We use a Trangia 27, and I have been using it for over 20 years now. Best part is that it uses meths (made from friut sugar)and thats about as enviro-friendly as you can get.
it takes a bit to get used to but I can cook just about anything and now we got a toast-making attachment.
Go to your local tip. you will probably find gas bottles there .Campingaz or calor. ask the nice man and give him a drink. iv never bought a bottle always amanaged to get a second hand one.try different retilers too. our local corner shop charges the price of the gas and a £3 deposit. you keep the recipt and if you no longer want the bottle , he will give you your deposit back
Either a Bistro stove as already recommended, or a Camping Gaz Party Grill. Either of these will afford you a good stove for any kind of pan. If you can afford it get 2 x Bistros or one Party Grill and One Bistro - that gives you more flexibility when you need it.
Quote: Originally posted by Carl at atompl.co.uk on 16/7/2007
We bought two of the bistro stoves that take the small canisters. We take one for an overnight stay and both for longer. Seems to work for us....
Yes, that's what we do too. It suits us.
Started out with a two burner stove with windshield and a grill underneath that ran off a gas bottle but I realised that it was quite a hefty combination to be lugging about so I sold it. Much happier with the little stoves although I can see that if you do loads of cooking for a big family two or three times a day the gas canisters could get expensive. MT
------------- Tackling life the Western District way
Was thinking about getting the party grill - Do you have one, and can you recommend. What gas does it use, and is it stable? Sorry about all the questions!!
Disposable cartridge options tend to take less room in the car. Purchase wisely and I suspect you would need to do a lot of camping or cooking to justify the higher investment in something that uses refillable gas containers. Another cooking option is disposable barbecues.
Refillable gas options:
From posts on this site I gather that Camping Gaz is available abroad whereas Calor etc is not.
Most(?) Calor places will allow you to swap a large cylinder for a smaller one. We have swapped a 15kg (came with a gas room heater, very cheap in local paper) for one more suited to camping.
We have a 7kg which would actually be ok compromise for the barbecue at home and for camping (we have a trailer so size is not so crucial).
Propane is hotter than butane - if your stove will take it and you have the option. I've never looked into that myself.
I reckon 4.5kg is best butane option for camping. I got mine free with an adaptor that allows me to run two appliances from one cylinder. From the ads on this site.
If you camp a lot, re fillable cylinders are the best option. Yes they are heavy + bulky, but cheaper in the long run with less waste (empty cylinders) We got 2 x 4.5 Kg Butane cylinders second hand 3 years ago with our camper. Still not emptied one! Before that we had a Camping Gaz 904,
cost about £35 (you buy the cylinder with Camping Gaz, rent it for other brands) It lasted over 3 years. Camping Gaz is more expensive, but available everywhere. We use that when we go abroad.
Lots of good cheap stoves to choose from such as this
Another option is a Coleman,
run on unleaded petrol, actually very safe in use, really hot flame too, better than the gas at home & with no gas bottle, it all folds in on itself. Get one for about £60
I've tried a few different cookers and my favourite is the Coleman two burner dual fuel like the one Steve McV has posted a picture of above.
I only use unleaded and it is far superior to any gas powered device I've used. Very cheap to run and folds up into a neat carry case. Also no need to worry about where to get fuel.
Well, I ended up getting a couple of the little bistro stoves to start me off, and I may consider one of the bigger ones with the grills if I get into it a bit more. The stoves were going for £9.99 in Robert Dyas, with the gas at £4.99 for 4 of them. Seemed like a bargain..
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: My first cooking thing for camping.
