# Eurohike Trangia copy stove/cookset



## thistler (14 Sep 2010)

Has anyone tried the Millets/Blacks Eurohike cookset with burner? It looks very similar to the Trangia, at less than 1/2 the cost. I have £20 vouchers for Millets and was hoping to use them to get the cookware sorted....

If Trangia is far better then I will wait and save up till I can afford the 25UL but if the Eurohike version comes anywhere close.....  

Eurohike Cookset


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## willem (14 Sep 2010)

I think this is a pretty disgraceful imitation that infringes on the intellectual property rights of Trangia. That said, it is likely to be a lot less good. First, there is the weight. Most Trangia's are now of the Ultralight variety, with high quality thin aluminium. Second, the real ones can now be had with hard anodized or Teflon surface for better non stick properties, which really matters for at least the frying pan. Third, the Trangia is a very carefully optimized design, and I would be surprised if this probably Chinese imitation works as well. Finally, and only if this matters to you, the Trangia workers get decent Swedish wages and decent Swedish working conditions.
Willem


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## thistler (14 Sep 2010)

Thanks Willem - there were some posts on the web that suggested these were made by Trangia and re-branded for Millets, perhaps that was just an ugly rumour....


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## sgw (14 Sep 2010)

I have tried a few clones and can confirm what Willem suggests, some not too bad but none anywhere near Trangia quality or performance.

There may be a decent copy about but I haven't found one.


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## willem (14 Sep 2010)

Oh no they are not. Just look at the actual shapes and details - they are clearly different but try to suggest that they are the same thing. It is misleading, and at least here in Holland it would be an easy case in the courts.
Willem


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## thistler (14 Sep 2010)

Useful advice as always!!!  thanks so much!


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## Crankarm (14 Sep 2010)

Blacks were selling the Trangia 25-6 for £54.99 (down from £79.99), so with your vouchers it would be £34.99 and a bargain at that price. Not sure if it is still available at this price.


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## thistler (15 Sep 2010)

Thanks, unfortunately I don't have any cash atm so will have to save up. Hopefully can still find a deal when I've got the money!


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## thistler (15 Sep 2010)

PS If I ended up going for the basic non-coated version, will the frying pan be ok? I realise the hard anodized is better, but it's also a lot more money....


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## chillyuk (15 Sep 2010)

I have a surplus genuine Trangia, left over from my backpacking days. I am not sure which model it is, how do I tell?

It is not non stick cookware, and has the burner with it's cap and washer, but no simmer ring.

Did me for many years. 


I also have one of the Swedish Army ones. This is also very good, but much heavier than the trangia.


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## willem (15 Sep 2010)

If the all hard anodized version is over budget, you could still opt for only the pots hard anodized, and cheaper still, only the frying pan in teflon non stick. The latter is something I would really recommend, and is hardly more expensive. I would also recommend the UL version. Skip the kettle if you want to save more money and weight. Look at the Trangia website for all the different versions (there are many).
Willem


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## battered (16 Sep 2010)

If all you have is the £20 voucher, what pot sets do they have in Milletts? The reason I ask is that the pots are the best bit on Trangias and DEFINITELY the best bits on cheapo Trangia copies. The burners on the copies are generally garbage, I have one that I bought cheap for the pots and frankly the pots are the only bits worth having. 

I've recently been experimenting with penny stoves and got good results. I made a pot stand from 2 bike spokes, a penny stove (instructions on the net) from 2 beer cans and a jam jar lid, and it performs at least as well as a cheap Trangia copy. The fact that it weighs virtually nothing is a bonus. Trangias and copies are HEAVY.

In your shoes I'd be buying a light pan set and making a penny stove. Buy a hexamine stove for under a fiver as a backup. Done.

PM me if you need any further details, photos of what I made, all that.


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## battered (16 Sep 2010)

Further thoughts, if you want a Trangia, buy a Trangia. Regardless of their limitations (weight, bulk, fuel cost) they are bloody good at what they do. Cheap ones, well, they will boil water for tea. Eventually.


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## thistler (16 Sep 2010)

battered said:


> If all you have is the £20 voucher, what pot sets do they have in Milletts? The reason I ask is that the pots are the best bit on Trangias and DEFINITELY the best bits on cheapo Trangia copies. The burners on the copies are generally garbage, I have one that I bought cheap for the pots and frankly the pots are the only bits worth having.
> 
> I've recently been experimenting with penny stoves and got good results. I made a pot stand from 2 bike spokes, a penny stove (instructions on the net) from 2 beer cans and a jam jar lid, and it performs at least as well as a cheap Trangia copy. The fact that it weighs virtually nothing is a bonus. Trangias and copies are HEAVY.
> 
> ...



Thanks - Millets had one of their Eurohike sets at £21 and one Trangia 27-1 for £51. They did have those hexamine stoves as well.

I'm dithering about what to do - I don't have my heart set on Trangia but they come so highly recommended I'd almost feel foolish now buying anything else. I do hate buying poor quality goods that will need replacing, I'd much rather spend time hunting for the best product at the lowest price. Unfortunately my financial situation means I can't just buy what I please, but it's unlikely I'll be doing any tours before next spring so will have this winter to get the rest of my gear sorted. I had thought of buying something like this as it's hard-anodized and getting a Trangia burner/stand: http://www.family-ca...php?cat=40&i=59 but I don't know. Willem has some very good points. 

I wish I could use these vouchers online, then I could spend them in conjunction with a promotional code. Our local Millets is very very small, and there is no local Blacks.


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## battered (16 Sep 2010)

That pan set isn't bad. Watch the YouTube stuff on penny stoves, then as you aren't in a rush build one and decide if you can live with it. Make a windshiled from beer cans or ally sheets from the local takeaway type trays. Weighs little, costs even less.

Hexy stoves aren't half bad, for occasional use they are fine. A pain for a week, and expensive to run, useless for melting snow, but for a quick overnighter when you just want a bowl of noodles in the evening and a brew in the morning, they are ace.

Have you tried a wanted ad here? I bet there are any number of people with stray camping stoves from way back when that you could get for loose change. I got a Peak 1 cookset in stainless steel from a mate for something daft like a fiver, it's what I use for lightning speed bivvys in the mountains when weight is critical.

I'm a great fan of the Trangia, but that heatshield is HEAVY. I still use my Trangia bits but the heatshield is only of use in base camp.


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## willem (16 Sep 2010)

That pan set is 710 grams, without stove. With a proper Trangia, you get the whole lot, including stove, for that weight.
Willem


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## battered (16 Sep 2010)

OK, so that set isn't as good as you'd hope. Others are and come in well below 700g.


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## willem (16 Sep 2010)

If it is just a cookset because you intend to cook on a cannister stove, the cheapest decent one I know is a set of Trangia pots of the 25 or 27 series. They are also sold separately from the stove part of the sets, and they are excellent and cheaper than most sets where you get far more than you want to take. A Trangia 27 pot, a frying pan (also serves as a lid) and a grip is all you need, for a total of 200 gram, and far less money.
Willem


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## battered (16 Sep 2010)

The other thing is don't carry a bigger pot than you need. I just had another look at that set and the pans are HUGE. No womder t's heavy.


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## chillyuk (16 Sep 2010)

I have just weighed my Trangia kit which comprises the burner and screw on lid, the big windshield and the pan support, a saucepan marked 0.5, a more rounded bowl a similar size to the pan, but has no markings, the frying pan and the handle. The weight in total is a tad over 1kg. The nylon strap accounts for the "tad" bit! I have never had a kettle with it.


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## willem (16 Sep 2010)

My modern Trangia 27 UL is about 700 grams, and my 25 UL 850 gram.
Willem


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## battered (16 Sep 2010)

I'm not surprised the older ones are heavier, they are extremely solid and hard wearing. Mine are still pristine (no dents!) after 25 years of abuse. I have thinner ones (non Trangia) bought more recently that are not wearing as well, but they are non-stick and if my pal overheats them on the stove, they will burn. I've also learned that they aren't very good seats, they get dented.

Anyway, I had a trawl. Coleman do a Mini Cook kit, 2 pans, 2 pots/cups/lids, £16 delivered, weight 515g, anodised ally. Or an Exponent cook set, non stick, slightly bigger, 2 pans, lid, handle, £20, free postage, 425g. That's light. 

All of these will do a job for you, my Trangia has been fantastic for years, but it's slow and I dislike carrying a rigid windshield around. I use cheap pans for most camping, if you don't abuse them they work well. Finally, I have Coleman pans for ultralight camping, they are very light but small and not too easy to live with. You pays your money and you takes your choice.


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## bigjim (16 Sep 2010)

Hexi stoves are fine and cheap to run as I gather dry twigs and feed the stove once I have it running with a small tablet. boils water in no time and plenty of free fuel and a more stable and adjustable base than a Trangia burner. Take both and use the hexi as a base for the trangis. Check out "cat stoves" if you insist on using alcohol.


battered said:


> I'm not surprised the older ones are heavier, they are extremely solid and hard wearing. Mine are still pristine (no dents!) after 25 years of abuse. I have thinner ones (non Trangia) bought more recently that are not wearing as well, but they are non-stick and if my pal overheats them on the stove, they will burn. I've also learned that they aren't very good seats, they get dented.
> 
> Anyway, I had a trawl. Coleman do a Mini Cook kit, 2 pans, 2 pots/cups/lids, £16 delivered, weight 515g, anodised ally. Or an Exponent cook set, non stick, slightly bigger, 2 pans, lid, handle, £20, free postage, 425g. That's light.
> 
> All of these will do a job for you, my Trangia has been fantastic for years, but it's slow and I dislike carrying a rigid windshield around. I use cheap pans for most camping, if you don't abuse them they work well. Finally, I have Coleman pans for ultralight camping, they are very light but small and not too easy to live with. You pays your money and you takes your choice.


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## thistler (16 Sep 2010)

willem said:


> If it is just a cookset because you intend to cook on a cannister stove, the cheapest decent one I know is a set of Trangia pots of the 25 or 27 series. They are also sold separately from the stove part of the sets, and they are excellent and cheaper than most sets where you get far more than you want to take. A Trangia 27 pot, a frying pan (also serves as a lid) and a grip is all you need, for a total of 200 gram, and far less money.
> Willem



no, I need the whole thing. I've got nothing at the moment. 


Thanks again for all the input - I think I will take Willem's advice and just save up until I can get the Trangia 25UL set. When I'm going solo I won't bring all the pans but when someone else comes along they will be useful.

I want to build a penny stove just because they are cool.

Thanks again for all the help!!!!


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## battered (16 Sep 2010)

Decent choice, they never let you down and you can use as much or as little of it as you need and want to carry. The smaller one (27) is enough for 1 person, 2 at a pinch, the extra weight and pack size of the bigger one (25, I think) is worth it if you cook for 3 (or have a big appetite!). One final bit of advice, don't bother with the mini Trangia, it's useless compared to the real thing.


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## CopperBrompton (16 Sep 2010)

A good decision. It's also cheaper in the long-run to buy the right thing once rather than the wrong thing then the right thing later.


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## billflat12 (17 Sep 2010)

I was tempted by this set @ £10 (swedish retailer) ... bought some aluminum pedals too @ 4.99
http://www.clasohlson.co.uk/link/m3/Product,Product.aspx?artnr=34-3320 

Had looked at trangia and this copy looked good value in my local store , have not had any problems using mine, cannot make any comparisons of performance to a trangia but it performs quite well to be honest. , there is no simmer ring with the stove and the securing strap is a bit flimsy . kit contains, burner, upper and lower wind shield, 2 cooking pots (1.25L and 1.5L), 1 frying pan (20 cm) and handle. full set weighs: 600 g.


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## willem (17 Sep 2010)

This is a copy of an Optimus made Trangia lookalike. In some respects it is a clever design, but there are two drawbacks (I know, because I bought one and returned it). The first is that manufacturing quality is pretty low. The second is that in reality it is much heavier than 600 grams (I had bought it for the weight).
Willem


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## stewie griffin (17 Sep 2010)

battered said:


> One final bit of advice, don't bother with the mini Trangia, it's useless compared to the real thing.



Useless? I have a mini Trangia 28 & really like it, a great bit of kit (once a small "beer can" wind shield is added), & at only 330g.


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## billflat12 (17 Sep 2010)

willem said:


> This is a copy of an Optimus made Trangia lookalike. In some respects it is a clever design, but there are two drawbacks (I know, because I bought one and returned it). The first is that manufacturing quality is pretty low. The second is that in reality it is much heavier than 600 grams (I had bought it for the weight).
> Willem


willem did you use yours before returning it, I never expected anywhere near the same quality myself, mine weighs 615g on the kitchen scale and for just a tenner and a 2year guarantee its efficient and good value , I only ever used a mini gas stove ,1ltr pot an 1/2 ltr enamel mug before , now i defiantly will find it hard to justify spending 4-5 times more for a similar 25-1 ul trangia cook-set , weight 870g, what i did like about trangia though they do such a varied range and are very adaptable with options for gas or multi-fuel burners.


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## battered (17 Sep 2010)

stewie griffin said:


> Useless? I have a mini Trangia 28 & really like it, a great bit of kit (once a small "beer can" wind shield is added), & at only 330g.




No, not useless, but "useless compared to the real thing". If you are talking about the very small Trangia, the Mini Trangia (not the 28 with its proper windshield)it only really works with as you say an added beercan windshield. On that basis it loses all the attraction of the original, the real thing. The real thing scores because it's a one-stop shop. You get the works, it all fits together, it's bulletproof and it works. You wake up in the morning, no priming, no pumping, take the lid off the burner, one match, chuck the kettle on, nothing's wobbling about, nothing's falling over, 5 minutes later you have a cup of tea and you haven't even left your pit yet. Good work.

Any other stove including the Mini, is a bit of a pain in comparison, you can't snooze while it boils. On that basis you can junk the pot stand and replace it with one you made yourself from 2 bike spokes. You can replace that burner with a hexy stove or a penny stove weighing nothing, or a gas stove if you want something that's quick. So all you *really* need is the pot, and you can get a pot anywhere.

So not useless, no, but if you're getting a Trangia get a 28 for 2 of you or a 25 if you want bigger pans. IMO at least, if you get on fine with the Mini, great. There's more than one route to lightweight camping happiness.


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## battered (17 Sep 2010)

That Clas Ohlson stove at a tenner is well worth another look IMO, too. I remember the old Optimus version of the Trangia, never used one, but it looks the part and at £10 we don't need to split hairs about 50g. A Mars bar weighs more than that and your biggest weight savings result from simply not taking junk you don't need.

Thistler, have you knocked up a penny stove and had a play with it yet? Mine are great.


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## willem (18 Sep 2010)

Before anyone gets confused: the Trangia 27 is the real thing small Trangia (and the Trangia 25 is the same but bigger, for 2-3 people). The 330 gram Trangia 28 is the mini Trangia. The pot and the pan are smaller (too small for a hungry cyclist I think), but they still fit nicely together. It does not have a proper windshield, and is much slower as a result. The Optimus Tor was actually quite a bit more than 50 gram heavier, but I am afraid I cannot remember how much (more like 800 grams I think).
Willem


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## thistler (18 Sep 2010)

That one from Clas Ohlson certainly is tempting but there are no stores near me and it looks like they don't sell stuff online. Probably a good thing!

I haven't tried making a penny stove yet, we don't have any cans but there are usually some blowing about in the street so will keep my eye out for some! They are just too cool to not try!

I seem to spend my life buying cheap things because I can't afford better quality, then having to replace them with more cheap stuff when they break/wear out...in the end I spend more than I would have just buying the good quality one in the first place. I'm not in a hurry so I'm going to look around carefully, possibly find a Trangia 25 set used? 

I will need a sleeping bag and mat too, so it may be well into next spring before I have the basic equipment to do any touring.


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## willem (18 Sep 2010)

Here are my tips for quality sleeping kit that is not ridiculously expensive: an Exped Synmat Basic mattress if you want more insulation or an Alpkit Numo for summer use only. An Alpkit Pipedream 400 or Skyehigh 600 sleeping bag. The Synmat basic, the Numo and the Pipedream are compact and light as well. The Skyehigh is bulkier and heavier, but also 40 pounds cheaper. Down bags are lighter and more compact than synthetic for the same warmth, and last longer. All this stuff will be warm enough down to just below freezing, i.e. as cold as you will probbably have it on a normal cycle tour. More fill weight such is in the Skyehigh 800 or the Pipedram 600 (both rated at minus 10) makes the bag 20 pounds more expensive, a bit bulkier and 200 grams heavier, of course.
Willem


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## willem (18 Sep 2010)

On reflection I think that Numo mat is not such a good idea. With an R=2.5 it is only suitable for the summer (plus 5?). It can be colder than that but still be nice in Spring and Autumn, or at higher altitudes, even in Southern Europe. The Synmat Basic may be more expensive, but has a temperature range that you may really need - the cold comes from underneath.
Willem


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## thistler (3 Oct 2010)

I have found a new Trangia 25 UL set  for £30 - no kettle, but could use one of the pans to boil water and buy one later if needed...

Is there any reason I couldn't or shouldn't get a silicone pan liner / bakoglide type thing and use it to make the pan more non-stick? 

What do you think?


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## bigjim (3 Oct 2010)

Just put some oil in bottom of your pan. Did your gran teach you nothing?


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## thistler (3 Oct 2010)

bigjim said:


> Just put some oil in bottom of your pan. Did your gran teach you nothing?


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