When I started camping for slaloms and other paddling events I needed a new stove and after looking at a number of options (spirit burners, gas stoves etc) I settled on the Optimus Nova+. Why did I choose the Nova+? It produces a similar heat output to a gas stove and burns petrol which can be bought almost anywhere.

After using the Nova+ plus for a while I came to realise that the aluminum windshield that is supplied with the stove was tricky to use, not very sturdy and not that effective. I liked the stove and was impressed by its performance but something had to be done about the windshield.

While looking for a spares kit to service my stove I noticed that Optimus manufacture an adapter to mount the burner of a Nova/Nova+ stove inside the windshield of a Trangia. I had used Trangia stoves in the past and knew that they were sturdy, lightweight and compact. When a local camping store had a Trangia 25-2UL (ultra-light, large with kettle) on sale I decided to buy one and try the adapter.

Fitting the adapter

1. Remove the fuel line from the stove.
2. Turn the stove upside down and unscrew the nut that holds the burner to the body.
3. Remove the body (leave the priming wick attached).
4. Fit the adapter clip and priming cup then secure using the nut removed earlier. I had to enlarge the hole on the adapter as it was too small to fit on my burner.
5. Reattach the fuel line.

The adapted burner can now be dropped into the the hole where the Trangia burner goes and the fuel line threaded through the hole that the Trangia gas adapter uses.

Testing the adapter and final thoughts

Now that the adapter was fitted it was time to see how it performs by boiling a kettle. The Trangia base was much more stable than the Nova+ base and the built in windshield was significantly more effective than the flimsy foil one. The only downside to the Trangia/Nova+ hybrid is that the burner is recessed in the base of the Trangia windshield which makes it a bit tricky to light the stove. This is only a minor downside and is outweighed by the benefits of the Trangia base.Testing the Trangia adapter

The Trangia/Nova+ hybrid combines some of the best features of both stoves and should serve me well for the foreseeable future. Carrying the Trangia burner as well as the Nova+ burner will also add the ability to burn alcohol based fuels (methylated spirits) as well petrolium based fuels (petrol, diesel etc) making it even easier to find fuel while travelling.

My recommendation: If you have an Optimus Nova or Nova+ and an old Trangia knocking around then this is a cheap upgrade that will improve your stove. If you don’t already have a Trangia then it is an expensive upgrade but still worthwhile.