MSR Whisperlite Review

I've always though that the MSR Whisperlite is a great basic backcountry stove that will meet most backpackers needs. It's very light and easy to pack and carry. That said, I think there are a few drawbacks and depending upon what you are looking for in a backpacking stove, the Whisperlite might be your savior or might slightly annoy you.

The Whisperlite is a single burner backpacking stove. The stove comes with the stove itself and the pressuring pump/blocker for the gas bottles. This basic equipment is very light, weighing in well under a pound. Overall the stove is simple. There are three base legs that connect to a burner and the gas line enters from the bottom, wraps up and into the burner and back out to the pan section. The pressurizing pump consists of a screw-in piece that fits in the top of your gas bottle and allows you to pump the bottle and pressurize it. The pump connects to the burner assembly through a metal braided hose that is flexible but not breakable. The Whisperlite runs on white gas (Coleman fuel) and the gas bottles are available in a variety of sizes, depending upon the length of your backpacking trip.

Lighting the stove is fairly simple, though the first few times might give you a jump or two. After pressurizing the gas tank, you let a bit of the fuel to drip into the pan surrounding the burner and then you ignite this fuel with a match or a lighter and allow the burner assemblage to warm up and pressurize the gas line. Once the stove is warm enough, the fuel line is re-opened and the Whisperlite putters and spurts to life. After a few seconds of sufficient heating the large flames at the start die down and you are left with the hot blue flame in the burner area only. The Whisperlite also comes with a wind block that is generally required to be around the burner assemblage when you are using it. The noise level with the Whisperlite is not overbearing, but it can sound like a little jet engine without any pots or pans on it.

The stove is small enough to easily fold up and pack away into any backpack. The setup is easy and quick - within five minutes of starting, the Whisperlite can be setup, the gas can be primed and you can be ready to start it. The startup process of warming the burner with the fuel takes a few minutes and since it produces a big flame at the start it should not be used inside a tent and should be kept away from anything else that is flammable.

Like I said this stove is light and that's the biggest thing going for it. I also like that the stove design is simple which makes it easy to operate and should something happen while you are in the field, it also makes it easy to repair. MSR offers maintenance kit that includes replacement parts and cleaning instruments. This kit is a must have, as you don't want to be stuck out in the woods with a non-functioning stove.

On the minus side - there are really only two settings with the Whisperlite - "off" and "high." There really aren't any in betweens. The Whisperlite is for cooking fast and hot.

My Take

While I don't always use it on backpacking trips, I won't be retiring my my Whisperlite any time soon. It serves its purpose, which is getting things in the backcountry hot quickly.