Originally Posted by
TulsaJohn
What is the difference between the Sigg and a Trangia? They seem fairly similar so why not just buy a Trangia if they are less expensive?
I think part of the problem was that the Svea had a very small sized pot support, not much different than some of the smaller butane stoves today. And it had virtually no wind protection. So, the Sigg Tourist pot supports replaced the Svea pot support and provided extremely stable support with reasonable wind protection. And the pots could not slide off of the Sigg pot supports. Big improvement.
And at that time, there were very few good stoves on the market for backpacking. It pretty much was the Svea, Optimus 8R, or the more rare Phoebus (I think the number was 725?). There were a few other derivations on the Primus/Optimus list, the Primus 71, the Optimus 99, etc. If you wanted Butane, there was the Gaz Bluet with the puncture containers, but that was not very popular where I lived, not good in cold and terrible in wind.
The Sigg Tourist was the only cooking kit that was specifically designed for one of those common stoves. And it was extremely well thought out and very light.
I am not familiar with the Trangia system. But in the 1970s, the Sigg Tourist was the clear winner for a small cook kit. I still have a Sigg Tourist but have not used it for at least a decade. My Svea, the last trip I used that on was in 2014 when I backpacked Grand Canyon.
I am not saying the Sigg Tourist had a cult following, but a lot of people were really happy after they bought it.