The Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter ~ Cam "Swami" Honan of OZ
It's a big burner, I'll give you that (one of the reasons its so fast). However, in size and weight (1L model) it's smaller and about an oz less than a 1L MSR Windburner. It weights about half an ounce more than a jetboil flash 1L and lots of people take jetboils on thrus (at least at the start - not sure how many finish).
Another area where these radiant heat burners (reactor and windburner) shine is in using every last bit of fuel in the canister because they're pressure regulated. I have an optimus crux that works really well when the canister is full, but after I've given up trying to boil with it, I can throw the same canister on my reactor and boil another litre easily.
If you're really concerned about how many boils you can get out of your canister, try a small wood stove (firebox nano) and don't carry fuel at all or worry whether you'll run out.
Hehehe, I've tried to love wood but just can't put up with the soot and smell, although I have no problem with Esbit... but that's definitely a trip deep into the land of YMMV.
I'll happily use it in a pinch, however, as I did this past winter when I made a boo-boo and packed a nearly empty canister and ran out of fuel quickly.
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The Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter ~ Cam "Swami" Honan of OZ