That's sort of my take away -- that the W'lite Universal is a sort of best of both worlds stove. If you wanted to really apply the KISS (Keep It Simple, Sweetheart) principle, this stove will do it:

• "Summer" weather: Upright canister operation
• "Shoulder season" weather (early spring/late fall): Inverted canister operation (i.e. liquid feed)
• Full on Winter weather: Liquid fuel

One stove that will work really well in all seasons. Keep your gear closet nice and lean.

I like that it's a "remote" set up (burner and fuel separated). Unlike an "upright" set up (burner on top of the fuel), the burner is lower to the ground which a) makes things more stable, and b) takes you out of the wind a bit more. Also a "remote" configuration is much safer because you can put a windshield between the fuel and the burner. Heat + fuel = BOOM (not good).

The drawbacks of course are a) price (all this functionality ain't gonna come cheap) and b) weight. For summer use, a little upright gas stove will be much lighter. The trade off for the weight and price is a lot of functionality and a lot more windproofness. In case it doesn't show, I'm a big fan of the remote configuration. I've always felt the upright style was a little "tippy" and is certainly more vulnerable to wind.

HJ