Trangia 27 Ultralight Backpacking Stove

This is the stove that started it all for me- the prodigal stove. When I was growing up my dad, brother and I would hike up deep in the Ko'olau mountains and we would cook using sterno burners and stainless steel pots (which my dad still has to this day). Sternos are great, but they are non-adjustable, not windproof, and get hotter the longer they burn. 15ish years later I get the Trangia 27.

Ultralight purists will tell you that this stove is by no means ultralight- perhaps super light, or pretty light, but not ultralight. The average ultralight gatekeeper is comparing total weight of the Trangia to a stove like the MSR Pocket Rocket line of single burners, and the ascetic ultralight dirtbags will tell you that a stove serves no purpose, and that true ultralighters eat cold-soak for every meal. It’s fine to do things that way, but if you want to have a good time then you cook something. If you want to have a great time, then you cook the meals that I cook. To be clear though, if you're attempting a FKT, stoveless serves a purpose. But if you wear a threadbare collared shirt with short shorts and use a trash bag as an ultralight pack, I’m callin’ you out buddy- go take a shower.

Anyway, the Trangia 27 stove is ultralight, works really well in the wind and has multiple adjustable heat sources. It comes standard with an alcohol burner (that is adjustable). I recommend yellow HEET as a good fuel if you use the stove this way. I’ve used HEET many times to good success, but IMO the gas burner attachment is far superior.

It’s expensive, $60-$80 depending, but it’s much more reliable and accurate in terms of fine tuning your temperature adjustment. The stove comes with a frying pan, two bowls and a detachable handle, and you can cook with either of the bowls or the frying pan, but I have to recommend the Trangia 2.5L Billy Pot as the pot of choice for cooking any kind of braise or stew.

I’ve used a lot of different stoves up here: solo stove, Skotti grill (in-depth review coming soon) MSR pocket rocket 2, UCO Flatpack, titanium sheet windscreen with aluminum can burner, sternos, etc… The Trangia windproof backpacking stove represents incredible value in terms of weight and cooking ability. My needs are very specific to the environment I’m in, and the trangia stove can actually cook great and satisfying meals in a big storm with lots of rain and high wind. If you’re looking for the lightest possible option for a temperate climate, this might not be the stove for you, but if cooking a hot homemade meal is an activity that makes your camping experience more enjoyable then it’s hard to beat this stove. I’ll be using it for many more years to come.

If you haven’t already then go ahead and watch my video review of the Trangia stove, I break the stove down and show you all the pieces and talk about some different stuff than I write here. If you found this review useful please consider making a donation or subscribing to the member’s only section of my website where you’ll find exclusive media that would probably make your day better.

Aloha,

Braddah Codes