Headed out on the trail again today. Teaser shots for now. Full report to follow.





HJ

I've been using MSR cannisters, but is there a performance difference in the fuel between GigaPower and MSR?

Does MSR care about all those GP cannisters in your pics?

If they don't like my gas, let them send me some of theirs.

MSR at least on paper is a slightly better product in cold weather. In warmer weather (above 50F/10C), it doesn't make a bit of difference what brand of gas you buy.

The main thing to remember with gas in cold weather is avoid "plain" butane. Buy a brand with isobutane.

HJ

Cool, in that case I need to try GigaPower cannisters. I'll pick some up when I pick up the MicroRocket which at least so far isn't in the REI or Backcountry online stores.

The MR's official release date is today, but I imagine that it will be a bit before anyone actually has one on the shelf.

Snow Peak, Brunton, Jet Boil, and MSR should all give about the same performance. I think it would be hard to tell the difference between them for the average person.

HOWEVER, I have had people tell me that they've had bad experiences with one or another. Unfortunately, the bad experiences seem pretty random, and often the bad brand in one story will be the good brand in the next story. It's possible that quality control may not be up to speed for every single canister. Use gas with caution in cold weather (below 32F/0C). Know what you're doing, how to keep the canister warm safely, and what your limits are.

HJ

More shots of the new MR stove that I took out again yesterday. This time I went cold and high.


I wanted to see how it would do. I was actually fairly impressed. Full report to follow when I get time.


HJ

Well, it could definitely be done. You just need to widen the gap between the bottom of the pot and the top of the burner. Any increase will probably result in a reduction of CO emission.

JUST BE REALLY FREAKING CAREFUL. If you mess up the flow, gas can come out of the air intake ports on the burner column. You could get some really odd heating, heating that might cause the canister to overheat and might make it difficult to turn off the stove. Apply enough heat to a canister of liquified gas, and... Well, you get the idea. It wouldn't be pretty.

HJ

Here you go: The MSR MicroRocket at BackCountryGear.com. They're the first that I've seen. (No affiliation)

HJ