My Trangia stove showed up yesterday at work. As soon as the clock was punched, I made a beeline for home. I grabbed my Evernew pot and an old windscreen and got to work. The first boil took about 13 minutes for 1 quart of water. The temp was around 46 degrees. Portland sits around 50 feet.

I’m pretty impressed with it’s quiet operation. It’s not the fastest boil, but that’s not why I bought it either. I can’t wait to take this thing out on some trips!

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Trangia Spirit Burner

Now that I’m traveling lighter, I’m thinking a lot about what goes into my bags. For me, one of the more important parts of touring is having a hot meal after a long day and a nice cup of coffee in the morning. This means carrying a pot/pan combo and a stove, which can take up a substantial amount of space depending on the configuration.

For the last couple of years I’ve been carrying an MSR Pocket Rock. It’s a small, and very efficient canister stove. It works great, but has one major drawback. The canisters that it uses are only available in sport stores or Fred Meyer, and carrying multiple canisters isn’t a very palatable option. Over the last few years I’ve accumulated a number of these canisters, each with a different amount of fuel left over in them.

I’ve been thinking about using an alcohol stove for a while now, and after a couple trips with my friend Ed, I decided to pick up a Trangia spirit burner and Clikstand support. I paid about $50 for the combo. It’s not the cheapest way to go about an alcohol burner, but it’s reliable and well built.

I may not be gaining a lot of extra space with this move, but I won’t be stuck with a bunch of mostly empty fuel canisters. As soon as it arrives, I’ll be testing it out, and reporting back here with what I think.

I’m preparing for a jaunt to the San Juan Islands in July, and this is going to be a great addition to my already light kit.