View Full Version : XGK™-EX how to pack this stove properly
Hello,
I do a lot of hiking in the high sierra and purchased the MSR XGK-EX due to I spend a lot of time above 11k and my pocket rocket seems to have issues at those altitudes.
I am wondering how to store the stove for a trip that doesn't get oil everywhere. Or is that a norm for this stove? I have looked on youtube and found how to set it up however I haven't been able to see how to store it for back packing.
nsherry61
05-02-2018, 14:04
Oil? Are you burning kerosene? Nothing you can do will keep kerosene from getting everywhere. It kinda like carrying bottles of olive oil, except it's worse.
I generally use (or rather used to use) my XGK primarily with white gas because it was a lot less messy and I just packed in into a stuff sack with my stove and repair kit.
If you are using kerosene, I'd probably keep the stove in a ziplock bag inside the stuff sack. Also keeping the top of the bottle and the stove wrapped in cloth will help absorb wandering oil, and make great fire starter some day. ;-)
That all being said, canister stoves can work reliably and just fine at much higher altitudes than 11,000'.
Check out this link. (https://adventuresinstoving.blogspot.com/2017/04/does-canister-gas-work-at-high-elevation.html)
nsherry61
05-02-2018, 14:13
Another related train of thought on canister stoves at high altitude in the cold is here (https://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php/115424-How-low-will-a-cannister-go!).
[QUOTE=garyp;2206816]Hello,
I do a lot of hiking in the high sierra and purchased the MSR XGK-EX due to I spend a lot of time above 11k and my pocket rocket seems to have issues at those altitudes.
hhuuummmm........oil (?) . I use to have a primus multi fuel stove, but I either used white gas or a butane/propane canister with it. The XGK has that unique connection to the pump, where after you disconnect, some residual fuel may "leak" . You may do better with a newer MSR model that can accept gas canisters and run the canisters in "liquid mode" . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wYzC6A8auM .
Some sites that show how to run our pocket rocket at altitude:
http://www.ademiller.com/blogs/climbing/2005/12/gear-the-alpine-bomb.html
http://www.metrotomountain.com/journal/trails/trailsense_canisterStoveTips_511.php
http://www.iceclimbingforums.com/showthread.php?7679-Heat-exchanger-for-MSR-Reactor
Oil? Are you burning kerosene? Nothing you can do will keep kerosene from getting everywhere. It kinda like carrying bottles of olive oil, except it's worse.
I generally use (or rather used to use) my XGK primarily with white gas because it was a lot less messy and I just packed in into a stuff sack with my stove and repair kit.
If you are using kerosene, I'd probably keep the stove in a ziplock bag inside the stuff sack. Also keeping the top of the bottle and the stove wrapped in cloth will help absorb wandering oil, and make great fire starter some day. ;-)
That all being said, canister stoves can work reliably and just fine at much higher altitudes than 11,000'.
Check out this link. (https://adventuresinstoving.blogspot.com/2017/04/does-canister-gas-work-at-high-elevation.html)
I meant white gas.
BuckeyeBill
05-03-2018, 16:02
When I know I am heading into colder temperatures and/or high elevations, I take my MSR Whisperlite Universal multi-fuel stove. I like having a stove I can count on, as this stove allows you to invert a canister and run it straight liquid ISO Butane/Propane. When I need to switch to white gas, I need to switch out the jets and pull out the gas bottle. Quick connection change out in both cases and a few pumps and I am up and running on white gas. It comes with jets for ISO Butane/Propane, White Gas, and Kerosene. I did buy the maintenance kit for it and put its contents into a smaller container, thereby eliminating the weight of the plastic tool box it came in.
When using White Gas I drain the hose into a cat hole well away from camp, cooking areas and shelters. I found a plastic cap for the bottle end of the hose (I even carry a few extras in case I loose it). Keeps the end protected and little drizzles of fuel from leaking out. I then place the stove in its stuff sack that is lined with a heavy plastic bag. I carry it in a side pocket of my pack and haven't had any leaks yet.
cmoulder
05-03-2018, 17:06
Also, unscrew the pump to let pressure out when you're done with the stove. Put the fuel bottle/pump in an outside pocket. IME the only way this thing could leak is if something is broken.
nsherry61
05-03-2018, 18:27
I never had leak problems with my xgk in 20 years or so of use. And, what little fuel was left at the connectors was always easily shaken out or if white gas just evaporated on its own.
Kerosene
05-03-2018, 21:40
No, don't burn Kerosene! I only like to look at fire! :banana
cmoulder
05-04-2018, 05:55
No, don't burn Kerosene! I only like to look at fire! :banana
With all due respect and deference to your screen name, as a backpacking stove fuel kerosene sucks. :)
Many years back I put the K jet in my old XGK and tried kerosene. It burned fine — and noticeably hotter than naphtha — but it really does stink and once it gets on something the smell persists for a very long time. I never tried gasoline, however I'm sure that would be a negative experience as well.
Ah well, I'm never using those stoves again anyway, at least not for backpacking.
nsherry61
05-04-2018, 09:19
. . . kerosene. . . once it gets on something the smell persists for a very long time. . .
On that note, I'll bet I could dig through some of my boxes upstairs and find some gear that hasn't seen kerosene since 1980 and still smells of it.
As for using gasoline, I tried unleaded gasoline for a day or two in about 1979-80 just for the heck of it. Geez, what a smoky, stinky, sooty, mess that was. It cooked fine, but a campfire would have been cleaner. I've read of people on these forums that use gasoline currently and claim it works fine. I wouldn't use it unless I had to, for no other reason than to avoid the toxic additives they put in it to make it work better in cars.
@ < $8.00 per gallon at Walmart, white gas is a bargain.
garyp,
Why did you go to the top of the stove food chain for a white gas stove? There are a lot of choices out there. The SVEA 123, Optimus, Primus. Lots of good choices out there.
Drink alcohol. Burn petroleum.
Wayne