Svea 123—Full Circle I joined up a few days ago after I picked up a Sigg Tourist with old Svea 123, from a used outdoor gear retailer; both the cook kit and the stove needed a bit of TLC. I have spent the last few days reading and watching fettling bits on this grand old stove and just wanted to say thanks. My very first stove was the venerable Svea 123. I bought it with hard-earned money back in 1971 or 1972 from REI. I was of course, swayed in this purchase by Colin Fletcher from his The Complete Walker published in 1968. I saved up my money for the stove, a small Sigg pot and Sigg fuel bottle. This was my stove of choice up until I started climbing in college and then found I could not live without the MSR G/K. The old Svea got pushed back into my growing box of outdoor junk and over the years got less and less use. Whisperlites, Popcan alcohol, GigaPower, Caldera Cone and even a very recent Kovea marched me forward…or so I thought. But then, having about an hour to kill, I drove up to that used outdoor gear shop. Stepping out of the car I said to myself “If he has a Sigg Tourist, I am buying it”. The Tourist over the past 4 decades has been a collection of cookwear that I have thought about numerous times, but for some reason the other newer stoves just kept me from actively seeking….until about a week ago. I walked into the shop…a shop stuffed floor to ceiling with old sports equipment ranging from down parkas and warped tennis rackets to deflated footballs. Right up front was my oxidized aluminium Tourist….pulled off the old plastic strap and behold, both pans, two-part windscreen, lid, pot lifer were there PLUS a 123. A 123 of exactly the same vintage as mine, sometime post 1968 with Optimus chain (as far as I can tell). Well the price was a bit steep it seemed, but the fellow who owns the shop was a good conversationalist and I seemed to have a spare $75 right there in my pocket, so the Sigg Tourist and old Svea were mine. So, Fettling….never heard that term before, but both the stove and the Tourist need a bit. The Sigg Tourist met with a green 3M pad, soap and water to remove some of the corrosion inside the pans. This plus a hard press or two against the desk to pop a few dents out of the lid and it was ready. The stove, still with a bit of white gas inside got a quick outside cleanup to remove some of the powdery soot. Last night I was ready to see what was needed internally. So after a quick rinse out with fresh gas. The ‘new’ stove in preheat… The ‘new’ in full flame…Hummmm, I got a decent moderate flame but not the flame of my memory. Where was that heart-fluttering helicopter? Was the tank not reaching full pressure? I took my old Svea’s tank cap which still has a decent soft gasket, and put that in place of the cap on the ‘new’ stove and tried it again…still not a great flame. Nipple off, brushed out, pricked a bit, still an anemic flame. So I set aside the ‘new’ Svea for continued fettling. My old Svea…would it roar for the Sigg? I dumped the old gas and put the tank cap back on my old stove and fired it up. Ahh…the sounds that tweak a soul. Dropped on the Sigg windscreen and got my pans of water ready. Blasting blue pulsations that race the heart. Stacked up and heating… Boiled both pans, then Silence…. So after a goodly bit of reading here, I believe I am off to source a new cotton mop and give the ‘new’ Svea a new wick along with a good clean of the spindle etc. My neighbor is an avid Coleman restorer so I am going to hit him up for some gasket materials too and rebuild the cap. My old Svea in the Sigg Tourist is a real gem. That old cook kit really was worth finding. Will it make it to my daypack for a cup of tea…well probably not, but it will make it into my earthquake kit.
Schwert, firstly, welcome to CCS and don't be a stranger. What part of Seattle are you in? I'm in Mountlake Terrace. $75 for a Sigg/123 combination is a bargain. yours looks to be in very good condition and good for another 100 years at least. my Sigg Tourist is the stainless steel version. A Christmas gift from a good friend thirty or more years ago. Wonderful combination. I've never stacked the pots, never seen the need. I did it once to learn that it requires about twice the fuel to boil both pots at one time than to boil them separately. Over the years I've found several Sigg Tourists both with and without the 123's, only to sell or give 'em to CCS brothers. After all you can only use one at a time, right? I seriously recommend going to Ross' eBay store to buy a packet of Viton cap gaskets, and some spare pips. Tell Ross what stove they're for and He'll send the correct ones. One other thing, for what you're getting, they are CHEAP!! and arrive quickly. The gaskets and pips will work in other stoves as well and will come in handy. Gerry
Kenmore actually..but no one knows were that is...unless they live in MLT eh? I boiled the pots individually, but keeping the top one warm while boiling the lower is a nice trick for making real food at times I think. I am glad to have found the old Sigg. Now getting the Svea to fire like my old one has me working. Is Ross's ebay US or UK? Some viton seals would be nice.
Schwert Just click on the link Fettlebox on the right hand side of the screen near the top, that will take you straight to Ross's shop front and you may get a discount for being a member here with out ebay! Welcome Nick
Welcome to the forum and a very nice first post. The other option for seals is to buy a sheet of Viton and make your own. You don't need fancy stamps or punches (but it helps). I just use a craft knife/scissors. I buy the sheet from a UK Ebay seller (fastgaskets2000), but I am sure there are sellers in the US. Terry
Welcome to the forum. Aww, Second Base and Beau. Fond memories of shopping there on Capitol Hill. He is a great conversationalist. He has a lot of really cool stuff on his wall marked "Not For Sale". He has the frame pack Jim Wickwire used when he was the first American to climb K2. I lived on the 'Eastside' 15 years. That is a 'fair' price if you only got the stove or the Sigg kit, both ... that's a bargain. Checking the wick is a good idea. As to the filler cap seals, did you do a pressure test? Dunk the stove in a tank of hot water, as the stove warms, it will pressurize and bubble if it is leaking. Ken in NC
2nd Base it was. Beau has moved the store to the University District now, but otherwise I believe you would recognize it from its Capitol Hill days. He had a few other stoves, but I am trying to keep myself from visiting again as I do not have the coin or really need another project I did not do the pressure test...sounds like a good idea though on both my old Svea and this low-performer 'new' one. Last night I cracked open Robert S. Wood's Pleasure Packing the 1980 publication, and noted that he quoted prices for Svea 123 and Sigg Tourist right around $60 total...so my $75 really does seem a bargain, glad I bought the pair. Randy
