"Great 3 season backpacker!" - Review of MSR Pocket Rocket Stove

I've been using mine for a few years now, and overall, I've been really satisfied. The weight of the stove(or lack there of) was really what sold me, but the speed at which it boils water was a pleasant surprise. Not everything was perfect, however. Being that it is a canister fuel delivery system, I did find that it was very challenging to use it in any kind of cold weather camping. it could be done, however it just involved a lot of work. This made using my percolator very challenging. Not saying that it can't be done, just that it does require some babysitting. The other issue that I found was that if it wasn't placed exactly flat, my cookware/percolator would slide right off of it quite easily. The only other issue that could be a problem for some folks is that the flame spread is about the size of a quarter. This is only a problem if you're cooking food versus re-heating food or boiling water. You might be asking, "Why 4 stars then?" Well, this little thing really does perform for what it is. I mean, 3 oz? Come on, you don't have to be an expert to know that it has to be one of the lightest stoves on the market. As I stated, I've used this thing for about 2 years as my primary cook stove for 100+ meals and I've never gone hungry because of it. If you're looking for a high altitude, or winter stove, this is not it. That's why I just bought a WhisperLite International, and will look forward to giving it as thorough of a review as I have this one. The Pocket Rocket really is a worthwhile buy.
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