Hey, Bruce, and All, OK, I couldn't stand waiting, and spent some time, when I SHOULD have been doing something else, taking photos of the Trapper 81 in action!! Lots of photos, so I'll try to keep the verbage to a minimum....OK, stop laughing, you Lot!! Here's the complete package, all ready to setup and test. Opened up, here's the basic burner, with it's "Safe Fill" lid. This stopper keeps the Meths from evaporating, and also makes it easy to fill this stove. You open the "Safe Fill" lid, and then use the included measure to fill the burner with it's proper level of Meths. The last version of this stove, before it was discontinued, came with a nice little level indicating hole! This makes filling the stove even easier. So, rather than use the measure, I now tend to just pour directly from the fuel bottle, using an "Easy Pour" spout. Then, when Meths "just" starts to weep from the level hole, I know the stove is filled. Cap up the level hole, and you're ready to go! Before lighting the stove, you open the lever on the side, which allows a damper to open up all the way. With this damper open, you are ready to light the 81, and also to get your best boil times. Quick note on the pots. See how they are both coated with a hard, brownish-black substance? This is NOT soot, and does not rub off. But, with use, your Trapper 81 pots will develop this "patina". Once they have done so, that's when you will really see what this stove can do! Once seasoned, like the pots I use, they add to the rapidity of boil times, and make the stove work better. Before seasoning, however, the stove is somewhat, shall we say, "sluggish" in it's boil times!! One quart of water, in the pot, and ready to go. "Fire in the hole"!!! She's ready to boil water!! (I had to edit this to add, note that the flames are jumping a foot high, over the stove!! You can just see them to the left of the photo. This little guy is powerful, for a Meths stove!!) Now the stove is completely assembled, pot in place, and timer started. Note the bottom level of holes in the burner, which are turned into the wind to make the stove perform up to it's capabilities. Today, is dead still, with almost no breeze at all. Last night, when I tested the Trangia/pop can stove combo, there was a nice little breeze, which helped the stove do it's best. Here's a full, rolling boil, which took 8 1/2 minutes to achieve. Not close to the performance of the Trangia/pop can combo, which boiled a quart in 5 1/2 minutes. But, keep on mind, today the wind is still, last night the stove got help from a nice breeze. My Trapper 81 has boiled water as soon as 5-6 minutes, and that is darned fine performance from a Meths stove! Like the Trangia's, the worse the weather gets, the better the Trapper 81 performs!! Add to that, the fact that we now have a nice simmer, all obtained with a simple lever movement, and you have a very versatile and wonderful stove in the Trapper 81!! Back to a boil, one movement of the lever, in seconds! To turn this lovely little stove off, you simply remove the windscreen setup, and place your just-boiled pot of water, right on top of the burner hole! Voila: The 81 is OFF! Now, while my tea is steeping, the stove and pot is cooling down. When it's cool enough, I will replace the "Safe fill" tab, which has o-rings, and which I lube with lip balm, and the stove is sealed, and ready for packing up and heading on down the trail! So, there you have it, Bruce! I have used this stove for so long, I could probably fill it, light it, and cook on it, in my sleep!! I trust it, 100%, and it's never let us down!!! Much the same as our Trangia owners, who LOVE their stoves, we LOVE the Trapper 81!! At last count, I believe I had 4-5 of them, including our first one, which does not have the weep hole/level indicator. I prefer the ones with the weep hole, and if I find another one, in good condition, I will buy it, of course!!! Hope all these marathon photos help you to understand this fine stove. It's definitely earned it's way into our trust and our hearts!! We believe there is no other Meths stove that can really match it's versatility and performance, all things taken into account. Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc Mark
DOC-- is there anyway to show us what the "guts"of that thing look like?? i've never seen one of these in real life--the Trangia or the pop can stoves with the burner holes and double walls i can fathom--thats sort of different..a burning pool of meth with the flame up the pipe or what???
Dave, in the Trapper, the meths is soaked up in fibre housed in the base of the burner, this stops it sloshing about.
Evening, Dave, Rik is right on the money about the Trapper. The inside of the burner is filled with a round of fiber material, similar to fiberglass. When you fill the 81, though the Safe Fill, all the fuel is soaked into the fiber material, so you do NOT burn the fuel directly, but rather you burn the fumes of the fuel!! This is genius, as far as I'm concerned. I've read that you can actually roll a burning Trapper 81 along the floor, on it's side, and no fuel spills out, nor any flame gets loose!! 8) Truthfully, I think I will leave THAT experiment to someone else, though!!! If you would like to play with one of these, I'll gladly lend you one, just for the fun of it. Or, if you can find one to buy, try to find the one with the level fill/weep hole. MUCH easier to fill, and especially when the stove is only partially empty. With the original versions, it was always a guessing game to see how much fuel to add, when the stove was only half empty. Now, it's very easy: fill it up until the Meths just starts to weep out the level hole, and you're done!! Let me know if you want to play with one of these, and I'll lend you one for few months, just for grins. Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc Mark
Awesome! Any chance of a veiw of the burner/ baffle plate set up etc? That looks a pretty tatty old thing. Can you use a frypan on it? How long will it burn for? Better ship one over to me. I'll look after it. Honest won't use it and get it dirty or nothi'n like that. Never seen one in OZ nor else where. I think I want one I think I want one Metho love it. Is it the fumes or just the stoves???
Now how does this burner guts work and the flow adjuster??? Is it something like this? Still in the dark can some -one help me?? Great photos and thanks. Don't try and blame me for spending all day playing with stoves and such When you missed out on an opportunity to do something really interesting like house work. =D> =D> =D> 8)
Hey, Bruce, Yeah, it's kind of an odd system to understand. Here are a few more photos, which may help. This first one is of the bottom of the Trapper 81 burner. You can see the damper bracket, and the arm for the damper, which is closed in this photo. In this next photo, the damper lever has been opened, and you can see how the sliding damper moves out and away from the bracket, under which is a hole in the bottom of the burner tank. Unfortunately, I cannot really read the drawings you sent along. Too small, on my computer. So, here's another Optimus stove, the Optimus MKII, that burns Meths, and is setup almost identically to the Trapper 81, in function. Here's that two burner stove, which was mainly used on boats. In this next photo, the pot supports have been removed, and you can see the two burner cans, inside the stove. These are nothing but two hollow cans, holes in the top, which has a spout, and in the bottom, which has a wire mesh over it. These burners are filled with a "Kapock" like, round of material, which resembles fiberglass. Burner removed, here's the hole that is part of the damper system on this stove. Note that it is closed, in this photo. And, now, it's partly open. Fully open lets you get full power out of these types of stoves, because more air can come up through the bottom of the burner, and more air means a stronger flame. Close the damper and you restrict air flow, which cuts back on the flame, and gives you good simmering control. This shot, taken from the burner top, shows the holes, one of which is in the top of the burner, and one of which is in the bottom. The top hole has a small spout, or length of tube, sticking up. This is like a chimney, of sorts, and shapes and channels the flame, up to the pot bottom. Remember, these stoves do NOT burn the actual liquid Meths, but rather the fumes, only. Great innovation, Lad! Here's the best I could do to let you "see" down into the burner. You can see the "round" of fiberous material which soaks up the Meths and then provides the fumes which these stoves burn. This last shot, shows the round burner, reinstalled in the Optimus MKII, with the damper partially open, which can be seen just past the wire mesh, which covers the hole in the bottom of the burner. Hopefully, you can now better understand how these fine stoves function. You asked about the burning time for the Trapper 81. Optimus list the burning time as 110 minutes, with 8.5 ounces of fuel. I have never tested any of my 81's to see, exactly, how long they will burn. Suffice it to say that we have NEVER run out of fuel when cooking our meals, no matter how long they've needed in simmering time. I doubt that many Trangia owners can say the same, if they are cooking more than the most simple meal. By the way, this is the very reason why I'm so interested in the Trangia/pop can stove, combination. The nuclear boiling power of the pop can stove, combined with the wind and storm resistance, and the incredible simmering abilities of the Trangia stove, makes for a stove that would be very hard to beat! More tests, I think, will prove my point on this. I hope this has helped you. Good luck in securing one of the Optimus Trapper 81's! They are outstanding Meths stoves and really should have become MUCH more popular than they were, when in production. As always, I partly blame Optimus, for their really piss poor marketing, and also strongly blame the American backpacking press, which is fully in bed with MSR, and never give, or gave, Optimus stoves the attention, nor the unbiased reviews, that they so richly deserve!! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc Mark
Thanks,Doc, Now you've made me " Learn" something! Ooooohhh,my head hurts 8) Great photos,great dialog! When is the book coming out????? Aching minds want to know Say Howdy to Sweet Bride for us!!!
DOC-- great post--i've seen a bunch of stoves on this site but thats the first one thats really intrigued me--thanks for the offer of a loan but my plate is really full these days and i would never have the time to really get into it-- don't respond to Alans message--there is probley only one of these stoves in Minnesota and i want to find and buy it---
Hey, Steve, That's not the "learing" that's making your hear hurt, it's the 2 six packs of beer that you drank while trying to make sense of all that tripe I wrote!!!! 8) 8-[ 8-[ Thanks, very much, Sir! Putting it all together was really fun, and I just wish I had more time for much, much more of this same kind of stuff! I've passed along your "Howdy" to Sweet Bride, and we send along a "right back at ya'" to you and the Lovely Joanne!! Tomorrow, when we're headed to our gig in San Luis Obispo, we'll pass right by Lompoc. I'm not sure, exactly, when we'll be passing by, so it will be hard to make a plan to stop. But, we'll honk the horn, and wave like madmen, as we pass by!!! 8) Thanks, again, for the nice comments, and I'm glad you liked the Trapper 81 photos and tutorial. I love that stove!! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc Mark and Sweet Bride
Hey, Alan, and Dave, too! I got that Optimus MKII, where else(?), but at that same huge swap meet, down in San Diego, where most of my other stoves were found. Cost me a hard-earned $20, but it was worth it! 8) I don't know, for sure, when the stove was in the Optimus inventory, but my guess would be in the early 1980's. The stove was marketed by Optimus-Princess, and I think the '80's was when that combination was active. Maybe Ross would know, better than I. How about it, Ross? Do you remember when Optimus teamed up with Princess for marketing their stoves? This was back when Optimus-Princess was located in Santa Fe Springs, CA. I have a parts list from 1982, when O-P was doing business together, but the MKII is not listed, therein. Dave, thanks, for the kind words. Should you decide you have time to play, please give me a shout, and I'll post one of my Trapper 81's off to you, so you can play with it for a few months. Whenever you have some free time, give me a shout, the offer will stand. It IS a fine stove, and as I've written many times, it's never let us down. We've used an 81 up in Alaska, up in the Sierra, and in our local mountains, up to 10,000 feet in elevation, and in all seasons, and all weathers. It's never failed to perform wonderfully, and never given even the slightest cause for displeasure. That is what it's all about, isn't it??!! 8) I ran it on the wrong kind of "Heet", the first time we backpacked up in Alaska, because the moron that was supposed to buy us a gallon of Meths, didn't do it. And though it burned dirty, it worked very well. The fumes made the food taste funny, though. A few days later, we finally got some REAL Meths, and the good old 81 was back to business as usual, just as if nothing had happened! I also set some grass on fire with it, once, too!! That happened with my first one, without the weep hole/fuel level indicator. I put too much Meths in, and some ran out onto the grass. Hey, burned quite nicely, too!!! But, when I've done my part, the Trapper 81 was worked a treat, and even better!!! Get one, and I am certain that you, too, will fall for this wonderful stove! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc Mark
Morning Doc Two very interesting stoves the 81 and MkII, neither of which I have used in the field. They look like an idea that could have certainly been developed further. One thing that does occur to me is that it looks like they both produce a very concentrated point of flame, and I wondered how that fares when heating the whole of the pan base, needed when cooking other than water. Or does the flame spread across the base to give more even cooking ? Thanks for the photos, very informative. Cheers
I find this kind of highlighting a single type of stove terribly interesting. Superb photo's, too. Thank you, Doc.
Good Morning, Keith, Jur, and All, At first glance, you might think that the flame would concentrate itself on the pan bottom, and burn food. But, in practice, this is not the case. As you sagely mentioned, the flame, when it hits the pan bottom, is nicely spread out, and does not just heat the central portion of the pan. Sure, as with any stove, you CAN burn food on this stove, too. But, with practice, you will find that it does not do this any more than any other stove you've used. Remember, Sweet Bride and I have used this stove to cook meals that lean towards the "backpacker gourmet" area, and not with just "heat and eat" meals. Our meals start out mixed in cold water, and are gradually bought up to a boil, then backed off to a nice simmer, sometimes for 20-30 minutes. Never burned anything, yet! But, yes it's certainly possible. Thanks to you, and also Jur, for your very nice comments! As I have mentioned, it was a blast putting this all together, and I look forward to doing more of the same, when time presents. BajaBum asked about a book, and that did give me an idea which might be worth considering. What say you all to each of us submitting stuff like I did on the Trapper 81, for publication in a "Great Book of Stoves", or something like that? If each of us did the testing, photos, and submissions, and someone, say Ross, compiled them all into a nice, readable book, it might be something of interest, to ourselves, and others of our ilk. We could divide it into categories, like: "Show Stoves" (in which Evil, Motoshi, and several others, could showcase their lovely stoves!); "Trail Stoves", where action shots from backpacking and camping trips could be featured; "Fettler's Corner", where common stove problems, and their cures, could be featured; and "Oddball Stoves", where we would showcase some of the more "interesting", or rare, stove designs. Hell, I would certainly buy one! After paying the costs of publication, profits could go directly to CCS, so that we can insure that we'll have this fine site for many, many years to come!! I'd be up for more such work as I've done on the Trapper 81. Anyone else think this idea has possibilities? Ross, what do you think? Got to run. We're off for our next gig this morning, and I'll be away for a few days. I will try to check in, so see what mischief you Lot have gotten into, while we're away!! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc Mark
O.K. doc thanks again for the extra photos. Now not being the brightest spark in the fire I had to do a bit of thinking to figure how it works. Now I post you a rough picture of how I think it looks inside. Please remark on the basic layout not to scale of course. link[/url] Before you all swear at me this is the best I can do. So please forgive the long down load time and crappy drawing. Now I figured that the wick has to be up the top so the metho will soak into it and the bottom hole sticks in a bit to keep the metho in. Now the plug goes in the top for storage upside down in the nesting pots. The bottom doesn't seem to be a air tight fit obviously. So does the vapors escape in hot weather etc or do they just sink to the bottom? Is it an issue??? Thanks again Doc I can feel a project with a carton of Coke coming on again. (don't drink grog just burn it). I went to a couple of camping stores in the big smoke and they never heard of an easy pour funnel for a Sigg bottle. Now I have seen one of these too. Thanks again for the great in depth review on this cook set. Sometimes I wished I lived where they have big car boot sales so I can get this stuff too. But I would be to far into THE CONCRETE JUNGLE and have to escape back to civilization in the scrub somewhere. Don't want to sell one do you??? Will keep a vigil on EPRAY and see if ever on comes up. Don't know if they ever sold them in Australia but I suppose they would be rare as rocking horse shit here anyway.
Hey, Bruce, Just time for a quick reply, as we still have much to do before we can leave this morning for our next job. You have the "jist" of it right, but with a few "mistakes". When we return, I'll draw something that shows, as close as I can get, to the way these burners are designed, inside. I'll also take photos of the "Safe Fill", which will show how they work. Again, you are close, but need just a little fine tuning to get it right on the money. At this time, I really don't want to sell any of my Trapper 81's, and in fact, wouldn't mind buying a few more! But, if you would like, I'll keep my eyes open for one for you. The last "retail" price I saw, was about $120, but I've never paid even close to that for any of mine, even those I bought brand new!! (Half that price, is more like it.) So, let me know, and I'll peel an eye for a Trapper 81 for you. Got to run. Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc Mark
Doc is right, the Trapper is a cracking stove, not that common, but they do show up from time to time. I paid about £15 for the first one, got the second one off a mate. As many of you know, I have to have a kettle with me, so the Trapper is not used as often as it should be, I still take a Trangia. These are a very good buy, very, very cheap for what they are, a dam good stove set. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Optimus-91Pur...1QQihZ017QQcategoryZ19296QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem The seller is a nice guy, but only likes to ship the UK, but if any of you want one, ask him to send it to me, and I'll be happy to ship it on to you.
Now that Doc mentions it his present post already did make me think that he should be the one to write a book about stoves - all by himself, that is, because he's obviously very well qualified to do that. However, if I can contribute in any way, please count me in; but only after my present project (a handbook about motorcycle camping) will be finished, which might well take another year (time to work on it being in short supply). Anyway beware writing a book always takes much longer than the writer(s) expects (in my experience; this is the 3rd book I'm working on).
Hey Rik, Have to agree with you that the seller is a 'nice guy', and that the stoves are crackers ... BUT he also ships foreign , well he did for me. Shipped to Italy, on 2 occasions, I just sent him a message asking would he consider it, and he was 'most helpful'. I have no hesitation in recommending both seller and stove to anyone thinking of buying one! Enjoy the Flame (whether it be paraffin, meths or ... that other stuff ! )
