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MSR canister stove/gas

miyu1975

miyu1975

Well Known Member
My wife and I are leaving for a two week flying/camping trip. Trip will start from Indy to Austin Texas to Sedona Az to Grand Canyon to national glacier park Montana back to Indy. Part of the packing includes the stove mentioned and the gas. Was hoping to hear from others as to safety of flight with said compressed gas bottle.

Thanks
 
MSR Stove

My choice would be an MSR Whisperlight International or an MSR XGK-EX. Both are multi fuel rated, the Whisperlight burns white gas, kerosene or unleaded auto gas. The XGK-EX "reliably burns more liquid fuels than any other stove". I would phone MSR and ask if either would burn 100LL. If not, I think unpressurized white gas in an MSR Fuel Bottle (you can pack several) would be safer than a pressurized canister.
 
I've recently been giving consideration to the type of stove we will carry. Not to derail Ryan's post/question, but rather to build upon it, I'd like to ask for those with experience with liquid fuel burning stoves (especially those which burn avgas drained from the aircraft tanks) if there are any significant safety considerations and precautions to take with the liquid-fueled stoves - are they similar to or different from the compressed-gas stoves such as the one Ryan has mentioned? Is there one type which clearly has a safety advantage over the other?
 
terrye said:
My choice would be an MSR Whisperlight International or an MSR XGK-EX. Both are multi fuel rated, the Whisperlight burns white gas, kerosene or unleaded auto gas. The XGK-EX "reliably burns more liquid fuels than any other stove". I would phone MSR and ask if either would burn 100LL. If not, I think unpressurized white gas in an MSR Fuel Bottle (you can pack several) would be safer than a pressurized canister.
Click to expand...

Hah! Terry was faster typing than I was!

To answer the question posed in his post, the following information is offered in the product description of the XGK-EX on the Mountain Equipment Coop site:
"High-output element burns white gas, kerosene, unleaded auto-fuel, diesel, aviation gas, JP-8 and Jet 1-A."
 
Canadian_JOY said:
Hah! Terry was faster typing than I was!

To answer the question posed in his post, the following information is offered in the product description of the XGK-EX on the Mountain Equipment Coop site:
"High-output element burns white gas, kerosene, unleaded auto-fuel, diesel, aviation gas, JP-8 and Jet 1-A."
Click to expand...

Everything tastes better when cooked over a 100LL fire!

 
I've used both multi-fuel stoves (well, one, anyway) and a canister-fueled stove. Both are fine. I prefer the canister type for convenience.

Since the canister has the fuel canister and the stove valve, there are two leak points, only one of which is something I can screw up, and that's assuming I got lazy and left the canister on. I prefer to remove it completely. Screw the canister on, fire it up, cook, shut it down, unscrew the canister and put it away. Simple.

With the multi-fuel stove, the tank cap and the fuel bottle (I use an aluminum fuel bottle) both need to be secure. I've also got a tiny funnel to facilitate fueling the stove's tank, and that needs to be cleaned and dry.

As both are in common use backpacking in the Rockies, they are both safe for altitude flights.

Of course if you run out of canister fuel you're out of fuel; the multifuel stove can be refilled from the sump. Along with the energy comes a dose of lead. Your choice. Burn unleaded and that issue goes away.

I timed a couple canisters cooking at home and learned what I'd need for a trip, but it's been a while now and I'd need to do that again for next time.

Dave
 
MSR Dragonfly

(Capt) Sandy and I have an MSR Dragonfly that we use for airplane camping. Before getting the Dragonfly I asked for confirmation that it would work with 100LL. Their reply was:

"Thank you for contacting Cascade Designs in regards to the MSR stoves. Yes, both of the Dragonfly and the XGK EX can take aviation gas. We definitely recommend using white gas or another cleaner burning gas rather than aviation fuel, but both stoves will run on it. Just be aware that the stove will need to be cleaned and maintained more often as the burn is much more sooty."

After using the Dragonfly with 100LL and stove fuel, I bought the quart size fuel bottle and plan to start our trips with it full of stove fuel, have the option of using 100LL, and will buy more stove fuel if it's available. The stove works with 100LL and needs frequent cleaning when using 100LL.

We chose the Dragonfly rather than the XGK EX for the very adjustable flame. The Dragonfly is fairly loud in use.

Regards,
 
I have hiked all over the country, including trips over 14K feet with a number of friends and different equipment.

The only stove that has worked every time at all altitudes and temperature is my white gas stove.

I would never allow a pressurized fuel canister in my plane because I have seen their valves fail above 8,000 feet on two occasions. With the white gas stove, you can depressurize them when not in use.
 
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I disagree with their assessment that avgas is more sooty. However, the lead will build up quickly and clog the nozzle. I don't have an MSR but have a Polaris optimus that I take camping multiple times a year and run strictly on avgas. It has a self cleaning needle inside the jet with a magnetic weight that will bobble up and down and clean the valve as the flame burns. The downside is you can't really simmer with avgas as the valve will quickly clog.
 
isobutane fuel canisters

travel just fine. I've had one in the back of the plane for several hundred hours over the last 10 years. never had a leak or any other issue. used a Snow Peak stove and canister at 10,000' in the Colorado Flat Tops with no issues in moderate temps. If it's going to stay below freezing I agree a white gas stove is a much better option. I have also had really good results with a cat can alcohol stove up to 8,000 - haven't tried it any higher.
 
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Ex
DanH said:
Bill, are you speaking of an ordinary propane bottle? How severe was the failure...small leak, major venting, what?

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-Propane-Cylinder-16.4-oz/20923696
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One of each Dan.

Both new cans, different manufacturers, different trips.

One was used to boil water for dinner and by the next evening it was empty. No one heard it leak down but in hindsight, some of the trailing hikers said they would occasionally get a wiff of it. The check valve probably wasn't seated properly when she packed up.

The other was a catastrophic failure. We were hiking up the trail and it just let go. That one we heard go off. No mistaking it. The guy dumped his pack and ran. Once it stopped venting, he cleaned out his pack.

I have an old Coleman backpacker's stove like this and bring an extra bottle of fuel. Of the group I hiked with, I am the only one who has not had a failure and I have used it down to 6 below, 112 above, and over 14K feet. No parts to lose or drop and clog. It just works.

Coleman-Multi-Fuel-.jpg


PS. I uses these for extra fuel, if I feel I need to bring some.

61o2HAb1ySL._SY355_.jpg
 
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Regarding using 100LL, I have never tried it. If I were to, I would keep my water and food covered.

I have also never tried diesel or auto fuel as white gas is readily available.
 
PPS. I have heard these are really good but with all the hiking I've done, I have never seen one in action.

backpacking-stove.jpg
 
Whisperlite Universal

I have the MSR Whisperlite Universal. It comes with both options to use canisters or liquid fuel. Just takes just a couple of minutes to change out the jet.

Andy
 
N941WR said:
The other was a catastrophic failure. We were hiking up the trail and it just let go. That one we heard go off. No mistaking it. The guy dumped his pack and ran. Once it stopped venting, he cleaned out his pack.
Click to expand...

I'll bet he cleaned out something, but it wasn't his pack.
 
Bill, I think that is a Svea. I might still have one somewhere, but I haven't used it in a long while. While it's a decent stove, it takes some skill to get it lit successfully and to cook with it. Its advantage was that it could be used even at high altitudes and in cold temperatures, if the stove-tender was skilled and lucky.

It relied on either heat from the burner to pressurize the fuel tank or a few strokes from an optional accessory pump. In both cases the idea was to wait until the stove was lit and warm and then open the fuel valve. Too late and it might get exciting or even explode. Too soon and it would fizzle out and you'd have to start over again.

Back in the '70s it was the common sort of stove. These days there are better alternatives for most uses.

Dave
 
DanH said:
I'll bet he cleaned out something, but it wasn't his pack.
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Good point and you might be correct but I didn't perform an inspection of anything other than his CANister.

One disadvantage of the canisters is they don't flow when it gets cold. The hikers who use them have to sleep with them (and their water). Something tells me that this may not be an issue for you as I don't see you in a tent close to or below freezing.
 
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David Paule said:
Bill, I think that is a Svea. I might still have one somewhere, but I haven't used it in a long while. While it's a decent stove, it takes some skill to get it lit successfully and to cook with it. Its advantage was that it could be used even at high altitudes and in cold temperatures, if the stove-tender was skilled and lucky.

It relied on either heat from the burner to pressurize the fuel tank or a few strokes from an optional accessory pump. In both cases the idea was to wait until the stove was lit and warm and then open the fuel valve. Too late and it might get exciting or even explode. Too soon and it would fizzle out and you'd have to start over again.

Back in the '70s it was the common sort of stove. These days there are better alternatives for most uses.

Dave
Click to expand...

That matches what I have heard but some of the people I have spoken with love them for some reason.

I will keep my Coleman stove, circa 1998.
 
N941WR said:
PPS. I have heard these are really good but with all the hiking I've done, I have never seen one in action.

backpacking-stove.jpg
Click to expand...

I still have my Svea from my backpacking days. Very light and dependable, IMHO. However, if it was really cold (snow) you'd want to set it on top of an insulating pad of some sort. Standard technique for initial pressurization was to pour a bit of fuel on top of the tank and light it! Pretty exciting, but I never had any issues.
I have seen the propane ones fail in cold weather, not enough pressure.
Edit: Look at the little control lever. It cleverly has all the nut sizes you need to use it as a wrench, if necessary to take it apart and clean it in the field.
 
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