Trangia Micro Original & Micro Light Review: A lightweight, compact, and easy-to-use aluminum cooktop set that even weight-conscious hikers will want to use!
written by Yosuke.C
For UL-oriented hikers who want to save even 1g, titanium may be the only choice when it comes to cookers. I also like to keep my equipment as light as possible, but when it comes to cookers, I'm a true aluminum lover (although I also use titanium). Not only for mountain climbing, but also for cooking over a bonfire at mountain streams or camping, aluminum cookers are overwhelmingly easy to use, inexpensive, and durable.
As a fan of aluminum cooktops, I had the opportunity to try out what was arguably my biggest interest in 2025, so I headed out to the field with a little more enthusiasm than usual. This time, I'd like to introduce the Trangia Micro Original & Micro Lite The Micro Original & Micro Lite a burner and cooktop set, can be stored compactly and efficiently. For those who use alcohol or solid fuel, it can be used for boiling water and simple cooking. It's the perfect item for those who prefer a lightweight stovetop and want to indulge a little. I tested out the functionality and ease of use of this compact cooktop, which is overflowing with cuteness, in the field, so I'll get right to my review.
table of contents
- Key Features of Trangia Micro Original & Micro Lite
- Main Specifications and ratings
- Detailed review
- It has enough capacity to prepare the water needed for one meal, and comes with convenient measuring scales
- The long handle keeps your hands away from the heat source. The lid knob doesn't get hot.
- A special grate that fits perfectly into the groove of the cooker
- Made of aluminum with high thermal conductivity, it can be used for cooking rice and simmering.
- The handle can lock the lid, allowing it to be stored as is.
- Although it takes some getting used to, the advantage of "alcohol or solid fuel" is that there is little risk of breakdown.
- Summary: If you enjoy cooking, choose the alcohol burner "Micro Original", and if you are a hardcore UL-oriented hiker, choose "Microlite".
Key Features of Trangia Micro Original & Micro Lite
The Micro Original and Micro Light are the most compact cookware sets in the history of Trangia, a company with over 100 years of history. The cookware, which has a capacity of 500ml when filled, is made of solid aluminum with high thermal conductivity, and the stove and trivet necessary for cooking can fit inside the cookware.
The cooker has easy-to-measure measuring lines so you don't waste water, and the long handle makes cooking easy and can be locked when folded, so you can carry it without putting it in the storage bag. The Micro Original stove is an alcohol burner version, the Microlite is a solid/gel burner version.
Recommended points
- Capacity to prepare enough water for one meal
- Comes with a convenient scale for measuring
- Long handle keeps hands away from heat source
- A special grate that fits perfectly into the groove of the cooker
- Made of aluminum with high thermal conductivity, making it easy to cook rice
- The handle can lock the lid, allowing it to be stored as is.
- Lightweight and compact as a complete set
- Trouble-free firearms
Points that interest me
- It is designed to use alcohol or solid fuel, so gas cartridges cannot be inserted.
- I just want the cooker
Main Specifications and ratings
| item | Trangia Micro Original | Micro Light |
|---|---|---|
| weight | 275g (actual measurement) | 180.5g (actual measurement) |
| capacity | Full capacity 500ml / Actual capacity 400ml | |
| Storage size | Φ11.2cm×H8.3cm | |
| material |
|
|
| Reference price (tax included) | 5,940 yen | 4,950 yen |
| Outdoor Gearzine Review | ||
| Ease of cooking | ★★★★★ | |
| weight | ★★★★☆ | |
| Functionality | ★★★★☆ | |
| Portability and storage | ★★★★☆ | |
| Durability | ★★★★☆ | |
| Versatility | ★★★☆☆ | |
Detailed review
It has enough capacity to prepare the water needed for one meal, and comes with convenient measuring scales
I have used dozens of cookware and cups in the mountains, and I feel that a cookware capacity of around 500ml is the most convenient when mainly using it for rehydrating food, and is also the most acceptable capacity when it comes to keeping the weight down.
The Micro Original & Light cooker has a capacity of 500ml when full, but a practical capacity of 400ml. This is the smallest size cooker capable of preparing enough water for one meal. If you're planning on eating instant rice with hot soup rather than a luxurious mountain meal, you'll need about 150-180ml of hot water for the instant rice and about 150ml for the freeze-dried soup. This means you'll need 300-330ml of hot water per serving, making the Micro Original & Light just the right size. Cup noodles, a classic example of easy and delicious mountain meals, also require 300-320ml of hot water, making them perfect for mountain trips and hikes where rehydrating the noodles is the primary method of cooking.
The inside of the cooker is marked in 100ml increments, making it easy to measure the amount of water you need and avoid wasting it. While we said the practical capacity is 400ml, please note that if you boil 400ml of water, it will boil over.
The long handle keeps your hands away from the heat source. The lid knob doesn't get hot.
Even experienced firefighters need to be careful when handling firearms. The Micro Original & Lite handle is approximately 11.2 cm long. It's designed to be quite long for a 500ml cooker, meaning you don't have to get your hands too close to the heat source when lifting it. The lid knob stays cool and easy to hold, making it easy to check the contents while heating. The longer the handle, the heavier it becomes, and it may not be necessary for UL hikers who want to cut every gram. However, since fire handling requires caution, the Micro Original & Lite 's long handle was easy to use.
A special grate that fits perfectly into the groove of the cooker
The Micro Original & Light uses an alcohol burner or solid fuel as its heat source, but the included grate works great. This grate isn't a new product; it's been around for a while and many people may already be familiar with it. Its cup-shaped design allows you to fit an alcohol burner or gel fuel burner inside, and you can also place a cooktop on it.
The Micro Original & Light cooktop has a stepped base, and this groove fits snugly into the grate, preventing it from slipping out of place during use. It also acts as a windbreak, allowing it to be used in light breezes. It can also be ignited with a match even with the cooktop on it, and in an emergency, fallen tree branches can be used as fuel. It's a simple, yet multifunctional and highly safe grate.
Opinions are divided on the level difference in the base of the cooker. When considering combining it with other items rather than a dedicated trivet, a flat base can be more stable and easier to use. I was also concerned about the level difference in the base, so I tried out a few other brands of trivets, but the Micro Original & Light has a base diameter of about 10.5 cm and a flat part of about 9.3 cm, so it was able to rest securely on the trivet.
Made of aluminum with high thermal conductivity, it can be used for cooking rice and simmering.
The Micro Original & Light just the right capacity for reheating meals , but because it is made of aluminum, it can be used in a different way to titanium cookers, which are lighter in weight.
Titanium, aluminum, and stainless steel are the most commonly used materials for outdoor cooking equipment. Aluminum, in particular, has a higher thermal conductivity than titanium or stainless steel, making it excellent for cooking, and nowhere is this more apparent than when cooking rice. I've cooked rice countless times, but my success rate with titanium cookers has been 0%, as the rice often doesn't cook evenly and the bottom often burns badly (although this may just be because I'm not very good at it). In contrast, aluminum cookers have a higher success rate, resulting in fluffy, delicious white rice.
I tried cooking rice in the Micro Original & Light the Micro Original & Light is perfect. When camping around a mountain stream and sitting around a bonfire, freshly cooked rice is much more satisfying than pre-cooked rice.
Does aluminum really have high thermal conductivity? Comparing titanium and aluminum kettle pots
Aluminum cooktops are said to have higher thermal conductivity than titanium, but how does this actually affect the cooking time? Wanting to find out, I prepared a titanium cooktop of roughly the same size and measured the time it took to boil 300ml of water. the Micro Original & Light couldn't accommodate a titanium cooktop, I used a different grate and measured the time under the same conditions.
In a test conducted in a windless environment at a temperature of approximately 25°C, the aluminum Micro Original & Light reached a full boil in 4 minutes and 33 seconds. The titanium cooker, on the other hand, took 5 minutes and 27 seconds. Because the cooktops are not exactly the same diameter, this comparison is only for reference, but even I was surprised by the difference of about one minute between the aluminum and titanium cooktops, a result that exceeded my expectations.
Aluminum cooktops boil water in a shorter time, so they use less fuel per serving, and considering that this also affects the amount of fuel you need to carry, aluminum cooktops with high thermal conductivity have their advantages. Aluminum cooktops with high thermal conductivity heat up the entire cooktop when heated, and the edges also get hot, so you need to be careful when eating directly from the cooktop. However, there are also disadvantages to high thermal conductivity.
The handle can lock the lid, allowing it to be stored as is.
The handle snaps into the lid knob when folded, so you can carry it in your backpack without needing a storage bag. It's not airtight and you can't put ingredients inside, but since you don't need a storage bag, you can take it out of your backpack and start cooking right away.
The lid can be locked so you can put it in your backpack as is.
Lightweight and compact when fully assembled
Cooker weight alone
the Micro Original & Lite cooktop is 111.3g. Because the fire is designed to be combined with an alcohol burner or solid fuel, the Micro Original weighs 275g, the Micro Lite weighs 180.5g (both actual measurements). When considering the combination of cooktop and stove, the Micro Original & Lite can be described as lightweight and compact.
Micro Original on the left, Micro Lite on the right
Of course, it can be used with a gas stove, but be careful as the gas cartridge (OD can) will protrude.
The Micro Original & Light is designed to be used with alcohol burners and solid/gel burners. The cooktop is not sold separately; it comes as a set with the burner and grate. I use alcohol stoves, solid fuel, and gas stoves depending on the situation. While gas stove cartridges can be placed inside the cooktop, the lid doesn't snap shut, so those planning to use it in conjunction with a gas stove will need to consider how to store them. While I found it a little disappointing that they couldn't be stored inside the cooktop, this is actually the Micro Original & Light is clearly designed to be used with alcohol burners and solid/gel burners as the main fire source. This shows the Trangia brand's commitment.
Although it takes some getting used to, the advantage of "alcohol or solid fuel" is that there is little risk of breakdown.
Alcohol burners or solid/gel burners have weaker flames than gas stoves, are more difficult to adjust the heat, and require some practice to use. However, they have a simpler structure, are lighter, and are less prone to malfunctions, which are major advantages over gas stoves.
The Trangia alcohol burner I bought several decades ago has become dirty with rust and other signs of aging, but I've still been using it to this day without any problems. Solid and gel burners are simply "containers," so they're unlikely to cause any problems. There are many factors to consider, such as the duration and season of the hike and the availability of fuel, so it's difficult to make a general conclusion, but there's no doubt that they have an irreplaceable appeal for those who want to cut down on weight even a little while still ensuring reliability in tough environments.
Summary: If you enjoy cooking, choose the alcohol burner "Micro Original", and if you are a hardcore UL-oriented hiker, choose "Microlite".
We introduced Trangia's Micro Original & Light
Its small size, combined with its lightness and compactness, limits what it can do, making it a rather quirky item that may not be easy for everyone to use despite its cute form. For those who only compare weight as a cooker or who only use it for reheating food, a titanium cooker may be the better choice, but this is a recommended cooking set for those who want to enjoy a slightly more luxurious meal every once in a while, such as stews or rice cooking. A cooker is best used vigorously. I personally find the burnt finish of an aluminum cooker quite charming. I'm looking forward to using it over a bonfire and cultivating it into my own unique creation.
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Yosuke.C
People who act with just one backpack with the motto of "as light as possible" so that they don't get inconvenient.
From spring to autumn, I chase after char deep in the mountains and go fishing in the mountain stream. We walked the mountains in search of spectacular views that cannot be seen from the ground. Camping to be healed by the bonfire. Snowboarding is a floating mountain with a mountain of silver.
A freelance writer who has been enjoying the outdoors for over 20 years and enjoying the outdoors in his own way all year round. Based on my experience writing articles for more than dozens of outdoor web media, I will be sharing my own experiences and tools that I have been using.
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