You have to look at the overall performance. gas canisters don't like cold and high altitude, it's the same for the trangia type alcohol stoves. I've never had any such problems with my Coleman 533. Ok, the performance drops off a bit in those conditions but it'll still cook your meal pretty quick. You can die of starvation waiting for some stoves!

I have always been a great deffender of Trangia type stoves, especially the military ones but have recently converted to a Coleman. http://www.johnscrossshop.co.uk/WebP...e=076501215366

It fires up really quick and is nearly as controlable as a gas stove. The other advantage is as you wrote, that the fuel is the same as the bike. OK, they don't pack down small.

Pack size is a factor as we will be on the road for 3+ months. I have no problem putting T piece and tap the fuel line to allow filling a Coleman like the feather.

But if the Campingaz or the Coleman gas stove cylinders are widely available it seems a bit easier. I don't think I will be camping at a very high altitude.

ive had both the coleman sportster and the pro/butane stove i use now, and ive used a trangia in the past.

they all had pros and cons, the petrol stove went like a rocket and you'll never run out of fuel, but was a bit fiddly and messy i suppose.
the trangia was slow and messy, but v.low tech for maintenance and a superb design for packing everything away.
the gas job is halfway between the two with no mess and tiny stoves but the bottles dont last very long unless you get the bulky big boys, but they are easy to find across europe.

the best stove for me would be the 27-series trangia with gas converter, but im not rockerfeller

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dave

For you, I think in Europe you can find cannisters for a stove and generally they seem to be pretty cross-compatible: I was able to use a Coleman cannister on my Primus so vice-versa etc.

Otherwise, consider a multifuel stove: they keep your options open:
I pushed the boat out and got a Primus Omnifuel when it was on sale. As the name suggests it will run on anything including compressed brown envelopes soaked in water... indeed I have cooked on petrol, but its messy (loads of soot)

Failing that you can get cooking fuel (white gas?): it is used the way petrol would be, but burns really cleanly, and the bottles it comes in can be recycled: I understood from one salesman in Ellis-Brigham or Blacks who was into his camping that the gas cannisters are not refillable: so they make a lot of waste to relatively few cups of brew: perhaps something to bear in mind.

Alternatively there is the a Trangia meths burner: meths is pretty universal....

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Adventure: it's an experience, not a style!
(so ride what you like, but ride it somewhere new!)

Well here in France Campig Gaz is widely available, you just wander into supermarkets and voila.

Couple of things to consider. If your gaz stove has cartridges you pierce then look out for the packsize as you can't remove the cartridge once it's on, and secondly, environmentalistness. Unless you religiously recycle them the cartridges are a huge waste of metal.

For years I travelled with a Camping Gaz stove, and I still use it for festivals, as I can take my toaster, and it lights easier. But for travelling I use a Trangia with the multi-fuel adaptor, just for the fact I know I can always scrounge some fuel.

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Sorry guys I should have added a link, The campingaz stove and cylinders/canisters are of the Easy Clic type. You can remove them at will. I had one back in Aus but didn't use it much so never found out how long a cylinder/canisters lasts.

Alexlebrit, is it these campingaz Easy Clic canisters that available in France or the type you referred too only ?

You can see the different types on the link below. It also shows the Coleman versions as well.

http://www.johnscrossshop.co.uk/WebP...egoryCode=1500

Sorry for the confusion.

Being French (I believe) Camping Gaz of all types is easily found. Coleman being American might be different, but to be honest those canisters look the same to me, are there any differences?

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Ah "Being French" is an important fact. I didn't know that. In theory the neighbouring countries should / might sell them.

Yup both the Campingaz and the Coleman have puncture type and detachable types. The Campingaz detachable type clips & clamps on. The Coleman screws on.

Axelbrit, does the multifuel adaptor also attach to gas canisters?

the euro screw type gas cans are readily available all over. when bike camping i generally get 3 or 4 days out of a 270, thats cooking breakfast and some dinners, lunch and as many dinners as poss eating out, im supposed to be on holiday!

in UK i cook myself all the time, as i can do a better job than the overpriced crap some foreign student undercooks for you. in france the stove only comes out for breakfast, when you can have a slap up feast in any roadside caff for a few quid whats the point?

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dave

No, the multi-fuel stove is liquid fuels only, to be honest I've only ever used it with petrol, and don't really know which other fuels you can put in it, I should look sometime I guess. You just take out the spirit burner and it fits in the same place.


They do do a gas burner as well, but it says it fits the Primus system, and I have no idea what fitting that is, anyone know?

EDIT: I just looked on the Primus site and it says "INTERNATIONAL STANDARD SCREW THREAD" so I'd guess it'll take other canisters than Primus's own.

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ah right, i thought so.

i knew they did a gas converter, and its one of the most economical gas stoves you can get because of the trangia set up, all the heat goes up past the pot and doesnt escape out the sides.

the euro standard screw thread is the common one, coleman, primus, sunngas seem to be the most common makes here in UK.
gaz do their own types, the old piercable one that you cant take off again and a newer one with a valve in the cans.

you can get adaptors to put canisters on different types of stoves, could be handy if you cant get the type of can your stove needs? quite pricey though compared to just getting another stove.

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dave

I was on a really tight budget when I bought my kit so I've got a military Trangia from here...

Buy your Trangia Army stove, mess kit, Trangia Army Stove, from Surplus & Adventure online Army & Navy superstore

The Trangia meths burner may work fine in summer and at low altitudes, but I found the time to boil a mug of water was unacceptable. I don't bother taking the Trangia burner and my Gelert S/S insulated mug is a perfect fit inside so keeps everything compact. At present, I see no reason why I'd need to upgrade this.

At the time, I couldn't justify the prices asked for some burners so I bought a Sunngas alpine stove from a camping shop.

Sunngas Alpine Camping Stove from Surplus and Outdoors / Camping Stoves

This set up has done everything from bike touring and short camping trips to beach fishing trips on the North Sea coast in winter and is still going well despite the sand and salt water. Price and stability are it's big plus points. The legs do fold away but due to the hose, pack size isn't anything special. I will look at upgrading to something more compact and better quality as and when I need to but it's well worth a look if money is tight.

As for the ecomentalists, I took the old cannister along to a camping shop in Germany, just in case there was a language problem buying a new one and they took the old cannister for recycling. BTW, I get about 5 days out of the small cannisters but I've never had a real problem finding a replacement. Even gas cannisters from DIY shops will fit if you're desperate.

If you really must drag around cooking equipment, why use anything than a coleman Duel fuel stove.

Pretty small, runs on the same petrol as your bike and packs a punch. Never let me down !

Why piss about with carrying gas or searching for replacements !!!

I also see no need for these hugely expensive MSR petrol stoves. They cost a fortune, block up just by looking at them and need Ieuan & Charleys back up crew to carry to tools to clean them..

Personally, id forget the stove and just carry bread, cheese and tinned meat for when you cant find an alternative... It usually ends up cheaper eating at a small local diner or kiosk than cooking for yourself anyway..

Just my 1 pence worth !

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

Gixxer

Check out my thread on "petrol alternative" liquid fuel if you are using a multifuel stove. We have road tested both the Trangia type systems outlined by Alexlebrit - very efficient! Very clean.

More data on the clean petrol option can be found here

Hope that helps

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Langebaan Sunset - Africa Overland
http://langebaan-sunset.blogspot.co.za/