Does anyone here have experience with the Trangia Stormcooker sets?
I’ve observed in youtube videos that the saute pan sits rather high up above the burner so it can take a lot of alcohol to cook some things in it. But this can be a charm over sauteing on butane which can burn food very easily. And sauteing in a titanium pan over a wood fire also requires a lot of finesse to keep food from burning.
I’ve never used an alcohol stove before. The fuel seems rather cheap. I see it for $7/L on amazon. While it does require a lot more fuel to cook with compared to butane, this is offset by how lightweight a simple plastic bottle can be to carry it – compared to a pressurized metal butane canister. I typically go on 1-2 night trips so a lightweight clear plastic 8-12oz bottle should be plenty. This makes it easy to know how much you have left. It also seems more obtainable to me than butane which often has high delivery costs because of safety if you can’t buy it anywhere locally in person.
I’ve tended to cook with wood rather than butane to save money. But given the low expense of alcohol as a fuel ($7/liter with free delivery), it offers a nice alternative to gathering sticks and having to feed a fire while cooking at the same time. Of course an MSR Windburner, Jetboil, Firemaple HX pot, or some such does a great job of blocking wind. But the aggressive heat of those is mostly only good for boiling. So the idea of low and slow with cheap fuel appeals to me.
There are lots of small non-bulky ways to cook with alcohol. But the weak flames of alcohol are very susceptible to any kind of wind. So that’s why the Stormcooker sets make a lot of sense if you don’t mind the bulk and weight. For cold weather (near or below freezing), I would get the pre-heat attachment which clips on to the bottom of the trangia burner. You pour some alcohol onto some felt and it preheats the burner to allow for better vaporization and higher cooking temps.
I lean towards the 25 series size (which comes with 1.5L and 1.75L pots) because I find the 1L sized pots with the 27 series would be pretty small for a one pot meal. And I like a larger saute pan. As far as material, I would go with the Duossal. I don’t mind some extra weight to avoid leeching of aluminum or any non-stick coatings into my food. I’ve already used the Duossal 25 pan at home and found it has great heat dispersal. The stainless steel inner is no problem to clean especially if you deglaze it with some water after cooking. The cooking area to weigh ratio seems reasonable to me – partially because it saves weight with an aluminum bottom and having no handle.
I also think I would go with the Trangia pot stand to allow me to use alternative pots in the windscreen. I’d likely get a small Bialetti epsresso pot. And I could use my UL 700ml Titanium kettle in it too. To save weight, I would usually leave one of the two Duossal pots at home – especially if I bring the kettle. The strainer/cutting board might also be worth getting. I’ve got an MSR large poly plate with high sides that nests perfectly over the Duossal 25 pan.
I like the inherent stability of the Stormcooker sets. I’m used to bending down in my chair to cook on a stick stove. So it would be nice to use the Trangia on a table. The heat might be unsafe to use with a fabric table but an aluminum table would be fine. I will add a post later that provides a comparison of the anticipated weight of the Duossal 25 Stormcooker set vs a comparable butane setup.
What do you all think of this? Even putting aside the bulk and weight issues, obviously a thru hiker doesn’t want to take the time to really make use of the low and slow cooking of a Trangia system. But with that said, would you agree cooking with the Trangia Stormcooker sets allows for some fine meals even in windy conditions? Or have you found the results not worth the extra weight, bulk, and or time?
