Reviews > Cook Gear > Stoves > MSR Whisperlite Internationale > Owner Review by Lawrence A Dalrymple

OR WhisperLite Internationale 600 Stove
BY Lawrence Dalrymple
OWNER REVIEW
February 09, 2007

TESTER INFORMATION

I started camping at around 10 years old in Nova Scotia, after moving to Ontario I took up car camping but I soon tired of this. Taking up canoe camping across a lot of Ontario. I have my choice places to go but still like to explore the back country. I am planning a 21 day trip in July to Lady Evelyn Smoothwater Park to do the North and South Channel of the Lady Evelyn River. The portages are very strenuous with fantastic scenery.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

The MSR WisperLite

Manufacturer: MSR
Year of Manufacture: 1999
Manufacturer's Website: http://www.msrcorp.com
MSRP: 62.50 [US]
Listed Weight: 14 oz (402 g)
Weighed on postal scale
Measured Weight: 14.7 oz (418 g)
Fuel bottle: 5 oz [140 g]
MSR stove came with a five year limited warranty

Other details:

The MSR WhisperLite is a very small rugged stove that has three folding pot supports or legs and a flexible hose which allows for compact storage of the stove.

The MSR WhisperLite comes with a rugged bag in black with the MSR logo on the side of the bag in blue and white, and it has a heavy draw cord and a spring loaded clip. It also comes with a wind screen and a heat reflector that I have only used a few times over the years.

It came with a tool kit consisting of a wrench in three sizes and a slotted screw driver on one end, a small tube of MSR Pump Cup Oil. It also came with a K-Jet so when you can not get white gas you can switch to kerosene and jet fuel. I have never had to use this jet, but I do carry it just in case. My stove also came with a manual on how to operate, maintain and repair the stove.

The MSR WhisperLite 600 is not sold with a fuel bottle. You must buy them separately. I chose the 22 oz [650 ml] bottle for my extended trips and it will still pack in the outside pocket attached to the stove in my back pack.

FIELD USE

MSR Stove Folded

I have used my MSR WhisperLite on all of my camping trips for the last seven years. I have used it mostly in Lake Superior Provincial Park, Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater in the Temagami region as well as Algonguin Park.

Elevation on these trips ranged from around 600 ft [183 m] to a maximum of around 1700 ft [518 m], the temperatures ranged from a low of 20 F [-7 C] to around 100 F [38 C].

Over this amount of time we had snow, heavy rain, and strong winds, lots of fog and mist, and hot and humid conditions. We even had a small tornado come down across the lake from where we were camped.

Most of the terrain is rugged, steep, and very slippery when wet. There are also some trails that are almost flat, but some are over grown to the point that they are very difficult to walk on or follow.

I found my MSR WhisperLite Internationale 600 very easy to set up, as I carry the stove and fuel bottle as one piece. I find it easier this way. I feel that by taking it apart every time I use it that I will cause it undue wear and that I will give all the dirt that goes with camping a chance of clogging up my stove. Also I do not like to waste fuel, as it is very heavy to carry.

I do not use my stove for every meal or for every cup of coffee; I prefer to cook over a camp fire for a lot of reasons. However I do like the stove for side trips and when we stop along the shore in a sheltered area for lunches and when I am in a hurry. It's a lot quicker and easier than making a camp fire, and when the temperatures is really hot, it is much cooler to use the stove. I also like to use the stove when we are trying to keep ahead of approaching rain storms, and we can retire to the tent and sit it out.

SUMMARY

MSR Fuel Pump

I got my MSR WhisperLite Internationale 600 when I was working in Montreal, my wife saw it listed in a L.L. Bean catalog, and she ordered it through the mail. The first few times I tried to light the stove, I was ready to give up on it. I had flames up to 4 ft [1.2 m] in the air, and I thought I might have to return it.

I rechecked the owners manual to find that I needed only a little bit of gas in the priming cup and when the flames were about to burn out, I needed to open the control valve just a little, just so I could hear the fuel hissing into the stove. After that it all became very easy. I found that after adjusted the control valve then had to wait for about a minute for the adjustment to take affect. This does take a lot of practice to get it just right but once I did I had no trouble.

I never have figured out just how long a 22 oz [650 mi] of fuel will last, but I know for sure that the MSR stove uses about one half or less than the stove it replaced. I have found if I fill the fuel bottle and carry a can of 34 oz [1 L] of fuel that they will last me around four weeks.

One of the things I really like about my WhisperLite is after I refill the fuel bottle and give it around fifteen pumps of air. I rarely have to re-pump it. I have never seen another stove do this as well as the MSR stove. I think this is because the fuel bottle is close to the stove which heats the fuel inside and keeps up the pressure.

I have found that to simmer this stove is very finicky as on a number of times I have had to relight the stove from over adjusting but it can be done. We have got good results cooking regular rice, and not have it burn to the pot. We also have some fantastic results using the WhisperLite stove with our Outback Oven making corn bread, biscuits are always a treat, as well as double layered frosted birthday cakes to name a few. I know we can bake on a camp fire but for some reason things always seam to taste smoky.

In all the years I have used this stove I have only had to shake it once to clean the jet. Last year I found that the pump did not pump up. Upon inspecting the pump, I found the leather pump cup had dried out so I gave it a couple of drops of oil and it worked like new again. I suppose I should set up a preventive maintenance to prevent these things from accruing.

MSR Fuel Bottle

THINGS I LIKE

I like how economical the MSR WhisperLite Internationale 600 can be on fuel, how easy it is to set up to use, also it is a very compact and light weight. I have found that this little stove can fit inside its stuff sack and fit in the outside pocket of my back pack making it very handy for a quick lunch or a hot cup of coffee.
I like the how the legs rotate for storage and how secure they can be to hold a pot in place for cooking. I never lost a pot yet or even a pot of coffee for that matter.
I like how very reliable and how durable the WhisperLite is. It has never let me down in the field no matter what the conditions were. I have had to put up wind breaks at times for cooking. But they were also for our comfort not just for the stove.
The WhisperLite is the best stove I have ever used, I am very happy with it as a whole, and have never regretted buying it in the first place. It sure has made our camping trips a lot more enjoyable and easier.

MSR Stuff Sack

THINGS I DON'T LIKE

As I have said before the simmer control is very finicky, and touchy to adjust. This is the only improvement I can suggest for the MSR WhisperLite Internationale 600 stove.

SIGNATURE

Lawrence Dalrymple
canoe21[at]rogers[dot]com

Reviews > Cook Gear > Stoves > MSR Whisperlite Internationale > Owner Review by Lawrence A Dalrymple