run it on bottles of yellow HEET (fuel line defroster) which you can get at any gas station, hardware store or grocery store. For someone living on the streets it's a bit easier to get a hold of than a canister of fuel for a stove.

Trangia Burner

These suckers are indestructible and hold the fuel you don't use in the stove without it evaporating.