The Trangia Spirit Stove is a Swedish design that perhaps surprisingly dates all the way back to 1925. Over the last 85 years or so the Trangia has seen action all over the world, literally. The stove forms part of the mess kit for the Swedish military as well as being owned and used by millions of backpackers and travellers in every country on earth. It has been to the summit of Mount Everest and almost everywhere else where there is adventure involved.
The unit is largely made up of lightweight aluminium, the exception being the burner unit which has always been brass. Modern Trangias are available with hard anodized finishes and non stick Teflon coatings on cooking surfaces. They were originally designed to burn denatured alcohol spirit or methylated spirits as it is better known. In recent times they have been adapted to give a choice between the original fuel and gas. The huge majority of owners however, prefer to continue using spirit.A Trangia will not produce a Cordon Bleu meal, far from it. What it will do instead is to give you the freedom to produce simple hot meals. They are particularly effective with soups, pasta, eggs, bacon and sausages etc. There are times in extreme climatic conditions where even a simple cup of coffee can make a massive difference to morale, especially if you are chilled to the bone.
There are three main versions of this little stove
The Trangia Mini. This is the smallest and lightest version at 330 grammes. Ideal for a single backpacker or traveller. It is small enough to fit into the pannier of a motorcycle or the rucksack of a hiker.
The Trangia-27 range is described as being suitable for one to two people. It is a little bigger than the 'Mini' and is available in various finishes.
The Trangia-25 is the largest capacity unit, capable of feeding three to four people. In practice, and with a bit of juggling, it is possible to feed five or six.
The one thing to remember about all three of these versions is that, like a Russian Doll, the parts fit one inside another for storage in the smallest possible size.