rik_uk3 wrote: ↑Sat Jun 11, 2022 9:22 am
The briefcase cartridge stoves work well but the price of gas is shooting up and butane don't work at 5c or less and a cold house can easily hit those temps and even a cool summer morning temp when camping can kill them.
As you probably know mate, a bit of body heat can warm up gas cans, stick them under your oxter for 5 minutes and it can make a difference.
For what the OP is looking for, I can't see past the briefcase stoves, simple to use and the fuel readily available (if a bit pricier now, but isn't everything).
rik_uk3 wrote: ↑Sat Jun 11, 2022 9:22 am
The briefcase cartridge stoves work well but the price of gas is shooting up and butane don't work at 5c or less and a cold house can easily hit those temps and even a cool summer morning temp when camping can kill them.
As you probably know mate, a bit of body heat can warm up gas cans, stick them under your oxter for 5 minutes and it can make a difference.
For what the OP is looking for, I can't see past the briefcase stoves, simple to use and the fuel readily available (if a bit pricier now, but isn't everything).
Must admit I'm taking one camping with me and you know I'm not a fan of the blooming things you can't get smaller calor bottles refilled for love nor money country wide so I'm saving the 6kg propane to run the fridge and keep my beer cold : (oh and the milk and shopping the wife tells me )
If your roughing it, Your doing it wrong
Lack of planning on your part doesn't make it an emergency on mine
Thanks folks for the info, already got the carbon monoxide detector due to gas boiler for hot water, I'll write a list & have look/see round shops, can't abide shopping unless know what I'm looking for then it's in and out as quickly as possible
grenfell wrote: ↑Fri Jun 10, 2022 7:55 pm
Interesting you say never to use 100% propane.
That advice was from SOTO. https://sotooutdoors.com/stove-q-a/
Maybe different with other kinds of devices. I'm talking about the resealable canisters used for backpacking etc. Maybe even other brands of those, I don't know. AFAIK canisters are always a propane/butane mix. Some say exactly what mix they are on the side.
Here's the sort I'm on about https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01BKKYM2K/
but that price seems too high, last one I got was £5.40.
So really a case of only using the appropriate fuel for the application. That tends to make sense. Seeing as we are talking about cooking during a power cut the use would be static rather than mobile and if it's possible to get a 32kg propane bottle and the correct appliance for it that's always going to work out cheaper than camping stoves.
rik_uk3 wrote: ↑Fri Jun 10, 2022 10:00 pm
Don't worry about gas canisters, they are in fact over engineered for the job and very safe but they are expensive. Your in a flat so no woodburner and you don't want to be going outside to use a twig burner so my suggestion would be a trangia stove.
They burn meths/ethanol. I'd go for the model 25 full set, the bigger of the two (model 27 is smaller) and you get two pots, kettle and fry pan although I'd say use a non stick fry pan.
Trangia burner holds abour 120ml of fuel giving about 20m burn time at full or around 40m using the simmer ring so lets say a typical burn time of 30m per 120ml of fuel so a litre of meths gives you about 8 full fills and a litre of meths/ethanol is around £4 a litre if you shop around around
So about £1 an hour to run (less in reality once you get used to the simmer ring). A gas canister will cost you best part of £5 and run for about two hours flat out so the alcohol stove will work out cheaper and even the cheap butane cartridges (which don't work at 5c or less) have shot up in price and only give about an hour full run on a good day.
Another thing to remember is that the Trangia is maintenance free, no moving parts, nothing to fail.
trangial 25.JPG
I was a stove collector, sold most but still have some but for a beginner I'd say Trangia every time and practise cooking on it before the SHTF.
Trangias are good, but they can shoot flames out sideways and produce CO, so I'd be wary about using indoors. OK if it was winter and freezing you might be tempted. Just be careful there's nothing flamable nearby. I'd want it on something like a steel tray. Personally I have a Trangia with gas burner and a mini Trangia. I can use the meths burner from the mini with the bigger one. I have 2 other gas stoves (one Soto), and 3 wood burners. Most if not all is highly portable and light weight. One of my wood stoves is a folding titanium one, that goes in my INCH bugout bag. Soto is in my 3 day bugout bag. The other stuff is for bug-in out group bugout.
You can get indoor heaters that use gas cartridges, but you'd burn through a 227g cartridge in an hour and a half. Presumably these are built to not be a CO concern, but you'd need to read their instructions.
This is one I saw. https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15908881/g ... r-15908881
grenfell wrote: ↑Sat Jun 11, 2022 1:22 pm
So really a case of only using the appropriate fuel for the application. That tends to make sense. Seeing as we are talking about cooking during a power cut the use would be static rather than mobile and if it's possible to get a 32kg propane bottle and the correct appliance for it that's always going to work out cheaper than camping stoves.
I'm sure they would. I'm on my own and I'm used to lightweight backpacking gear. A 300g canister (cost about £6) for one person would cook a few days food, maybe best part of a week. Not stuff like rice that takes 20 minutes to cook. Things that just need heating, boiling water added, quick fry, or maybe 5 minute tagliatelle. Obviously backpacking meals just need boiling water added and left to stand for 10 minutes. I keep pasta which takes a bit longer, but only 8 minutes on low flame simmer. Sainsbury's Instant Mash is great. These stoves will boil water in a couple of minutes or so.
Happyhatter wrote: ↑Sat Jun 11, 2022 12:29 pm
Thanks folks for the info, already got the carbon monoxide detector due to gas boiler for hot water, I'll write a list & have look/see round shops, can't abide shopping unless know what I'm looking for then it's in and out as quickly as possible
I get most stuff online. I've started going to the supermarket again. I have Prime so I get Amazon delivered free. Ultralightoutdoors deliver free over £30 I think. Their new website gives me prices in a foreign currency though! Good site for quality gear though. Or it would be if the fixed this bug. Maybe it's just me. I did tell them.
Frnc wrote: ↑Sat Jun 11, 2022 1:38 pm
Not stuff like rice that takes 20 minutes to cook.
We always cook rice and pasta when camping using the stored heat. Bring to boil thoroughly. Wrap saucepan up well in a jumper/blanket and leave to one side for about twice as long as usual. While the rice/pasta is cooking, get on and use the single burner to prepare the rest of the meal.
Of course the modern micro-rice sachets are a game changer for camping/emergency cooking. Stir fried rice in the time it takes to fry the egg and some veg.
I'm not sure where this huge fear of carbon monoxide when using a gas stove comes from? I use a four burner, twin oven, propane stove in the kitchen every day. There is no extractor hood or special ventilation and I certainly don't have the windows open when cooking in Winter. Scientifically CO is produced by combustion with inadequate oxygen, but no camping stove could burn as much oxygen as a multi burner domestic gas hob (whether propane or natural gas) so unless your property has inadequate ventilation I can't see it being an issue. Clearly using a barbecue indoors is very dangerous because burning pure carbon in an enclosed space is vey likely to cause CO.
you can't get smaller calor bottles refilled for love nor money country wide so I'm saving the 6kg propane to run the fridge and keep my beer cold : 
(oh and the milk and shopping the wife tells me 
)
