Swedish Army Trangia

[Notredame11211]

I have heard many great things about the Swedish army Trangia cookset. I found a retailer in the U.K. who has them in both stainless steel and aluminium: http://www.militarymart.co.uk/Stainless-Steal-Swedish-Army-Trangia-Stove/prod_392.html. Hope this helps anyone in search of these.;)

[Big T]

They look good, I think Endicotts in Exeter (Martin recommends them) sell these a bit cheaper!

[Kieran]

Mine is amazing!

[JEEP]

I have a stainless one. It is quite heavy, but extremly sturdy and very versatile. I use my regular Trangia more though.

[Kieran]

I have Aluminium, it is very very sturdy! :)

[JEEP]

Swedish Army Trangia:

Pros
-Can be found very cheply. But, beware! I have seen these stoves for sale (mainly at evilBay) at outrageous prices
-Bulletproof - these are made to last forever! Both the steel and alu versions are very tough
-Versatile - can be used with the meths burner, wood or buel tablets. The pots can be used over fire, the small pot even has d-rings on the handle in order to attatch an improvised longer handle
-The shape of the pans make them very comfortable and easy to pour water from
-Retro cool - this may not matter for some, but this old stove has a certain appeal to the vintage afficionado in me

Cons
-Heavy - there is nowhere around this, it just is heavy compared to most other stoves, even the alu version
-The burner sits directly on the ground/table - this is a small (but existing) safety hazard, but it is easily fixed with a thick piece of aluminium foil
-The oval shape of the pots is not the ideal shape for a pot, especially not a small one. Not a big issue though
-The paint on the painted versions give off a very unpleasant smell - as well as adding an aftertaste to the food. I do not know whether the paint is poisonous (mind you; these stoves are made long before general awareness about such issues), but I do not like my cookwear to give off taste to my food. This problem may only apply when the stove is new though
-The burner is less fuel eficient than the new Trangia burner - and I find that the threading on the lid is often cracked and lacks a simmering ring. I have replaced the original burner in mine with a new Trangia burner, with a simmering ring.

[bigstan]

I also have the stainless one and it is heavy, i was thinking of getting an ally one for the rare times i do walk more than 20 yards from the 4X4.

[Kieran]

I also have the stainless one and it is heavy, i was thinking of getting an ally one for the rare times i do walk more than 20 yards from the 4X4.
It is like 200-300 grams difference

[cuppa joe]

I have the alloy version ...love it's toughness and practicality ,if you run out of fuel just use wood ,cones whatever is at hand.

[mstaines]

I have just purchased an alloy version from militarymart.co.uk (As they are only 30mins up the road) for £7.50 plus a designer fit cup for £2.50... So all in all a great piece of kit for a tenner...Bargain... Tried it out on Thursday out in the field, just made brew and some scrambled egg and worked a treat.

totally agree with previous comments re: weight (973g inc. burner and meths bottle), but still a great stove/cook set...

[JEEP]

Army trangia vs. regular Trangia

Price
No doubt the army Trangia wins here - though used Trangias can still be found rather cheaply aswell

Weight
An aluminium army Trangia weighs around 950 g. A trangia 27-1 weighs 690 g and a 25-1 weighs 845 g. If weight is an issue (it is for me), the regular Trangia has an advantage

In the package
Army Trangia; burner, windshield, large pot, small pot, fuel bottle - and sometimes a mug
Regular Trangia; burner, simmering ring, windshield, large pot, small pot, frying pan, pot gripper, pack-strap

Packsize
The army Trangia is bigger than the 27-1 and takes up about the same space as a 25-1. The army Trangia has the advantage of having the fuel bottle inside the system, but for longer trips you will have to carry a larger fuel bottle anyway

Ruggedness
No doubt the army Trangia wins here - but that doesn't mean that the regular Trangia isn't one of the toughest cooking systems on the market anyway

Availability
You can buy the regular Trangia at most outdoor stores - the army Trangia may take some poking around online or at surplus stores to find

Availability of spare parts and accessories
No competition here really; the regular Trangia takes the price

Versatility
Tough one; the army Trangia can be used with solid fuel aswell as meths, while the regular Trangia needs you to purchase additional burners to work with other fuels (gas burner/multifuel burner) - and it doesn't work with solid fuel.
The pots from the army Trangia are useable over open fire, while the pots and pan from the regular Trangia are less well suited for that
The regular Trangia comes with a frying pan, which can be used as a lid, in addition to the two pots. The small pot of the army Trangia can be used as a frying pan and a lid aswell
This one is a tie imho.

Convenience
I guess this is a rather subjective matter. Personally I like the fact that the regular Trangia comes with an actual frying pan. And, I find the round shape of the regular Trangia pots to be much more comfortable to work with than the oval pots of the army Trangia - these are, however, due to their oval shape, more convenient to pour water from

Fuel efficacy
The army Trangia burner is somewhat less fuel efficient than the newer Trangia burner. The wind shileds of the two stoves seem to be qeually effective though

Safety
The burner of the army Trangia sits directly on the surface on which the stove is placed, while the burner of the regular Trangia is raised from said surface.
The regular Trangia has a larger footprint than the army Trangia, making it more stabile and less prone to tipping over - though both systems are actually quite stabile

For me at least the regular Trangia is a clear winner in this comparison. There is no doubt that the army Trangia is a good stove - and a really cool one aswell. But, imho. the more modern regular Trangia is a better, lighter, safer and more efficient cooking system. It may be more expensive, but it will last you a lifetime if you take good care of it.

[Metal mug]

You can buy a highlander meths burner for 5-7 pounds which is very similar to the civvy trangia. Not sure if anyone has compared them speed wise though.

[GwersyllaCnau]

I found the wind shield in the Swedish Army Stove to not be too good at being a wind shield, so I put a VERY thin Alu sheet inside (which I "borrowed" from work)This adds less than 1g to the weight. It does not starve the burner of oxygen as there is still enough ventilation and the burner is not affected even by very high winds. Has anyone tried, or know if a white box stove can be used in conjunction with the Swedish Army mess stove and wind shield?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48143907@N08/5866881848/in/photostream
You can just make out the silver of the alu in the holes in the windshield

[scorpian]

had one of these, the ally one, for years now and like it a lot, especially the shape as i use rat packs often and you can easily fit a couple of meal sachets in one, plus they are cheap, and can be hung over a fire to boot, gets a big thumbs up from me.
if you have the money to by better do so, if your like me and on a budget, go for one of these!

steve

[Martin]

Jakob, great comparison. Thanks for taking the time to do it.

Martin

[JEEP]

Always a pleasure Martin.

I have actually had people coming in to the store where I work, asking for the army Trangia. This retro stove is sure getting some hype online these days - and for good reason; it is a fantasitic little stove for the money. This, however, doesn't mean that there aren't much better stoves out there.

It's the same thing with the Optimus Svea 123R really; I adore this classic stove, but a modern multifuel burner or a Jetboil are simply much more practical choices. This doesn't, however, keep me from bringing my Svea on short hikes, just for the sheer joy of using it.

One could say the same thing about the ol' campfire I guess; it is not really that practical/controllable for cooking, it's a potential safety hazard, sometimes notoriously difficult to light and it makes a big mess (both on the ground and on your cookware). But, the sheer joy of sitting next to a campfire makes it worth the trouble and percausions :)

[markal17]

iv got the steel one its great for me and the kids
i use hip flask as fuiel bottle

[kINGPIN]

I love my army and sweedish trangia. Great for the bigger dishes.