Reviews > Cook Gear > Stoves > MSR Whisperlite Shakerjet > Owner Review by William Burt Henry

Bio

Name: Burt Henry
Age: 41
Gender: Male
Height: 6' 0"  (183 cm)
Weight: 180 lb (82 kg)
Email address:  cyclemantt@yahoo.com
Location: Lafayette, Colorado
Date: 11-Feb-2006

Backpacking Background

I began backpacking in the Rocky Mountains in 2001. Most of my trips have been with my son, and sometimes with another dad and his son. My son is now 14 and passionate about the backcountry. We have spent approximately 50+ nights in the Wind Rivers of Wyoming and various wilderness areas in Colorado as well as Rocky Mountain National Park. A typical trip is 4 days, but we have been extending these with our first week long trip last summer. I usually like to travel with many creature comforts and sometimes lug a pack up to 80 pounds. I don't care much about peak bagging, but prefer solitude with exploring, orienteering, and sometimes trout fishing.

Product Information:

Manufacturer: MSR
Year of manufacture: 2005
Website of Manufacturer: http://msrcorp.com/
Listed weight: 14.5 oz. /665 g
Weight as delivered:  15 oz.
Product description:
MSRP: $69.95

The MSR Whisperlite shaker jet stove is a liquid fuel stove. It runs primarily off white gas but the manufacturer claims it can run on unleaded gasoline if necessary. It stands on three prongs that slide across the side for packing. They each lock into place for use. Below the jet there is a priming cup which fuel will come out into. The jet, right above it, can be cleared by gently shaking the stove. The pot supports collapse together for packing. The burner is surrounded by a baseless cup. There is a pump that the fuel line attaches to. The fuel bottle (not included) attaches to the stove by screwing it on. The stove comes with a small tube of oil and a multipurpose tool for maintaining the stove.

The stove is lit by completing the following process. First I pressurize the fuel bottle by pumping 15-20 strokes. After that I turn the fuel valve control on the pump counter-clockwise until some fuel squirts out into the priming cup. I immediately close the fuel valve. Then I light the fuel in the priming cup and let it burn until the fuel is almost gone. As the flame diminishes, I reopen the fuel valve and the fuel should vaporize and the stove should ignite. The stove is now lit.

MSR claims that simmering can be done by lightly pressurizing the fuel bottle (3-7 strokes).

 Field Performance

        The MSR Whisperlite shaker-jet stove has preformed superbly. I have rarely been disappointed. This is my first liquid fuel stove. I switched for a number of reasons. The canister stoves I have used significantly lost their efficiency in colder weather. I also found that when I finished a trip I would almost always have a partially used fuel canister. I would definitely not use these on future trips because of the additional weight of the canister for the fuel inside. With liquid fuel stoves I could get cheaper fuel, and for me, fewer stockpiles of partially used fuel containers.

My first trip with my new stove was in the Wind River Range of Wyoming. This was a six night trek. I brought two 33 fluid (980 ml) ounce bottles and one 22 fluid ounce (650 ml) bottle all of which were full of white gas. These amounts proved more than ample for two hot meals a day for two people, plus daily extra boiling for drinks. I used a net 7-15 ounces (210- 444 ml) of fuel per day depending on what I cooked and the outside temperature.

The stove proved very reliable on the trip. My only complaint was it was difficult to simmer. I was used to the flame adjustability of canister stoves I had previously used so I was shocked that there was no control for it. I tried releasing the fuel pressure and this did some good, but it was still not as controllable as a canister stove was

The ease of use of this stove is definitely not a great as canister stoves. With canister stoves you let fuel out and light. But with this stove priming is required, an attribute nearly all liquid fuel stoves require. I was not disappointed with the somewhat complicated processes; I soon found this useful on cold mornings. When I prime the stove, the flames provide some warmth for warming my freezing hands. If I miss the time which I am supposed to reopen the fuel valve, I can just light the vaporizing fuel in the burner which will cause the stove to become completely ready to use. This is not recommended by MSR but I find no harm in it.

The weight of this stove is heavy compared to canister stoves. But this stove is very efficient and a 33 fluid ounce bottle would last two people, two meals a day, for three days easily. The fuel is a lot cheaper also, where canisters are $4-$8 for a 1 lb (450 g) cartridge, a gallon (3.79 L) of white gas is $3-$6. White gas is widely available as well which makes it a great choice for through hikers. MSR claims this stove can be run on automobile fuel as well but I have never tried it.  This would be VERY dangerous, especially during priming as the fuel has the potential to explode.

The heat output by this stove is excellent. It does not produce as much heat in warm weather as canister stoves do, but it hardly loses any efficiency in cold weather. This stove will boil water quickly especially when the fuel bottle is highly pressurized, but the heat can be reduced when lower pressures are used in the fuel bottle.

Pot stability of this stove is a real plus as well. Most canister stoves have a high center of gravity as the burner sits on top of the canister. The Whisperlite uses a fuel line to the bottle which provides a low stable stove (this eliminates the need for a rather large wind screen too). The pot stands are not rough so it is a good Idea to have a rough pot bottom to use with this stove.

On the down side I have recently had some problems with fuel leakage. On a three night trip in Rocky Mountain National Park I had fuel leaking from the pump cup. This was easily fixed through using the oil provided (though finding where the leak was coming from was fairly difficult). Besides this, this stove has had a pretty much flawless performance in the field.

Summary

I am very satisfied with the performance of this stove in the field. I feel very confident when entering the wilderness because of its field maintainability. The fuel efficiency and heat output is phenomenal. I will use this stove on pretty much all of my future trips.

Reviews > Cook Gear > Stoves > MSR Whisperlite Shakerjet > Owner Review by William Burt Henry