Trangia Triangel Spirit Stove

The Trangia Triangle stove is a folding stainless steel burner support with a windshield, made in Sweden, that packs down small enough to keep in a cupboard, a car boot or a backpack. It is sold either with a spirit burner (the Triangle stove SB) or with a gas burner (the Triangle stove GB), and the frame accepts a spirit, gas or gel burner. For a household preparing for a power cut, it is a compact way to boil water and heat food when the electric hob will not work¹.

The important thing to understand before you buy one is that this is an outdoor stove. Trangia says its stoves can be used indoors only with good ventilation, a fireproof surface, free space above and around, constant supervision and in line with local rules, and the fire and rescue service is blunt that the carbon monoxide a camping stove produces can kill⁴. Used outdoors, or indoors in an emergency with the room ventilated and a carbon monoxide alarm working, it gives you a hot drink and a hot meal when the power is off.

This page sets out what the stove is, which burner and fuel it takes, how to use and refuel it safely, how to store it so it is ready when you need it, and where to go for support and spare parts. It is written for an ordinary UK household with no camping background.

What the Trangia Triangle stove is

The Triangle is best understood as a stand and a windshield rather than a stove in its own right. The stainless steel frame folds out to hold a burner at the right height under a pan, and the windshield panels shield the flame from wind so it burns efficiently outdoors. Trangia describes it as a compact and light burner support including windshield, and the maker's own listing calls it a smart, flat-packed set that works as a compact side stove⁸.

The frame is designed to take pans or kettles over 10cm in diameter, so it will sit under most household saucepans and a standard camping kettle¹. Packed, it measures 44.0cm by 16.5cm by 16.5cm, which is long and thin rather than boxy: the sort of shape that slides down the side of a cupboard, under a car seat or into a rucksack¹. The maker's listing describes it as ultra-lightweight and portable, folding to credit card size, which refers to the folded frame rather than the packed set with a burner¹.

There are two versions on sale, and the difference matters when you are choosing:

Both versions use the same stainless steel frame and both can be used with the spirit burner, gas burner or gel burner, so the frame is not tied to one fuel². The maker's listing for the Triangle notes that the burner is not included in every listing, so check what you are buying: some listings are the frame alone, and you add the burner you want¹.

The 2022 version of the ring was redesigned to give a more stable attachment to the windshields, and the rings are polished to remove black marks after welding². That redesign also means the ring can be placed flat in the small Mess tin so you can pack the spirit burner at the same time, which is useful if you are keeping the set packed and ready³.

Spirit Burner (SB): the burner it uses

SB stands for Spirit Burner. The Triangle stove SB is the version supplied with Trangia's spirit burner, and its fuel type is listed simply as spirit². The same frame is sold as the Triangle stove GB with the gas burner, which runs on propane or butane gas³. If you already own a Trangia spirit burner, or you prefer spirit fuel, the SB version is the one to look for.

The frame is not restricted to the burner it ships with. Trangia states that the Triangle can be used with the spirit burner, gas burner or gel burner, so you can change the burner to suit the fuel you can store or the way you want to cook². Trangia lists its burners as a separate product category, and its spirit burner range runs to 48 products, so replacement and alternative burners are available from the maker⁹.

On fuel, Trangia's own guidance names La Hacienda Bio Ethanol and FireDragon Ethanol as recommended spirit fuels for England¹⁰. Use only the fuel the maker specifies for your burner, and follow the maker's filling and lighting instructions. Spirit is a flammable liquid, so fill the burner before you light it, never while it is lit or still hot, and keep the fuel bottle away from the flame. Our guide to what fuel to use in a spirit burner and how much covers quantities and fuel choice in more detail.

If you are weighing up whether to run your backup cooking on gas cartridges or spirit, our comparison of gas cartridge or spirit burner stoves sets the two side by side. The Triangle's advantage for a household is that one frame can take either, so you are not locked into a fuel you cannot easily store.

Safe use and refuelling indoors and outdoors

This is the section to read before you use the stove for the first time, and again before you use it in an emergency. The stove is designed for outdoor use. Trangia describes the Triangle as a side stove for use with your Trangia stove, or a convenient setup for your morning coffee outdoors². The fire and rescue service says camping stoves are designed for use outdoors in well-ventilated areas, and that the carbon monoxide they produce can kill and the heat they produce will set a tent on fire⁵.

Trangia does allow indoor use, but only on conditions. The maker's guidance is that you can use a Trangia stove indoors, keeping in mind good ventilation, a fireproof surface, free space above and around, constant supervision, and following local regulations, laws and injunctions⁴. The maker's use and care guide adds that you should make sure there is free space above and around the stove so that nothing can catch alight¹¹. Trangia suggests choosing the spirit burner or gas burner if you need to use indoors¹².

For a household using the stove during a power cut, the practical rules are:

• Use it outdoors wherever you can. A garden, a balcony with care, or a well-ventilated outbuilding is safer than a kitchen⁵.
• If you must use it indoors, ventilate the room and keep it supervised for the whole time it is lit, on a fireproof surface with nothing flammable above or around it¹¹.
• Have a carbon monoxide alarm working. Carbon monoxide is odourless, and the risk persists even when a stove or barbecue is cooling down¹³.
• Never use it in a tent, caravan, garage or other confined space. The fire and rescue service warns the carbon monoxide can kill, and carbon monoxide risk areas include garages⁵.
• Never refuel a lit or hot burner. Let it cool completely before you top it up, and store spirit fuel away from the flame.

The fire and rescue service's winter safety guidance makes the same point about patio heaters and barbecues: they pose a fire risk and a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning⁷. Our page on whether it is safe to use a camping stove indoors goes through the conditions in more detail, and our camping stoves for a power cut guide helps you choose between types.

Storing the stove and fuel for an emergency

The Triangle is well suited to being kept ready rather than used every weekend. Trangia's own listing says it is perfect for emergency preparedness, keeping in your car, or packing in your backpack when you want to be ready⁸. That is the maker's framing, and it fits the way a household should think about it: a stove that lives in a cupboard with its fuel and a lighter, checked now and then, so that a power cut does not mean a cold meal.

The 2022 ring redesign helps here. Because the ring can be placed flat in the small Mess tin, you can pack the spirit burner at the same time, so the frame and burner travel together as one set³. Keep the set in its cover, which the maker lists as F74 for the SB version, so the frame does not rattle around or get damaged in storage².

A sensible way to keep it ready:

• Store the frame, burner, fuel and a lighter together in one box or bag, so nothing is missing when you need it³.
• Keep the fuel bottle sealed and upright, away from heat and out of reach of children, and check it before winter.
• Check the set before the heating season, and again if a storm warning is issued, so you know the burner lights and the fuel is not stale.
• Keep a carbon monoxide alarm in the room where you would use it indoors, and test it regularly¹¹.
• Keep a torch handy for the power cut itself, so you are not lighting the stove in the dark¹³.

Being prepared is the point of the exercise. Wessex Water's advice on oil storage makes the general case for being prepared and having an emergency plan in place, and the same logic applies to a backup stove: the time to check it is before you need it¹⁶. A community emergency plan for a Devon village puts the indoor rule plainly: a camping stove and fuel should only be used indoors in an emergency, always on a stable surface, in a well-ventilated area, with a carbon monoxide detector¹⁷.

Our backup stove kit checklist lists everything to keep with the stove, and the before-winter checklist for your heating and stove helps you time the checks. If you are building a wider plan, the heating and cooking without mains power or gas guide sets the stove alongside other options.

Using it during a power cut

When the electricity goes off, an electric oven and hob probably will not work, and Citizens Advice suggests a camping stove or portable gas stove to boil water or cook food on, used outdoors⁶. That is exactly the job the Triangle is built for: a small flame under a pan, enough for a hot drink, a pan of soup or a boiled egg, without needing mains power.

The stove itself needs no electricity, so it works in any outage. What it cannot do is heat a room: it is a cooking stove, not a heater, and using it to warm a space would mean running it indoors for long periods, which is precisely what the safety advice warns against⁵. For warmth, our guides to keeping one room warm when the heating fails and portable heaters are the place to start.

A few practical points for the night of a power cut:

• Keep a torch handy, as the official guidance advises, so you can find the stove and fuel without lighting a flame in the dark¹³.
• Set the stove up outdoors or in a well-ventilated space, on a stable, fireproof surface, with nothing flammable above or around it¹¹.
• Cook simple things that need one pan and a short boil, and let the burner cool before refuelling.
• Keep the room ventilated if you are indoors, and keep a carbon monoxide alarm working¹⁸.
• Check on neighbours who may not have a backup stove, and point them to warm spaces and warm hubs if they need somewhere warm.

Power cuts often come with storms, and the official advice in Wales and Northern Ireland is to keep a torch handy and be ready for the power to go off¹⁵. Our power cuts guide covers the wider household plan, and the emergency kit section helps you keep the right things together.

Maker support and spare parts

Trangia supports its stoves through its own website, with use and care guides and a frequently asked questions section that covers indoor use and burner choice¹¹. The maker's product pages give the specifications for each version, including the article number, material, burner and fuel, so you can confirm exactly what you have before ordering anything².

The burner is the part most likely to need replacing over time, and Trangia sells burners as a separate category, including the spirit burner range⁸. Because the Triangle frame accepts the spirit, gas or gel burner, you can replace a worn burner or switch fuel type without replacing the frame¹. Check the maker's support pages and spare parts listings for the burner that matches your version, and use the article number to confirm compatibility.

The maker's listing for the Triangle notes that the burner is not included in every listing, so if you are buying a replacement or a second burner, check what is in the box¹. The cover for the SB version is listed as F74, which is the part to look for if the cover is lost or damaged².

For the wider Trangia range, including the larger and smaller spirit stoves, see our Trangia brand page and the guides to the Trangia 25 large spirit stove, the Trangia 27 small spirit stove and the Mini Trangia spirit stove. If you are choosing between a spirit stove and a gas cartridge stove for your household, the gas or spirit stoves comparison sets out the trade-offs.