after 10 years I switched my backpacking stove to a MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe- Wow!

[mtwarden]

My Snowpeak Gigpower Ti has been a very dependable stove AND light at 2.5 oz; for 10 years it has served me faithfully with no complaints- so it was with a little trepidation that I recently switched to a MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe. The reviews for the new MSR have been really good, so I figured what the heck.

The first thing I noticed was the PR Deluxe is a flame thrower- this thing puts out an incredible amount of heat, boiling times have been nearly halved! Who would have thought .

Next I found out that the PR Deluxe actuals simmers pretty decently, my old Gigapower was either full on or full off, not much in between. The small lip around the burner also does a decent job of negating the effects of wind.

Then I found out that the fact that the PR Deluxe Deluxe is regulated makes a huge difference running it in cold weather! Not sure why, but I thought regulated shmegulated, canister stoves just work like crap in cold weather. Not so, this thing runs much (much) better than my unregulated Gigapower stove in the cold.

Ah, but what about the weigh hit? the Gigapower Ti was a light stove- 2.5 oz, the PR Deluxe- 3.0 oz

Hopefully I'll get 10 years of service out of this stove.

 

[Jotis]

Thinking of getting one myself. What do you use to boil water in for mt houses?

 

[Werty]

Nice to know

 

[mtwarden]

Thinking of getting one myself. What do you use to boil water in for mt houses?

when I'm solo I use a MSR Titan Kettle, if my wife is along (or winter and melting snow) I use the above 2.5 liter pot- I might spring for the large Titan Kettle- it's 2 liters, so a little smaller, but lighter than the above pot

 

[*zap*]

Nice, I have a few pr's maybe I need to upgrade.

 

[oenanthe]

What about fuel efficiency? Got any data for us yet?

 

[mtwarden]

nothing very scientific, but with the quicker boil times it appears to be more efficient

 

[Blockcaver]

My 15 or 20? year old Pocket Rocket has been 100% reliable and a great stove. What has changed with the new one?

 

[veganhunter]

Thanks for the input mtwarden. Curious what elevations you're in for your winter trips? Assuming its in MT, I should theoretically see better performance in cold weather in CO because less atmospheric pressure but none of my canister stoves work well enough in winter for me to bring them. Which leaves me always bringing the heavier WhisperLite. I'd be interested in the PR Deluxe if it would make a difference but I think the real problem is with the current fuel on the market, not the stove.

 

[waggoner85]

I’ve had Jetboil and a couple other MSR multi fuel stoves and this is my favorite just because of how small and simple it is. You can’t beat it for the price either. It’s probably a little less efficient due to the lack of a wind shield, but it still gets my water boiling fast. I haven’t used these stoves much above 7,000 ft so I can’t speak to how well they work at higher elevations.

 

[Vandy321]

when I'm solo I use a MSR Titan Kettle, if my wife is along (or winter and melting snow) I use the above 2.5 liter pot- I might spring for the large Titan Kettle- it's 2 liters, so a little smaller, but lighter than the above pot

The handles on that titan kettle got super hot for me with the pocket rocket. If this happens to anyone else,I googled some fixes and ended up going with clear indoor fishing tank silicone tubing from the pet store, cut a piece to length, take of the MSR handle and feed it on to the handle then re-install. works perfectly. Cost me under $5, no more melted gloves or burnt fingers.

 

[mtwarden]

I’m not sure if the original Pocket Rocket has changed? This is the Deluxe and the biggest difference is that it’s regulated- makes a big difference in cold weather performance over nonregulated.

My last couple of trips have been at 6-7000’, generally don’t camp much higher in the winter- starts to get pretty exposed much above that and the “fun” can decrease quickly

^ good tip! I’m going to steal that one.

I just received a strip of copper and am going to fashion a piece that will go from the flame to the canister. Guys have been able to successfully use their canister stoves with setup to -15-20 degrees. The fact the PR Deluxe is regulated should aid in that regard as well.

 

[Jotis]

The handles on that titan kettle got super hot for me with the pocket rocket. If this happens to anyone else,I googled some fixes and ended up going with clear indoor fishing tank silicone tubing from the pet store, cut a piece to length, take of the MSR handle and feed it on to the handle then re-install. works perfectly. Cost me under $5, no more melted gloves or burnt fingers.

Anyone else Have any good ideas for the handles?

 

[Lowg08]

I have also considered one. My dad carries one while hiking. Won’t own anything but a pocket rocket deluxe according to him. His has made it on every trail between the start of the AT all the ones in between and now getting ready to start on the section from West Virginia to Maine. So I guess they are pretty good

 

[mtnwrunner]

Plus one on the pocket rocket deluxe.
Ive had about every stove made throughout the years and I had trouble this last year with several. After some serious research, I ended up with the PR and MSR cannisters. Been great so far although have not yet used it in really cold weather as I had earlier in October of 2019. But I suspect it will work fine.

Randy

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Is this a worth while upgrade over a pocket rocket 2??? I've been using the 2 and don't have any complaints but if this is a solid upgrade then its a small price to pay.

 

[mtwarden]

Is this a worth while upgrade over a pocket rocket 2??? I've been using the 2 and don't have any complaints but if this is a solid upgrade then its a small price to pay.

if you use your stove in colder weather, then definitely worth the upgrade- the "regular" PR is non-regulated, the Deluxe is regulated- that's the main difference between the two

from MSR



WHY PRESSURE-REGULATED STOVES ARE BETTER IN COLD TEMPS
MAY 9, 2019 BY MSR TEAM

TECHNOLOGY
You unzip your tent on a cool fall morning. As you step out, you have one thought: Coffee. You light up your canister stove and crank it up to full blast, but for some reason, it seems to be taking a lot longer to boil water than last evening. Is it the lack of caffeine, or is the stove really slower this morning? What’s going on?
Seasoned backpackers will recognize that the pressure has dropped in their fuel canister now that it’s cooler outside. A stove’s output relies heavily on its fuel pressure, so when that pressure drops in cooler temperatures, your stove’s output naturally declines.
But it’s not just cooler temps that cause this pressure drop. The mere act of running your stove causes its canister to lose pressure. (This is because as fuel vaporizes, it cools, and cools the canister down.) This means that each back-to-back pot of water you heat with that same canister will take longer to boil.
But certain canister stoves—such as MSR’s Reactor and WindBurner Stove Systems, and our ultralight PocketRocket Deluxe—are not nearly as affected by this pressure drop. They consistently deliver fast boil times across a range of conditions: from warm afternoons to cool mornings and cold alpine evenings.
What allows them to do that?
These stoves feature a tiny component called a pressure regulator—and it makes a huge difference.
oto by Paul Bride
What is a pressure regulator?
This tiny component lives inside the stove’s valve. It controls how much fuel pressure is fed to the stove. Regardless of what’s happening externally that might be affecting the canister’s pressure, the regulator ensures the stove is getting the correct pressure it needs to operate optimally.
The trick is, MSR engineers designed these three stoves to operate optimally at a very low pressure level. This means the canister pressure can drop substantially before the stove starts to lose its power. The regulator makes sure the stove is always receiving that precise (and low) pressure. The stove will run at full output as long as it does.
How pressure regulators improve boil times
Most backpacking stoves aren’t pressure-regulated. So as their canister pressure drops, their output also declines. A stove with a regulator, in contrast, isn’t hindered by that drop in canister pressure (remember it’s designed to operate optimally at a very low pressure and the regulator maintains that pressure). Because of this, you enjoy fast boil times regardless of what’s happening to the canister.
In other words, the regulator keeps your stove cranking at full output across a wider range of conditions and scenarios—hot days, colder days, full canister, low canister and everything in between.
It also means that when your canister is low, the stove isn’t struggling. This saves you fuel. Therefore, a pressure regulator also boosts the efficiency of your stove, which means you can carry less fuel.
When the temp drops to 50°F, canister pressure drops to 30 psi. As you run your stove, your canister cools further, easily dropping to 22 psi. And on that cool fall morning (40°F) your stove may actually only be putting out less than 60% of its power.

In contrast, MSR’s pressure-regulated stoves are designed to run at full output at just 15 psi (Reactor) and 16.5 psi (WindBurner and PR Deluxe). The regulator ensures the stove only receives that precise pressure regardless of the real pressure inside the canister.

It’s only when your canister is nearly empty or the conditions are extremely cold that the pressure will finally drop below the limit of the pressure regulator and you’ll notice it a performance drop.
All this means that with a well-regulated stove, you’ll enjoy high stove performance through a far greater range of conditions. And your fourth pot of water will boil just as fast as your first.

 

[NW307]

A handwarmer in the bottom of a foam "koozie" for the canister helps quite a bit with winter time operation. I messed around with making copper heat exchangers back when I was alpine climbing a lot and had pretty mixed results. My designs were fairly crude albeit but I definitely remember picking melted glove fleece off my hands on a few occasions and never fully trusting the safety of heating up the canister. I was using an unregulated stove tho. I think a hanging stove set up would be ideal. I eventually went back to the xgk for wintertime, it was definitely worth the extra weight.

Either way thanks for the review of the Deluxe. That coupled with a titanium pot would give me more versatility than the jetboil when I have my hot tent with me.

 

[mtwarden]

in the winter I use a foam cozy for my canisters; keep them at the bottom of my sleeping bag and if need be, put the canister in a bowl of warmer water

I'm going to try the copper strip out this weekend, the results I've seen posted are really impressive

 

[sneaky]

Until my WindMaster dies I'm not buying anymore stoves. I already have too many lol.

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