Backpacker Magazine – Fall/Winter Gear Guide 2012

Gear Review: MSR MicroRocket Stove

A stove so compact it's almost not there.

by: Kristin Hostetter

Tags:
• Gear
|
• Kitchen
|
• Ultralight
|

---

[ultralight stove]

This tiny canister cooker packs a serious punch. It boils a liter of water in four minutes flat, and wide pot supports keep even 3-liter pots stable. The burner head comes fitted with MSR’s WindClip, a three-armed partition atop the burner that effectively prevents gusts from blowing out the downwind side. “It did an impressive job of keeping the flame alive even when I was cooking on a blustery beach,” says one tester. And she was able to simmer soup without scorching, thanks to a very sensitive flame control. Best of all, it packs down into a tidy lemon-size parcel in its own hard plastic case (it’ll fit inside your coffee mug) and weighs only 4.3 ounces. As with most canister stoves, performance drops in temps below freezing. Tip: Warm the canister in your coat before using, and set it in a shallow pan of water while cooking. Comes with a piezo sparker. $60; 4.3 oz.; cascadedesigns.com 

Subscribe to Backpacker magazine
Sign up for our free weekly e-newsletter