beaucon's Full Review: MSR Whisperlite Shaker Jet Backpacking Stove
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 Whisperlight?” I was reluctant to state my opinion because I have always been impressed with the ease of use with the Whisperlight. Nevertheless, a lifetime (30 years) of backpacking with the same stove forced me to reply. “Mark, all I can tell you is that in 30 years, in all kinds of weather, the Svea has never failed me.”
We first resolved to go with the Svea and then decided to pack both stoves. Because we were expecting very tough conditions, we determined that we could not afford to be without a working stove and so for safety sake we packed both.
From the moment we left the house, the temperature began to drop and the wind began to pick up. Near dark we set camp, on snow we had stamped down with our snowshoes. By the time we were ready to fix dinner, it was full dark and well below zero F. All around us we could hear the sound of trees bursting as the sap froze, and expanded. Worst of all the wind was gusting from all directions. I knew the Svea would need a good does of gas to get it primed, so I filled the priming bowl to the brim and a little more. At the touch of a match, there was the familiar flare and then the stove began to settle into it’s sputtering which normally turns to that unmistakable roar that is the hallmark of a Svea. This time, however, the sputter became a feeble blue flame, which did not give of enough heat to overcome the bitter cold. Moments later the stove was out. This process was repeated time after time until it became obvious that the Svea could not vaporize the gas at the sub-zero temperatures. Moments later, Mark had his Whisperlight unpacked. After a few quick pumps and a match, the little stove sprang to life and for the rest of the trip performed flawlessly. In addition to it’s ability to start and keep running in the cold, this stove has several other features that make it particularly good in the cold. The first is it can be hooked up to large size fuel bottle so you don’t have to continually refill a tank or swap out a fuel bottle when you are ripping through fuel while melting snow for water, heating water to preheat sleeping bags, or heating water that has frozen before you get a chance to do anything useful with it. Next the windscreen is very well designed and much more effective than the one on my old Svea; it completely surrounds the stove, and truly protects the burner from being blown out buy stiff winds. Next it come equipped with a heat reflector that redirects the heat that otherwise would radiate down to the ice. It reflects that heat back up to the pot. Finally you can get an optional aluminum three-leaf base, which provides a very stable platform that the legs lock into. Even though we used the Whisperlight on top of a foot or more of packed snow, this rig did not sink into the ice. However, as soon as we had the Whisperlight going, we placed a pot of snow on to melt. As it heated up, we put a lid on the pot and then placed the Svea on the lid. Once the poor thing was heated to a reasonable temperature, we re-lit it and it performed as usual. Once it heated up, however, it started to sink into the ice and then it began to loose its prime again. So, we had to sacrifice one small pot to keep it off the ice.
Here is the bottom line. I cannot complain about my old Svea. All in all it may be the single most reliable product I have ever owned. However, based on my recent experience, the recommendations of my friends and the universally good reputation of the Whisperlight, I will be buying one before my next trip.
The trusted leader in backpacking stoves for over 15 years, the MSR WhisperLite Stove sets a tough standard with its simple design. Simple means easy ...More at Amazon Marketplace
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