I'm looking for information on the Trapper, pro's, Con's etc. How do they compare with the Trangia? When were they made?

Many thanks

Rik

Hey Rik,
I aquired one of these awhile back and have been aching to give it a go. I plan to take it out on a 5-7 day hike this June. What caught my eye about it is the wind and rain proof set-up. If you are a minimalist with backpacking this is a light weight alternative to a heavier petrol type stove that has windscreens etc.

The stove is an exact copy of the swiss stove mess kit SVEA alcohol burner that you already have. In the trial tests I have done in my back-yard it boils water quickly in the cold windy weather. I haven't tried it in the warm weather but, will be giving ot a try in the next few weeks when I go out on an overnite gear trial hike.

Chuck

Hi.

Would any one happen to have a good picture of a "Svea Alcohol burner" ?

... and yes I looked up the svea 123r again just in case. It uses
white gassoline (naptha) and automobile gassoline (petrol).

The reason I ask is that I think I have bought a Trapper on ebay, the description just said meths stove



I'll find out next week when it arrives

Rik

The Optimus Trapper is more like the Trangia or Optimus 77 (or current purple flame) than the ex Swedish military alcohol coookers that are so commonn now.
It's burner is unique in that the fuel can't be spilt. I've had one NIB but passed it on as it was too big for me to consider using. Generally I find alcohol stoves like the Trapper & 77 not as effecient as the Trangia as the pan sits tight on the windsheild & the holes at the top don't seem to draw the heat as well. The Trangia pan is suspended in the windshield & a good chimney effect is acheived. I'm currently experimenting with a small antique stove much like the 77 but smaller & more ornate & since I've created a mod to lift the pan slightly to emulate the Trangia principal it has boiled a lot quicker. The good thing is that with 2 small pans, lid, 2 part windshield & burner it is about the size of aa Trangia 1 litre pan! Once I've checked the pans will hold my Batchelors Macaroni Cheese this may be going in the rucsac as my regular weekend stove.

Hey,
Ross I noticed that you stated the stoves for the Swiss mess kit and the Optimus 77 are different? The one that I have is exactly like the Swiss stove except that the Swiss has svea stamped on the bottom. I wonder why that is? Could it have been replaced. By the amount of rust that was inside and the shrinkage of the o-ring it seems to be as old as the rest of the kit. I have included a photo. The one on the left is stamped svea and the one on the right came with the Optimus 77, The one difference is the size of the burner holes which are larger on the Optimus.

I am going to check it out on the weekend of May 1st - 2nd. I will comapre it to the Trangia since I need to test my pack out at full weight the extra stove won't hurt.

Rik that pretty much looks like mine. Check out the gallery under my name and you will see it. Looks like you have an extra pan.

Chuck

Hi Chuck

Your stove has holes top and bottom, mine only has holes in the top, and the seller did say it was adjustable?

Time will tell, it should arrive in a few days.

What do you think I have Ross?

Rik

Hi Chuck - I don't think I did? I said the burner for the Trapper was different to the Optimus 77 & Swedish Army alcohol burners (& Trangia for that matter). Never mentioned anything Swiss!! The Trapper's burner is built into the bottom windshield. From the Swedish army alcohol burners I've seen they were made by Svea or Trangia but there was probably others & the design is more or less the same as the Optimus 77. I think we also use different terminology - when it comes to these alcohol outfits I class the items in your pics as burners & the whole ensemble as the stove.
Just out of interest Optimus did several units along the lines of the 77 - there was also the 88 & the 90 (these actually look the same) & another one similar to the Trapper but with a burner like the 77 - this was the 86 "Vale".
From Rik's picture the thing that gives it away as the Trapper is the filler "jug" for filling the safefill device - a plastic filler/bung that is used to soak the wadding of the burner.

Yours is the Trapper 81 - for more details see http://www.spiritburner.com/optimus_trapperb_inst.htm
There are holes in the bottom but they don't show well in the auction picture.

Hello,
Ross you never cease to amaze me in keeping all of the models straight. I understand what you are talking about burner vs stove. Seems I mis-understood. That is why I included the picture. It is as they say worth a thousand words.

I will keep my eyes open to the small details in the future. I thought I had this all nailed down. I think I have confused the Swiss with the Swedish. Sorry about that. Thanks for taking time to post a response with an explanation.

Chuck

I have not backpacked with my Trapper yet, but it seems to be rather heavy relative to other alcohol stoves-which is why I left it home. The bottom unit with the material that soaks up alcohol seems to weigh a ton. Also, does the plug for the burner seal in the alcohol well? Not having used it in my pack I can't tell. I'm a bit concerned that fuel will leak everywhere.

Hi Ross, I know nothing at all about the Trapper, do you have any other info other than shown on the site? Such as when they were made? I did a search on the web and there was an old link quoting a retail price of $us 100 ! Very few other links of any kind showed up.

Rik

Well the stove arrived, well packed but with no burner. The red measure is there, but no safefill thingy? I poured a little meths direct into the what I thought was the burner, but it just came straight out of the bottom. I am not sure how this burner assembly works, I can feel wadding down the centre tube, but don't know what to look for. Base camp carry spares, but what do I order?

All help appriciated

Rik

PS if all else fails, the 8r clone fits in the cook kit nicely

Hi Rik - you need part number 5157 which Basecamp sell for £7.65. Basically it's a perforated bung with a top lid. You place it in the burner & fill with meths using the measurer. The meths leaks out through the holes into the wadding - there is no actual puddle of meths like you'd get in a Trangia burner.
The filler is removed for use. Filling the burner properly without this device would be awkward.
http://www.spiritburner.com/optimus_trapperb_inst.htm

Hi Rik - all I know is that it was a 1980's product.

Thanks for the info Ross, but where is the burner? If I remove the "bung" all I'm left with is a tube which I can pull out an inch or so, there are no perforations like the trangia, or other meths burners?

The actual cook kit is a little heavy, but as with all optimus products, very well made, and if the part from base camp does the job, I will have a sturdy cooker/set for £30 all told,so can't moan.

Rik

Rik,
Can you post some pics of the parts you have? Then later when you get the replacements maybe you can post again. I am intrigued by the design. It seems as though you raise and lower the tube with the holes to expose more of the burner to get a hotter flame. I just can't visualize all the parts and pieces.

Chuck

Hi Chuck - don't be amazed! I have a terrible memory thast is probably on a par with a goldfish! Fortunately I have built up a large archive of material that I can refer to.

If I undersand you right the burner is the tube where the "bung" goes. It is open ended & built into the lower windshield. It is full of wadding & nothing like a "normal" burner. The wadding holds all the fuel so there can be no spillage. The adjuster is used to control the flame by blocking the hole at the bottom of the tube & restricting the air. I was flicking though the Backpackers Handbook by Chris Townsend & he has friends who rate the Trapper highly as a 2 person stove, even for snow-melting. He has even seen a demo of a lit Trapper rolled across the ground to show it's no-spill burner attributes!
The red plastic bit you are missing is only used for filling & during transit/storage.
Unfortunately I'm going from memory of the one one I had & the pics on the site but I'm pretty sure the above is accurate.

I have a copy of the backpackers handbook and read the piece you mentioned. It is a heavy stove and lacks space for a little kettle, but its design interests me. I am away for a few days tommorow and will order the part I need from basecamp sometime next week.

I'll photo the stove if and when I get it working (don't think I'll kick it to check on spillage though!)

Rik