MSR WhisperLite Internationale Backpacking Stove

Comments about MSR WhisperLite Internationale Backpacking Stove:

I did quite a bit of research before buying this stove. I live out of a tent/Hummvee and do NOT care for MREs. MSR makes a lot of great products so I felt confident that I'd be buying a good product. I knew also that I'd have the easiest access to diesel fuel anywhere in the world I went. My trick is to make my own mixture of between 10/90 to 25/75 per volume gasoline to diesel (5 oz of Ronsonol works well, too). The gasoline will lower the flashpoint sufficiently to easily ignite the diesel and retain enough thermal efficiency to have more than enough fuel economy. The down side to making my own field-expedient fuel mixture is plenty of soot. A bucket of water and some dish soap cleans this stove right up. I have discovered that most of the time this stove is ON or OFF with regards to heat. Geezo-beezo it will melt lead!!!! I can get by with not pumping it so much when I want less heat. Still, in my experience it is pretty bullet-proof. I'd like to suggest that if you are car-camping (which is more or less what I am doing) buy and extra pump (if you break your pump you will thank me later), a large fuel bottle, heat exchanger, and the Expedition service kit. A small amount of Vaseline will make the rubber O-rings last forever. Go out and use it[...]

Comments about MSR WhisperLite Internationale Backpacking Stove:

LIghting camping stoves scares me, but this one is easy to control. Though the instructions warn that a "soccer ball" size flame at lighting is possible, I never came close to that even on my first attempt lighting it. If you let out a smaller amount of gas into the priming cup and wave a match over the easy-to-see liquid fuel, you will have no trouble. Even I, who was always afraid of lighting the bunsen burner in school, don't fear it.

After reading the instructions through once and lighting the stove a couple of times, I more than understood its simple workings. The instructions are relatively simple, and the tiny maintenance kit indicates just how little work you'll have to do to keep it going.

Boiling water in mild weather takes far less time than my electric stove at home. The low-height steady flame efficiently directs upwards, providing for fast cooking and a very low chance of setting ground fires.

You can leave the full pump in place on the canister rather than removing and recapping. In my experience, the pump does not leak when properly sealed.

The entire assembly, minus fuel bottle, folds up and stores in a tiny stuff sack. With the sack and tight seal on the pump, I did not get that gasoline-y smell in my pack that I have come to expect until now.

The fuel bottle pump and self-priming mechanism allow for easy lighting even if your fuel is running low. For the weekend camper who is only out for a few days and needs primarily to boil water, you can get by with carrying only a few ounces of fuel. After four meals for two people each, we hardly made a dent in 6 oz. of white gas.

If you use the windscreen, you might get soot. On its own, however, the stove stays fairly clean through multiple uses.

It's really convenient to fuel up in the U.S. Simply fill up an MSR canister with a little regular unleaded when you gas up the car on your way to the trailhead.

There is a reason that many institutional groups send campers out with this stove and other MSR products.

Sand can easily clog the stove if you're out for a few days. Follow basic gear care precautions and self clean with the incorporated shaker before you run into large problems.

Comments about MSR WhisperLite Internationale Backpacking Stove:

just got back from a trip and had to sing my praise for this old favorite. i've had this stove for almost 14 years now, and i've never had to replace anything.

this stove is compact, lightweight, and most importantly- dependable. it literally never stops working! i've never had problems with stability, even when loaded with a 2-liter pot full of water. it's also easy to light, and does not use a lot of fuel.

it may not be the quietest stove in the woods, but there is no other stove i'd rather have for boiling water for ramen noodles and oatmeal. other reviews mention this stove is not good at simmering, but i don't care. this is a powerful stove, and i'll always prefer fast cook times to simmer control.

need to clean it? just shake it. need to deep clean it? just take it apart and put it back together again (i've only done this twice).

canister stoves may be popular now, but this refillable multi-fuel stove beats those options hands down. this is the only stove i will ever buy.

Comments about MSR WhisperLite Internationale Backpacking Stove:

This is a great stove for third world countries. I have been all over Africa and the Middle East with tis stove. Unfortunately I have to get another one because the first one was stolen with my other gear. Just taking the time to write a couple comments on this stove: Its light, and easy to pack, maintains a consistant flame once you get it regulated, and most of all it burns any fuel. I mostly run military grade desel fuel through it and it works perfectly. Crude gas has also been used. Its hard to get the fuel canisters where i work so this is the best alternative. I use it with a camp pot, with desel it takes about 3-5 min to boil water depending on temp... recommend it for remote adventure and profesional needs...

Comments about MSR WhisperLite Internationale Backpacking Stove:

This stove is bulletproof. Easy to clean, easy to light, easy to use. It has never failed me once. I have never used anything other than white gas in it, but knowing I could is a nice comfort. I have had it for about 6 years with no problems, only had to do routine maintenance once. Simmering is no problem, just don't pump it much and keep the knob turned down. It is not the flashiest stove out there, but it will never let you down.

Comments about MSR WhisperLite Internationale Backpacking Stove:

If you want a light weight, powerful, easy to maintain, stable, reliable backpacking stove this is the way to go. If you want temperature control (simmering) get the Dragonfly or Simmerlite from MSR. Have had this stove for 9 years and still love it. CAUTION - don't try to take your fuel bottles on an airplane - even checked luggage. Make sure you clean the stove really good or send it DHL to your destination.

Comments about MSR WhisperLite Internationale Backpacking Stove:

Some stoves out there do much better in a single category - weight, efficiency, stability, etc. But for an all-around winner, this is the best I can find.

Some tips for use:
1 - Take some thin Nitrile or other disposable gloves for handling the wind screen, and consider storing it in a plastic bag in your pack - it gets filthy.

2 - Get yourself a base, or make one from a flame-resistant Lexan or other heat-tolerant plastic sheet. Just cut it to size (carefully), and use epoxy to attach some small bulldog or binder clips to hold the feet.

3 - Practice with it a few times before taking it on a trip... assemble, disassemble and try a few different cooking methods so you are comfortable with its strengths and weaknesses.

Of a dozen or so camp stoves I've tried, this is the one I feel is most versatile, reliable and rugged. I typically use mine between 7k and 10k elevations, many times in sub-zero conditions. As long as I can get a flame to the wick, it lights.

Comments about MSR WhisperLite Internationale Backpacking Stove:

I've had a Whisperlite Internationale for going on 10 years now, and it's never let me down.

I've switched to alcohol stoves for spring/summer/fall backpacking because of the obvious weight savings, but this stove still makes it to all our weekend car-camping trips.

For winter hikes where an alcohol stove just won't cut it, I still rely on my Whisperlite Internationale.

I actually just bought a second one so I can have a spare, and if I need a second burner for group hikes...

A bit on the expensive side for the $ conscious hiker, but you just can't beat the reliability, field serviceability, and flexibility to be able to use just about any combustible liquid to get this burning.

The biggest downside to the functionality is the lack of a simmer... but I've found that a low-pressure fuel bottle and easing back on the throttle works OK.

Comments about MSR WhisperLite Internationale Backpacking Stove:

I own 8 stoves and this is my favorite. I've had it for seven years and have subjected it to heavy use and abuse and it has never let me down. It is a fantastic water boiler under any condition imaginable. I've been places and conditions were it was the only stove that would light and everyone ask me to use it so they wouldn't go hungry.

I've learned to cook with it under low temp conditions as well although other stoves are better at this. While simmering is an "art form" as one reviewer earlier stated, it can be done. The trick is in the pumping. If I open the bottle, let all the pressure out, close it again and pump 2 or 3 times it works great for bacon, eggs and pancakes. I can also pump it up all the way, 20-25 pumps, bring the water to a raging boil, then quickly shut it off, disconnect and open the fuel bottle, close it and give it 2 or 3 pumps, lite it again, and it works great for meals that require bring the water to a boil then simmering for 20 to 30 minutes like many store bought rice and pasta meals. It doesn't need to be re-primed if you do this quickly as the vaporizing tube will still be hot. It's important to make sure the tip of the fuel line inserted into the bottle is lubricated so it slides in and out easily. Granted this requires a bit of effort but it's not difficult particularly with some practice.

The windscreen makes the stove functional under high wind conditions when many other stoves will not work. Over all a very good stove.

Comments about MSR WhisperLite Internationale Backpacking Stove:

I started off my stove collection with the MSR liquid fuel stoves.
I was unhappy with the first, so I bought a second and a third, until I owned all their stoves, including the canister stoves.

Back then we didn't have many choices in stoves as we do now.
The MSR series is by far the most antiquated in design and among the least reliable. Worst, they are expensive considering the performance and quality.

Since then I have bought many many more stoves.
I was happy with the compact Jetboils for simple tasks, like boiling water.

The Snowpeak stoves were excellent, in both design and reliability.
And it works well with my GSI pots/pans.

The Whisperlite stove particularly is cumbersome to prime. A lot of smoke and takes too long. The pump has failed several times. A pump isn't cheap to replace either. The output isn't all that great considering the bulkiness and weight of this stove.

MSR has gained a reputation for their stoves simply because they were one of the first to produce these types. But there are better stoves now. I recommend even if you already bought this stove, to check out other stoves.

You'll have to go through the years of experience and tons of different stoves to appreciate what I am trying to emphasize here. A stove is one of those things, like rain gear, you just don't want to hassle with. Why? Because you'll be using it after hiking several miles, it will be dark, cold and you'll be hungry and impatient.

Its not a bad stove. Its just old and over priced.
For boiling water check out Jetboil.
For design/performance check out Snowpeak, they have many to choose from.