A few of my friends are cycling from north Devon to Portugal

They are looking at the MSR whisperlite international – it uses various types of fuel, so if not butane cannister available they can use lighter fuel, kerosene, gasoline. Sounds good if travelling widly. The other is a lightweight ‘trangia triangle stove’, using meths only. Thing is the are hugely different in price. Want the MSR and They are not keen on carrying meths!

What do other people use

They are not keen on carrying meths!

Why not?

Doesn’t explode, washes away with water if spilt, an uncontroled fire can be put out with water too, as fuels go the only thing safer is probably wood.

It has it’s downsides, but IMO it’s a good ballance of comprimises.

I have an MSR DragonFly, brilliant stove, even use Diesel in mine.

Not sure why not. Sometimes people are just pansies.

Also I think they want options on fuel. Just invade they can’t find meths

And that MSR weighs over 300g without the bottle!

Bear bones make a meths stove that weighs 18g. And the fuel comes in half pint plastic bottles which would last a week and weigh less than the MSR stove without any fuel!

That and not many places sell petrol/diesel/whatever in those quantities, and I’m betting the average forecourt diesel pump won’t fit in the neck of those bottles even if they would let you fill it up.

Don’t know if you have shown them this yet but it could be useful in an emergency.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ui8t3pivqtk&feature=kp[/video]

18g wow, thats light, but if your that worried about weight just take a flint and use foraged wood for all your cooking.

Build a fire at every stop, that makes sense……………

How big is the group?
If more than two I suggest you take an Alpkit stove/pocket rocket for brews and noodles, and a Trangia/meths stove for cooking meals.

18g wow, thats light, but if your that worried about weight just take a flint and use foraged wood for all your cooking.

Don’t need to be worried about weight, but 300+g plus a fuel container you’re happy to carry petrol in Vs 18g and a a 250ml water/pop bottle for meths is a big difference. Forageing for wood would be even lighter (actualy might not be if you take a pot stand as well), but time consuming.

If I were you I’d make whoever has the problem with meths carry that alternative!

It’s just two

If the group is just two people, you are not going and they don’t want to carry meths, then they have made their choice. No point trying to convince someone to take gear they don’t feel comfortable with even if it seems to make little sense.

Sounds like a good trip, but riding to Portugal does not warrant a multi-fuel stove in my opinion.

You could suggest this, lightweight gas stove or meths burner with a DIY wind shield that can double up as a twig burner, will cover all the possible options.

18g wow, thats light

Actually the smallest one is 8g 😉

I’ve got a whisperlite, and while it is great I’d only bother with it at altitude. While the priming and pumping is fun, and the whoompf and noise it makes is too, they are a fair bit of faff. I normally just use a pocket rocket or trangia.

If your traveling companions are not keen on meths the MSR can use loads of alternative fuels, including higher percentage booze apparently, why not buy some Cheap Vodka? or simply buy some local spirits en-route to try out?

Although it is a slightly faffy stove, I’d be tempted to quietly pack a small burner and small bottle of meths in your own kit Just in case, you might never need it but it would be good to have a back up especially if wood burning isn’t viable…

Would the others mind if you individually took on the Risk of carrying the meths on your own, and they can just lug the stove perhaps?….

Quite funny that they seem concerned about the safety of meths, yet want to take a whisperlite! Have they ever used one? Pressurised white gas, seals, priming etc. amounts to a whole bunch more risk (especially when lighting) than meths. I remember using a trangia when I was a kid doing D of E things – I can’t imagine letting a bunch of teenagers loose with whisperlites – the temptation to use them as some sort of rocket propulsion system is high 😀

I love my petrol stove just because finding petrol is so easy and it just means hunting down meths is one less thing to have to think about on tour. You can’t beat the brute-force power of good old gasoline

I once set fire to a campsite with an msr. Got it going, big flame, popped into tent to get something, came out faced with wall of flame. Screamed like a girl, people jumping out of tents in various states of undress. Lots of running around, camp site extinguisher and sand did a good job, fire brigade made sure all ok. Tent and most belongings scorchio. Brigade though faulty seal on fuel bottle. Only use simple gas burner now wouldn’t touch msr.

Finding meths in europe is not an issue.
Get a small meths stove, possibly with titanium windshield and then you can also use twigs to save on fuel.

A lightweight gas stove would be just fine. They’re cycling to Portugal, not Pretoria.

What about an Esbit or similar, runs off hexy blocks? You can use firelighters in a pinch but they’re a bit smelly and leave a sticky mess behind.

What about an Esbit or similar, runs off hexy blocks? You can use firelighters in a pinch but they’re a bit smelly and leave a sticky mess behind.

2 weeks of food tasting of petrol, mmmmmmmm

Just stick with meths and/or gas, you could take a bearbones stove and one of those tiny little alpkit gas stoves if you’re really worried, either will fit inside your cooking mug and weigh next to nothing.

2 weeks of food tasting of petrol

Fair point, but ycan get used to it. The first meal you have without that particular chemical ‘je ne sais quoi’, you’ll miss it.

http://www.outdoorgb.com/p/tatonka_alcoholburner/
+
http://www.outdoorgb.com/p/tatonka_flameadjuster/?SelectedItem=520478
+
http://www.outdoorgb.com/p/tatonka_alcohol_burnerstand/?SelectedItem=520479

= £18.66 delivered

Another vote for bearbones, at 22g I was surprised how well it works (paired with alpkit ti mug & lid)

Mini Trangia (£20 approx) with a wind sheild made from a disposible foil platter = end of story.

Bottles of meths cost a couple of euros and can be found in all good supermarkets, garages, village stores and bricolage shops. The trangia burner is adjustable and seals after use, so simmering and meths wastage is all under your control. The thing all seals up in an integrated unit, and pops into your pack/pannier and you can put an extra alloy pan for your companion that’ll fit around the outside of the mini trangia set-up.

Burning twigs, decanting small quantities of meths back ‘n forth and searching for the right type of gas canister in small provincial towns, are all too much faff for a multi day tour.

Fig 1.1 Somewhere between South Devon & Portugal…..