plilikoi's Full Review: MSR Whisperlite Shaker Jet Backpacking Stove
I've owned two of these Whisperlight stoves. The pump on the first one failed so I bought a complete new, shaker jet, model in Hawaii for use on Hanakapaii Beach on the Na Pali coast of Kauai. If you enjoy backpacking you owe it to yourself to undertake this trip. The stove you carry is insignificant in comparison with the joy of being out there.
Nevertheless, if you're in the market for a new stove you should consider the Whisperlight. It runs off white gas that is available relatively inexpensively. If you're only an occasional backpacker I would recommend a propane stove for its convenience, better heat regulation and overall ease of use, although you may end up having to carry two propane tanks, one of which is invariably nearly empty and a new full one. Carrying two tanks is really a bother and they take up quite a bit of space. The cost of these single use propane tanks is exorbitant.
Gasoline stoves are the best choice for economy-conscious, and/or environmentally conscious, backpackers.
The Whisperlight stove is composed of three principal components, the fuel bottle, the pump and the burner. I like this MSR design because it is compact, lightweight and inexpensive to run and much more reliable with the shaker jet improvement. The jet on my earlier model used to clog all the time and it was a pain to clear. With the shaker jet model you literally just give the stove a good shake and it clears itself.
You must use an MSR fuel bottle because these are made to fit the pump. Or the pump was made to fit the bottle. MSR provides these fuel bottles in at least three different sizes so you can take a stab at guesstimating how much fuel you will likely consume on any given excursion and carry the appropriate size bottle. This can save considerable space and weight.
The pump is the stove's Achilles heel. It's nasty, meaning that it's cheaply made and prone to failure. It's also expensive to replace at $25 a pop and, if your stove fails, it will be the pump that goes. It's still far cheaper than propane though :-)
The stove itself folds up into a very compact size. With the three legs unfolded I find it quite stable and the heat output somewhat controllable. It's also quiet, at least in comparison with my XGK, but it's a pain to start because you have to prime it. You have to pump it, open the valve on the pump to release a little gasoline into the well that surrounds the burner and then set this alight. As the gasoline burns it heats up the steel preheat tubing that makes a loop around the burner. When the priming fuel has almost burnt you reopen the fuel valve on the pump and off it goes. The idea is to heat the fuel sufficiently to turn it into a vapor before it comes out of the jet. This whole process is so much easier with propane, which boils at -43 degrees F. You just open the valve, the propane immediately vaporises, set the flow alight and you're off to the races.
If you find that you need to service this stove, which I really haven't had to do with the new model, you will get all dirty with soot and gasoline. I would recommend carrying the spare parts kit. Alas, you'll likely also get dirty when you pack and unpack the stove.
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Addendum July 3, 2002
One a recent 3 day backpack from Cottonwood Pass to Mt Whitney, we ran into some PCT "thru" hikers. They extolled the virtues of the alcohol-burning "Pepsi can" stove. I looked this up on the Web, http://www.pcthiker.com/pages/gear/pepsiGstoveinstruct.shtml, and made one myself. Whaddyaknow? This thing works pretty well. No pumping, no moving parts, assembly or disassembly required. There's also no need to carry a repair kit.
It works pretty well. It weighs 0.5 oz, measures 2.5" diameter by 1.75" high and holds a couple of ounces of ethanol -- about enough to boil 2 quarts of water in a few minutes (it's quite powerful with approximately the same boil time as the Whisperlite).
Ethanol has 2/3 the energy density of gasoline though so a comparable amount of fuel does weigh 50% more, but it's not as dangerous so you can carry the fuel in a much lighter container. It also leaves no sooty residue that dirties your hands. Don't drink denatured alcohol though.
Only 1/2 oz ... The flame isn't as forceful as a pressurized gasoline stove and, as a consequence, it (the flame) is much more easily blown around by the wind. This stove absolutely requires a windscreen. As for support, you can simply place your pot on 3 tent stakes for the real minimalist approach.
The drawbacks to this stove are the lack of an on/off control (I reckon you could smother the flame with another Pepsi can top cut to fit) and the lack of simmering capability, although a simmer adapter is described. It primes quickly and it really does work as advertised. I'll take it on our next backpack and see how well it works in the field.
It would be refreshing to not get all dirty from the gasoline soot and to save a pound in weight.
For over 15 years, the WhisperLite(tm) has been the leader in backpacking stoves for its reliability and simple design. Shaker Jet technology makes c...More at Outdoorplay.com
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