I've had this burner for 4 years, and I've come to the conclusion that the few ounces you save in weight with this stove aren't worth the hassle. Frankly, it is tipsy. You see how in the picture each leg has a flat spot for the pot to rest on? Well in reality the legs do not open all the way, and the pot ends up resting on three points, the "elbows" of the three arms. This is precarious and if your pots have anti-stick coating on the outside, forget about it. When water starts to boil the bubbling action is enough to threaten to topple everything over. I have spilled boiling water on my hand because of this.
Overall this product should only be considered by those who place a very high premium on minimizing their pack weight. For all others it's worth getting a slightly heavier, but more stable model. MSR Pocket Rocket Stove
This stove is probably one of the easiest to operate, very basic yet has the ability to control the flame-temp. The stove is small and compact therefore making it almost the perfect choice for backpackers looking to keep weight down. I generally prefer white gas model stoves due to the fact for me the fuel is MUCH easier to find than the fuel canisters this model uses and cheaper too, BUT i perfer taking this stove along if Im not planning on staying long or cooking alot of food because i find it a tad easier just to throw this in a pack with a canister of fuel and hit the road. No worries about the possibility of spilling gas all over your stuff from a fuel bottle, ive never had a fuel canister leak. The downside of this stove is being tippy when you place a pan on top therefore having to make sure you place the stove on a level surface. Of course in the great outdoors things are rarely perfectly level so gotta be careful it doesnt tip over spilling hot liquid all over you! Another red checkmark against this stove is COLD weather, if you plan on taking this out in 20f degree weather or colder you may have to place the fuel canister inside your coat to help kinda warm it up. I've tested this stove out in -8f temp and it failed with a weak flame, i ended up building a fire instead. Also this stove doesnt perform as well as my dragonfly on windy days so you may have to rig a windbreak to keep the flame going. Other than those things i would recommend this stove to folks that dont want to spend alot for the stove itself and dont want to fiddle with white gas stoves...These stoves are pretty much idiot proof.
The pocket rocket is certainly compact and will heat your food, but you will be lucky to be able to warm two meals with a single fuel canister, and they cost about five bucks a piece. If you plan on an extended hike, be prepared to shell out for fuel and rent a mule to carry the necessary number of canisters.
I'm a gear freak. I own 3 Whisperlites (2 I got cheap), a Jetboil (gift) and a Pocket Rocket (from REI around 2005 I think). I have several other odd stoves too. While they all had their place their niche use has been squeezed out by the excellent Pocket Rocket.
I've always been a fan of MSR Whisperlite stoves and have used them for 20 years. About 5 years ago I considered a canister type stove as white gas stoves have the downside of the fuel smell and the extra time to pump and warm/prime the stove. I wanted a more convenient lightweight stove I could use on day hikes, fishing/hunting trips and to make a quick cuppa on chilly rock climbing days. After some research, I found the MSR Pocket Rocket was the lightest and most powerful stove of it's type. It was also less than $35 so cheaper than it's competition. It was easily the best at that time, and might still be.
I have used mine almost every weekend for years, in every season, on day trips and on several multi day trips and now always take it as an emergency stove with a titanium pot, when I venture into the wild, even in winter. Together with a lightweight pole-less 2 man bothy shelter I have all the gear I need to survive a night out in relative comfort at the weight of about a liter of water. When it's that cold I keep the canister in a warm jacket pocket but it has boiled water successfully at 12,000 feet in February, in Colorado. The speed of deployment and fast boil times even in harsh environments mean my Whisperlite gets little use these days.
There are low star reviews of it being unstable. I have never found this to be the case with the larger canister. There are 2 canister diameter sizes, the small one (jetboil size) is going to be unstable with a large full pot on anything but a picnic table, but I typically only use the small canister with a small titanium pot or enamel cup. I have the old MSR Alpine Cook set and both large and medium pots work well with the larger canister.
The complaints about the heat being too central is somewhat correct. It is a very powerful stove with a small head so the heat is central and will create a hot spot, that will burn your food if you're not careful. However if you're boiling water this is an advantage and why it's boil times are so fast. If you then add your dehydrated meal to the pot you must turn the stove down. The stove will simmer on a very low heat (something Whisperlites are poor at) and if I do burn my food, it's generally my fault.
A fuel saving tip (discovered as the solution to Whisperlites simmering issues) is to boil the water, add the dehydrated food, stir, heat again, stir again and turn off the stove. Place somewhere safe and wrap it in something warm (jacket, sleeping bag etc) and leave it for an extra 10 minutes, stirring once or twice. It'll cook no problem, you might want to add a burst of heat if necessary. I usually get to my camp spot, get out my stove, get the food cooking, wrap the pot and then start setting up my tent. By the time that's done my food is ready.
The isopropane canisters are resealable so you can switch them out easily. I'll save the canisters with only enough gas left for one or two boils, for day trips like rock climbing/fishing. Two midsized canisters will last a 4 day backpacking trip for me. For multi day trips I would recommend 2 canisters in case one leaks. While that never happened to me, I guess it's possible, and there are stories of back packs blowing up from leaking canisters (I should check snopes or mythbusters on the truth to that!).
The trade off of weight does mean you have to be careful with it. It's not very rugged and I have bent the pot legs a number of times, they do bend right back though. I keep mine in the hard plastic container it came with, which will just fit a small bic lighter in as well. It's a wiggle but it does fit if you slide both in at the same time.
After many years of extensive use and as a standby "just in case", it still functions like new. I highly recommend this stove and if I lost mine I would replace it with another identical one without hesitation. Mine does not have a piezo ignition built in and that would be a welcome feature addition. I always have a fire steel lighter with me as a back up to the stowed bic lighter, and because it's a smart, lightweight thing to carry in the wild.
A titanium pot, and pocket rocket is lighter than a Jetboil. I own one of them too and hardly ever use it. A Jetboil requires you to use their pot while a Pocket Rocket does not. I paid $15 on CraigsList for a titanium pot but frequently just use an over sized dollar store enamel mug, so comparing cost to a $100 jetboil, the Pocket Rocket wins again (by about $50!). It's only a few bucks more than the cheapo walmart stoves and will outperform them considerably.
The only time the MSR Whisperlite is my "go to" now is multi day high mountain cold weather trips where keeping the canister warm may not be possible. While I bought the Pocket Rocket to fill a niche on day trips it has expanded to become my go to stove in almost every other situation. The pros far outweigh the cons of this stove and it is definitely a 5 star rated piece of kit. - Stove - Camp Stoves - Backpacking Stoves - Hiking Equipment'
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