View Full Version : Opinion on a particular stove...
what do you guys think about this stove? its the msr wisperlite.
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_23647_350004004_350000000_350004000_350-4-4
OutdoorsMan
09-06-2008, 11:04
I have had one for about 30 years. It is a reliable stove (unless the pump fails - mine did after about 25 years of sporadic use), fuel is inexpensive and readily available and it puts out a lot of heat. The only real negative that I think this stove has is that it is heavy (stove and fuel bottle). This is not a good stove if you are an ultralighter and many would say that it is not good for solo backpacking but good for a group. I like the stove a lot but I have had my eyes on other lighter, 'systems' that include a cooking pot where everything nests within the pot.
This is probably an excellent choice if you plan to do any cold weather backpacking as the fuel won't freeze as butane can. Some might say that the stove is "dirty" from carbon buildup when starting but this doesn't bother me as I am generally dirty when backpacking anyway and when I put it in the storage sack, it doesn't contaminate anything else in my pack.
I hope this helps.
It was the "classic" thru-hiker's stove -- back in the late 1980s and well into the 1990s. But most thru-hikers these days are using either alcohol stoves or so-called "canister" stoves.
The Whisperlite is somewhat heavy for what it does, and that's mostly why the other options now prevail. I carried one for many years and it served me well. It's about 20 years old now and it's still operable.
Homer&Marje
09-06-2008, 11:09
Used one for 13 years before I switched to alcohol stoves. Just keep it clean and remember to grease the gas bottle insert on the tube and your set.
how hard are the canisters to come by when you are on the trail?
how hard are the canisters to come by when you are on the trail?
Not difficult at all, for the most part.
how long would one last for and how many would you typically carry at once?
how long would one last for and how many would you typically carry at once?
I only carry one at a time -- the larger one with 8 oz. of fuel in it. Lasts me about three weeks, but I only cook one meal a day on the trail (and eat dinner in town every 3 or 4 days...)
bigcranky
09-06-2008, 12:30
The Whisperlight is also known as the "shelter torch." It's fun watching a newbie try to light one.
Good stove, pretty reliable, heavy, only has one speed -- full blast. Reliability depends on the user maintaining the stove properly.
I went from a Whisperlight to a canister stove to an alcohol stove to an Esbit stove, and now I'm mostly back to a canister stove.
I have a Wisperlite. Not sure where I got it or why. (or where it is right now, will have to look for it - probably willing to sell it if I can find it. Let me know if you are interested) Have rarely used it. As others have said, heavy, needs maintenance, overkill for solo.
Better stoves for solo would be Pepsi Can, or an ultra lite cannister.
If you want a white gas stove for winter, I would still recommend a SVEA 123. Virtually indestructible, easy to use once you are used to them, compact, and no maintenance required.
Feral Bill
09-06-2008, 12:51
Ditto on the SVEA. It's ultra reliable, light (not ultra), and simmers well. Mine is going on 40 years old, with only a couple fuel cap gaskets replaced.
I had such bad luck with a Whisperlite that I promised myself I would never give MSR another penny of my money. 15-years later and still they have not gotten any of my money and never will.
I also would say to get a Svea 123, they cost $100.00 but it will outlast you. I have 2 of them, one about 30-years old and a new one about 3-months old.
There is not a stove made that is more reliable. It’s a 100-year old design that works.
Lawn Sale
09-06-2008, 21:58
I have 5 or 6 of them, found them at lawn sales :) They work fine, but I prefer the Dragonfly if I'm going to carry that much weight (or use it in the winter) as it allows you to simmer. Nothing wrong with them (they are LOUD), but they do take a "knack" to light and use properly. They'll last for years with some maintenance.
LIhikers
09-06-2008, 22:37
My wife and I haved used an MSR Simmerlite stove summer, winter, spring and fall, with good success, for a number of years. Once a year I completely disassemble it, give everything a good inspection and cleaning, replace the o-rings and reassemble. I can run it as high as a blast furnace or turn it down and let it simmer. Yep, it's heavy in comparison to other choices but it's rugged and reliable as the day is long.
Bare Bear
09-07-2008, 00:45
I had one I used for a few years. I found a brand new one at Hawk Mountain shelter and could not catch up to the owner so I gave it away at Neel's Gap. All stoves other than alcohol are heavier than an alcohol stove.
All stoves other than alcohol are heavier than an alcohol stove.
As long as you don't count the weight of the fuel...
gonewalkabout
09-07-2008, 22:08
I've used the MSR xkg, dragon fly, whisperlite (its not light), and the simmer lite (it doesn't simmer) over the years but not for long distance hiking. I've used a snowk peak canister stove for LD hiking.
Of the MSR white gas/gasoline stoves I prefer the simmer lite at 7 oz w/o bottle. Its the lightest gasoline stove and has good winter performance. It spuders and looks like it will go out and sometimes does. Its a little more fussy and tempermental than the whisperlite but once you get used to it its fine.
For solo coking i.e. boiling 2 cups of water in a samll solo pot all of the MSR burnners are very big and very hot. Fine for a quick boil but too hot to cook on after that. You meal will boil over at the lowest setting.
Blissful
09-07-2008, 22:19
Our whisper lite worked for a time, but the maintenance is crazy on it and finally it began breaking parts - like the plastic plunger, etc. We used the MSR pocket rocket all last year on the hike and it did very well. No maintenance. No problems.
Plus the whisperlite sounds like an aircraft on take-off. Someone used it last year on the trail. It was noisy.
Plus the whisperlite sounds like an aircraft on take-off. Someone used it last year on the trail. It was noisy.
The Dragonfly and XGK are very noisy. The basic Whisperlite and Simmerlite are pretty quiet.
Lawn Sale
09-07-2008, 23:15
For solo coking i.e. boiling 2 cups of water in a samll solo pot all of the MSR burnners are very big and very hot. Fine for a quick boil but too hot to cook on after that. You meal will boil over at the lowest setting.
Not to nitpick, but the Dragonfly will go down low enough to barely heat a pot. I simmer with mine all the time and even cook pancakes and eggs on it in an aluminum frying pan. It is a tad heavy though, which is why I use a Gigapower in the summer and save the MSR for the winter. At 3.5 ounces with the igniter, it fits the bill and I only used a small Jetboil cannister on the whole 100-Mile Wilderness section.
I don’t like the idea of all the plastic parts. Also stoves with fuel line it seems like leakage could be a problem as the stove gets older. I’ve read a few reviews that have mentioned this with MSR and Coleman stoves. I like the attached tank stoves for the simplicity and reliability.
The most important thing is not what your cooking on, it's what your cooking...
Panzer
I don’t like the idea of all the plastic parts. Also stoves with fuel line it seems like leakage could be a problem as the stove gets older. I’ve read a few reviews that have mentioned this with MSR and Coleman stoves. I like the attached tank stoves for the simplicity and reliability.
No plastic part has failed on my 19 year old Whisperlite. Ironically, one part that needed a bit of maintenance is made of leather. The part in question is the gasket for the pump (it acts as a "piston ring",) which had dried out. As I recall, a bit of vaseline fixed it up.
mtnkngxt
09-08-2008, 10:42
Anyone that has whisperlites they despise and want to rid their gear closets are more than welcome to send them to me. I need one to cook for my Outdoor Recreation club at my college. Using my pocket rocket is becoming a pain when we take two groups of 10 out on the weekends, guess thats what I get for volunteering to lead trips.
There is definately a place and time for Whisperlite stoves: If you are cooking for more than one, or cooking in cold weather.
And, if anyone thinks they are loud, then they never heard the Svea stove that preceeded the Whisperlite.
I love my Svea and it's noise.
take-a-knee
09-08-2008, 22:18
I love my Svea and it's noise.
So do I.
wisperlite = 14 oz
Svea 123 = 19oz
Is this true?
The MSR Whisperlite is a sooty mess. I haven't used mine since I got a Pocket Rocket, about 7 or so years ago. I've kept it around "just in case," but somehow it's never cold enough or whatever for me to mess with it.
(Anyone want it? PM an offer. It's the International model.)
So last winter we bought a new Svea 123R. The Svea is a beautiful thing, simple to use, and a joy to look at.
Basically, gas stoves are going to be heavier than alcohol, Esbit, or canister stoves. But if you need/want a white gas stove, you are no longer worrying about being ultralight, so IMO you might as well go with a Svea.
bach2112
09-21-2008, 14:57
I have been looking into www.minibulldesigns.com (http://www.minibulldesigns.com). This guy is amazing at what he has done and continues to do with alcohol stoves. I worked at a couple of outdoor places like REI and Great Outdoor Provision Company, but MSR and Jetboils tend to be to bulky if your thru hiking in my opinion, unless your carrying a bigger pack like a Gregory Baltoro- which really isn't a thru-hikers pack-. Alcohol stoves are cheap, reliable, and the best part is that you can get fuel almost anywhere for them. The stove to look at on his site is the Mighty Mouse. He has created a wick that can be use to put out the flame, meaning saving that little bit of fuel. Good design and workmanship.
I have the internationale model
All the MSR stoves run great with minimal maint.
The people I see have trouble with them are generally
1. Over pumping...which can be spectacular
2. Running crappy fuel
If you run good quality fuel you will have very little need to clean the stove
White gas rules if you are melting snow...for everything else I use a cannister
SunnyWalker
09-22-2008, 21:57
I have used a MSR Whisperlite on may bicycle trips, including one across USA. I backpacking I gave it up as it is to heavy (when you include fuel in bottle and all). I never had a problem with it though, except there is no variation in running it. I have gone from that to Wood stove, alcohol stove, and Esbitt. I am looking at the Pocket Rocket stove to use on my thru hike of AT and PCT. These are my thoughts.
The MSR Whisperlite is a sooty mess.
You haven't seen "sooty mess" till you've hiked with a Zip stove. :D On the Whisperlite, the soot under the burner usually flakes off after use. Carry a bit of tinfoil and wrap it around the burner head when packing up the stove. No biggie. But hey, I mostly use a Pocket Rocket these days. Definitely the simplest and fastest way to get your dinner cooked. A Whisperlite might make some sense for a couple or a small group traveling and cooking together.
I have the internationale model
All the MSR stoves run great with minimal maint.
The people I see have trouble with them are generally
1. Over pumping...which can be spectacular
2. Running crappy fuel
If you run good quality fuel you will have very little need to clean the stove
White gas rules if you are melting snow...for everything else I use a cannister
I think you are right about the overpumping thing. A guy I hiked with for a long way on the AT was using a Whisperlite, without making the kind of mess I used to make with it. I religiously followed the instructions and kept the thing pumped way up. He operated it with a lot less pressure.
Two Speed
09-23-2008, 06:11
Yeah, you could screw up the Peak 1 by overpumping, too. It'd do the screwiest things to let you know it wasn't happy. Had one episode where I thought I had a load of bad gas.
Also easier to overpump if you overfill the tank with gas. The manufacturer wants some air space in the tank for a reason.
I was guilty of both sins when my Peak 1 acted up. I quit screwing those two items up and it quit giving me fits, as long as I frequently spoke sweet nothings to it while maintaining on a very regular basis. :cool:
wisperlite = 14 oz
Svea 123 = 19oz
Is this true?
Yes.
In response to the "Sooty mess" of a Whisperlite, I learned a long time ago while reading an article on white gas stoves that blowing out the little flame that remains inside the generator (under the burner) of a Whisperlite as soon as you turn the stove off will prevent the soot. The little yellow "leftover flame" is very sooty and is the prime suspect when your stove clogs. Overpriming can also make the stove sooty. I haven't used my stove in three years or so, but still keep it in case I decide to do a weekend in zero or below temperatures. White gas is king in those conditions unless you are at such an altitude that your cannister stove actually works due to the pressure difference between the inside of the cannister and the outside.
I learned a long time ago while reading an article on white gas stoves that blowing out the little flame that remains inside the generator (under the burner) of a Whisperlite as soon as you turn the stove off will prevent the soot. The little yellow "leftover flame" is very sooty and is the prime suspect when your stove clogs.
Another problem area with soot is using the stove fuel to prime it. Use alcohol to prime it and you get no soot.
In response to the "Sooty mess" of a Whisperlite, I learned a long time ago while reading an article on white gas stoves that blowing out the little flame that remains inside the generator (under the burner) of a Whisperlite as soon as you turn the stove off will prevent the soot. The little yellow "leftover flame" is very sooty and is the prime suspect when your stove clogs. Overpriming can also make the stove sooty.
I'm convinced that priming is the bugaboo with most white-gas stoves. I'm also convinced that the best way to start a Whisperlite or Simmerlite is to let the priming flame go out completely, and then open the valve and start the stove with a match or a lighter. There should be minimal delay between these two events. I've never tried priming a white-gas stove with alcohol. It's an interesting idea.
The reason a gas stove give off soot is because of the burning of fuel in a liquid state. It burns yellow and with a lot of soot. The stove once running heats the fuel coming out of the tank into a gas state. Once in a gas state it burns blue and with a very little amount of soot.
To reduce soot, preheat with alcohol instead of stove fuel (I use the same denatured alcohol that I use in for alcohol stove fuel)
When shutting off the stove take your cooking pan off the stove first so none of the soot from shutting the stove down gets on it.
And as mentioned above, blow out the small yellow flame right away when you shut it down.
I also let the priming flame go out all the way before lighting the stove.
I prime with fuel, light the stove from the priming flame if I time it right, blow out the yellow flame, and don't worry about the soot on the stove. Never got much soot on the pot. I keep the stove in a stuff sack with lighter, eyedropper (for priming) and P-38 (so I always know where that little bugger is). I add in a 4" square of closed cell foam in winter. A bit of soot on the stove has never been a problem.