Not five minutes after I read Tony's last post, I read a piece in the current Economist about Robert Iger's return to the head of Disney Studios, replacing Bob Chapek, under whose 3-year tenure Disney stock value has plummeted. The writer calls Iger a "top leading man", and Chapek is described as a "B-lister".....not nice, but it would have been worse without that hypen.
Back on track: https://www.catmosecollege.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Stoves-Gas-Trangia.pdf All other D of E paperwork I can find in the UK talks about gas (meaning butane) burning Trangias. All Burnt Out: Extinguishing Old Assumptions around Outdoor Cooking I have tried to locate a Standard Operating Procedure for Trangias from an Australian camp. They all have them. None appear to be online. The standard Aussie camp cooking setup is laid out something like a flower in design. Centrally there is a circle, made with coloured rope. Within this circle, evenly spread around the circumference, are the stoves. At each stove there is the responsible cook, responsible for cooking, and for prevention of burns. No-one enters the circle. No other equipment is in the circle. The cook kneels or sits (but see link above) 30cm/ 1foot from the Trangia, but outside the rope. All other people are located behind the cook. There is 1 (only) transport person/sous-chef/gopher per group, who takes required prepared food forward to the cook and cooked food back to the preparation space. Behind them are the rest of the cook team doing preparation work. Each of these teams is like a petal of the flower . While most commonly called a "Trangia circle", this layout is used regardless of stove type. Denatured ethanol is used for Trangia cooking. This is refilled at a separate location 5-10m from the cooking circle. Only the alcohol burner is carried for the refill (not the Trangia stand or windshield). It can only be picked up when cool enough = out. We are really careful with the layout. As an instructor I brief this and spend a fair bit of effort policing it.
Except that my link posted earlier from the DofE website: From this link: https://www.dofe.org/shopping/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/DofE-Expedition-Kit-List-September-2022.pdf "Group Kit (to carry between the team) / Camping Stove(s) Trangia: 25 and 27 series, Gas burner, Liquid fuel burner Vango: Folding gas stoves" and "Camping stove fuel (in an Trangia: Fuel bottles (0.3/0.5/1L) appropriate and safe container" Perhaps local DofE groups (a school for example) are stricter and don't allow the option of meths?
Sorry @Paul Lydon , I wasn't thinking in the way I wrote. The specific descriptions by more localised groups seem to reflect a preference for gas burners. The overall policies are clearly broader. Given that the issues were major burns from Trangias being refuelled while alight, I can understand the avoidance of liquid-fueled Trangias in practice even if the capacity exists to use liquid fuel. But back to the main Q- what to buy? I think all we have pulled together suggests that a butane-powered Trangia will be recommended or quite possibly required. In a hike weight situation, more people in the group means less weight per person. If at all possible I would advise a cooking group of 4, and a Trangia 25, UL. HA if you want, but not Duossal simply for weight. Definitely no need for a kettle. If the cooking group is 2, a T27 could be substituted. But the larger group is more weight efficient. If this is a present, consider the Trangia cookbook as well, and consider some of the online recipes for Trangia meals.
Don't forget the second hand option, ebay over here is flooded with Trangias, many used only once for D of E expeditions...
Many many thanks guys for your help/guidance/advice to a “Paraffin head” ! What is clear, is that the students and their parents need clearer guidance. @paul Lyndon’s link to the D of E ‘site gives far more information than the school has handed out. Rest assured, I will be supporting where/when required.
I would get the parents to question what is needed and to point out that the official kit list from DofE.org says that trangias or vango folding gas stoves are only in the "specific items we recommend" column. They are not "you must have these specific items" Same goes for tents and sleeping bags... they only recommend Vango ones. Mugs, plates etc "should be" from lifeventure. There are clearly some commercial tie ups in place that should never be used to stop young people participating in the great outdoors. It's not quite the same as 40 years ago when I did my DofE . The school had stocks of almost everything needed except clothing but it was also voluntary to take part. We had to lug canvas vango force 10s around the countryside and used primus 96s. to cook on. These days schools don't have the budget to supply / maintain the kit especially as there is pressure for every teenager to take part because it'll look good on their CV / resume. Regards John
@Jeopardy thanks for that, my daughter and grand daughter have already been advised along that line. I’m particularly keen for our grand daughter to do it, as neither my wife or our two daughters have spent a night under canvas between them! 50 years ago with 4 other Venture Scouts I walked Hadrian’s Wall, carrying 40lb of kit on my back which included an old Blacks tent and a new Primus 96 (long since gone). A jaunt that still has fond memories today. I’ve done a few other hikes,but that one sticks in the memory bank. Regards, Chris
