I picked up a couple of Sigg Tourist sets at an estate sale this weekend. One was in pieces that I combined for a complete set, less the stove. The other was NEW IN BOX, with all the pieces still wrapped in the original paper. I may have been the first one to open it up. I found the new one by accident. I saw a box in a cabinet and the set was in it. I opened the set and was elated that there was a stove in there also. I knew/know nothing of these, except that they were obviously very well thought out. My questions: 1) Both sets are aluminum and it appears that these are no longer sold. What years were these made? 2) I just learned that these were also in stainless. Were these sets in stainless before or after the aluminum sets? Thanks, -Jim
Don't know the answer to either question, but I use mine all the time and the Sigg set is the best backpacking cooker ever devised. You made out good.
I don't know this for certain so take it with a grain of salt. I believe the stainless sets came after the aluminum sets. As far as a timeline, my guess is the 60's to the 80's. You can email Sigg and ask. They no longer make cookware but they may have a timeline for that information. Sigg made more than outdoor cookware and bottles, they also made household cookware.
Thanks folks. It was just out of curiosity that I was asking. These sets seem so well designed and practical. I now wish I had one to use. :^( At this time, I don't want to un-package the new one, and don't like the idea of firing up a lantern or stove that made it this long without being fired. I had let a friend know about my find and he said he had been trying to find a Tourist set for himself, and to let him know if I ever wanted to trade for it. That's when I remembered there *might* be enough pieces for a second set, just without a stove, and there was. The second set is going to him. It was a good day when I found this stuff. Actually, my best day ever 'treasure' hunting. I got the two Tourist sets, a complete Svea 123 in it's box, and a Coleman 500 stove.
The stove mentioned in the ad ... Svea 123UR. The "U" stand for the stove without a windscreen for use in the SIGG kit. The "R" stands for the self cleaning model released around 1974.
I know for a fact that the aluminum Sigg Tourist sets were available in 1969, because I bought one then. ....Arch
Hi Arch, Do you happen to still have that SIGG? I am curious and figured I'd ask... Early versions have loops, for the strap, on the large pot (and on the pan/lid). Do you happen to recall if your large pot had the loops on the side? thx omc
all, Jim, if you're out there, WELCOME and thanks for posting. re OP "1. ... What years were these made?" Good question. I do not know. I shared a curiosity along that line in past: At some point the 1st SIGG Tourist was offered. I wonder if Svea approached SIGG to make it or if SIGG saw an opportunity and made the 1st move on their own. A little history of the competition. The best-in-class Svea 123 is an excellent compact design that works perfect and looks great. The short P71 (Primus 71) was already well-established and successful. The P71 already had cook sets made to accommodate it. Made both by Primus themselves and others. These "other" cook set makers, some Swiss, were SIGG's competitors. SIGG did not make P71 accessory, they made only the kit for the Svea as far as I know. Back to the Svea 123. It improved on the short P71, wider more stable tank with more capacity and a better pot support/windscreen. Svea's round cylinder packed smaller / better than P71 square tin. The cook sets offered, designed for the P71, were not a good fit for the Svea. There was a need out there the instant the Svea 123 hit the market. The SIGG TOURIST is perfect fit as it was designed for the Svea 123. Approx. when / how the SIGG set came to be? I've been at this a while but I too will eventually like to narrow down that timeline, I do not know. thx omc PS A parallel SIGG topic, and may be related, ie re earliest SIGG fuel bottle.
Re OP "2. Were these sets in stainless before or after the aluminum sets?" I will +1 w/Alan that a stainless option was offered later. There were several different SIGG Tourist kits offered over many years. All indicators are that the 1st aluminum set made for the Svea 123 was still offered (pretty much unchanged) for the entire duration of SIGG TOURIST production. thx omc tag @Jim Lukowski
It did. Unfortunately, that pot was damaged beyond repair, and I no longer have it. It's replacement (around 1978-79) does not have those loops. Both versions of the pan/lid have loops. ....Arch
Knowing that the model of the stove in the Tourist set is 123UR, it makes it easier to find info. At least the ads anyway. I love the 123. It's an adorable, yet functional stove!
Hi, I have one of the Primus kits, which my father bought somewhere between 1965 and 1967. It came to me recently after my mother passed: I hadn't seen it in 50 years and thought it had gone to my brother when our father passed, but apparently it was buried in some stuff he was going thru cleaning out her house and he didn't want it. I mistakenly believed for years it was a SIGG set, but it's smaller, and came with the shorter tank version of the Primus 71 (but no metal box.) To tell the truth, it seems a better size for solo use than the SIGGs. A 123 doesn't fit in the holder in the bottom part of the Primus windscreen. I haven't tried to see if it could be adapted in a pinch. I don't recall when I bought my first SIGG set, perhaps late '70s, though it didn't start getting much regular use until 1984-85. It's alumin(i)um, with tabs for the strap only on the pan/top. It came with the Svea 123 windscreens, but I had to supply my own stove. It was a couple more years before I recall seeing the stainless kits. It was probably in the late '90s when I bought one of the stainless kits from Bob & Shirl at A&H. I think they were already out of production for some time, and somehow he'd come up with a small stash of NOS kits. If memory serves, I got the last one he had. These came with the windscreen for one of the Coleman 400 family of stoves, and the whole affair works quite nicely with my 442. The windscreens are interchangeable and work equally well with the alumin(i)um and stainless kits. However, just eyeballing things, it appears the stainless kit is about a half inch (12-13 mm) shorter than the alumin(i)um kit when everything is packed ready to go. I've since come up with two more alumin(i)um kits, and they all seem to be the same size. I have Coleman windscreens for them, and am still looking for at least one set of Svea windscreens at a giveaway price. A buddy has his name on one of the extra kits once it's ready to go with either his 123R or 442. All the alumin(i)um kits have the semi-transparent plastic straps, while the stainless kit has a black nylon webbing strap with "SIGG" marked on it in white. None of the kits has tabs for the straps on the pots, just the lids. That's about all I can offer on my personal chronology with these kits. Rick C
If you're interested I have a stainless steel set for the Svea 123 for sale. Let me know if you want pics. It's stainless pots with aluminum windshield and base. The top pan has the loops but no strap. Also has a pot grabber.
Thanks Rdug, but I'm all set. I checked with my friend who was the one that really wanted one, and he's quite happy with the aluminum set I gave him.
