Vargo Titanium Triad Multi-Fuel Stove - Solid Titanium Construction, Lightweight, and Versatile

This little stove is an outstanding choice for backpackers who want to keep their packs light and their gear simple. It definitely qualifies as a minimalist stove with just the stove body itself and the only moving parts being the legs and pot supports. It has good overall stability due the short foldout legs which can be firmly placed in the ground. The diameter of the pot supports is just right for most backpacker's cook pots (typically in the 450mg - 750mg capacity range). In my use of this particular stove, I've found the fuel efficiency to be on par with most other alcohol fueled stoves. In controlled tests (indoors at room temp) the stove burns consistently for 19-20 minutes using one once of fuel (HEET... yellow bottle). And it brings 2 cups of water to a roiling boil in 10 minutes. Having used countless DIY alcohol fueled stoves over the years, both of these stats are double what I've found using DIY variations. However, when accounting for the Triad's total burn time it comes out fairly equally. One MAJOR issue that I (and many others) encounter with this stove is it's incredibly long bloom time, as well as it's inability to bloom at all if it isn't filled to capacity with fuel. This is VERY easily remedied by using a priming tray however. I simply bring along a small piece of aluminum foil and quickly fashion it into a priming tray (see photos). By adding a few drops of fuel to the priming tray, placing it beneath the stove, and lighting it.. the time to full bloom is reduced to a mere 20 seconds. This method also has the added bonus of allowing you to use only a half of an ounce of fuel in the stove while still remaining fully functional. This helps reduce the overall amount of fuel used and is perfect for getting that exact 10 minute boil time... with absolutely no precious fuel going to waste 👍All in all, this is a great lil' stove for backpacking. It is a bit expensive for an alcohol fueled stove in my humble opinion, but if you don't mind the price then this is the stove to get 👍Thanks for reading this review 🙏

UPDATE: I added a star to my review below. I took the advice of other reviewers and decided to try a primer pan underneath this stove to make it bloom faster. WOW! It works remarkably well. It blooms very fast - in seconds - by just using a few drops of alcohol in a pan below the stove and lighting that first. I used the concave bottom of a soda water can as another reviewer suggested. I like that I can carry the primer pan under the folded legs (see pics.) Frankly, however, i kind of resent having to use this mod to get this stove to work as the directions say it will ( I still don’t believe Vargo’s “ will bloom in 30-60 seconds” claim; it took me well over 4 minutes on multiple indoor tests.) Vargo should create a design that integrates a primer or quit making unrealistic claims. That said, with a primer modification, this thing is an awesome stove. If Vargo would figure out a primer pan integrated design, this would be the best alcohol stove on the planet.OLD REVIEW: I'll cut to the chase, this stove took over 5 minutes to bloom indoors, with no wind, at room temperature in my first two tests. I used the 1.5 oz. of fuel as directed.The package and Vargo website say the stove should bloom in 30 to 60 seconds. If I haven't been able to accomplish that INDOORS. I'm not comfortable relying on this product in the backcountry. Too bad, because the build quality is great, and the design is really cool (though the pot support legs are wider than I'd prefer for my Esbit 750 ml ti pot.)I'm gonna contact Vargo directly. I don't like to return gear, but I'm not sure this product lives up to its claims.

This is only my initial impression. I haven't cooked on the Triad yet, though based on reviews and tips, I think it will perform as advertised. I got the Triad to see if it can be an alternative to the BRS3000T titanium stove. My only concern would be the pot supports which open slightly outward giving an 89mm diameter, which barely supports my 95mm diameter 650ml titanium pot. The supports touch the very edges of my pot. In order for it to be more secure, I think I'll have to make the pot supports stand up straight (90 degrees) to reduce it's diameter, and I think the rivets are tight enough to hold it at that position, even with a pot full of water (about 2 cups). I would not attempt this with a larger or heavier pot of the same diameter. As for weight, for those who are curious, the Triad with a 150ml bottle of ethanol weighs 180g, while the BRS3000T with the small 3.9oz/110g fuel canister weighs 222g. The difference of 1.5oz/42g, to me, is insignificant. Which cooking setup to take will depend on availability of fuel and performance expectations. For short trips the alcohol stove wins due to its lighter weight, but for long trips, you'll have to bring more fuel relative to the butane setup because the alcohol stove only has half the BTUs of butane.Update: After using the Triad, I can confirm that the pot supports can be adjusted to a more upright position, and the rivets are tight enough to hold my 95mm titanium pot with 500ml (2 cups) of water. You just have to be gentle in setting the pot on the stove. I might shave off the tips of the pot supports to give them more contact with my pot when in the upright position. I used the aluminium bottom of a tea light as a priming cup and placed it under the stove. In less than a minute the jets started working. Total time to boil 2 cups was 11 min. which is fine with me since I am usually not in a hurry. I used ethyl alcohol (95.5% ethanol) purchased from a drugstore. It burned cleanly and there was no soot on my pot. After a 11-min burn time, the alcohol was still right at the hole of the stove (I filled it only about 2-3mm above the hole. Very economical indeed. One problem I had was pouring back the alcohol into the container since it was still pretty full. The first pour will trickle from the stove legs, and the remaining fuel will trickle from the pot supports. It will take some practice but for sure you will end up spilling some fuel, possibly more than what you consumed during cooking. The thing is, the stove is meant to be used with a full load of fuel, so you cannot simply put in a little fuel. Lastly, it probably wouldn't be wise to store the stove inside your cook pot since there will somehow be residual alcohol in the stove that could impart taste to your pot.