Reviews > Cook Gear > Stoves > MSR XGK EX > David Sowards-Emmerd > Initial Report

Initial Report - MSR XGK EX stove

Backpacking Background:

I generally take weekend (1 night) trips, and occasionally take 3-4 day trips. Most of my backpacking is at moderate altitude, 6,000'-12,000' (1,800-3,650 m), in conditions ranging from dry desert to hail/heavy snow in the mountains. In winter and spring I split time between Southern California (SoCal) deserts and snowshoeing/skiing/snowcamping in the Sierra/Cascades. Summer and fall I tend to stick to the high country.

Manufacturer's Website: www.msrgear.com
MSRP: $129.95 US

Manufacturer's Specifications: (from packaging - weights listed on website are both 0.6 oz (17 g) heavier):
Minimum Weight (stove and fuel pump only): 12.6 oz (357 g)
Packaged Weight: 16.6 oz (471 g)

Fuel	Burn Time	Boil Time	Water boiled
	(min)	(per L (~qt))	(per 3.38 oz (100 mL) fuel)
White Gas	109	3.5 min	4.9 L (5.2 qt)
Kerosene	98	2.8 min	5.7 L (6.0 qt)
Diesel	170	4.5 min	6.3 L (6.7 qt)

Weights (as measured by tester):
Stove: 10.7 oz (305 g)
Pump: 2.3 oz (65 g)
Windscreen: 1.6 oz (46 g)
Base aluminum sheet: 0.6 oz (17 g)
Parts kit: 0.6 oz (18 g)
Stuff Sack: 0.8 oz (22 g)
Minimum Weight: 13.0 oz (370 g)
Everything Weight (not including fuel or fuel bottle): 16.7 oz (473 g)

Product Description:

The XGK EX is a mountaineering/expedition stove designed to burn a wide variety of fuels. The stove has three legs/pot supports that rotate 'open' or 'closed' (see photo below) that extend further than my widest backpacking pot. A flexible fuel line connects the stove to the pump apparatus. Like most white gas stoves, the XGK EX has an extra loop in the fuel line that extends over the burner to heat and help vaporize the fuel. This required heat means a priming phase is necessary to warm the fuel and fuel line enough for the stove to operate properly. This is accomplished by burning a puddle of fuel in the burner cup. The parts of the stove and fuel pump are labeled below. The fuel pump attaches to several sizes of MSR fuel bottles. A fuel bottle is not included with the stove.

What's Included:

• Stove (the 'GK' jet preinstalled, for burning white gas, kerosene, unleaded auto gas, or aviation gas)
• Aluminum windscreen and heat reflector
• Parts (in zip top bag): o-ring, pump cup oil, 'X' jet (for burning diesel or jet fuel), jet cleaning tool, and multi-tool
• 9 Instruction manuals, each in a different language
• Storage bag

Manufacturer's Operating Instructions:

1. Attach pump to fuel bottle and pump 20 strokes (more if the fuel level is below the fuel line).
2. Rotate out the stove legs/pot supports and place the stove right-side-up on the heat reflector.
3. Insert the fuel line into the pump and secure it with the catch arm.
4. Preheat: open the control valve 1 turn (counterclockwise), for 3 seconds, releasing ~0.25 oz (7.5 mL) of fuel and wetting the burner cup and priming pad. Ignite the fuel and wait till flame shrinks from the initial soccer ball sized flame.
5. Open the control valve 1/2 turn, wait for a steady blue flame, and then open the control valve further.
6. Put the pot on the stove and start cooking. Set up windscreen, with ~1'' (2.5 cm) gap between windscreen and pot. Maintain fuel pressure in bottle with 10 strokes on the pump every 10 minutes.
7. When done, turn off the stove by closing the control valve. Residual fuel in the lines will continue burning. Once the flame is out, wait 5 minutes before disassembling stove and depressurizing the fuel bottle.

First Light(s):

I fired up the XGK EX a few times on my porch, and everything pretty much went as described in the manual. Once the initial blaze shrunk, I turned on the gas and it quickly roared (literally) into cooking mode. Small, yellow flames continued to jump around the base of the stove as the residual fuel burned out of the priming pad. The stove quickly began to glow orange, visible even in daylight. When I turned off the gas to shut down the stove, a small yellow flame remained which went away approximately four minutes later.

Packability:

The stove fits comfortably in my MSR 2-liter (~2 quart) titanium pot and I intend to carry the stove in my pack this way. I expected this would be the case since the manufacturer claims the stove will stow inside a MSR 1.5-liter (~1.5 quart) pot.

What I'll be using the XGK EX with:

• MSR 2-liter (~2 quart) titanium pot
• GSI non-stick skillet
• Lodge 10'' (25 cm) cast iron skillet
• Lodge fajita skillet
• I was hoping to use my Snowpeak 900 titanium pot, but it appears to be too small for the pot supports and the stove's flame pattern.
• MSR 11 oz (325 mL) and 22 oz (650 mL) fuel bottles

Specific Things To Test:

• How much does cold effect the ignition and operation of the stove?
• How much difference in boil time does the windshield make when there's no wind?
• Will I experience any flare-ups larger than the soccer-ball sized flame the instruction manual states is normal when lighting the stove. I'll try to get some pictures if this happens more than once.
• How stable is the stove on snow (when set on the heat reflector)? Will I need to adjust the placement of the stove often, or not at all?
• How much weight will it support on various surfaces? I set a Lodge cast iron 10'' (25 cm) skillet on it and it feels sturdy when the stove is on a flat concrete surface, but what about in a gravel campsite or on an old campground picnic table?
• Will the self-cleaning shaker jet eventually clog up? Will I need to do the thorough cleaning during the testing period?
• Will the pump filter clog?
• Is the XGK EX suitable for use with non-stick pans? I've emailed MSR about this and will include their response in my Field Report. My understanding is that many non-stick coatings release toxic fumes when heated above 450 F (232 C) or so, which should be easy to achieve over the XGK EX. However, ventilation shouldn't be a problem outdoors, and I hope this problem can be avoided with minimal precautions since I really like chicken fajitas in the backcountry!
• Disassembly: At some point, I will disassemble the pump and stove as described in the directions, and report on the ease of doing so.
• Fuels: Based on the listed boil and burn times, I plan to primarily use kerosene and white gas in the stove in the backcountry. However, I hope to try diesel and unleaded gasoline at home or car camping, just out of curiosity. I will comment on any obvious differences I notice as well as the ease of swapping out jets.

Testing Plan and Locations:

I plan to give the XGK EX a thorough workout in winter conditions on several trips. In addition to melting lots and lots of snow, I may also do a bit of backcountry cooking on a frying pan or even cast iron (on car camping trips). Testing locations will probably range over a good share of Northern and Central California.

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Reviews > Cook Gear > Stoves > MSR XGK EX > David Sowards-Emmerd > Initial Report