Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board MSR Stoves: Burn Times Comparison Data

For anyhikers who are pondering which stove to get for the outdoors.

Last night I did a timing test on two types of liquid fuel stoves: MSR XGK EX & MSR Whisperlite Interational.

I used an 11oz fuel bottle with Coleman Fuel and filled the bottles to the same levels. Then I turned on both stoves, FULL BLAST ... Maximum throughput. Test was done inside my garage.

Here are the results:

With 11oz fuel bottle: (experimental)
XGK EX: 50mins
Whisp Int: 130mins = 2hrs, 10mins.

With 22 oz fuel bottle:(calculated--double the 11oz data)
XGK EX: 100mins = 1hr, 40mins
Whisp Int: 260mins = 4hrs, 20mins

With 33 oz fuel bottle: (calculated--triple the 11oz data)
XGK EX: 150mins = 2hr 30mins
Whisp Int: 390mins = 6hrs, 30mins

So whisp int stove last 2.5 times longer than the XGK!! BUT the XGK EX, had twice the intensity if not more. You'll be more efficient with Whisp BUT you will be waiting longer also.

One Note: These stoves burnt at full intensity (pump valve fully turned on) and then when the fuel ran out, the stoves went out. It is not like they started flickering or going out slowly. In other words, even in the last few seconds before the flames died, the intensity of each stove was the same as when the stove started.

So FWIW, I hope you can use this info ... thank you

What elevation was the test done at?

I always thought that the higher the elevation, the more fuel you'll burn due to air density.. or is it just me

What were the internal pressures of the fuel bottles?

For what it's worth MSR specs the burn times for a given amount of fuel, the fuel efficiencies, and the boil times as virtually identical for these two stoves.

The biggest factor in efficiency is not combustion, it is transfer of the heat to the water without too much loss. So a windscreen helps, as does a lid on the pot, a wrap-around insulator sleeve, or better yet, an arctic/high altitude grade stove, of which there are various types, one perhaps is like MSR Reactor http://www.ampro.co.nz/products/MSR/stoves/stoves_&_fuel.htm

To paraphrase the Las Vegas line-
it's not just the flame, but what happens above it.

Elevation: 34ft above sea level.

I believe the internal pressure of the bottle is what matters.

If that's the case, then MSR is wrong in regards to fuel efficiencies. At its max flame, the heat from the XGK EX could be felt well over 6feet above the stove ... YES ... 6ft above the stove, you could feel hot air hitting your chin ....

Also the fact that both stoves burn the same amount of fuel ... one takes 50mins and the other takes 130, well clearly, both can't be the same efficiency ....their power output is tremendously different ...

Sorry .. don't know... I kept pumping each periodically so they would stay full pressure, as much as possible ....I was sitting right next to them for the entire 2 hours ... pumping both stoves every 3 minutes ...

MSR stoves are absolutely superb for what they are good for, long alpine climbs to altitude. However the stove, fuel and fuel containers are really heavy for anything but alpine expeditions. They are particularly dangerous if you have to cook in a tent or vestibule. Every time I've seen a tent go up it's been an MSR. It's not the stove's fault, really, but they are fast to flare and it's easy to spill fuel. There are lighter and safer options out there. This is one, with the Esbit tablets. The alcohol is hard to regulate.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/vargo_triad_titanium_stove.html

And I don't know how the "Whisperlite" ever got it's name - sounds like an outboard engine on a 747. At full throttle.

Time to boil is what counts. A greater BTU stove will burn fuel faster and heat water faster. The real question should be how much water is boiled for each ounce of fuel.

It's BTUs per unit volume of fuel. What you do with those BTUs is what counts. You don't need a sledge hammer to drive a tack and you can't drive a railroad spike with a tack hammer. Think of a roaring bonfire to heat a cup of water, lots of wasted heat. Using one match at a time won't get the job done either as the heat loss will exceed the heat in from the match. A properly regulated stove is in order.