Camping Cooking Equipment > Optimus Camping Cooking Equipment

Advantages: Robust and light
Disadvantages: Availability and the screw lid can become stiff

...container, this is where the Optimus Fuel bottles come into their own. What are they like? Optimus make these to work with their own range of cookers, however they really are the best on the market for storing fuels for all types of liquid burning stoves. They come in three sizes 0.4 litre, 0.6 litre and one litre. The man body is in one solid piece of aluminium, once you feel one you will realise just how strong they are, because they are made ...
...only weighs 159gms and that is including the cap. The cap itself is made of solid plastic and comes complete with a rubber washer to make sure of an airtight seal. The top of the cap has a ring that is big enough to get a finger through, this makes it ideal to use if you wanted to strap the bottle to the outside of a rucksack (I have done this on more than one occasion, without any problem). The overall dimensions of the one litre bottle are Height ... Read review

Advantages: compact design
Disadvantages: non

Whilst on a short trip to Ben Nevis 2 years ago, I brought one and haven't looked back since! it was the best snow conditions for 25 years, and not once did it not light, or blow out or let me down in any way! They do come in various sizes and options, but i just had the one designed for 1 person and it was all i ever needed! you really can take it out the box and use it straight away! no instructons needed, just a little practise to put it all ...
...cooked lamb cutlets with boiled potatoes, green beans and gravy all on this little pan, the odd steak too! not to mention the wonderful Scottish breakfast, with all the trimmings! The only thing they could improve on would be to design a suitable one for toasting bread! Otherwise, a culinary delight! I made every one I saw jealous as they were all struggling with big petrol burners, whereas mine all fitted in its little orange bag! In all, a triumphant ... Read review

Advantages: lightweight, hot, cheap, simple
Disadvantages: gas pricey, not that stable,

A petrol stove isn't really necessary for camping/moutaineering/bike touring/backpacking in the uk. The pocket rocket is cheaper to buy, lighter, more simple to use and the gas is widely available. However, petrol probably works out cheaper than gas, especially abroad. I really strongly advise that everyone who drives anywhere, gets a stove and a mug and small pot and a book of matches. Then, instead of spending £2 or more on a coffee in a horrible ...
...beautiful river somewhere, or in some picturesque woodland, and put up a deck chair and brew up your own drink, and enjoy your rest. This is the ideal stove for taking on a bike tour, but for walking I would suggest not bothering with a stove at all, save the weight and eat cold food. I raced this stove against my kettle at home once and the PocketRocket was triumphant. ... Read review

Advantages: Light and not much space taken up
Disadvantages: Not the best in extreme conditions

...wrong). The Company Trangia is a Swedish company and was founded in 1925 by John E. Jonsson together with his father in-law. So they have over 80 years experience in manufacturing their stoves. In that time very little has changed in the way the Trangia stoves have been made. Probably the biggest change would be the non stick coating that is now available. What is the model that I use? I prefer the Trangia 25, it is the larger of the two standard ...
...is the heart of the Trangia it is probably worth explaining exactly what it looks like. Imagine a small brass tin with a screw top lid, on the outer side at the top are a series of small holes that go all the way round (this is where the gas type flame will come from once it is burning properly) This is all held neatly together in one package with a strap. The overall weight of this is only 1.1 kg. Why do I use it? When I have gone summer camping, ... Read review

Advantages: big pans, lots of pans
Disadvantages: heavy, large, doesn't cook that fast, makes pans very dirty

I've used a trangia on many weekends away in previous years, however i found that they are not really the best way of cooking a meal in the wilderness. Trangias do come in various sizes, which is a good point, but all models come with the standard pan holder come wind shield, 2 one litre saucepans, which easily fit inside each other, a frying pan, which also doubles as a lid and finally a handle for taking hot pans of the stoves. I must not forget ...
...conclusion i think that the trangia pans are useful for larger groups as the pans can easily hold a litre and the frying pan is approximately 18cm in diameter, great for cooking large amounts of food. On the other hand although trangia do have a 'mini' range, for the lone hiker it is rather cumbersome. ... Read review