Mess Kit for the Modern Age: MSR Alpine Seagull Pot, Trangia Alcohol Stove, ESBIT Triangle REVIEW 

Thank you for the correction and clarification. I do enjoy the versatility of the MSR option. It has been used on gas, alcohol, fuel tablet, fire, and electric cooktop. Lol. It’s a nice little folding pot and for me can do everything from frying up some bacon to boiling a pack of noodles. Really covers a wide range of tasks.

Thanks!

It sounds as if we reached a very similar conclusion when configuring our setups. Great minds think alike.

@ColterBrog The MSR pot lid can be used as a frypan too. So versatile.

I don’t have a Trangia 27 so it is difficult for me to compare them exactly side-by-side. (Maybe I should consider one for a trial.) Based on what I can tell, I think this setup is probably a little more compact, but not by much. I’m not sure if mine is lighter, I suspect the weight is similar, but a big advantage I see in mine is that most everything except the burner itself is stainless steel. It’s really a very robust system that doesn’t dent or deform easily. The Esbit triangle stand has the disk that can be used for solid fuel tablets, which I carry a pack of as a backup heat source. It gives me a convenient way to use those. I like that if I remove the contents from the pot it seals fairly well and could, in a pinch, be used as an improvised means of carrying additional water. (This did actually come in handy on one trip where some streams on the map which we had planned on as a water source were bone dry. When we did find water, it allowed carrying an extra quart.) The folding handle allows it to do that, and I find it to be convenient in general as a feature. I’m sure the Trangia 27 is a great system and probably has certain advantages, but I think this setup has some good things to be said for it, too.

@@ColterBrog Mate, the system you have gives a lot more versatility. I used to love my Trangia system (still do) but for years I've used a 'cut down' version of the meths pots and a couple of stands. I do take 2 pots and a larger and smaller stand as if I'm doing something like a stew or chilli then I might need more than 1 burn off a meths pot. Its easy and quick to just swap to another pot when one is empty and then wait until the first one is cool enough if you need a second burn for pasta/tattties/rice etc. if you have a meal that takes that wee bit longer. Not really an issue if you're just heating stuff up so whatever works.

My main problem with pouring out of it is the handle flipping to the closed position. Supporting it on the other side opposite the handle is critical. Beyond that… I really don’t pour out of it all that often now that I think about it.

@@ColterBrog I usually need to pour coffee/tea into my mug and it's a bummer to lose a bunch of it on the ground. Anyway, you could try to bend the little tabs inward ever so slightly, and slide the metal piece on the handle closer to the pot. I did that to prevent my handle collapsing and it worked. Could even hold the pot upside down. Hope it helps

@@Tiger-789 What kind of mug are you using? I recently got one of those GSI “Glacier” stainless mugs that fits on the bottom of a Nalgene bottle. Adds a little weight, of course, but really compact since the bottle fits inside. Might be a solution to your coffee/tea troubles since water can be heated in the mug.