Pocketrocket Fuel

[Todd Tarbox]

For Christmas my parents got me a MSR Pocketrocket. Just wondering who has used this stove and how easily it would be to resupply fuel on the trail. Wasnt planning on any maildrops and I've heard that other canisters such as coleman fit. Is this a stove worth keeping or should I return it and look for something different?

[4eyedbuzzard]

Finding fuel is no problem. All cannisters are standardized - any brand will fit. The pocketrocket is probably one of the most used cannister stoves out there. Very simple. Very reliable. Many thrus prefer alcohol stoves, but they take longer to boil water and are a bit more finicky in the wind and due to handling / pouring the fuel. Again, fuel is no problem - denatured alcohol or yellow "HEET" gas antifreeze is available pretty much everywhere. The actual weight and cost difference between going with alcohol vs cannister is a hotly debated subject. The difference is usually that alcohol is a little cheaper and lighter (within a few ounces), but a little less convenient. Your choice. Both will heat up your water just fine.

[charlieo]

I've been using my pocket rocket for years, I have no complaints, boils water very quickly, very easy to use. I've used many different brands of fuel with it.

[Six-Six]

I have a pocket rocket, using it for several years without any problem at all. There are several brands of Isobutane/Propane mix cannisters. Watch out for the Coleman cannisters... to make sure the threads match your Pocket Rocket. Coleman makes cannisters for their tabletop camp stoves - I found out the hard way that they don't match the PR - gave the coleman can to my son who used it on his camp stove, so it worked out. Just FYI.

[Rocket Jones]

Last I heard, you can't mail fuel canisters.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Last I heard, you can't mail fuel canisters.

You can mail them (but not internationally). http://pe.usps.com/text/pub52/pub52c3_017.htm#ep898788

They must be marked "Consumer Commodity ORM-D(other restricted materials-domestic)" and "Surface Mail Only"

Up to three of the smaller cannisters meet the volume restrictions in http://pe.usps.com/cpim/ftp/manuals/DMM300/601.pdf

[Freedom Walker]

Agree totally with the comment about using PR in windy conditions. It will take longer to boil if it is cold and windy as it appeared to me that the heat cannot be directed to the pan. Has anybody used some kind of curtain to keep heat contained?

[daddytwosticks]

Sometimes I use a Giga Snowpeak canister stove on longer trips. If it's windy, I try and use a windbreak or use my sit pad to CAREFULLY shield the wind from the stove. :)

[Rocket Jones]

Thanks for setting me straight 4eyedbuzzard. There were some questions a while back about changing rules and I misunderstood the end result.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Thanks for setting me straight 4eyedbuzzard. There were some questions a while back about changing rules and I misunderstood the end result.I think the most recent changes regarding small canisters had to do with lowering the quantities allowed to be shipped in the same box and raising the shipping price substantially to include some sort of hazardous material fee. This more affected UPS (not USPS) shipments of boxes containing 12 or 24 to outfitters. I don't know if the rule was "fixed" or what the outcome was.

[House of Payne]

I am also a pocket rocket owner. I have had great luck with the stove in most 3 season conditions for the last 4 years. I have never been over 10 days at one time to need refueling and will be looking into burn times and refueling points in order to thru-hike in 13'.

[Wise Old Owl]

You can mail them (but not internationally). http://pe.usps.com/text/pub52/pub52c3_017.htm#ep898788

They must be marked "Consumer Commodity ORM-D(other restricted materials-domestic)" and "Surface Mail Only"

Up to three of the smaller cannisters meet the volume restrictions in http://pe.usps.com/cpim/ftp/manuals/DMM300/601.pdf


Wow - 4- eye Yu Da MAN! -- I got to sink my beak into this and do some reading... No it's not ment to be sarcastic.....

[4eyedbuzzard]

Wow - 4- eye Yu Da MAN! -- I got to sink my beak into this and do some reading... No it's not ment to be sarcastic.....F$%#&* confusing and roundabout is what it is.

[10-K]

Given how common they are mailing a fuel canister is very unnecessary.

[Wise Old Owl]

No I am glad you found some stuff to further WB members... from the heart - Merry Christmas or Happy Hannakah!

[Don H]

I think the most recent changes regarding small canisters had to do with lowering the quantities allowed to be shipped in the same box and raising the shipping price substantially to include some sort of hazardous material fee. This more affected UPS (not USPS) shipments of boxes containing 12 or 24 to outfitters. I don't know if the rule was "fixed" or what the outcome was.

Came across at least one place where the guide book said they had canisters but didn't. The motel in Pearisburg stopped carrying them because of the haz-mat rule. I quit using my alcohol stove in Hot Springs where I bought a Pocket Rocket. The alcohol stove just wouldn't get hot enough to reconstitute my freezerbag meals. Used my sit pad for a wind shield when needed. Continued using the PR through the rest of the trip without problems.

[CrumbSnatcher]

i thruhiked twice with a pocket rocket,never had an issue with the canisters or finding them. didn't cook nearly as much as most hikers,seldom cooked breakfast. they seem to cook alot faster than the alcohol stoves, i was always under the assumption that you do not wrap a heat sheild around a stove that has the fuel bottle attched to it, trapping the fuel canister inside the wind screen with the heat could be dangerous. its not too hard to get the stove out of the wind when cooking
my 2cents & i could be wrong?

[Lone Wolf]

i thruhiked twice with a pocket rocket,never had an issue with the canisters or finding them. didn't cook nearly as much as most hikers,seldom cooked breakfast. they seem to cook alot faster than the alcohol stoves, i was always under the assumption that you do not wrap a heat sheild around a stove that has the fuel bottle attched to it, trapping the fuel canister inside the wind screen with the heat could be dangerous. its not too hard to get the stove out of the wind when cooking
my 2cents & i could be wrong?you ain't wrong. it's the quickest, easiest most "no duh stove for the AT. alcohol stoves are a PIA

[CrumbSnatcher]

i could start my stove/dinner a few minutes after others with homemade stoves, and be eating while they were still waiting for the boil :-)
IMO great stove POCKET ROCKET

[peakbagger]

I have posted pictures before of a hanging heat shield system for a pocket rocket. It cures the problems with wind and bumps the stove efficiency up about 20%. I changed computers since then and the pictures didnt come along for the ride. I havent to date been able to find the pictures on WB but they are out there somewhere.

[Don H]

I found some pictures in the gallery by searching "Pocket Rocket Windscreen". Nice design, I might have to make one.

[Jim Adams]

Just use a smal wrap of wire fence with foil around the top down to the base of the flame...lets the air flow freely around the cannister.

geek

[CrumbSnatcher]

how many canisters did you guys use on a thruhike? i don't remember using more than 3 or so, never found a need for a windscreen, millions of natural windscreens out there.
im sure a wind screen can save you a few bucks, but not enough to worry about for me.

[SmotPoker]

Ok so I have a couple questions about the pocket rocket. I've never used a stove before so I really have no experience with it.
•So is fueling it as easy as buying a new canister?
•Where along the trail could I buy them? Are they really that abundant?
•How long would a canister typically last for?
•What's the cost of a canister?

[jacquelineanngrant]

Ok so I have a couple questions about the pocket rocket. I've never used a stove before so I really have no experience with it.
•So is fueling it as easy as buying a new canister?
•Where along the trail could I buy them? Are they really that abundant?
•How long would a canister typically last for?
•What's the cost of a canister? Yes fueling is as easy as buying a new canister. You can generally get canisters at any outfitter, they are readily abundant. The smaller canisters (40z. I think) are usually around $5 and one of those lasts me about a week, cooking breakfast, dinner, and hot chocolate. The pocket Rocket is great! Used it on my thru in 2010 and never needed a windscreen. The only place I had trouble finding fuel was in Pearisburg, so just grab an extra can befor you get there. Good Luck!!

[4eyedbuzzard]

Ok so I have a couple questions about the pocket rocket. I've never used a stove before so I really have no experience with it. So is fueling it as easy as buying a new canister? No, you have to screw it on too.

Where along the trail could I buy them? Are they really that abundant? Almost anywhere that sells stuff to hikers, so in pretty much every trail town or place that hikers would stop to resupply. Yes, they are abundant.

How long would a canister typically last for? Anywhere from 6 - 12 liters of water per 100 grams (small canister) of fuel. Depends upon starting water temp, ambient air temp, wind, windscreen, type of stove, type of pot, etc. A canister will typically last a week or more under normal use. When it is cold out and the water is cold and it's windy and you're drinking more hot drinks, you'll obviously use more fuel. The stoves are also less efficient the colder it is. When it is cold out (<40°F) it helps to keep the fuel warm in your sleeping bag for morning coffee / oatmeal / whatever, and to warm it for 15 minutes or so in your jacket before using it to cook dinner.
What's the cost of a canister? Usually $5, perhaps more in small towns and places you are a captive audience.

[Toolshed]

Also a PR user and an alcohol stove user (But a whisperlight user in winter). The PR is very fast to set up and use. You will get more boils out of a canister if you make sure you shut down the stove right after the water boils. 2 cups is very fast. I read somewhere that yuo can get up to 20 4 minute boils out of this stove. my 2 cups boil a bit faster than 4 minutes, but conservatively that leaves me with 10 days worth of fuel (2 cups Br/2 cups Dnr).

[lemon b]

Only big problem I've seen in the field with the pocketrocket is the threads on the canister, making the canister useless.
I use a whisperlight for 5 or more days out, pocketrocket for short above 35 degree trips. I leave the cap on over the threads.

[Freedom Walker]

For the member who was looking for this thread, here it is.

[dshideler]

Thank you :)