Trangia style stoves with caps

Hi all. I'm a newb when it comes to alchohol stoves. I stuck my toe into those waters a last season and nearly burned the state down. OK...that's a GROSS exageration, but what happened scared me straight. Straight back to gas stoves.

However in my never ending quest to lighten the load while still keeping safe, I started looking at Trangia style stoves. They were too expensive last year for experimenting, but I'm willing to invest this year to see what's what. However, what scared me last time was I was trying to snuff out the flame and accidentally turned the stove over (it was a coke can style handmade by someone on Ebay) and nearly set the campground on fire. That's no exaggeration. So, I've seen the Trangia style with not only simmer levers (like the Sterno holders) and some even come with a (it looks like) screw on cap. "So you don't have to worry about left over fuel!"

So my question is, do any of you have experience with these caps and how well they fit on the stove, how well they seal, etc. I'm willing to try one again if I can be reasonably assured that the cap works and you can indeed snuff out the flame, rather than waiting on the spirits to burn out.

Rhetorical question o' the day: if you burned down Texas, how would anybody notice?

My copy of the basic brass Trangia burner has a sealed screwcap and a second adjustable cap with a pivoting top for rudimentary flame control. The adjustment more or less works and if you shove it all the way closed, douses the flame. The fuel has a tendency to boil off before it cools enough to put on the screwcap but if there's any fuel left, it stays put until next use.

Compared to a homebuilt alcohol burner, the Trangia is probably a little safer and a lot more adjustable. I can actually cook over one, versus just boiling water.

Cheers,

I used a Trangia for several years and it is probably one of the most sturdy and dependable of the alcohol stoves even if it is a little heavy. It was/is used by the Swiss army. The Brasslite is also a very dependable stove and I used one of those for a few years. More efficient than the Trangia but the fuel must be burned out, no storage until next time. Now I am using a Snow Peak. Dependable and fairly sturdy. Last week was not my week for the Snow Peak either. I had two small cylinders which I knew were low so I took them to finish them off. The first cylinder made half a meal, the second cylinder made the other half and about 3/4 of the next meal. The next day I put on the new large cylinder and made supper. The next morning when I picked up the stove the cylinder was iced up. Somehow the valve had gotten cracked open enough to drain off about 90% of the gas over night. No stove is perfect or at least no better than the operator.

Thanks guys! (Rick....good point Is does get a bit brown down here in the summer )

The "extra" weight of the stove is not a concern as I'm not a Ul/SUL/XUL backpacker. My biggest concern was spillage of any fuel left over.

Happy to help. Want to add the Trangia screwtop is backed by a thick o-ring that really seems leakproof. An advantage is you can fill it at night so it's ready to heat the breakfast water in the morning. A nice time-saver. The silence is eerie, especially to Old School white gas stove users (practically a hazard if you happen to reach for it while lit).

Cheers,

Don't use the screw-on cap as a snuffer - the O-ring doesn't provide a seal after you crisp it. (Don't ask how I know.)

“ However, what scared me last time was I was trying to snuff out the flame ”

One way is to drop an aluminum cupcake foil over the stove to snuff it.
Another way is to let it burn out. This comes with experience on how much fuel to use.
There’s a stove by Zelph that won’t let the fuel spill if it tips over.

“do any of you have experience with these caps …”

Glenn said it best. It’s easy to crispy up those rubber rings. Check the trangia directions.

Any stove is dangerous. Just practice well in a safe place before taking it in the wilderness.

Happy cooking,
-Barry
-The mountains were made for Tevas

This is how I do it :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poDcCH_VFvE
can be done with most alcohol stoves.

Just wanted to follow up on this thread. I finally bought one of these:



The slider cap fits over the screw cap and over the burner of course. I'll try this in the backyard and see how well it works. Thanks again for all the input!

Is that a complete burner or just a cap for a Trangia?

You'll want to remember when there's a fire ban, you gots to take a stove with a valve, no exceptions.

I'm guessing this year in the Sierra, we'll be reduced to eating cold food at some point, it's so dry. There is already a fire ban....

it's a complete burner.

lori;
you are completely correct. We haven't had any fire bans here in TX yet, but with the drought still on going, it wouldn't surprise me if we get one by August. We already have water restrictions in most places due to the lake/reservoir levels being low.

fortunately, I'm also close to getting a new titanium gas stove.

There are fire bans in many of our state parks and national parks here (Texas). Check with your ranger station....but then, most don't know the difference between a valved stove and an alcohol burner.