Long Term Report

Vargo Triad Titanium Stove

Date: September 28th, 2005

Reviewer Information

Name: Jim Sabiston
Age: 51
Height: 6’ 3” (1.9 m)
Weight: 207 lb (94 kg)
Email address: JimSabis(at)aol(dot)com
State: New York
Country: USA

Backpacking Background:

I’ve been camping since my teens. My outdoor activities include backpacking, canoeing, sea kayaking, snowshoeing, mountaineering and cross country skiing. I have expanded my backpacking to include winter mountaineering, back country skiing and ski backpacking. I have received winter mountaineering training with Chauvin International Climbing Guides. I actively study ways to backpack lighter and more efficiently. During the summer months, my style tends toward very light, but not quite ultralight. I use a hammock or tarp for warm weather, and a small four season tent for winter trips. Most of my other gear is very changeable, as I am constantly experimenting with gear and techniques.

Product Information:

Manufacturer: Vargo Outdoors, LLC
Year of Manufacture: 2004
URL: www.vargooutdoors.com

Manufacturers Specifications:
- Diameter (burner): 2.36 in (60mm)
- Diameter (opened): 3.35 in (85 mm)
- Height (collapsed): 1 in (2.5 cm)
- Weight: 1 oz ( 28 g)
- Fuel: Denatured Alcohol
- Fuel Capacity: 1.75 oz (52 ml)
MSRP : $29.99 US

Stove Specifications as measured:
- Diameter (burner): 2.36 in (60mm)
- Diameter (opened): 3.7 in (94 mm) note: This is true diameter as extrapolated across the stove body. Measuring ‘point to point’ across the leg tips give a dimension approximating 85mm.
- Height (collapsed): 1 in (2.5 cm)
- Weight: 1.16 oz (33 g)
- Fuel Capacity: 1.75 oz (52ml)

Special Note:

Responding to the consistent reports of flare-ups with the Triad, Vargo re-issued the testers replacement stoves. Apparently, there was a defect in the original manufacturing run in which the two stove halves were not properly sealed. This resulted in fuel leakage around the mating seam when the stove heated during the priming cycle. I am pleased to report that the newer model has exhibited none of the tendency to flare that the original did. An additional improvement, at least on the stove I received, is the leg hinges are now stiff enough that the legs remain in place when either open or closed. This makes the stove much easier to handle and pack and seems a bit more stable when cooking. These two changes have raised my opinion of the Triad considerably.

The Vargo Triad Titanium Stove:

The Triad Stove consists of a grey, titanium, disc shaped body, which itself is comprised of an upper and lower section which appear to have been pressed together, with the upper half fitting over the lower half. The upper section has a ring of 28 very small holes just inside the radiused outer edge. The center of the upper body is occupied by a concave depression. There is a small hole, approximately 1/8 in (3 mm) in diameter, with a series of eight very small holes surrounding the center holes. Peering inside the stove, I can just barely see a filler material of some sort. The web site data refers to this as being cotton.

One of the most obvious and notable features of the Triad Stove are the folding legs. There are three leg assemblies, each of which consists of a top and bottom leg. Each leg is held to its mount with a rivet which doubles as a pivot so the leg can be opened or folded against the stove body. The leg assemblies are spot welded to the stove body. The design is such that the legs fold flat against the top and bottom of the stove body, making for a very compact package. When fully opened, the legs splay outwards until they rest against their mounts, making for a very stable design.

Please see my Initial Report for more details on the Triad’s construction.

Long Term Experience:

I suspected one of the likely advantages of using titanium in a stove like this would be durability and this has proven to be the case. The stove is very rugged and handles typical backpacking abuse with aplomb. The titanium has started to become darkened and stained with use, but this is normal for any stove and is strictly cosmetic. Other than the discoloration, the stove shows little, if any, wear at all. There is no reason to think that this little stove wouldn’t last for many years.

Please see my Field Report for more detailed field usage.

General comments on use:

The defining characteristic of the Triad, from a usage standpoint, is the ‘long burn’. This stove is great for the bulk heating of water. Just fill it up, light it, and boil a pot of water and then use the remaining fuel to finish cooking dinner. If I adapt my cooking to suit this characteristic, the stove is as efficient as any other alcohol stove I’ve used. My cooking sequence runs something like this:

I fill my MSR Alpine Kettle nearly to the brim and install the pot’s cover. I fill the Triad with alcohol and light it. I immediately place the pot on the stove, with the windscreen already in place. This utilizes the priming time to heat the pot and water a bit. When the water boils, I pour off the portion allotted to my tea into a separate cup and place the pot with the remaining water back on the Triad. I then dump the ingredients of my dinner into the boiling water and carefully stir. The triad will typically burn for another five to seven minutes or more, sufficient to completely cook a typical Lipton Side Dish meal, or similar. At this point the Triad exhausts its fuel and dinner is ready to be wolfed down!

The down side of the design is its lack of flexibility. It excels in the ‘big burn’ scenario described above. As this is a pretty typical use for me, I find the stove is very functional and a good performer. But, it is really a ‘one trick pony’. The Triad does not simmer, nor will it prime with a light full load, say if I wanted just a cup of tea. It is possible to drain unused fuel, but it is messy and the stove always seems to retain enough alcohol to leak into my pack afterwards. Accordingly, I find myself adapting to the ‘big burn’ method with little fuss. This is not necessarily a bad thing if it suits one’s style. The alternative is to just let any excess fuel burn off. This is OK for a weekend trip, but would prove wasteful for longer excursions.

Summary:

Likes:

1 – Very clever, self-contained design.
2 – Titanium construction is light and strong.

Dislikes:

1 – I would prefer it if the stove could hold smaller diameter pots. This would likely compromise the stability of larger pots, though. I guess one can’t have everything.

I really like the concept behind the Vargo Triad. The cleverness behind the design cannot be denied. I really like the idea that the stove supplies its own stand and pot stand, eliminating the need for extra bits to be carried around. I also really like the way the Triad folds up and all but disappears into my galley kit when not being used. With a bit of refinement, this could really be a top notch item.

The ‘big burn’ requisite demanded by the design of the stove is easy enough for me to adapt to, especially during colder weather when lots of hot water is a good thing to have around. I don’t mind it much in warmer weather, I just adapt my cooking needs to suit the stove, but I’m pretty flexible this way. I have also taken to carrying a secondary stove, a small aluminum alcohol stove of my own design, as a spare. This smaller stove does duty as the ‘1 cup of tea’ stove that the Triad is overkill for. That is one of the advantages of the very small size and light weight of these stoves. I can carry two different types for different purposes with a negligible weight penalty and with the added benefit of some redundancy if one stove should be lost or damaged.

Used like this, the Vargo Triad will be a regular part of my warm weather cooking gear.