REVIEW: MSR WindBurner Group Stove System

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 UKC/UKH Gear 20 Apr 2018
WindBurner montage, 4 kbThe WindBurner range has been extended for 2018 to include a new remote canister stove and various pots and pans to go with it. Richard Prideaux cooks up a review...

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 TobyA 20 Apr 2018
In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

Can you not invert the canister in cold weather? I had a feeling that MSR has stoves with that function...

 richprideaux 20 Apr 2018
In reply to TobyA:

MSR don't actively encourage it anywhere as far as I can see. My sample didn't have any packaging or notes with it so I went off the MSR website for guidance.

I did try inverting the canister but it wasn't that successful. There is a pre-burner air gap at the bottom of the stove assembly (similar to other stoves) and the liquified fuel just sputtered out there. I don't think the regulator works well with a liquid feed either.

 damowilk 21 Apr 2018
In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

Anyone used this and the Jetboil Helios and able to compare? Does this have any advantages? I like the Helios for snow melting duties, and for more group use, and the inverted canister holder is great for snow use.

 TobyA 21 Apr 2018
In reply to richprideaux:

Interesting. I must have mixed MSR up with another brand. They are a real engineering firm so if they don't offer that option I'm sure they have a reason. But on the Optimus I reviewed a couple of years ago it worked so well  https://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/reviews/camping-trekking_gear/optimus_polar... so I wonder why MSR don't do it...

 richprideaux 21 Apr 2018
In reply to TobyA:

Maybe Primus? They do more in the way of multi-fuel stoves and my Omnifuel actually runs better on an inverted gas canister than it does on 'white gas' petrol.

I suspect it's partly to do with the regulator (maintaining pressure delivered despite variable pressure supply) and the burner type - it looks a bit like a patio heater (or the element on a gas soldering iron) as there's no visible flame, just a glowing mesh.

I struggled a bit with low temps at first until I tried putting the canister in a bowl of water or puddle - it was fine after that, it just needed the canister temperature raising to just above freezing.

 richprideaux 21 Apr 2018
In reply to damowilk:

I don't have any direct experience of the Helios, but I hear it performs in a similar way to other Jetboil stoves - it's basically a kettle. It will boil water quickly but lacks the temperature control and nuance for cooking anything thicker than a thin soup or noodles. 

I think it might be discontinued now though? There's the milliJoule replacing it - but I'm happy to be proven wrong.

 Mark Kemball 21 Apr 2018
In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

I have the MSR Whisperlite Universal (see https://www.webtogs.com/en-UK/MSR-Whisperlite-Universal-Stove/81002wmp.htm?... ) This works happily with the cylinder inverted (although the flame is not very controlable like that). The whisperlite has a preheating pipe which heats the fuel in the flame before it reaches the burner. This allows the use of an inverted cylinder, once the stove has warmed up, or liquid fuels. Looking at the photos of the Windburner, there does not seem to be such a preheater.

 richprideaux 21 Apr 2018
In reply to Mark Kemball:

No preheat pipe on the WindBurner - the Whisperlite has a different burner type as well from memory.

 damowilk 21 Apr 2018
In reply to richprideaux:

Yeah, I think the Helios is no longer sold. You can kind of simmer, but it’s difficult with stoves with a pre-heat coil, turn it down too much, and you get a delay before it splutters and turns off. 

I bought it to address 2 issues I’d had with Jetboil and Reactors at altitude: lack of stability, leading to a few spills with the clumsiness of cold and altitude, and the gas cyclinder melting down into snow/ice and getting progressively less efficient. It is much better on both these issues.


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