The Trangia Storm Cooker became popular because of its principal advantages over the alternatives : 

1. Works at any temperature and in any weather. In fact, unlike the alternatives, it works well in windy conditions. You can turn the windshield into the wind to increase heat output of the burner.

2. Compact. All of the Storm Cooker Systems and their pans pack neatly into a compact unit.

3. You don’t have to be an expert mechanic to maintain it. There are no moving parts to break, no jets to clean and you don’t need to pump it up to pressurise it.

4. Safe. The stove is less prone to flares than pressure stoves, also the lower windshield makes a very stable base.

5. Clean. Fuel vaporises quickly without leaving a dirty residue. Methylated spirit is a cleaning fluid whereas paraffin is a dirty fuel.

6. Quick and easy to set up. In a typical backpacking situation, one person can put up the tent while another puts the kettle on. This means that you get a hot drink sooner than with a conventional stove which has to be shielded from the weather.

7. Low running cost. When compared with pressure stoves as spares are easily and fully available and there are no jets to clean. 

These advantages still stand today despite advances in gas stoves and multi-fuel pressure stoves. Now that gas stoves are popular an eighth ecological advantage is the lack of waste. There are no canisters to dispose of and no oily slime to clean away