Clikstand Stove vs Trangia 27

From the “Sometimes, I need to get things out of my system” dept.

I go through these really intense periods of time where I obsess about a specific subject. Some common themes include cycling, computer networking, and camping stoves. I’m currently working through the latter as I reflect about the backpacking trip the family took into Algonquin Park this fall and my aspirations to combine my love of cycling with my joy of camping by doing a bikepacking trip in 2021. I explain this to Jen as me, “getting it out of my system.” Sometimes¹Most of the times that requires random ecommerce purchases.

I love the Trangia system and was hoping to take my Trangia 27 with me solo bike packing, but I have been thinking that a lighter weight system is more appropriate. Specifically, the type of bags used in modern bike packing, make for storage of my Trangia 27 a bit difficult. So in an effort to slim things down, I’ve gone through two routes by purchasing:

• A Chinese branded, ultralight Titanium Siphon Alcohol Stove²I’m a bit disappointed with it and hoping I can salvage it by changing fuels.
• A Stainless Steel, Sierra combo of the Clikstand Stove by Ursa Designs

There are several, influential sources that link the Clikstand to bikepacking:

• An article by Cass Gilbert at bikepacking.com extolling the virtues of the Clikstand³So much so that he bought the Titanium version
• The musings comparing the Ti Vargo Hexagon and Ti Clickstand at a “PathLessPedaled.com”
• A second blog post by Cass Gilbert on his personal site.
• Hikin’ Jim’s blog post at Adventures In Stoving introducing the Clikstand
• A second post by Hikin’ Jim comparing the Clikstand and the Caldera Cone. The main difference is the hefty Trangia brass burner.
• A review of the Cliskstand at backpackinglight.com

I procured a used Evernew Titanium 900 ml pot (non-stick ECA422) to partner the Clikstand and was able to finally pit it against my vintage Trangia 27UL (mid-late 2000s). Testing was conducted outside under the following conditions using a 85:15 ethanol-to-methanol mix:

System	Fuel	Air Temp	Volume	Water Temp	Boil Time	Burn Time	Weight
Trangia 27 UL (mid 2000s)	30 ml	11˚C / 52˚F	500 ml	20˚C / 68˚F	07:27	12:15	833g
Clikstand Sierra Combo + Evernew pot 900 ml	30 ml	11˚C / 52˚F	500 ml	20˚C / 68˚F	06:30	10:55	484g

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The differences in boil and total burn times with the Trangia 27, a system from the mid-2000s, make me think that the Trangia burner needs to be replaced.

The biggest takeaway is the weight. An equivalent weighing, which removes the second 1L pot and firesteel that I typically store in the Trangia 27, is 484 g vs. 833g respectively, between the Clikstand system and Trangia.⁴Add another 102g, 80g and 45g for the pot, multi-disc and firesteel combo. FYI, the measured weights include other things that I store, like the solid fuel platforms, chamois, plastic Ziploc storage bags and half-cut Scotch-Brite sponges.

I wished it was a bit more windy during my test. I would love to see how the Clikstand performs in high winds. I can tell you that the Trangia is superb in this regard. The stability of the Trangia is also leagues ahead of the Clikstand. While the Clickstand was stable, the interface with the smooth surface of the Evernew made it slide quite a bit, but keep in minde that I’ve been spoiled with how well the Trangia works.

I feel a bit ashamed, as I haven’t had an opportunity to use the Trangia 27 outside of hypothetical boil tests and that I’m having a hard time trying to figure where it fits in all my camping gear. For instance, I could purchase a 1300 ml Evernew pot to added to the Clikstand and it would be a virtual equivalent, less the frying pan. I guess I need to use it to actually determine if the weight is worth the stability and windproof qualities.