Name: Gail Staisil
Age: 53
Gender: Female
Height: 5' 9" (1.75 m)
Weight: 140 lb (64 kg)
Location: Marquette, Michigan USA
Email: woodswoman2001@yahoo.com

Photo Album Website: http://community.webshots.com/user/isleroyalegirl

Backpacking Background:

For the last 16 years, backpacking has become a passion. I am a four-season backpacker and an off-trail navigator. Although I do take yearly trips to the American West or Southwest, the majority of my trips are in Michigan and Canada. My pack weight varies considerably, but my base weight is below 20 lb (9.1 kg). I am primarily a tarp camper, who averages over 50 nights a year backpacking in a huge variety of weather conditions, including relentless rain, wet snow and sub zero temps.

*Photo by tester

MSR XGK EX Stove--Description

Product Information:

Manufacturer: Mountain Safety Research^®
Website: http://www.msrcorp.com
Phone: 1.206.505.9500
Model: XGK EX Stove
Model Year: 2005
MSRP: $129.95 US

Manufacturer Values:

Minimum Weight (Website): 13.2 oz (374 g)
Minimum Weight (Package): 12.6 oz (357 g)
Packaged Weight (Website): 17.2 oz (489 g)
Packaged Weight (Package): 16.6 oz (471 g)

Measured Weights:

Stove: 10.9 oz (309 g)
Pump: 2.2 oz (62 g)
Windscreen: 1.6 oz (46 g)
Heat reflector: 0.6 oz (17 g)
Parts kit: 0.6 oz (17 g)
Stuff Sack: 0.7 oz (20 g)
Minimum Weight: (stove and pump only): 13.1 oz ( 371 g)
Total Package Weight: 16.6 oz (471 g)

Product Characteristics:

The MSR XGK EX is a new expedition-stove product that reportedly improves on similar models from the past (the XGK and XGK II). According to the website, the new stove is a multi-fuel blowtorch engineered to be the fastest, most reliable extreme-condition stove available. Some of the improvements to the old models include a flexible fuel line, retractable legs and pot supports. The following attributes are listed on their product information:

Proven:
No. 1 choice on expeditions worldwide.

Multi-Fuel:
Reliably burns more liquid fuels than any other stove.

Dependable:
Easy to field maintain; Shaker Jet cleans fuel jet with a simple shake.

Compact:
New flexible fuel line allows stove to fit in a 1.5-liter MSR pot.

Superfast:
Boils 1 liter of water in just 2.8 minutes (using kerosene fuel).

Extra-Stable:
New retractable legs and pot supports provide unprecedented stability.

MSR XGK EX Stove--

Initial Impressions

The MSR XGK EX Stove arrived attractively packaged in a triangular-shape box. Inside were nestled:

Storage bag

Stove

Windscreen

Heat reflector

Spare parts in a small Ziplock: multi-tool, pump cup oil, jet cleaning tool, o-ring, and an "X'" jet for burning other types of fuels

Instruction manuals in nine different languages

Although I have owned and utilized another version of an MSR white gas stove in the past ( WhisperLite), it has been a number of years since that occurred. I anticipate a learning curve all over again, so I want to get used to all the stove parts before I make headway. I am in the process of familiarizing myself with the instructions and I need to purchase MSR fuel bottles and fuel before I can fire it up. I no longer own any MSR fuel-bottles. For safety reasons, the instructions say that only MSR fuel-bottles should be used with this stove as non-MSR bottles may leak.

The back of the instruction manual explains the concept of how the stove works. A "priming" step is necessary to heat the generator tube to operating procedure. The instructions relate that if the generator tube is heated correctly, pressurized liquid fuel passes through it and it is vaporized or converted to a gaseous state. It is mixed with air and forms a blue flame.

Structurally I am impressed with the sturdiness of the stove. The retractable legs seem to be very user-friendly and the wider-than-most pot supports will hold my 2 qt (1.89 L) aluminum winter-pot quite easily. The retractable legs and the pot supports work in conjunction with each other. For example, if you pivot one of the legs out into position, the pot support that links to it also moves into place.

The operating instructions that accompany the stove seem to be very user-friendly. There are diagrams illustrating each step. Seven basic steps are outlined with each one being broken down into further steps and there is also a warning recommendation at the bottom of each section. I anticipate paying close attention to them as pressurized fuel seems a bit more dangerous to use than my current fuel-types that consist of Esbit Tabs or denatured alcohol.

In addition, the user manual has detailed pump-maintenance and stove-maintenance instructions to hopefully keep the stove in great operating condition.

MSR XGK EX Stove--Test Plan

During the next few months, I will test the MSR XGK EX Stove during several winter backpacking-trips. They include a nine-day winter-sledge trip in February to Ontario, Canada and a eight-day winter-sledge trip to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in March. The testing conditions will be at low elevation or altitude 600 ft (183 m) to 2000 ft (610 m), with mostly very cold conditions and mid-range humidity (50-95 percent). The amount of time in the field will far surpass the minimum requirements for this test. In addition to these planned trips, I will most likely be taking a couple of shorter or weekend-type trips during the long-term phase of testing.

Rampant temperature change and much precipitation is expected during the four month testing period. Testing location temperatures will range from the average low in February of -2 (-19 C) to the average high of 33 F (8 C) in March. These are only averages, I have been on several trips where the temperatures have dipped to a low of -20 F (-29 C) and a foot or more of snow has fallen in a short amount of time. Average precipitation for this time period is approximately 13 in (33 cm), however average snowfall for the winter totals at least 185 in (470 cm) in some of the areas where I will be camping. My February trip to Ontario, Canada could produce lows of -40 F (-40 C) with the average low again being -2 F (-19 C). In addition, snowfall for the month of February averages 21 in (54 cm) with an average snow depth of 26 in (67 cm). Again this is an average, there is frequently over 6 ft (183 cm) of snow on the ground during the Canadian trip. All of these trips will be taken to hilly boreal or deciduous forest. Most of these trips are of the bushwhack variety, so in addition to the above, I will also be traveling across flat frozen lakes.

I will address the following concerns and more:

Dependability: How reliable will the XGK EX perform at extreme temperatures as low as -40 F (-40 C)? The stove can use four different types of fuels - can I switch from one to another consecutively, or does the stove need special maintenance in between to be dependable?

Safety: How safe is the process of priming the stove? What is the ideal amount of fuel to prime it? Is there a danger of flare-up if it is improperly primed? What happens if the stove does flare-up, what kind of danger would there be to myself and the stove?

Performance: How long will it take to heat or melt snow under different conditions? What is the boil time difference between warm and cold temperatures? How long will the fuel last before it burns itself out? Can I adjust the flame or does it just perform at full torch or off? Will I need a specific windscreen or can I improvise one as needed? Can the stove be adjusted to simmer for cooking my dinner or will it be hard to turn down the full flame? Can the flame be adjusted on the stove itself, or just in the fuel line like on the original XGK and the XGK II? How much fuel can I expect to go through per day (winter conditions)? Will different types of fuel burn differently so that I would need various amounts depending on the fuel type?

Maintenance: How easy is the XGK EX Stove to maintain? Will I be able to fix the stove in the field if necessary? What extra parts do I need to carry to maintain it if something goes wrong? Would I need to carry special tools other than a micro-tool? Is it easy to change the parts for a non-mechanical type person such as myself? How often do I have to clean the fuel-tube lines? Are the O-rings and pump seals easy to change? How often and under what conditions do they have to be changed? Can I clear the jet and fuel lines by simply shaking it or does it require more maintenance to prevent build-up? If so, how often?

Weight: On a similar type trip of the same duration, how will the added weight of the XGK EX stove/fuel compare to other types of lighter stove/fuel combinations (such as a light alcohol stove)? - Will there be a point where the weight justifies itself, that is, will the higher efficiency of the XGK EX Stove use less fuel overall, so that the total weight is less in the long run? How many consecutive days in the field would this take to occur?

Set Up/Take Down: How easy is it to set the stove up in frigid temperatures? Will I be able to assemble it wearing gloves? Are there any special precautions that I need to take if the stove has been exposed to extreme temperatures before assembly? Will I be able to prime the stove easily? How much fuel does it require to prime? Are there any specific precautions I have to take in setting up the stove near other equipment - how far does it have to be away from some thing that could be flammable? Are the retractable legs easy to set-up and take-down?

Pack-ability: Is the stove easy to pack? Can it be stored in a cook pot or does it need special packaging for storage? How fragile is the stove if other gear is piled on top of it in a backpack or sledge?

Stability: How stable is the stove overall? Is the new XGK EX more stable with the addition of the retractable legs, than the original stove models it was based on? MSR claims that the stove has unprecedented stability - how does this compare to other types of stoves on the market? What kind of stove base will I be able to use with it? Most of my winter camping is done in areas of considerable snow depth, I usually use a cookie sheet for the stove base - will this be adequate or will the stove easily slide around as the snow melts from the heat underneath the stove? How big of a cook pot can I use on the stove for it to remain stable? Are the stove supports adjustable?

Materials: What is the flexible fuel line made out of? Will the flexible fuel-line crack due to frigid temperatures or become inflexible? Will the O-rings crack easily when subject to deep cold? Will the O-ring on the fuel line need to be warmed or lubricated in order for it to function in extreme cold? Will the leather on the pump have to be stretched to work in -40 F (-40 C) temperatures? Does the fuel need to be filtered? Does it come with a filter or do I need to buy the accessory?

Tester Remarks

I will gladly address all these issues and any additional pertinent issues, as I test the MSR XGK EX Stove. Thanks to MSR and BGT for this great opportunity during the next four months.

Read more reviews of MSR gear
Read more gear reviews by Gail Staisil

Initial Report