Listen to the full episode here:
100 years, one factory, and a stove design nobody’s been able to improve on.
From a small Swedish village called Trångsviken to a factory that’s shipped over a quarter-million burners a year, in this episode Ben and Lauren sit down with Magnus Rydel, CEO of Trangia, to unpack a century of doing things the slow way on purpose. They dig into why the brass spirit burner hasn’t meaningfully changed since the 1950s, how a scrap of aluminium punched from one part becomes the lid on another, and the story behind the brand’s most unlikely bestseller: a glittery pink windshield born from a 9-year-old’s note in a suggestion box.
Tune in for an hour of manufacturing philosophy, fuel-safety myths busted, and a genuinely lovely reminder that not everything needs to boil water faster!
Timestamps:
00:00 – Welcome: introducing Trangia CEO Magnus Ryel from Sweden
01:12 – Magnus’s path: engineering, General Motors, and becoming CEO
03:13 – Settling the debate: how do you actually say “Trangia”?
07:32 – Origin story: a 1950s Swedish holiday law sparks the stove
14:27 – Why Trangia still manufactures entirely in Sweden
16:59 – No chatbots: why Trangia insists on answering the phone
20:57 – Stove sizing explained: the confusing 25 vs 27 names
22:01 – Materials 101: aluminium, hard anodised, and Duossal
27:49 – The brass burner that hasn’t changed in 100 years
36:33 – Choosing the right fuel (and what to never use)
43:23 – Trangia’s pitch: simplicity and safety over speed
46:26 – The new in-house gas burner, now certified for Australia
50:14 – The Power Pink story: a 9-year-old’s letter that went viral
58:05 – What’s coming: bowls, cups, and a ceramic-coated fry pan
1:01:55 – Trangia around the world: markets and Australia’s love for it
Products mentioned in this episode
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From tent pegs and air tents, to setups for summer and one-pot wonders – our gear gurus Ben and Lauren unpack the topics on every camper’s tongue, taking each minute to the limit with how-to’s, destinations, and expert interviews. Be it a swag, tent, or ‘swent’ – set up camp with us!