MSR Whisperlite Shaker Jet Backpacking Stove

Pros: lightweight, reliable, fits inside cooking pot, easy to maintain
Cons: doesn't simmer very well, likes to be ON full blast or OFF

The whisperlite is the same stove as the MSR Whisperlite Internationale, without the option of burning alternative fuels like diesel. It is mechanically identical to the internationale except for an alternate fuel nozzle and the absence of a wicking cup ...

Pros: Compact, light, field maintainable, functional.
Cons: Only uses white gas, unstable, one gas valve.

How to blow up a stove. I’ve set many things on fire including a 5 gallon gas can, my fleece, other things I should not mention online, and this stove. And yes, I still use this stove….but I did have to buy an extra pump. On a ...

Pros: Durable, lightweight, compact and boils water quickly.
Cons: Doesn't simmer well.

I've owned my Whisperlite for over 10 years, so I'm fully aware of its quirks. Despite them, it is an excellent stove for backpacking. First the quirks. The major one is that it has one setting - blowtorch. If you're boiling water (which is what I do ...

Pros: Boils water pretty quick, and great in cold weather.
Cons: Heavy, heavy, heavy, and expensive, compared to alcohol stoves.

I will start by saying that for the last 8 years, my whisperlite has been a great stove. Nary a problem with it..... and I don't do maintenance till it fails. I have had some minor leaks in my pack due to the pump/assembly though. Now you ask, why am ...

Pros: Light, relatively cheap, does its job
Cons: No control of the flame size, unstable

The MSR WhisperLite is good for the average 2-3 day camper, who cooks rice or spaghetti and makes coffee. It has absolutely no flame size control, which makes cooking anything more complex a real challenge that involves physically lifting the pot from...

Pros: Lightweight, inexpensive to operate, field serviceable
Cons: Dirty, messy and temperamental with poor pump design

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...

Pros: works in many environments, easy to use, works great, fuel efficient
Cons: a bit unstable and two settings low and flamethrower

I love this stove so much. I wish it were a bit more stable (you can get a base to fix that) and the flame control were a bit better, but you learn to deal with that. It's super light and come in a little baggy along with a wind screen and heat reflector...

Pros: light, clean, reliable.
Cons: no simmer

MSR's WhisperLite stove is one of my most prized pieces of outdoor equipment. It is clean, easy to use, affordable, reliable, and quiet. Although I haven't owned any other backpacking stoves, I can't imagine a stove that significantly outperforms the...

Pros: Very reliable in cold weather
Cons: It is an ugly little sucker and it is terminally grimy looking.

First, I must confess that I personally own a Svea 123R stove. Recently, when my friend, Mark, and I were packing for our recent winter backpacking and ice-climbing trip in the Adirondacks, he asked, “Which stove should we take, your Svea or my...

Pros: Very light, compact, widely used and loved
Cons: Failed miserably on me in the middle of the mountains

The Appalachian Trail. Ever since Bill Bryson came out with A Walk in the Woods, the AT has held the same lure for outdoors types as New Orleans' garden district holds for goths. While the prospect of taking off five or six months of my life to...

Pros: lightweight, simple, field-serviceable, lots of heat
Cons: starting the stove is difficult

This stove is what outdoor backpacking is all about. Its lightweight. Its simple. It works. However, it has its flaws -- just like backpacking has its bugs (mosquitos, flies, etc.). So nothing is perfect!

From my use, the only flaw that...

Pros: Light weight, easy to maintain
Cons: No heat control

I purchased this stove because I was gearing up for a summer of backpacking in the Sierras. I needed a stove that wouldn't weight too much, didn't cost too much, and would work well. I found the WhisperLite to fulfill all of these needs.

I...

Pros: Very compact and light
Cons: Don't borrow it to your friends, they won't give it back!

I wouldn't call myself Grizzly Adams, but I've made a few high altitude climbs and hikes. Three of which are fairly good to judge my advice on; Mt. Whitney in the Sierra Nevadas, King's Peak in High Unita Utah, and the Grand Canyon trek.

My...

Pros: Light, hot, simple
Cons: Poor control, difficult starting

I have had my WhisperLite for about 10 years now, and I am now in the market for another stove. The stove has heated a lot of water and cooked a lot of meals, but it still leaves a lot to be desired.

There are some really good selling...

Pros: Great cost-to-value ratio
Cons: tricky lighting

Okay, so it doesn't exactly whisper, and I've met lighter stoves, but the Whisperlite is still arguably the best backpacking stove for the money. I have friends who backpack with other stoves--but not many, and there is a good reason for that....