Which MSR stove????

[ggorgeman]

Hi All,
I'm keen on an MSR stove for upcoming kayak camping (trying to stay fairly UL) and considering one of the following:
1. MSR Whisperlight
2. MSR Whisperlight 600 (I think there's a difference)
3. MSR XGK EX

My preference is to burn shellite. Conditions won't be extreme for the kayak trip and I don't foresee anything in the future that will be above the snowline etc. But potential for some 2-3 day hiking in national park etc.

Is one of the three a particular standout?

Thanks in anticipation....

[philm]

I have a whisperlite and have always used Shellite. It’s a very efficient stove once you get the hang of lighting it without spilling too much fuel! I’ve used it for 5 years

[Moondog55]

As much as I love my XGK it is a one-trick pony and if you have no plans for winter above the snowline then there's not much point in buying one.
Also after being a Shellite and XGK user for decades I decided a while ago that gas made more sense for most times

[Petew]

Also an ex XGK user. Great stove if you need to use a variety of fuels but I'd definitely recommend the whisperlite over it.

I have moved away from liquid fuel stoves and now just use cannister gas.

[ggorgeman]

Thanks for the responses. Seems that the vibe is possibly away from liquid fuel towards canister unless temperature and fuel variety are factors. Presumable it's convenience/ease of operation and less potential for field maintenance that are the factors. I'll weight that up in terms of my objectives. But still keen to hear opinions. Cheers.

[philm]

I use both canister and shelllite stoves. For quick fast trips of up to 6 days I tend to just a jet boil but don’t cook only heat water
For longer trips and if I want to simmer and cook I use the Whisperlite. The fuel efficiency of the whisperlite is great and much better than carrying a few canisters.

Just some of the criteria I use to choose between the stoves

[Petew]

Yes, it all comes down to expected use, trip length, conditions etc..

Also have to weigh up fuel efficiency and weight of actual stove. Cannister stoves can be insanely light compared to a liquid fuel stove, generally more compact too. I like both types but pretty much just use cannister stoves now, usually a Soto windmaster or a kovea spider if in snow.

I just boil water, no fancy cooking.

[Warin]

Flame control on my XGK is very poor .. I'd not try to simmer on it directly, I'd use a metal gauze spacer.

I much prefer the gas canister stoves, great flame control.

[Petew]

Yeah, XGK has two modes, off and howling inferno....

[rwfox]

I have used MSR stoves for many years. The best model for your needs is the whisper lite International. The international model allows you to run unleaded fuel (and diesel, not recommended) which is very useful if you are traveling overseas or have difficulty finding Shellite. The other advantage of using shellite is that on longer trips you can still boil the billy for morning tea, lunch etc. the fuel goes a long way compared to gas. People tend to be more careful with gas use to advoid running out.
I have just recently bought a MSR wisperlite universal that can be used for liquid fuel and gas. But I think it’s only available in the states and I’m only using it for overseas travel. To give me more flexibility.
If you buy a gas stove get one that looks like the whisperlite, ie bottle is seperate from the burner. They are more stable often having a larger pot rest. Being closer to the ground it’s easy to protect from the wind.
There are some on eBay for around $20 dollars that have an apdapter so you can use those Japanese burner gas bottles that are cheap and easy to get. However, those are probably only useful in warmer climes?

[Gadgetgeek]

I have three MSR stoves, Whisperlite international, Dragonfly and Pocket Rocket2.
Thoughts: Whisperlite international is good if you might end up running odd fuels, but, you pay for it in efficiency. It doesn't run shellite (white-gas, coleman fuel) as well as the regular whisperlite(I think thats what some are referring to as the 600), its a matter of percentage points, but it is measurable. Either way, get the Trillium stove base. Whisperlite can be kinda coaxed into simmering, but only with a lot of practice and babysitting. They also need some care when it comes to travel and storage, as you need to let the fuel drain out. Its worse when its kerosene. Liquid fuel is also kinda a pain for travel, especially air travel, so you likely will never use that capability. If you need it, get it, but don't use it as a "maybe someday" selling point.

Dragonfly- XKG with simmering capability, Loud as hell, I'd get the dragonfly instead of the XKG unless all you want is a mad water boiler. Even then, there are better options for your use case.

you won't find a Whisperlite universal since they don't pass the ADR, and a grey import means you are always paying extra premium for parts. Its not exactly illegal to have them here, just importing them, I'm not sure if there would ever be consequences.

Remote canister stove, Be careful. There are lots of dodgy ones out there and running adapters can mean running liquid butane into a stove only designed to handle gaseous fuel. I've seen several, they are cheap and nasty, you are getting what you pay for, unless you go for something like a Kovea Spider, moonwalker, or MSR windpro. Also the BTU output of butane compared to propane mix is actually wide enough to notice. I've used the cheap "fly-spray" cans and while they do work, you end up with a heavy fuel source.

So far all your options are pretty heavy, so unless you are sharing the load, they are way more than one person needs. For solo, or similar, and keeping your average temp above 10C, you'd do fine with a pocket-rocket style stove and good fuel. There are tricks you can use to keep butane stoves going in cooler weather, you just have to plan a little.

[andrewa]

I have moved on from my old XGK. I then had a Windburner for a few years - it is the ONLY stove that has ever failed me in 40yrs of bushwalking. Something happened in the tube from the gas canister to the stove that prevented gas getting to the stove....since then, I’ve been very happy with my Fire Maple stoves, or generic equivalents. These days I only use gas - it’s simple, relatively safe, light, easy to use, useable in the snow if canisters can be inverted, and freely available. If. You’re going way off track, go for a fuel stove, but, if not, then consider gas.

A

[rwfox]

I would just like to clear up some confusion in the post above. The whisper lite international, DOES run on shelite, unleaded fuel and diesel if required. I am on to my 3rd XKG stove, my second Whisper lite international, and now a whisper lite universal on some trips. While the stoves are not the lightest for back packing they are reliable. If you are camping out of a kayak it’s certainly not a problem. I wear my stoves out because I use them overseas each year for 2 months plus. So I can attest there reliability.

[RonK]

I have a Whisperlite and Dragonfly. Don't use either anymore, only gas or sometimes spirits.

Happy to part with both if someone wants to buy secondhand.