My Optimus Svea 123R Setup.
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- Опубліковано 27 лис 2024
- I got nostalgic for when I had an Optimus climber stove. So, i bought a new Optimus Svea123R.
Here is how i set it up and how it performs.
I got the parts to make up the kit at these links but they are also available elsewhere.
Trangia:
Pot. trangia.se/en/...
Lid.
trangia.se/en/...
Yellow bag.
trangia.se/en/...
Soto micro lifter is available on many websites including Amazon. I obtained mine from outdoorweb.cz
www.outdoorweb...
The mesh bag was part of a generic Amazon ser
amzn.eu/d/06nUTis
The insulating pad I had lying around and cut down but any closed cell foam will do.
👍👍👍 .. a very nice setup and demonstration .. but then, I'm a convert 😏.
I have it's Cousin, the Optimus 8R Hunter (same Burner Mechanism but with different packaging) which I bought new in the latter 1970's and still use regularly.
The only maintenance that I have done on it was replacing the Graphite Seal in the Burner Control Stuffing Box about 12 years back and just recently, the Gasket in the Fuel Tank Cap. It wasn't leaking but was looking a wee bit 'flat' and as it had done service for over 45 years, what the heck.
The Camping Gaz 'Globetrotter' was my first ever Gas Stove buy .. waaay back. Unfortunately the 106 gas canisters are not longer made but similar to you, I now use the Burner Head on the longer 206 Bluet setup. This allows me to retain the Globetrotter Pots. I still have a small stash of 106 canisters for 'special occasions'.
Judging by your demo, you are familiar with your stove and know what you are doing 👍.
A tip .. if I may please? From an Instructor in the Swedish Military. After using the stove, rather let it cool down before activating the Cleaning Needle. If the burner head is very hot, the needle can become 'welded' in the Burner Jet, thus necessitating the repair / replacement thereof. He spoke from experience .. that of more than one new conscript who did not heed the advice given and which resulted in them having to 'run around' for some time carrying a full pack loadout, in order to 'get their heads right' 😁.
Thanks for the share. Here in Switzerland, we are going into the colder months .. I think that I must get the 8R out and into the forest.
Take care ..
@@thomasmusso1147 Excellent tip regarding the needle for the 123R. Luckily I never had that happen but I can see how it would be possible. Stripping down the R version and putting it back together requires you to get the toothed part with the needle on it set up perfectly. It can be a pain but I see you are very au fait with stove workings.
The 8r is a lovely bit of kit. I may have to acquire one.
Thanks for watching and commenting. I've pinned your comment as it is very useful advice.
@@BrokenBackMountains On You Tube there are more than one demos on how to get the needle setting just right .. BernieDawg Cinema for one.
@@thomasmusso1147 Yeah, I follow Berniedawg and am also a member of classic camp stoves. Both good resources.
Back in the day before you tube it was a bit more difficult. Luckily I like tinkering and worked it out.
I love the stove.
I have a wee section of copper pipe that I use as a pipette and dip into the tank and use the white gas to prime. It’s always available and I don’t bother with the paste or the meths.
Anything that will hold the standard 1 litre Nalgene bottle will work for the svea, so think of a titanium mug such as a 600 or 750ml mug.
I bought this kettle and lid that I nest the stove in with a satchel full of tea, my lighter and a spork and p38 can opener.
These stoves are brilliant and I love them.
Cheers from Prince Edward Island Canada!
@@ronkierstead Thanks for watching. I have the option of using the fuel as I use a TRANGIA fuel bottle that has the dosing cap but even the purest white gas is still a bit dirty. Using the fuel from the tank does save weight and bulk though and the copper tube is a great idea. I know some people use an eye dropper.
I was supposed to be the other side of Canada in April. My daughter is in BC. Couldn't fly due to the accident unfortunately. Hopefully next year.
Agreed. My 750 ml titanium pot fits right over my Svea 123. I really like this stove!
A lovely looking stove but I prefer the silence of the trangia. Again a very informative, well presented video.
The Trangia has a peaceful side to it but sometimes you like to hear a roar.😂
I have one sitting in my book case for like 45 years.
@@jakelandshark1143 They are beautiful to look at. Give it a fire up and see if it still works.
Advice: 1. Outline what you want to say
2. Rehearse, say what you will say, say it, then say what you said
3. Prepare equipment, have all parts in order of presentation
4. Rehearse with equipment, once slowly, again in real time, with a sense of urgency
5. Summarize…YEA, well done
Generally, speak with confidence, no accidental pauses, have all equipment present, and practiced.
Your mantra: Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.
GOOD LUCK
I own 2 different models if this 123 about 50 yrs old. Still working fine.
Nice to hear. They are pretty bombproof if you keep care of them. Not so much if, like me, you lose them😂
Thank you for posting. They're great little stoves, arent they ?I bought my svea 123R back in the early 90s when me and my mates were crag rats in the peak district and north wales. My climbing days are gone now, but i still use the svea in the winter for a sneaky cup of tea when im in the middle of nowhere. Like mr musso, ive packed the spindle gland with graphite yarn. A tip ive learned from working on small live steam locomotives is to use a packing rammmer made from an offcut of heavy duty copper wire to dig out the old graphite yarn and put the new stuff into the gland nut. This avoids any score marks into the brass screw thread that could be caused by using a steel screwdriver. I understand that yours is a road to recovery after an injury. May i take this opportunity to wish you all the best on your journey. And happy trails. Jan.
Thanks for commenting and your kind words. That is a good tip for anyone going down the svea route. I'm glad it evokes the same nostalgia as it did within me.
Alas I only climbed to v-diff but did do grade IV winter routes. The svea was excellent in the winter and I wish I still had the original.
Yeah, recovery is getting there with a lot to go. I was lucky and am able to walk so all good.
All the best.
Ewen
@BrokenBackMountains motorbike accidents are no fun Ewen. I had a head on from some clot who lost control of his car and flipped me over the bonnet. Wrecked a nice BMW F650 mark one with a Rotax engine that I was rather fond of. That was a long time ago. The important thing is that if you can get carried off to the Accident and Emergency ward after a crash, it wasn't the worst outcome. There are far less cheerful places to go in a hospital. Im guess im a retro kind of guy, quite happy working with old imperial measurements and machine tools, and the svea has that old chool feel that I like. It's a piece of mountaineering history. Look after yourself. I think it was Don Whillans who said that the mountains will always be there, and the trick was to stay alive long enough to visit them again. Something like that. And yes, I did have a Whillans harness all those years ago as i roamed over the far skyline at the roaches in staffordshire. And then i saw sense and got a petzl. Far more comfy. If you get my drift. It's a lovely autumn out there. Grab it whilst we can. All the best. Jan
@@Jan-et1uz I had an orange whippans sit harness as well. Couldn't afford a Petzl step in. Just made sure the essentials were to one side.
Yeah, the car driver turned right to access a side street. Luckily I was slowing down for the lights. I hit the emergency, heard a bang and woke up with first responders at me. Cctv showed me flying over the bonnet and landing on head and hands. I actually was trying to stand to check on the bike😂
Straight to hospital with a lot of painkillers. Fractured neck and spine, fractured right wrist, broken and crushed right hand, broken left hand, dissected vascular artery, two mini strokes and lots of nerve damage.
End of the bikes. Was a nice wee Honda NC700. OH won't let me back on them. She was abroad when it happened.
@BrokenBackMountains that's a heck of a list Ewen. To be getting out as much as you have been after that is a miracle .
But then every day is a miracle. And sometimes we can get that snarled up in the day to day stuff, it can get forgotten Take care. And all my best wishes for your recovery. And remember. The badge of honour for an expert svea petrol stove operator is a full pair of eyebrows. Look after yourself. Jan.
Cooked on those in 70’s and early 80’s. Worked well but was a bear to start sometimes when it was cold.
The good thing is you can cook on them unlike a lot of the current gas stoves that are off or boil.
The winter can be a pain for stoves that rely on heat to get them going. I always found that a good insulation pad under the tank helped but I never used it below -10°c. The pump attachment helped but they are like hens teeth these days.
It is a very good snow melter once going.
It's good idea to loosen the fuel tank cap before priming, when it is cold they can form a vacum inside making the pressure build up slower.
@@TheWibbo I mentioned that I always loosen the fuel cap in the video. I did it off camera. 😂
Ein schöner Kocher.👍
Grüße von Prignitz Outdoor.
@@prignitz-outdoor Es ist sicherlich.
Nice video and I like your modifications/additions to customise the kit. Could you share links to where you obtained the various components? Cheers!
Thanks for watching.
I'll add the links in the description. YT is a bit funny about links in comments.
I would simply love a Titanium version of this classic stove ,to bring it into the lightweight category .
I'm no expert by any means but titanium conducts heat differently from brass so it might not be as efficient. The svea relies on the heat from priming and from the bell to keep the fuel vapourised.
Brass is a better conductor of heat so you would be losing grammes but also losing efficiency.
I'd welcome someone to show me that I am wrong.😂 A Titanium svea would be great for packing but it would lose some of its beauty.
For like-volume Ti isn't that much lighter, Ti has a narrower hotter spot so less amenable to other than boiling water.
The main difference is pot shape, the Alu pots tend to be easily found in wider shorter while Ti is narrower taller. Wider tends to be more fuel efficient as the flame's meandering spends longer nearer the pot.
So then it's down to what you store inside the pot.
The notion of storing a gas canister drove the narrower taller pot to make cook systems. Jetboil, Toaks 650/750 with canister and stove within.
However I find I prefer to store food in my pot to protect it from the harshness of the backpack other contents, while fuel is happily stored separate, so I find I prefer the shallower wider pots and when I weigh them the Trangia Alu pots are similar weight to a Ti pot for like-volume. e.g. The Trangia mini pot 0.8L 90g vs Toaks 900 77g vs Toaks 700ml 65g.
When you factor Alu is a bit easier to cook in, a shallower wider pot is easier to cook, and softer internal edges easier to clean, there remains a good argument still for Trangia pots.
Yes, I agree with the fore-mentioned responses. Ti would be nice, but I think that the thermal heat transfer and retention properties of brass make it a better choice than Titanium.
@@GeekfromYorkshire
Love the detailed reply and points raised concerning Titanium , I must confess I am a bit of a Ti addict and as a result my conclusions may be swayed . The strength to weight ratio, the non corrosive properties, the non taste transfer clearly tick my boxes , and it’s such a cool space age material well I’m hooked.
Yes, that's the sound I remember. Maybe I should try mine. 😉 I guess I have to clean it first, but I don't know if the wick inside is still in a good shape.
@@hammockdweller
Pure nostalgia, isn't it?
The good thing is that all the parts are available. The wick should be ok if it hasn't been run dry and charred. A good soak in fuel would probably revive it.
Fire paste? I have same pouch 'bottle' of alcohol hand gel left over from the Covid panic.
The paste has a higher calorific value but i have used the clear hand gel in gel burners before and it works but can leave some residue. The fire paste turns to ash.
Isn’t that pot the Trangia mini?
They are the same as the ones on theTrangia micro but without the handles. They call it the T-pot. The ones with the black pot lid knob are supplied with the alcohol version and the red with the gel burner.
You can buy them separate on the Trangia webshop. You also need to buy the lid separate.
The mini (T-28) pot is wider and has 300ml more volume.
The two T-pots are like they were made to fit. The only better ones would be the campingaz Globetrotters as they have a strap.
Thanks for watching and commenting. Appreciate it.👍
@@BrokenBackMountains Thanks for the descriptions! Love my SVEA but keeping it all compact is important to me. I put a Bernie Dawg silencer cap on mine, kinda spendy, but I like it a lot! Thanks again!
@@12knotsNo probs mate. Bernie dawg is the best. I have a Polaris on my hexon.
If you go to the trouble of using a butane lighter might just want to use it to heat the bell.
Have you ever primed a Svea with a butane lighter?
This is a stove I wanted but never got! Where did you purchase the stove from?
I got this one online from a company called Varuste in Finland. They are available from most outdoor companies that stock Optimus. You need to shop around for the best deal.
My original was bought in Tiso in Edinburgh a long time ago.
@@BrokenBackMountains I used to sell them out Tiso in Leith. Part of my reason for loving them!
@@surfrockuk I bought my original in 84 in Rose St.
Such a lovely stove. You've made my mind up to get one ❤
@@surfrockuk They really are lovely bits of kit.
Not a bad way to set it up, but here in the usa that would be far too expensive 😂 each of those pots would cost $40 each, then over $100 for the Svea.
12-14$ is what I see, not sure where you see those prices.
@@akbychoice my bad, I was giving the price for the whole cook set with base and burner
Luckily the pots are sold on their own without the burner so a bit cheaper, especially if you have a pot grabber.
The svea is readily available secondhand in the USA. Not so much over here unfortunately.
@@chado_outdoors They cost €8.66 over here plus delivery which is €6 so works out at about the same price as in the States.
Far less video, or not at all, from overhead would make for a better video. Overhead is not how people view things and you lose a lot of visual affect.
Thanks for your constructive criticism. I will, however, make my videos the way I want to make them.