[pct-l] Fuel Usage - Vargo Triad

[Shian Sung]

Hey Daniel,

I have used the original Triad for all my longer hikes including the AT and
PCT and recently upgraded to the XE as well. The ability to use fuel
tablets is an added convenience or if you're just going out for a night or
two but definitely not for a longer trip due to expense. It's a fantastic,
versatile stove.

Regarding how the Triad performs, you can absolutely boil enough water for
a dinner for two with one (and probably less than one) full 1.25 oz burn.
How much you need and how close you'll cut it depends on what exactly
constitutes a dinner for two and the kind of methods you're using. I find
my alcohol stove (and most alcohol stoves) perform great when you use just
about enough to boil exactly how much water you need to use, then put in
what you're reconstituting and remove the pot from the flame and insulate
it (I usually use my beanie, which then has the bonus of being nice and
warm when I put it back on my head). After a couple weeks you'll find
through experimentation exactly how much fuel you'll need.

For a fuel container, in the past I bought two identical bottled water or
soda bottles. I keep one and the cap from another and drill a very small
hole in the cap from the second bottle. Then I carry the bottle (filled
with as much fuel as I need) as well as the extra cap (which now has a
squirt ability) when I need to fill the stove up. Make sure to label the
soda bottle appropriately so no one takes a big swig of denatured alcohol.
I switched to something very similar to the Vargo fuel bottle recently,
which works just fine and is only $2.50 on their website.

Let me know if you have more questions regarding this particular stove but
I have really enjoyed using it. I've made my own alcohol stoves but the
Triad folds up to a very small footprint and is extremely durable as i've
used it on many big hikes since 2005 and it's as good as it ever was, so I
keep using it.

-Shian / Barrel Roll