MSR Stoves: How-to use MSR liquid fuel stoves

The mainstay of most backcountry travelers, MSR® stoves offer versatile, all-around performance for preparing a variety of meals on the trail. With the renowned WhisperLite™-series stoves as a cornerstone, these stoves feature broader burner heads and moderate flame control to expand cooking options for backpackers and global vagabonds alike.

Here, we take a look at how to properly use your MSR® Liquid Fuel Stove.

[karlroberts]

I’ve owned a Whisperlite for about 25yrs, and a Dragonfly for probably 10, and not only have I never had any problems with either, but I’m yet to use my maintenance kit. Needed to ‘massage’ the pump gasket in colder weather a couple of times.
All together they’ve been used on over 70 wilderness trips.
Same goes for a good friend if mine. His only maintenance was the pump gasket after dozens of trips.
My son also owns a problem free Dragonfly.
They work well.

[TheWindigomonster]

One extra thing: if you’re using them for an extended period of time, you’ll notice the flame will start to pulse. In order to prevent the flame from burning out, you’ll need to re-pump the bottle another 30 times or so.

[maxaudibert]

Camping on the ice or on glacier, they are the best. Greetings from Greenland.

[rickflippin]

I have the dragon fly it has worked in all kind of conditions. Uses different fuels it’s great

[fingerpuppetheaven]

pulled out my dragonfly after 15 years. gave it a quick dust off. worked perfectly. happy camper

[haraldthi]

Thanks. I was asking myself how much pressure I could safely pump into my Whisperlite. And while I didn’t really get a clear answer, I noticed you turning the stove up so high that I don’t think it really burns efficiently. With its big yellow flame, that is.
You can pump it up as much as you’ll ever have a rational reason to that is. And if your flame runs yellow like that, it’s too much.

[katedesroches]

Wondering how to store the fuel bottle after the stove is turned off and cooled down. Can I take the pump off of the bottle and put the original lid back on, or is this unsafe?

[redwhiteblue]

21 haters... I love MSR products... I'm in Southern California and will be doing winter backpacking in the snow... I have 2 pocket rockets that have worked fine, which one of these stoves would you recommend???

[Hashpotato]

Do replacement msr fuel pumps come pre-lubricated? How often does it require maintenance?

[impermanenthuman]

Can you use the liquid fuel stove bottles as water bottles if you plan on just using the Whisperlite Universal with canisters only, but want the bottle for liquid fuel use in an emergency but don’t want to lug around a useless bottle, but make it useful by using it for water until really needed for fuel?
This would make the whole stove more viable to carry, or else may as well just get a lighter remote canister stove that also burns canister fuel inverted

[flurgx]

I miss packing away..
Instruction says depressurize the bottle.. How?

[alexkaa]

Hi @msrgear. Is there a way to connect/use larger white gas canister to increase burning time to let's say overnight?

[Elfin]

Will the MSR Piezo igniter work on liquid fuel stoves ?

[michaelsrowland]

I thought to turn off the stove you turned the fuel bottle upside down and let the air leave the bottle

[XA]

That’s the most complex stove I ever seen 😅

[ВладиславШведов]

Can anyone explain why should I use MSR fuel bottles only? Is there any meaningful difference to primus or optimus bottles?

[colelawton]

Honestly this seems like an overly complicated mess... and that wastefully large open flame in the beginning is just a forest fire waiting to happen.

I have a small propane stove. I connect it together, I turn the knob, put a lighter on it and bam, im cooking.

This one looks like it has more complicated steps, and has long wait times. 2 minutes for this, wait for this, if you don't time it right start over, but not before waiting 5 more minutes for this...

Does anyone with experience find the timing of these steps to be wasteful where you can safely shortcut them?

And can anyone with the wisdom explain to me the benefit of using this item over a (seemingly) more simple propane camp stove?