Trangia Burner Testing

I've often wondered how to effectively plan for stove use during an extended trip. I'll often just make sure I've got plenty of fuel and, when the fuel runs out, I'll switch to natural materials and a fire for cooking.

Yesterday I spent some time in the kitchen doing a little scientific testing to find out just how long a fixed amount of fuel will burn and the results were a bit shocking.

I took the burner from my "user" cookset that was sitting in the laundry room and filled it with one 35mm film canister of denatured alcohol. I lit it with a firesteel and ran a stopwatch and the video camera. That first burn ran 13:42 which would be more than enough to heat up the small pan of water for coffee, tea, or a shave.

Then I got the bright idea to test a cold stove because the burner will more than likely be a bit chilly after being in the pack for an extended period during a hike. Burn time on the cold burner was reduced but I think it might have been attributed to a dirty burner more than the cold brass.


I ran a total of seven tests and still have fuel in the bottle. The last two burners ran 12:31 before going out. That was after cleaning and once the burners returned to room temperature.

I guess what this tells us is that a 35mm canister of fuel will burn around 12 minutes (maybe a little more or a little less) the first time through and slightly less the second.

More than that, knowing that I can get maybe 9 12 minute boils from the included bottle is good to know.

Tomorrow I'll have to see if 12 minutes is actually long enough to bring the larger pot to a boil. If it is, that's 9 meals with a hot drink.

Thanks for reading,


B