Click to view our Accessibility Statement or contact us with accessibility-related questions
Vargo Triad Alcohol Stove
01 / 03
Vargo Triad Alcohol Stove
bookmark_border
Where's the price?
To negotiate the best possible price for our customers, we agree to hide prices prior to logging in.
616 requests
Product Description
As you can’t exactly haul your barbecue up a pass or rely on wood fires every night, you need a lightweight and simply maintained camp stove for all your backwoods adventures. Made of solid titanium and fillable with Denatured alcohol, the Vargo Triad Alcohol Stove makes boiling a pot of water almost as easy outside as in your kitchen Read More
search
close
Sort by: Top Conversations
keyboard_arrow_down
ResistImpulse
38
Aug 28, 2018
I hiked hundred of miles on the Appalachian Trail over the course of months and I used this stove exclusively for my dinner every day, and sometimes for heating up coffee. I can attest that this is a light weight efficient beast, but you need to plan your kit accordingly. What I learned from others and worked great for me is a wind screen and two sticks of clothes hanger. You need a robust windscreen for this stove imho. I used a thick foil/tin. This is because the easiest and most reliable way to secure the pot above the stove is to take two sticks of coat hanger and use them cross wise through the wind screen to set your pot on. You put 4 holes into the windscreen and X with the coat hanger. One piece having a slight U bent into the middle that the other stick rides over top of it. Creating a totally even X pattern.
I used this stove with a titanium snow peak 700 mug with lid. I was able to fit the stove, windscreen, weeks worth of alcohol, and a pot scrubber into the the pot. For some reason I have part of the kit here at work, so I have taken pictures. Note, I am missing the stove and the coat hanger sticks (it has been like 6 years since my AT adventure). I have taken some light copper wire to show the concept but this wire is way to light weight to actually use, wire coat hanger worked well!
Oh and it seems some people have misunderstood the way you get this sucker started. You fill it until the alcohol is coming up and into the dimple. Then you light that bit of alcohol on fire, thus preheating the stove and getting the stove to begin working by evaporating through holes and then catching fire. If you have the desire to try and get back any remaining fuel once you are done you can pour it out and down one of the pot holder legs and into your fuel bottle. I found it not worth the hassle of trying to put the stove out and then recapture the fuel. It uses so little fuel to get your snowpeak 700 boiling that you can pack a weeks worth of fuel in a tiny bottle that fits into your pot.
I used this stove with a titanium snow peak 700 mug with lid. I was able to fit the stove, windscreen, weeks worth of alcohol, and a pot scrubber into the the pot. For some reason I have part of the kit here at work, so I have taken pictures. Note, I am missing the stove and the coat hanger sticks (it has been like 6 years since my AT adventure). I have taken some light copper wire to show the concept but this wire is way to light weight to actually use, wire coat hanger worked well!
Oh and it seems some people have misunderstood the way you get this sucker started. You fill it until the alcohol is coming up and into the dimple. Then you light that bit of alcohol on fire, thus preheating the stove and getting the stove to begin working by evaporating through holes and then catching fire. If you have the desire to try and get back any remaining fuel once you are done you can pour it out and down one of the pot holder legs and into your fuel bottle. I found it not worth the hassle of trying to put the stove out and then recapture the fuel. It uses so little fuel to get your snowpeak 700 boiling that you can pack a weeks worth of fuel in a tiny bottle that fits into your pot.
humhoefer
4
Oct 18, 2018
I've been using this stove on solo and two person trips for a couple of years. There are faster options and simpler options but I had one specific requirement. I wanted something I could put out mid burn. I didn't want to have to estimate how much fuel I need or be unable to put out the flame if I have to leave the campsite. Cat can stoves require an extra cup or pot to snuff the flame, Trangia makes a great stove but it's relatively heavy and doesn't have a pot support built in. Jet stoves boil water well but don't simmer so well and they're loud, so I really wanted an alcohol stove.
I ultimately settled on the Vargo Triad because I can blow it out when I'm done cooking, it has pot supports and weighs just under an ounce. I purchased some Toaks Ti windscreens and cut them to fit my two main pots (a Toaks 750mL and an Evernew 1.3L). With the excess I cut a circle to go under the stove which protects the ground or table, reflects the heat back to the stove and pot, and also allows me to put a few drops of alcohol to preheat the stove if I don't want to fill the stove completely. The solo set-up with the Toaks 750 weighs 162.1g (~5.72 oz) and includes the pot, lid, pot sack, stove, windscreen with paperclips and sack and the syringe I use to fill the stove. With this set-up, I have boiled water, cooked pasta and legume meals which require simmering, fried eggs and hashbrowns and roasted marshmallows in temps as low as 25 F with snow. The power output seems a nice balance. It boils water fairly quickly but I can hold a pan over it and fry eggs without feeling like I'm wasting a lot of heat. I keep the windscreen around it and use a light weight aluminum or Ti pan lifting the pan to control the heat. I've even pan fried fish over it. I leave the 1.3L pot on the stove while cooking a pasta meal and it doesn't burn or boil over so I don't feel like I'm missing a lot without a simmer ring. I don't time my water boiling because I just start the stove and do other prep. Honestly, the difference between boiling in 2 min or boiling in 8 or 10 min isn't important to me when I have meal prep or camp set-up to do. When I'm done cooking, I blow out the stove and dump the unused fuel back in the bottle after waiting a few minutes for the stove to cool.
The pot supports are finicky with the narrow 750 mL pot. The 1.3L is wider and is easy to set on the stove legs. There is potential for a spill if it is not used carefully. Like almost all of my ultralight gear, it requires a conscientious user. It's not the stove you bring to the cub scout camp out but I am comfortable leaving a pot of water on this stove while doing other stuff around camp. I don't leave it completely unattended but I don't feel the need to sit by it and watch water boil.
My biggest complaint has been fueling through that little hole. I use a curved irrigation syringe which I can insert into the hole to speed fueling. It works well but, if I loose or forget the syringe, I'm out of luck. The syringes are available at most pharmacies but it means I can't simply buy a bottle of alcohol at a gas station or liquor store and fill my stove. I looked into bottles with spouts but all seem to leak either initially or after a while. My solution has been to use the original alcohol containers. Heavier but much less likely to leak. I use Everclear for the lower toxicity (compared to methanol or denatured alcohol) and buy it in plastic 400 or 250ml bottles for a weekend trip. For longer trips, I just bring a second or third 400 ml bottle. The little fill hole has been my biggest complaint and has sent me to purchasing or building a variety of other stoves. However, I've kept coming back to the Triad because it is so light for all the features it has (put supports mostly).
So in conclusion, I'm going to purchase the newer version with the bigger hole in the center and see if I can eliminate the syringe completely. It's $28 on Amazon.
MickeyBliss
7
Oct 18, 2018
humhoefer"So in conclusion, I'm going to purchase the newer version with the bigger hole in the center and see if I can eliminate the syringe completely. It's $28 on Amazon."
So the one offered here still has the design issue of the small hole ?
So the one offered here still has the design issue of the small hole ?
humhoefer
4
Oct 18, 2018
MickeyBlissI don't know for certain but, based on the pictures and the comment from OldSparky, I'm making the assumption that it is. Doesn't necessarily mean you should discount it. Either way it's a viable stove. For me, the savings of a few dollars isn't enough to gamble on getting another of the same version.
hughstimson
23
May 7, 2015
I've used this stove a lot. Comments:
- When I researched the purchase this was one of the least fuel efficient, least hot alcohol stoves available. - That matters. Filling is finnicky, re-filling after it runs out before you've finished cooking your meal and you've waited for it to cool down sufficiently is downright frustrating. - For some reason, this is the only alcohol stove that makes its way onto retail shelves, so that's what I bought anyway. - The advantages of alcohol stoves (tiny/lite/unbreakable/silent) are so significant I've used this again and again despite all the problems. - Mine is 10 years old, maybe they've improved the design in the interim (looks the same though).
- When I researched the purchase this was one of the least fuel efficient, least hot alcohol stoves available. - That matters. Filling is finnicky, re-filling after it runs out before you've finished cooking your meal and you've waited for it to cool down sufficiently is downright frustrating. - For some reason, this is the only alcohol stove that makes its way onto retail shelves, so that's what I bought anyway. - The advantages of alcohol stoves (tiny/lite/unbreakable/silent) are so significant I've used this again and again despite all the problems. - Mine is 10 years old, maybe they've improved the design in the interim (looks the same though).
hughstimson
23
May 15, 2015
Sadly I can't remember. It was years ago I did that research. The ultralight camping market is (as you may know) something of a parallel gear universe and I haven't dipped in in a while.
I do recall that http://backpackinglight.com/ seemed to have the most credible gear comparisons.
I do recall that http://backpackinglight.com/ seemed to have the most credible gear comparisons.
M_at_o
232
May 15, 2015
hughstimsonTrue, it does change yearly. I appreciate you taking the time to reply with the suggested site.
Cox140
11
Feb 18, 2015
I own one of these...and do not use it. The stove has very slow bloom times, is a pain to fill and is only stable on larger pots. Excellent build quality though :)
oldsparkey
70
Aug 28, 2018
This is one of the older models which has the small hole in the center. There are a lot better alcohol stoves on the market then this one. I know that because I have one and the better ones. The newer models have a larger hole in the center and are easier to fill but just as useless.
ahwagoner
5
Dec 17, 2014
I bought this thing a while ago for a really long hike, like that it had a built in pot stand. The problem was that it didn't generate enough heat to boil 1.5 liters of water. If you need to boil largish amounts of water I would recommend going with something like a caldera cone.
PatC
85
May 11, 2015
Caldera Ti-Tri is great . . . but much larger and $80 plus $9 shipping. This stove 1/4 that price, more compact and lighter. You're comparing apples to a bag of bananas.
The Vargo Triad is tailored specifically to people who only want/need to burn alcohol. I can make or buy a windshield later IF I need it, or just use my foam sit pad to block the wind.
And yes, one could make an alcohol stove for a few dollars and not too much time. But this one is simple, clean, functional and indestructible.
The Vargo Triad is tailored specifically to people who only want/need to burn alcohol. I can make or buy a windshield later IF I need it, or just use my foam sit pad to block the wind.
And yes, one could make an alcohol stove for a few dollars and not too much time. But this one is simple, clean, functional and indestructible.
Another_Overpriced_Drop
232
May 11, 2015
PatCYou missed the point of what I said. The Caldera I was making comparison to is $35.
The Ti-Tri was mentioned simply as a sidenote for those unaware of wood-burning potential. It was not the core content of my reply...
The Ti-Tri was mentioned simply as a sidenote for those unaware of wood-burning potential. It was not the core content of my reply...
Groncho
82
Dec 13, 2014
Phait,
you can build a cat can stove very easily:
http://royrobinson.homestead.com/cat_stove.html
Massdrop, Does this come with the windscreen?
Massdrop, Does this come with the windscreen?
torymuller
273
Dec 13, 2014
GronchoThis drop does not include the windscreen. Thanks for checking on that!
ZanshinHabit
3
Oct 18, 2018
Save yourself from disappointment and frustration by buying a Trangia spirit burner instead of this spider legged design failure. The primary problem with it is that without a wind screen it never gets hot enough to gasify the denatured alcohol so you’re left with what is essentially a big candle. Ever tried boiling water with a candle? You can flip it over and use it as a trioxane or esbit fuel tab burner but as an alcohol stove it’s a failure.
lcdm
68
Oct 18, 2018
Is this drop for the version with the small hole or big hole to pour the alcohol? If small, stay away. If big, it's worth a try.
Showing 21 of 71
Recent Activity
Related Products
Drop Refurbished
Like-new products you can trustDrop Rewards
Get $5 for every 500 points you earn! Learn more
Drop Keyboard Club
Become a member and expand your keycap collectionCollaborate With Us
For Brands & DesignersFollow Drop