Reviews > Do It Yourself > Kits > LAAF Gear MSR Stove Upgrade Kit > Owner Review by Dennis Shubitowski

Owner Review - LAAF Gear MSR Stove Upgrade

Report Outline <back to top>

    Personal Information
    Product Information
    Initial Impressions
    Testing Plan
    Results
    Summary
    Updates

Personal Information <back to top>

Born, raised, and currently live in Michigan. I have been camping with family since I was a young tot (and probably before that) along with scouting activities. I have been backpacking since the early 1990s and have gotten out much more over the last two years as life has settled down. I also hunt, geocache, horseback ride, ski, orienteer, and canoe. I backpack in every season - rain, snow, or shine. My hiking philosophy is definitely slid somewhere between ultra- and lightweight backpacking over the past couple years from my "backbreaker" days. This includes a homemade tarptent shelter (although those hammocks are starting to look inviting!), a frameless backpack, homemade alcohol and Esbit stoves, and cooking in a WalMart grease pot.

Product Information <back to top>

Measured MSR WhisperLite International components:

Measured LAAF Gear replacement components:

Percent weight savings = 69%
Component pictures available at manufacturer's website.

Initial Impressions <back to top>

I felt guilty about the $75 USD I paid for my MSR WhisperLite International (purchased around 1995) not getting much use since I have switched to the considerably lighter solid fuel and/or homemade alcohol stoves. I decided to purchase the LAAF Gear stove upgrade kit (only the replacement mixer tube and legs, not the base) to give this stove a second life because I will use my MSR stove for winter camping. When I ordered the upgrade kit several months ago, I had planned on purchasing using the LAAF Gear webpage, but their webpage is not secure. Instead I called their direct line (no toll free number) and ordered over the telephone. I do not recall anything positive or negative about their customer service.

The package arrived after approximately 7-10 days via USPS mail. The mixer tube and legs were packaged in a plastic bag with a stapled cardboard top containing instructions for assembly. The mixer tube is constructed from 6106 T-6 aluminum and the legs are a very light gauge stainless steel. The mixer tube is a bright, polished cylinder drilled as the original MSR mixer tube. The mixer tube also has a “collar” for insertion of the new legs located in the middle of the tube. The mixer tube is quite vulnerable to scrapes and scratches and did not hold its initial luster for long. The legs are very light and have a dull finish. Weights, as measured in the laboratory where I work, are listed above. I was puzzled at the differences between my measured weights and the general specifications given on the LAAF Gear webpage, but, since they are considerably less on all accounts, I am not complaining. The weight figures given may include a stove base which I did not purchase.

The LAAF Gear replacement mixer tube replaces the MSR mixer tube as is. To do this, the primer cup is unscrewed from the mixer tube, the fuel jet assembly is slid out, and the MSR legs are then slid off. The burner cap is then unscrewed with a Phillips #2 screwdriver, and then the mixer tube can be removed. The replacement legs remain separated from the stove (and each other) and are attached when needed by sliding them into the corresponding hole in the collar of the mixer tube and rest against the groove on the burner head.

Testing Plan <back to top>

Testing a liquid fuel stove like the WhisperLite is not an exact science. The amount of white gas used for each test can vary slightly depending if the pressure (via the pumping mechanism) is exactly the same and if the same amount of fuel is let out for each preheating. Also, there is some delay as to when the pot is placed on the stove or else the entire cook pot is blackened with soot. For my tests, each measurement was repeated three times using room temperature (73º F/23º C) distilled water (3.2 cups/25.4 fl oz/750 ml) and a 2 liter (2 quart) MSR Alpine stainless pot (no lid) and the average taken. Temperature measurements were taken at 150º F (66º C), 175º F (79º C), 200º F (93º C), and 212º F (100º C) on a laboratory glass thermometer and timed with a laboratory timer by seconds. The fuel bottle was filled with 7 oz (200 g) (by weight) of reasonably fresh MSR white gas (about two months old) and the weight measured after each test.  After each test, the fuel bottle was returned to the original weight, and the same number of pumps (40) were used to repressurize the fuel bottle.

Testing <back to top>

Held boil for 20 seconds
Average amount of fuel used per boil: 29.5 ml/1 fl oz

Held boil for 20 seconds
Average amount of fuel used per boil: 29.5 ml/1 fl oz

Summary <back to top>

• Replacement components are considerably lighter than the stock MSR components.
• The LAAF components brought 750 mL (3.2 cups) of water to boil quite a bit faster than the MSR stock components using the same amount of white gas fuel.
  

• The mixer tube is easily scratched.
• The legs are loose from the stove; care must be taken not to lose them.

Pluses definitely outweigh the minuses – big weight savings, faster boil times, and the same amount of fuel is used. The mixer tube getting scratched is not a care on my list. This was a good upgrade for a venerable stove.

Updates <back to top>

March 2003:

February 2004:

Reviews > Do It Yourself > Kits > LAAF Gear MSR Stove Upgrade Kit > Owner Review by Dennis Shubitowski