Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Backpacking Stoves

I am trying to sell/trade my current stove for a more versatile stove.

I am considering 3 stoves, all by MSR.

MSR Whisperlite Universal
MSR Windpro II
MSR Dragonfly

I sat down and made a list of what I was looking for:

• Lightweight
• Mainly used for boiling water
• Can be used to cook small game (squirrel, grouse, rabbit, etc) in the event wood fires aren't allowed.
• Can support Evernew 1L pot filled with water at a rolling boil on uneven surfaces

As for fuel sources (ideally) it would be a woodburning stove, but with fire restrictions/possible of lack of fuel, not very practical. I like the versatility of canister/fuel bottle of the Whisperlite, but not a necessity. I won't be traveling internationally so I'll always have access to canister fuel.

Flame control (simmer-to-scorch) would be nice, but not necessary.

What's your opinion of the 3 stoves? Any other alternative stoves you might suggest?

EDIT: It may be useful to add that the stove would be used for 1 person for 3-7 day excursions most of the time.

I wish somebody would test a bunch of stoves and present some kind of semi-objective comparison in table format.

Wait a minute... somebody did!
http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Backpacking-Stove-Reviews/ratings

I don't think you could go wrong with any of the three you mention. I have the International, and like it, though most of my stoving anymore is done with a Jetboil (which I prefer for normal temps and boiling water).

The Dragonfly has a great reputation for power and simmering ability. I've not used one.

Same here. Love my Whisperlite, use my Jetboil more than anything else.



Travis

Interesting...

I have the alternative to the JetBoil, the Reactor (listed in the classifieds). It's nice for the mornings when you want water for coffee RFN, but otherwise it's useless for me.

Of course I don't have the luxury of being able to afford Mountain House, most my meals involve oatmeal/home dried fruit/walnuts or powdered eggs. Dinner's usually some kind of pouched protein (chicken, tuna, salmon) with quinoa/couscous/rice.

Alukban, thanks for the link! Very useful!

When I read "lightweight" and "mainly used for boiling water" I think of a Ti Jetboil.



Travis

But if you do actual cooking, the JetBoil doesn't look so great. Mainly I boil water for coffee, oatmeal and couscous (since all it needs is a soak in hot water).

But I also cook powdered eggs (scrambled in coconut oil with bacon bits), Rice-A-Roni/Pasta-Roni dishes, and sometimes trout or small game. With the jetboil set up, fry pan, pot stabilizer, you're looking at almost 20 oz and $225

With the WindPro II (the closest in function to the JetBoil, IMO) and the 900mL pot, you're looking at 10.7 oz for $157

If you have done a serious cost comparison, it would be interesting.

You aren't trying to make MH a major part of your budget.

Kovea Spider

Can't add anything on the exact stoves, but I can say that I have a liquid fuel only Whisperlite and I absolutely hate it. Maybe I am doing something wrong, but it takes a very long time to get a good jet flame going and it is very easy to let out too much fuel initially to light the stove and then have a massive yellow flame engulfing the stove, something rivaling the Hindenburg burning up, before getting the jet effect going. The bloody thing in this stage is a real fire hazard. I used it this summer on a 6 day BP trip thru the Sawtooths of Idaho and compared to the Scouts with me, with Canister stoves, they ended up using far less weight in gas and stove combined, compared to what I was packing. I am glad I took what I thought was too much fuel for the trip, as I almost used it all up. I may look into the Whisperlite International with the gas capability or just stick with my old reliable and very tiny Snowpeak stove!

I did the math on the mountain house pouches. Comes out to .0139 cents per calorie. If you're active and backpacking, you'll want to get about 3000 calories/day.

.0139 x 3000 = $41.70

I don't even have to compare with standard grocery food fare, I know it's going to be cheaper per calorie.

EDIT:

Next time I shop for a backpacking trip, I'll save the receipts/boxes and do an actual price per calorie comparison between grocery store & Mountain House.

The only price breaker I can see between the two is possibly cost of fuel (and wouldn't be a factor cooked over a wood fire).

CabinetMtnsGoat,

You have a good point regarding the flare up. If you had to cook under shelter/in tent, that might be unnerving and dangerous.

As for your other issues, I got a chance to use the Whisperlite when I was volunteering with AmeriCorp conservation programs, and I found them easy to use. The only problem I had was if I didn't pay attention and pump the fuel bottle the flame would go out.

And being hearing impaired I couldn't hear the flame go out and with a windscreen/pot in place couldn't see the flame. So by the time I noticed, if I tried to re-lite, I'd get a big 'ol fireball. This only happened twice though.

I think unless you are really into cold weather/winter camping, why in the world screw around with liquid fuel stoves, pumping, low pressure, forest fires, etc when you can just click a button or light one match and have full (and safe) power with gas canister stove?? In a foreign country that I frequent, I do have one of the famous old MSR International liquid fuel stoves that burn almost anything - it's great, but a bit heavy and big for backpacking (and way faster to a jet flame and more dependable than the 'vaunted' POS Whisperlite!!)

Not knocking what you do. Lets be clear!

Just wondering how to calculate the convenience of MH. As well a the time to prepare meals. I was actually thinking of the cost of pre-packaged tuna, meats, rice, etc.

I agree the fuel cost is a wash.

Finally did some reading on this stove, and it seems like a good choice. Except I can't find any US retailers!

You can put a standard pot on a Jetboil. They have an adapter.

A Whisperlite isn't going to be do what you're looking for without adding undue weight and will be less user friendly as well.

If you need something to try out, try a MSR Pocket Rocket or a Giga.

Those Americorps chicks put out by the way! I've ran into a few of them! Good stuff.


Travis

To eat $41.70 worth of Mountain House per day you have to eat 5 or 6 of them. I'm not sure if I like them that much either I've only used them as a dinner meal. 600+ calories for $7-$8, light weight, easy prep. The way I figure it, if I was at home I wouldn't be eating for free anyway..

I sold my whisperlite after it sitting for a year unused, preferring instead the pocket rocket.
You've mentioned a wood stove...
I also carry an emberlit titanium. Nice backup & affordable.

http://www.emberlit.com/en/

Emberlits rock. I carry a similar setup (giga + emberlit). Morning coffee with the giga and dinner with the emberlit. The emberlit also lets you scratch the pyro itch, so you can get your campfire fix without having to mess with a campfire.