Three months have passed and I am happy to report some good news. High quality Trangia stove fuel is again readily available on supermarket and hardware shop shelves, and it is not being rationed. 

And I know a little more about the Trangia fuel we call “methylated spirits” here in Australia. It’s 97% ethanol plus 3% denaturing agent. The supply shortage for the past three months was not because of an ethanol shortage. That’s mostly produced in Australia. The problem was the denaturing agent because it is all imported, and the importation supply chain stopped temporarily.

Another piece of news trivia is that there is now a glut of ethanol based hand sanitiser in Australia. Local production increased rapidly to meet demand as the pandemic unfolded. But they over produced, and there’s an unsaleable stockpile. 

I finally got a Multi-Disc from Northbound Outfitters.  They are also in Ontario (maybe new because I've searched off and on for Triangia gear for years) but only charged $8.95 for shipping.

I got some Reflectix at Home Depot and made a pot cozy last week but haven't had the opportunity to test it yet.  Maybe later this week.

Jacquie I’ll be interested to hear how both of these additions to your touring kitchen work out. Mine both work well in the home trials but I am yet to use them in a real touring situation. 

Well done, Jacquie!  Hope you get a chance to use both "in the field" before long.

I haven't checked the retail supply of ethanol recently -- still have a gallon jug of methyl hydrate (from Canadian Tire) in my workshop, along with sundry little bottles of gasline anti-freeze.  [You've heard of the latter, eh? ;)  ]

Cheers,  John

Me too.  We are planning a short trip to Victoria by way of Saltspring Island where we will camp for a couple of nights.  Our new tent has arrived and we are awaiting the footprint.  Since we plan to go next week, fingers are crossed!

I've never used gasline antifreeze since I too have a big jug of methyl hydrate in the shed.  The last time we had to buy fuel "on the road" was our 1992 trip to Europe.  Most of our tours since then have been short and local or, on our longer European tours, eating out since we can now afford to.

Good news -- hope your mini-tour works well for you, and that you can use your new hardware.  Hope your weather is manageable -- we've had a seriously hot summer here, temps into the 30s for days on end, humidex into the 40s.  The latter range is getting into dangerous territory, so it's limited even day rides unless one wants to do the 'Strayan Thing and start at 5:30 AM...

I managed a mini-tour of the nearby neighbourhood the week before last:  three days and two nights into West Qué, followed by two nights camping at a provincial park on the Ottawa River.  Not much, really, but it felt sooo good to be living outside for a few days.  I reacquainted myself with my Trangia and one-pot cooking.  Will make a note about that on Graham's thread on COVID 19.

Are you still considering an Acadian velo-safari?  I mapped out a route from Ottawa by train to Bathurst, along the Acadian coast of NB, to & around Cape Breton to Louisbourg, along and through NS to Truro, and then home again by train.  Happy to share that with you if you're interested -- if so send me a PM and I'll (try to) send you the file.

Cheers,  J.

We are considering lots of things but right now, everything within a reasonable distance of Greater Vancouver is either closed or clogged with people.  I don't know how everyone else used to spend their weekends but now all the hiking trails and parks are very busy.  Our camping trip will be shorter than originally planned because there is simply nowhere to stay in many places...  We are hoping to get into the provincial park on Saltspring Island because all but 8 of the 70 or so campsites are walk-in and not reservable.  On the other islands, all campsites except those accessible only by water require reservations and are fully booked.  We don't want to go anywhere so badly that we will pay $250+ per night for non-camping accommodation.

We are hoping to do more in September when the provincial government intends that the kids will be back in school so hopefully budget accommodation will be available again.

Hi Graham,  I came across your post while doing a Diggers Methylated Spirits  search for Trangia alcohol stoves in Australia....  I have recently got myself a Trangia alcohol burner and was wondering which methylated spirits to use that would burn well and clean- Diggers do 2 types; one is clear and the other one is a light violet coloured.  It may sound trivial but I would like to know which one you use and have had the best (cleanest burning) experience with?  Thank you.  

Hi Rajeev,

I use the clear type of methylated spirits. I’ve used both the Diggers, and one of the no-name brands sold by supermarkets. There doesn’t seem to be any difference in burn quality.

Hi Graham,

Thank you for your reply.  I appreciate a lot.

Cheers