The Happy Camper: Reviewing Trangia’s New Micro Cookset
Going backcountry camping with my buddy Tim Foley is a unique experience, to say the least. He’s the owner of the Canadian Outdoor Equipment store in Mississauga, Ontario.
Each time I head out with Tim, he packs along some new camp gadget to test out before selling it at his store. It’s like camping out with Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison and Steve Jobs all at the same time.
I’m always intrigued with each item Tim tries out, but I am even more interested when he continues to pack it along and use it on every trip. I always wait until then before I make my next equipment order. And my latest was Trangia’s new Micro Cookset. Tim used this super lightweight stove and pot set during our past winter trip, then again on our spring canoe trip in Algonquin Park. That sold it for me. It’s been on two-day hikes and one solo canoe trip, and I absolutely love it!
Trangia’s Micro is the company’s smallest and most compact cookset. This isn’t their traditional minimalist cookset—the Mini. The Micro weighs almost 100 grams less.
The kit comes with a 0.5 litre (500 mililitres, 17 ounces) aluminium T-cup with a lid (available in either Ultralight Aluminum alloy or HA—hard anodized—plus a foldable handle, a Trangia alcohol stove—a spirit burner—and windscreen. For storage the burner and windscreen nests in the centre of the cup, taking up only 112 by 83 milimetres (4.4 by 3.2 inches) in your pack.
The outer base of the cup is grooved so you can steady it on top of the windscreen. I’ve got to say, it’s a balancing act when you first try this. But with practice, it easily becomes a nice fit.
I now pack a larger windscreen—the one that came with my MSR Dragonfly stove. I place it around the Micro windscreen to control the flames when there’s a strong breeze. If not, you’ll waste fuel, and the flame will eventually bounce out the side and melt the rubber coating on the T-cup handle.
The 0.5 litre cup is perfect for boiling up a tea or soup and containing just enough heated water to rehydrate one of those dehydrated meal packs. But I wouldn’t count on it for a full-out meal. The older mini cookset would be a better lightweight choice.
Trangia’s burner runs on alcohol (methyl hydrate) which you can purchase at any hardware store beside the paint thinner. Fondue Fuel or HEET can also be used. You can also buy the same stove but equipped with a gel fuel burner.
I prefer the alcohol “spirit” burner.
Check out my video review of the Trangia Micro Cookset on my KCHappyCamper YouTube channel:
