How to Choose a Backpacking Stove
Vargo Triad Multi-Fuel Stove
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On thru-hikes and long-distance treks when resupply options are inconsistent or unknown, the Vargo Triad multi-fuel stove burns fuel tabs or gels for all-season, all-terrain performance.
Shop similar products- Durable, solid titanium design requires minimal maintenance; it features a wide filling hole for fast fueling and multi-fuel capability for burning fuel tabs and gels
- Indented well on the bottom provides additional fueling options when the stove is flipped over
- Folding arms and legs serve as both pot supports and anchors, depending on which side of the stove is being used; they also make it compact for storage
Imported.
View all Vargo Backpacking Stoves| Best Use | Backpacking |
|---|---|
| Fuel Type | Liquid |
| Fuel | Alcohol / Esbit Fuel Tablets |
| Burn Time (Max Flame) | 20 minutes |
| Average Boil Time (1L) | 12 min. |
| Dimensions | 2.75 x 2.75 x 1.25 inches |
| Liquid Capacity (L) | 0.044 liters |
| Liquid Capacity (fl. oz.) | 1.5 fluid ounces |
| Weight | 1 ounce |
| Sustainability | From a Climate Neutral Certified brand |
Buying Advice
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Jun J
Light, compact, economical, and misunderstood.
5 years ago
I have version 2.0, or the one with the bigger hole. With a simple hack, this stove performs really well. Using the aluminium bottom of a tea light as a priming cup, add a few drops of alcohol, and place it under the stove. Light the stove first, then the priming cup. In less than a minute, the fuel in the stove vaporizes and the jets start to work! It isn't the fastest in boiling water but it does the job. If you're always in a hurry, buy a canister stove instead. Use alcohol that doesn't impart a lot of soot. I use ethyl alcohol (95.5% ethanol) which burns cleanly with no soot on my pot. Avoid isopropyl alcohol. This stove is quite economical as well. After boiling 2 cups of water, you end up putting back plenty of unused fuel in your fuel container. Let the fuel drip from one of the legs into your container. It will take a little practice to avoid spilling the fuel. Also, the stove is meant to be used with a full load of fuel, so you cannot simply put in a little fuel. You have to fill it until a tiny pool forms above the hole. Lastly, like all alcohol stoves, performance is greatly improved when used with a windscreen. Just cut off the tops of a beer can (that will fit into your pot when stored) and you're good to go. Overall, because it has integrated pot stands and the ability to use fuel cubes, this is probably the most compact and versatile alcohol stove in the market today.
Yes , I recommend this product
Turk
Phoenix AZ and Hiking AT
Good stove
6 years ago
I understand the one negative review, but I think there is a little learning curve with this stove. You can’t overfill it or it doesn’t heat as well. Also, I would say a wind screen is a must. I forgot my wind screen on my trip recently and had to stack some rocks around it to focus the heat on my pot. (My pot is more narrow than some, snow peak soloist). Once I realized more fuel isn’t better the stove worked fine enough to boil 2 cups of water and warm another mug to “pretty hot” (vapor coming off the top and hit enough for hot cocoa or instant coffee). You won’t be cooking over this stove, but boil bag recipes are great with it.
Yes , I recommend this product
Nathan
Good, but awesome with a little hack
4 years ago
Tiny, light, durable, all the stuff the description says. One thing to make sure to do though is to get a bottle cap or some other small container that you can put some fuel in and slide underneath the stove to rapidly speed up the bloom time and efficiency. A bottle cap fits nicely under the legs when collapsed and with just a bit of fuel in the cap I got the stove to bloom almost immediately with less than 1/2oz of 200 proof ethanol.
Yes , I recommend this product
AndrewB123
Denver, CO
Light as a feather
5 years ago
Honestly, fantastic. It astounds me how light this camp stove is, and how it gets you a flame to cook on wherever you are. It takes me about 7-8 minutes to boil 750mL of water using the aluminum windscreen, but what's the rush. You'll read occasionally that a primer pan is a MUST with the Vargo Triad, as the stove creates jets within seconds if the stove is heated from below while burning. Otherwise it takes a good while... I use the bottom 1/8" of a pop can with a little fuel in it as the primer pan, and it doubles as a snuffer when you want to save fuel. With this one trick, it has never failed me! Awesome awesome product. Also I've only ever used gas station Heet in the yellow bottle as the fuel, but I love how convenient it is to grab fuel at any gas station across the country. For weekend trips, I fill a 3oz listerine travel bottle with fuel and it's good for an hour of flame total through the weekend. Nice not ever having to worry about canisters ever.
Yes , I recommend this product
thedude
Los Angeles
Great quality, takes time to prime
4 years ago
The stove is relatively light and self contained in that it has a built in pot stand but you will also need a windscreen and keep in mind the included pot stand is a small albeit stable platform. The stove in ideal conditions with quality denatured alcohol takes about 3-5 minutes to prime which could be annoying to some folks it will take longer in cold weather. Once properly heated the alcohol will vaporize and flames will begin to exit through the gas jets on the perimeter of the stove providing excellent heating performance. You can begin cooking before the stove is fully primed but be prepared to wait about 12 minutes for a rapid boil of 2 cups of water at sea level in 70 degree weather with no wind. There are lighter and faster systems out there though this stove is very well made and should last a lifetime. You can easily flip it over and burn fuel tablets as well which is nice and what were the feet become the pot stand. All in all a light weight system in a small package for the user who has a little extra patience and appreciates the build quality and built in stand. You'll need to use quality fuel to get good performance or your wait times will be even longer.
Age:45–54
Yes , I recommend this product
bikeboy
Sunnyvale, CA
Like a beer-can stove but tough.
4 years ago
I have quite a collection of stoves, but I've been using alcohol-fueled "beer can" stoves on my lightweight trips for the past few years. I've been very happy with them, _except_ for always being nervous about accidentally crushing my stove! I hoped the Vargo Triad would put my mind at ease. The stove seems to be just as efficient as the aluminum can stoves; the trick (as mentioned by others) is to prime the stove with a bit of alcohol in a bottle cap or aluminum pan _under_ the stove. The stove will work without this step, but you need to fill it up; it works much better this way, and you can pour a smaller amount of fuel in. The legs work well to support the stove and the pot. The jets are a little more vertical than on my beer-can stove, and thus work with narrow pots, or silicone-sided pots like the Sea to Summit X-Pot Kettle. I found the Triad to be easier to blow out than my other alcohol stoves; all alcohol stoves are more susceptible to wind and require a windscreen, but it's nice to be able to easily blow it out if your cooking is done before the fuel is used up. The remaining fuel can be poured back into your container, once the stove has cooled off, using one of the legs as a pouring guide. It's a little tricky as first, especially if there's still a lot of fuel in the stove, but you get the hang of it quickly. Technically, it weighs more than an aluminum can stove, and it needs the additional priming step... but it's efficient, doesn't need a separate pot stand, and it's not going to leave you stoveless if you accidentally step on it.
Age:45–54
Yes , I recommend this product
CaptJack
Cincinnati, OH
Works as advertised!
7 years ago
I don’t understand all of the bad reviews. This stove works well and isn’t as wasteful when priming compared to other similar stoves. For the weight it’s great that it includes the pot stand legs. I will admit it’s not as hot as some other stoves but it still boiled two cups of water in 6 minutes on a gusty day. It also seems to use about 1/4 less fuel compared to my other stoves for the same amount of water to boil.
Yes , I recommend this product
Zach
A good fit
5 years ago
Simple little stove, light weight, and of course compact. All in all a good fit in my pack.
Zanshin
Sacramento CA
In a word, rubish.
7 years ago
This thing is junk. It works about as well as a very small can of sterno. In my own kitchen it wouldn’t boil water. I bought it for the built in pot stand. The problem is that the center hole is too small. The heat from the flame isn’t sufficient to vaporize the fuel in the outer chamber, producing enough pressure to provide a proper jet like flame. I’ve built seven alcohol stoves from pop cans and had better results for less money. I’m weary of Vargo’s unsuccessful attempts at alcohol stoves and will never purchase another. I’d rate it negative stars if I could.
No, I do not recommend this product
Francus
Charlotte, NC
Love it!
5 years ago
I just received this stove and the windscreen Vargo makes for it and have put it though some tests in my garage before taking it out on the trail. I am very pleased with the stove and look forward to using it. I have been using a MSR Wisperlight International for a very long time and decided to try an alcohol stove to shave some weight off my pack. 1) MSR Whisperlight: weight of stove, windscreen, 8oz fuel bottle w/4 oz of white gas, pump = 22.81 oz/323.75g Boil time for 1.5 cup water: 2 minutes Set up: 2 minutes 2) Vargo stove: weight of stove, windscreen, 8oz fuel bottle w/8 oz of ethyl alcohol = 10.1 ounces/277g Boil time for 1.5 cup water: 1:30 to bloom, 6:54 to boil (from match strike) 3) Vargo stove with priming cup made from bottom of beer can. Weight of stove, windscreen, priming pan, 80z fuel bottle w/8 oz of ethyl alcohol = 10.16/288g Boil time for 1.5 cup water, priming cup lit first: 0:30 to bloom, 5:41 to boil (from match strike) My conclusions: MSR Whisperlite: By the time you add set up time, the MSR is a few minutes quicker for the boil, but with about 12 ounces additional weight. It doesn't sound like much, but on long slogs every bit you can shave off your pack weight helps. That said, I can see where the MSR would be preferable in extremely cold temperatures or at high altitudes, both of which I do, which is why I got the Whisperlite in the first place. That said, from what I can glean around the internet, many users of alcohol stoves don't report issues at very high altitude or extreme cold, other than either priming an alcohol stove or keeping the fuel warm before use. Similar issues are reported with the fuel in canister stoves. Your mileage may vary so do some research. Alcohol weighs more per BTU than white gas. From what I've read the weight savings of a white gas stove vs. an alcohol stove is lost for trips longer than two weeks. Additionally, if you use Everclear as a fuel, the fuel itself can take the place of other items you carry in your pack such as alcohol swabs for wound cleaning. Plus your whisperlite weighs 15 ounces plus the white gas. Even if you take a two week trip with the alcohol weighing the same at the start, at the end of the trip your whisperlite still weighs 15 ounces plus a smidge for the white gas. The Vargo weighs 1 ounce plus a smidge for the alcohol. You carried less for most of the trip. On the other side of the coin, this stove, like most alcohol stoves, has no moving parts in the burner so nothing to fix or go wrong either. For a whisperlite, you have a pump mechanism to worry about as well as the flame adjustment knob. While mine has never broken on the trail, I have spent time breaking it down to replace gaskets and make sure all the soot is out of the burner when not on the trail. Vargo: Setup is very easy and it very light.....and small! Plus the stove, windscreen, and priming pan fits in the titanium cup I use to boil my water. Boil time is slightly longer without the homemade priming pan and using one will add about 11g to your kit. For me, shaving 12oz/.75lbs off my pack is worth the few extra minutes it takes with this stove. Overall I would highly recommend this stove for most people. If you need to cook food over the fire instead of heating water for freeze dried food it may not be up to the task, but water is just fine. if you do cooking for multiple people on a trip then this may take too long for you, but for one or two people it is just fine. I look forward to taking this out on the trail. Tip from a review I read while researching alcohol stoves: Use a plastic bottle for the alcohol and put a drop or two of food coloring in the fuel. It makes it easier to see the level of the fuel in the bottle.
Yes , I recommend this product
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