Two Great Stoves Part 2: Trangia Westwind

This post will be rather short as there is not much to the Trangia Westwind. I love this stove because it is very simple and reliable. I started looking for a simpler, lighter and safer stove about 6 years ago after I had a close call with my MSR Whisperlite stove. I almost blew myself up! I was also getting tired of the complicated set up and priming rituals. Weight was also an issue as I was counting every ounce trying to go as light as possible when backpacking. I researched and compared countless stoves and eventually went with a Trangia.

The Westwind, like all Trangia Stoves, run on alcohol. Any wood, isopropyl, denatured or grain alcohol will do the trick. Although I think using grain alcohol for fuel is a waste! ;-) Denatured alcohol has the highest percentage of alcohol out of all of those listed unless you find some pretty high proof moonshine! The higher the alcohol content the hotter the flame and less time needed to boil water. Alcohol is also eco-friendly and can be made at home if necessary. Just make sure the Gubbmint doesn't find out you are making alcohol or they will send in the SWAT teams.

The Westwind is different from other Trangia models as it is a basic stove. There are no nesting pots or a cooking system included like other Trangia models. It comes with a 3 part stand that fits together in a triangle shape. A burner is included with a screw cap and simmer ring. That's all folks! To really be successful you need to add some sort of wind screen and a cooking pot. Below is a pic of my solo set up. When my wife is with me I add in a 1 liter pot and discard the hardware cloth.


Hardware cloth is that mesh grate you see in the pic. This helps hold my stainless mug more stable. Below the cup is the brass simmer ring. You might wonder what that other thing is next to the brass simmer ring. It is a priming dish and it is for cold weather use. The priming dish helps pre-heat the stove so it works faster and better in below freezing weather. Simply fill the dish with a splash of fuel, slide it under the stove, and light. Sometimes the flame from the priming dish ignites the fuel in the stove. If not, light the stove after priming dish goes out. I could have spent $20+ on one but instead I made one from a pint beer can. To make your own priming dish for the Westwind stove follow these instructions: Step one: Cut a hole in the box. Wait...wrong instructions. Ok, now for the real instructions.

1. Buy a pint can of beer. Any beer that you enjoy will do. Make sure you are legal to consume!
2. Drink said beer.
3. Cut off the bottom of the can. I can't remember how tall exactly. Just cut then slide under stove until there is a small gap between cup and stove bottom. The trial and error method works best!

That is all you need and the only cost is that of the beer. Be careful! I am not responsible if you do this while drunk or in any other mental state and hurt yourself.

Ok, now to stove operation. Fill the burner with alcohol fuel of choice. Remember, denatured works the best! Stop filling when fuel level is just below the top. Assemble the stand. Place burner into the slots on the stand. Light stove and wrap windscreen around stove. Allow stove to burn awhile. When you see a blossom of blue flame that resembles the jets on a gas stove you are ready to cook. Place pot on top. Depending on the temp of the water expect 7-10 minutes boiling time for up to a liter. I like to do something else while waiting for water to boil. This is a great time to gather firewood, set up camp, prepare the meal, or consume some adult beverages.

Once water is boiling, I place the simmer ring on to tone down the flame. This conserves a lot of fuel as a full flame is not needed to keep the water boiling. When I am ready to extinguish the flame, I remove the simmer ring, close it all the way, and drop it back onto the stove. This is done with my Gerber multi-plier. After the stove is cool, I refill it and securely fasten the screw top. Make sure the stove is cool before doing this. Otherwise, you will melt the rubber O-ring. A friend of mine did this with his stove and it took much twisting with pliers to get it off.

So that is that for operation of the Westwind stove by Trangia. As for maintenance or fixing the stove...there really isn't any. These stoves are built like tanks. The all brass construction will last a lifetime. This is my go to stove when I want a super light, simple and above all reliable camp stove.