Alcohol Burner Good For Basic Cooking
Product: Trangia alcohol burner with West Wind stove base
Description: Extremely lightweight and compact single-burner alcohol backpacking, mountaineering emergency stove with collapsible base/wind screen, made in Sweden and distributed in North America by Mountain Safety Research (MSR) of Seattle. The single burner has a screw-off cap with O-ring for transport, and comes with an adjustable lid to control the flame. Three flat pieces of aluminum snap together to form a sturdy base/wind screen. Even with some fuel stored in the burner, the unit weighs next to nothing and will stow easily in a small area.
Pro: A triumph in low-tech engineering. The Trangia stove burns denatured alcohol, which is widely available, safe, easy to use, and burns hot, clean and quiet. It will boil two cups of water in about eight minutes and the flame can be regulated with the adjustable lid, reminiscent of Sterno burners under chafing dishes. Denatured alcohol is hot stuff and requires no priming or pumping. It evaporates quickly if spilled and isn’t nearly as explosive as white gas.
Con: Let’s be honest - this isn’t going to be anyone’s first choice for the Himalayas, or in situations where you need a powerful pocket-rocket to melt snow for water. It’s also not as fuel-efficient as pressurized white-gas stoves, so you’ll have to carry more fuel.
Comments: The bottom line for this little beauty is that it works and works very well when you take into consideration the inherent limitations of denatured alcohol. It has performed well for me as a backpacking stove, makes a great back-up for mountaineering and is ideal for paddle-sports and ski touring. It’s ultra-reliable, has no moving parts, requires no priming or pumping, burns almost silently and is so well-designed it deserves to be appreciated … and its so light and compact you could always have it with you for emergencies.
Suggested retail: $20 for the burner and base, sold as one unit.
Company: North American distributor: MSR, 4225 Second Ave. South, Seattle, WA, 98134. Call (800) 877-9677 for information or a nearby dealer.