I’ve been using a Trangia stove for over 30 years and I have mainly only used methylated spirits as fuel but with a wide range of available fuels, I decided to run a little experiment to find out what is the best fuel to use in a Trangia stove.
My experiment was quite simple, a straight forward Trangia “boil test”. For this, I boiled 500ml of water, enough for 2 coffees, and timed how long it took. I also weighed and/or measured the volume of volume of fuel used. This would show me the quickest fuel to use and also the most efficient.
I compared gas, meths, bioethanol gel and bioethanol and used a thermometer to get exact boil test times.
For the meths and bioethanol I used the regular Trangia spirit burner. The gas required the Trangia gas conversion kit and the bioethanol gel used the solid fuel burner tray.
Which Trangia Fuel is Quickest?
There was only going to be one winner for the quickest fuel in the boil test, and that is gas. The gas is noisier and won’t work so well at cold temperatures but it boils water far quicker than the other fuels.
| Position | Fuel | Time to Boil |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gas | 3m 14s |
| 2 | Bioethanol Gel | 6m 38s |
| 3 | Bioethanol | 8m 17s |
| 4 | Methethylated Spirits | 9m 08s |
Which Trangia Fuel is Most Efficient?
To measure the efficiency of the fuels, I weighed how much fuel was used to boil 500ml of water and I then calculated how much fuel is used per minute.
| Position | Fuel | Fuel Used | Usage per Minute |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gas | 9 grams | 2.78 grams / min |
| 2 | Bioethanol | 19 grams (17.5 ml) | 2.11 ml / min |
| 3 | Methethylated Spirits | 21 grams (19.5 ml) | 2.02 ml / min |
| 4 | Bioethanol Gel | 29 grams (32.5 ml) | 4.9 ml /min |
How Long Does Trangia Fuel Last?
Finally I calculated how long each type of fuel would last, so I can estimate how much fuel I would need for a camping trip.
| Position | Fuel | Minutes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Methethylated Spirits | 494 minutes per litre |
| 2 | Bioethanol | 474 minutes per litre |
| 3 | Bioethanol Gel | 204 minutes per litre |
| 4 | Gas | 158 minutes per 440g canister |
Conclusion
There is very little difference between meths and bioethanol, in fact since doing this experiment I have learned that meths and bioethanol are now almost exactly the same, just the meths is dyed purple. European legislation from 2013 meant that meths must now be methanol free.
Gas is good if you want to boil water quickly or if you need more control over the heat for cooking. The bioethanol gel burner has no heat control so it is good for rapidly boiling water but not great for cooking.
Meths and bioethanol are interchangeable, depending on the availability. If you make 6 hot drinks and cook two 20-minute meals then you’ll need approximately 200ml of meths/bioethanol per day.
The cheapest fuel for a Trangia is largely irrelevant, the cost is negligible, especially if you buy fuel in bulk.
The main considerations when choosing a fuel for your Trangia should be weight and the temperature you will be out in. I’ll use gas on shorter trips and bioethanol for longer trips. In colder weather, meths and bioethanol will outperform gas, as gas struggles when it is cold.
All in all this was a fun experiment and really, it makes no difference what fuel you use as long as you are outside and having a nice time!
