Fuel Stoves
- Thread starter Caulkhead
- Start date
How do you define fuel stoves.. It's a broad brush.. So..
Trangia... Normally a hiking stove, but can be used "safely" with a gel fuel..
Webasto.... Derv cooker available.. One fuel, hot plate works like an ebby or webby
SMEV etc.. Gas cookers, standard fair.
Portable gas.. Be careful if a cartridge system, DO NOT change carts in van! Outside Change only! This is especially true of puncture carts,. Also store used cartridges OUTSIDE! This is especially true of puncture carts..
On all systems, apart from webasto derv, use with minimum of one or two front windows open slightly for venting.. This is where Heko's and Clim Airs etc come into their own...
Trangia... Normally a hiking stove, but can be used "safely" with a gel fuel..
Webasto.... Derv cooker available.. One fuel, hot plate works like an ebby or webby
SMEV etc.. Gas cookers, standard fair.
Portable gas.. Be careful if a cartridge system, DO NOT change carts in van! Outside Change only! This is especially true of puncture carts,. Also store used cartridges OUTSIDE! This is especially true of puncture carts..
On all systems, apart from webasto derv, use with minimum of one or two front windows open slightly for venting.. This is where Heko's and Clim Airs etc come into their own...
Good point how to define fuel stoves, thankyou.
The type of stoves I was thinking of are such as the Dometic ORIGO alcohol stoves
Had a quick shuffty, first thoughts are that they are like a standard Trangia, but in a cooker.. If it's a temp solution, I prefer the Trangia, as heat is enveloped around the kettle, and Can use the gel fuel. If looking for interior use for semi perm use, I'd just get a std 2 ring gas cooker, as the alcohol cookers take longer than jetted fuel cookers to heat stuff up.
By jetted I mean that the vapour is emitted from a ring of jets.. This puts more heat out for cooking, but is controllable better than the alcohol fuel stoves.. The ORIGO uses a slightly fancier simmer control than the Trangia..
I quite agree about fuel stove being worse than gas in small spaces, I was just curious as to whether anyone uses them and if anything had become more modern these days.
I have in over 20 years only ever used gas, so will no doubt carry on in the same manner.
Trangias can run on gas. Several of my kayaking pals have what are essentially day-vans but with storage furniture / worktop, and use Trangias in the van. Personally, I gave up on meths years ago. Slow and sooty. A concern with any form of stand-alone stove being used in the van (on a table or worktop) has to be the risk of the thing slipping off. Burning liquid fuel falling on the carpeted floor would be a bad thing.
That's why I said about the gel fuel.. Turn it upside down, it doesn't come out or spill....
I take the point re gel - but at the end of the day, gas offers much, much more control and far better performance. I did a back-to-back test of meths v gas a while ago, this based on total time (including getting the thing set up and fuelled) to get a 500 ml pan of boiling water. 9 mins 30 secs on meths - 5 mins 5 secs on gas.
A similar test with an MSR Whisperlite running on petrol gave 4 mins 45 secs. Mind you, it'll burn water, is "fun" to light and offers little ability to simmer!
A similar test with an MSR Whisperlite running on petrol gave 4 mins 45 secs. Mind you, it'll burn water, is "fun" to light and offers little ability to simmer!
yes.. gas is easy, but i run a different set up.. mi running a Trangia multifuel, and a No12, both on paraffin "primed" with bio-ethanol.. as it doesn't soot that way.. the paraffin turns to vapor, and that works the same if not better than gas. but then I dont cook in the van. the question was asked, and therein lies the reason for my responses.. I only go back to the meths etc to stick the unit outside with the kettle whilst im doing other things in the middle of a field... oh the other reason I prefer my setup, is that I go anywhere in absolute shite weather, where gas just wont cook it..
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Yeah, a few on here have them.. Good for the boot of any car in the winter...
I have a Dometic ORIGO dual burner stove. I like it for several reasons,
Firstly I don’t have to carry around gas bottles and all the licensing that goes with them.
Secondly, I can take my stove outside and use it on a table rather than cook in the van.
The fuel, Methylated Spirits, is available from any supermarket, general store or hardware and a 1 litre plastic bottle which will last about 8 hours of burning, can be tucked in anywhere and is much easier than carrying an extra gas bottle
Whilst the heat is not as high as an LPG stove, it does just fine.
I have a backup 240v single burner electric in side the van but need access to power so not much chop if we are free camping in a national park or bush.
I agree, they are not cheap, I got mine through Amazon UK free shipped to Australia in 4 days was cheaper than buying it local. Go figure
Firstly I don’t have to carry around gas bottles and all the licensing that goes with them.
Secondly, I can take my stove outside and use it on a table rather than cook in the van.
The fuel, Methylated Spirits, is available from any supermarket, general store or hardware and a 1 litre plastic bottle which will last about 8 hours of burning, can be tucked in anywhere and is much easier than carrying an extra gas bottle
Whilst the heat is not as high as an LPG stove, it does just fine.
I have a backup 240v single burner electric in side the van but need access to power so not much chop if we are free camping in a national park or bush.
I agree, they are not cheap, I got mine through Amazon UK free shipped to Australia in 4 days was cheaper than buying it local. Go figure
When you look at the sites that sell them they all mention various fuels to use but none of them seem to mention parrafin or am I missing something.
Thanks in advance
Not really, it just works on it, common alternative to running on derv, prime with bio ethanol though, as clean slow burn, so virtually no soot, and heats the jet for vapourisation nicely.. The paraffin burns nice, doesn't soot the pans up either.. Best of both worlds.. Oh bubble & quick sell 4ltrs at £6 ish.. it's also how I run my No12.. Derv is not good for cooking stoves..
I appreciate the comment about Derv, not my favourite fuel
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