Stoves and Cookware

Were there ever a line of MSR stoves that needed no introduction, it might just be the MSR XGK EX Liquid Fuel Stove.  When Larry Penberthy introduced his Model 9 stove, the first in the XGK line, he revolutionized stoves and ushered in the modern mountaineering/backpacking stove era. Specs at …

The MSR Reactor Stove System is not the lightest weight backpacking stove available or the most flexible because it can’t simmer, but it boils water really fast and is 40% more efficient than most other pot & canister stove combinations. Those two properties make it a very reliable companion on off-the-grid adventures …

The MSR Whisperlite Stove was introduced in 1984 and is still the best liquid fuel stove you can buy for group camping, backpacking, and winter mountaineering. Preferred by professional guides and  expedition leaders, the fuel efficiency, reliability, and field repairability of the MSR Whisperlite make it a go-to stove on any group trip, …

The Jetboil FlashLite Personal Cook System is the lightest weight Jetboil cook system available today, weighing 12.3 ounces (10 oz. minimum). It’s basically the same as the 1.0 Jetboil Flash Personal Cook System but with a smaller volume and lighter weight 0.8L pot. Designed for non-winter use, it’s ideal for …

The Kovea Spider Remote Canister Stove is a four season backpacking and camping stove that has many advantages over fully integrated and component canister stove systems. First and foremost, the Kovea Spider can be used with different pots of all shapes and sizes, making it convenient for group camping as …

MSR has just come out with a new group version of their WindBurner canister gas stove system. Whereas previous versions have been “upright” type stoves (where the burner mounts on top of the canister), this is a “remote” type stove (where the canister is off to the side, connected by …

The Light My Fire FireSteel (Army Model) is the most reliable way to light a backpacking or camping stove, fuel, or tinder that I’ve come across. I’ve been carrying one for the past 10 years, since I section hiked Vermont’s Long Trail and had a disposable lighter jam so I …

The Kovea Hydra is a dual fuel backpacking stove (canister gas or white gasoline) from Kovea Co., Ltd. of Korea. Kovea refers to the Hydra as a “multifuel” stove; however, the Hydra only works on two fuels, so I’m going to refer to it as a dual fuel stove. In …

If you use a canister backpacking stove like a Jetboil Flash or an MSR Pocket Rocket, you probably have a lot of partially used isobutane canisters in your gear closet. While the ease of using canister gas stoves has revolutionized backcountry cooking, it also creates a lot of waste since …

This lightweight canister backpacking stoves only costs $11.99 and doesn’t even have a name except Ultralight Backpacking Canister Camp Stove. But still, that’s more than 80% less expensive than a comparable ($50) Snow Peak Gigapower, so I thought I’d check it out. At that price, I figured it (the Orange Amazon …

I like to switch to a separate cook pot and canister stove system for shoulder season and early winter camping when the days get shorter. When I spend more time in camp I tend to cook more elaborate meals, such as dried cheese tortellini, which needs to simmer for 13 minutes: …

The Jetboil MiniMo backpacking stove is a canister-based camping stove system that can simmer, so you can actually cook ingredients on a smaller flame, in addition to a full-on boil like Jetboil’s other personal or group stoves systems. Specs at a Glance Volume: 32 oz (1 Liter) Boil Time: 2 minutes 15 sec. per 16 …

What are the most popular backpacking stoves that backpackers *really* use? What backpacking stove fuel types are most common? How many stoves do backpackers typically own? We feel that the best way to answer questions like these is to poll large numbers of backpackers, 700 in this case, about their *actual* stove usage and …

MSR has a new and improved model of the original and iconic Pocket Rocket Canister Stove ($39.95) this year, called the Pocket Rocket 2 ($44.95), even though it doesn’t look much like its namesake. The biggest visible difference between the two stoves are the pot supports, which fold down and away more compactly along …