Trangia 100th Anniversary Mess Tin

If you only have a passing familiarity with Trangia, you might know the company for their incredibly simple cooking stoves. Dig a little deeper and you’ll find that not only are the stoves incredibly well thought out… but the company itself just celebrated their 100th anniversary and they have manufactured everything from camping gear to equipment for the Swedish Armed Forces. You would think with a century of fabrication under their belt that they would be producing the most intricate products, but it is their simplicity that in my mind, keeps them both timeless and so versatile for any camping trip.

Take for example their Aluminum Mess Tin (in this instance I used their Anniversary set which includes both an EVA case to protect it and an inside cover, but all of these items can also be purchased separately, including the multi-disc that I used with it) which is the most simplistic container I can think of. Stamped from a single sheet of aluminum, it has an attachment point for either a red or black handle (or simply can be purchased without a handle all together) and a lid that fits perfectly snug overtop and doesn’t pop off accidentally. Again, with its simplicity it’s only a short while when staring at it until your mind starts imagining all the ways you can put it to good use on a trip.

Since the tin has such clean rounded corners, things don’t get stuck in the corners making it not only the perfect storage device for food, but easy to clean when you’re done. There’s no fear of plastic contaminants, room snacks for the entire trip, and if you have the handle, a nice way to eat a meal while it is hot. Speaking of, you can even reheat or cook food over a stove with the tin in an emergency and the cover over the handle does a great job of preventing the heat from scalding you as you wolf down dinner. When you’re all done, the handle folds up and over the lid securing it in place. Simplicity at its finest.

The versatility is only limited to your imagination and the tins are great for packing gear as well. With the insert (a zippered mesh pocket that fits perfectly inside) I’ve stored everything from a hanging candle that I wanted to protect, to turning it into a first-aid kit and in conjunction with the EVA case, it was fully protected from any accidental drops and easy to slide in and out of my canoe pack without the fear of it getting dented. Trangia also sells a Multi-disc made from from EcoPaXX Polyamide (70% Bio-based material) which I utilized as a much needed lightweight cutting board and also nestles right inside the tin. You can tell the team at Trangia gave the multi-discs a lot of thought as you can also use them as a strainer, and a measuring tool when cooking or baking (It will even help you measure how much rice to use!).

The more time you spend with the Mess Tins, the more uses you will find that are complimentary to the way you camp. They are incredibly light and perfect from everything from your daypack to your canoe pack and are available in two sizes - Small: 16.5 x 9 x 6.5 cm | 6.5" x 3.5" x 2.5” and weighs 296g and Large: 20 x 13 x 7 cm | 7.85" x 5" x 2.75” which weighs 532g.