Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting SVEA 123

I agree... I've got a 36 year old 123 that doesn't have the problematic "self cleaning" apparatus the new ones have and which apparently cause all the issues. Mine has years of use and will burn auto fuel as well. Still going strong.

Yup its a pretty awesome store. I love how they have a digi scale right in the open so you can just weigh whatever you want

Great analogy there!

I've never used the multi-fuel feature of the whisperlite. Nice feature but only useful if I was on a boat or ATV or vehicle based trip and ran out of white gas...but if vehicle based I probably have enough white gas. Hence my desire for the simmerlite, but with four backpacking stoves in the arsenal it's hard to justify another $100 purchase.

I bought my Pocket Rocket for a solo trip that also involved flying commerical air. Has any flown the MSR white gas stoves? It seems that if you bought fuel and fuel bottle at the destination, you'd be fine to fly the stove. However, the Denver airport has a Whisperlite in their glass showcase of "prohibited items."

Might not have seen the question Eric...

Yep, and thats why the MSR liquid fuel stoves cannot be considered in the 30/06 class of stoves as asked by the OP.

Ours were the older "gray" pump models and my pard's failed when he needed it the most (cold and dark conditions) - one of the parts cracked and it came apart in the dark.

MtnHtr

In other words an older generation part...

You sure can.

Great... now you got me thinking and that's a dangerous thing.

Where'd you get yours Eric?

Whelp with hours waning on my 20% discount at REI I took the plunge on the SOTO. After discount and dividend it was $43 so we'll see what I think about it. Figure I already run the SOTO canister stove.....why not complete the ensemble.

Slut

PS Luke, report back with a review if you would...

HAHA takes one to know one

Will do on the reports on how it compares to my Whisperlite.

They fixed that problem years ago. The pump O ring would often fail due to improper maintenance. The new pumps actually self purge instead of leaking fuel all over like the old ones would. Also the valve that lets fuel flow is now metal so it wont crack and leak.

When I worked in bike/ski shops we often did double duty fixing stoves for people. We often could not repair Primus, Brunton, Snowpeak, Etc. The MSR and Coleman stoves were quick and easy. It's not that the other stoves are bad stoves it was just often we could not get the parts. Where as MSR and Coleman parts are plentiful and easily replaced. The whisperlite, Dragonfly and XGK can be rebuilt and cleaned in minutes.

I would not venture out on any kind of extended trip with out spare parts for any stove.

Ain't that the truth... have sold 6 packs in the last 6 weeks.

I think they've been multiplying in the closet

The newer gen pumps still have issues. I almost bought a newer pump but they are failure prone as well even with constant upkeep.

MtnHtr

I snagged it from jetboil. They are kinda hard to find right now. You should be able to just buy the pot if you wanted to upgrade your original.

So a $99 stove that requires a yearly $15 MSR "Annual" Stove Maintenance Kit to keep it going is termed the 30/06 class of stoves?

I'll pass if I were in the market for a new stove.


MtnHtr

Based on what experience of your own?

That's kind of what I was thinking...

No as long as you keep them maintained they last for years.

MSR is not alone in pump failure. I saw all stove company's pumps fail. The most common reason was not lubricating the O rings. If you think about it you need to keep the o rings lubricated weather they are rubber or leather. White gas is a solvent and often leaks into the pump assemblies. If you don't lube them often they fail.

One kit will last a really long time. The most common failure is the O rings. If you want to buy the kit it should last you a lifetime.

All you have to do to keep them running strong is clean the fuel line, clean the jet and lube the pump. It takes about 3 minutes.

I put 2 or 3 kits in mine over the years with no issues but I did not use my MSR every year either (bought in '87). I was present when my pard's failed however. He wound up using a cheapo Peak One canister stove I brought up, and I had enough sense to cover some firewood with plastic a few weeks before. The newer MSR pump models still have check valve issues I was told so down the road it went.

It only takes one failure in the backcountry under adverse conditions to develop a sour taste, and I prefer to focus on the hunt instead of fiddling with fussy equipment.

Another reason I ditched the MSR pump was from a hunters perspective, when on the move I stored the pump assy in two HD ziplocks to keep it clean. But I know I was giving off fuel fumes though I could not smell it. And don't ever get Coleman (WG) fuel on your hunting clothing - ask me how I know. The MSR pumps are fine for the yuppie backpacker crowd.

MtnHtr