Boil time sells a camping stove and fuel economy sizes the trip. MSR publishes both for the PocketRocket 2: 3.5 minutes to boil one liter, and 16 liters boiled per 227-gram (8 oz) canister of its IsoPro fuel, or 2 liters per ounce of fuel. The second figure is the one that decides how many canisters go in the pack, and it is the one most packaging leaves off. The condition that changes both is the fuel itself: MSR's WhisperLite International boils a liter in 3.5 minutes on white gas and 4.4 minutes on kerosene, from the same burner.
Three stoves, three fuel economies
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| Stove, as published | Weight (minimum) | Boil time, 1 liter | Water per 227 g canister | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSR PocketRocket 2 | 2.6 oz (73 g) | 3.5 min | 16 liters | $49.95 |
| MSR WindBurner Personal | 15.3 oz (433 g) | 4.5 min | 18 liters | $199.95 |
| MSR WhisperLite International | 11.2 oz (318 g) | 3.5 min (white gas) | liquid fuel, 4.4 L per 100 ml | $159.95 |
The WindBurner Personal system is slower to boil at 4.5 minutes and more economical at 18 liters per canister, or 2.3 liters per ounce of fuel, with about 95 minutes of burn time per canister. The PocketRocket 2 runs about 60 minutes on the same canister. Slower and thriftier is the usual shape of an enclosed, heat-exchanger system, and faster and hungrier the shape of an open burner. The pot the water lands in matters as much as the burner, in the same way that the cap on an insulated bottle sets how long that water stays hot.
Liters per canister, not minutes, decides how much fuel to carry
Example, from the manufacturer's figures. Two people for four days, boiling three liters a day, need 12 liters. At 16 liters per canister the PocketRocket 2 uses 0.75 of a 227-gram canister, which is 170 g of fuel. At 18 liters per canister the WindBurner uses 0.67 of one, or 151 g. The saving is 19 grams of fuel across the trip, against 360 grams more stove in the pack, since the WindBurner's 433 g is 360 g heavier than the PocketRocket 2's 73 g.
That arithmetic flips on a long trip. At 20 days and three liters a day, 60 liters, the difference becomes 3.75 canisters against 3.33, and a canister is 227 g of fuel plus its steel. A liquid-fuel stove changes the units again: the WhisperLite International boils 4.4 liters per 100 ml of white gas, so 12 liters takes 273 ml, and its fuel comes in a refillable bottle rather than a sealed cartridge. It also carries 155 minutes of burn per 600 ml on kerosene against 110 minutes on white gas.
A canister stove is a sealed part; a liquid stove is a serviceable one
Fuel format decides the maintenance. A threaded canister has no field-serviceable parts and is discarded when empty. A liquid-fuel stove has a pump, a fuel line and a jet, and it is priced accordingly: $159.95 for the WhisperLite International against $49.95 for the PocketRocket 2. The upfront gap buys the ability to burn more than one fuel and to strip the stove rather than replace it, which is the same repairability question that decides the life of a pair of hiking boots.
ASTM F3429 covers the fuel container, not the burner
The container itself is a standards matter. ASTM F3429/F3429M-20 sets performance requirements for flame mitigation devices installed in disposable and pre-filled liquid containers for consumer use where the liquid's flashpoint is below 60 °C (140 °F), and states that a compliant device minimizes the potential for flame jetting or container rupture. Its scope excludes containers larger than 20 L (5.3 gal) or smaller than 100 mL (3.4 oz), beverage containers, and containers that are not open to ambient conditions, which is where liquefied petroleum gas cartridges sit.
CPSC counts more than 200 carbon monoxide deaths a year
Any fuel-burning appliance produces carbon monoxide. The CPSC states that more than 200 people in the United States die every year from accidental non-fire carbon monoxide poisoning associated with consumer products, and lists headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, sleepiness and confusion as the warning signs. The example the agency leads with is the portable generator, which it says must never be used inside homes or garages even with doors and windows open, must be run outside only and at least 20 feet from a home with exhaust facing away, and which it says produces as much carbon monoxide as hundreds of cars. It also says to install carbon monoxide alarms on every level of a home and outside sleeping areas.
Those are the agency's words, and a stove's own marketing does not enlarge them. A vestibule on a camping tent is a partly enclosed space, and a wind-resistance claim in a product description is a statement about flame stability rather than about ventilation.
Before you buy a camping stove
- Liters of water boiled per canister or per 100 ml of liquid fuel, not the boil time alone.
- The boil time with the volume it refers to, since one liter and half a liter are different tests.
- Burn time in minutes per canister, which is the figure a simmering meal uses.
- Whether the stove is serviceable, and whether a maintenance kit and jets are sold.
- The fuel available where the trip starts, since cartridge threads and liquid fuels are not interchangeable.
- The manufacturer's stated pot compatibility, because heat-exchanger systems are sized to one vessel.