16 December, 2013

Riding for Coffee, Coffee for Riding: Vargo Triad Stove

By Igor

Adrian and I took out the Camargue and Pass Hunter for a quick trip in the snow to try out a little alcohol stove made by Vargo. It's tiny, stable, titanium, and weighs only 28 grams (1oz)! The stove is super compact when packed and once the legs are extended, it makes a great platform for our titanium cook pot.
Vargo "Triad" Titanium Stove
It uses alcohol as opposed to a canister system, so the center of gravity is very low and fuel is easily available. The cold and wet conditions made it a bit harder to light, but once it got going, the water boiled fairly quickly.


We brought along our GSI Outdoors Java Press, made some coffee, and snapped a few pictures. For 30 bucks, it's a neat addition for your lightweight bikepacking or hiking setup.

Perfect pour
Riding for coffee, coffee for riding
What do you think, a good addition to our Camp and Cabin section?

Bonus bike pictures!






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16 comments:

  1. Anonymous12/16/13, 3:06 PM

    All that light gear sounds like a great addition to your catalog.

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  2. Anonymous12/16/13, 3:07 PM

    All that gear is fantastic. Throw in a light tent and some chow and you're ready for a weekend trip.

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  3. RoadieRyan12/16/13, 3:16 PM

    Very cool looking stove and thanks for the winter biking pics

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  4. Anonymous12/16/13, 3:49 PM

    Put seat covers on those saddles, for goodness' sake! :)

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  5. VeloOrange12/16/13, 5:04 PM

    A little light snow or rain has never hurt my saddle, so long as it's well treated with VO Saddle Care. It's only when you leave a bike outside or ride in heavy rain for a long time that a saddle cover is essential.

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  6. Anonymous12/16/13, 7:45 PM

    That Pass Hunter build is just so perfect. I think the color and details on that frame are the best of any of your offerings so far too. Well done!

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  7. zybariver12/16/13, 7:45 PM

    Shucks, I was hoping to see those new big boy fenders on the green machine.

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  8. Anonymous12/17/13, 4:33 AM

    I've tried this stove-- admittedly, before my days of using alcohol stoves full time-- and it might not be a strong performer compared to other stoves available, and some of the DIY options. Just a vote for more testing, which is an excuse for more riding and coffee!

    Otherwise, I'd love to see more thoughtful additions like this to the 'Camp' catalog.

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  9. Birkir12/17/13, 10:26 AM

    What size is that Pass Hunter frame?

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  10. VeloOrange12/17/13, 11:38 AM

    We did try the new fenders on the Camargue, but I don't recommend using fenders on a bike with "knobby" tires, to much chance of the tire kicking stuff up between the tire and fender.

    The Pass Hunter is a 57cm.

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  11. A12/19/13, 3:09 PM

    Definitely also sell a coffee press.

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  12. Anonymous12/19/13, 6:06 PM

    Alcohol stoves fit well with the functional, minimalist aesthetic that Velo-Orange espouses.

    I have a couple of Vargo stoves (Decagon and Hexagon), both of which are disappointments in terms of quality and performance. I also have Trangia and Evernew alcohol stoves in my gear cabinet, and they have seen extensive use in the field. For a reliable, European-style stove, Trangia is hard to beat. For a reliable, featherweight, high-tech stove, Evernew is my choice.

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  13. VeloOrange12/23/13, 12:18 PM

    We are still testing stove; haven't settled on the Varga yet. I'll be at Outdoor Retailer in Salt Lake City next month checking out the latest in stove and other camping/bike packing gear.

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  14. Peter12/27/13, 11:45 AM

    "Vargo Triad Ti stoves look sexy, but work like crap" according to The Lazy Rando blog...

    I own a Trangia 27 (hard anodized version) and can attest to its awesomeness :-) However, I think it's overkill if all you want is heat some water.

    For a days ride, nothing beats brewing your favorite cuppa at home and bringing it in the "Thermos Ultimate Flask" (280 grams for the 500ml version) in my opinion.

    If you do want to heat water during a trip, the Fire-Maple FMS-300T is probably the lightest and smallest gas burner you can get, and probably more convenient than an alcohol stove.

    That said, using an alcohol stove can be just a pleasure in itself. At least the Trangia is, the other stove I own, the AntiGravityGear BCS-2 ("tin man"), is a frustration if you want more than heating water.

    Next in my quest for the perfect stove will probably be the Clikstand, maybe in combination (if it fits) with a StarLyte burner.

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  15. Peter1/3/14, 7:17 PM

    If you're going to carry premade coffee with you, you can combine both cup and Thermos with the double-walled OXO LiquiSeal Travel Mug. It's stainless, has a sealed click-open spout, and fits most handlebar cup holders. I've even stuck it in a bottle cage without incident.

    If you want to prep your coffee on the road, Bodum allows you to eliminate the standalone press as well with the stainless Travel Press. Like the OXO, it's a sealed double-wall stainless vessel (the spout is flimsier than the OXO) - put it incorporates a built-in press mechanism. The press is fiddly: If you don't get just the right grind and volume for the grounds, you get either unextracted coffee or a lot of sludge :b

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  16. A1/8/14, 1:45 PM

    For a non fiddly solution that produces some of the best coffee on the road, after testing some options on the road, my preference is an aero press.

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