Canister Stoves vs. Liquid Fuel Backpacking Stoves – Which is Right for You?

The question of canister stoves vs. liquid fuel stoves, each with their own pros and cons, mostly comes down to the trips you’re planning and your personal preference. Canister stoves have significant advantages in some situations and new, more efficient designs have made the performance differences less distinct than they once were. Liquid fuel stoves remain the leaders on long trips, winter conditions and travel where canisters may not be available. They are also an excellent choice for emergency preparedness kits thanks to their exceptional field maintainability, legendary durability and in some cases, multi-fuel compatibility. Let’s take a closer look at canister stoves vs. liquid fuel backpacking stoves to help you determine which is right for you. Canister Stoves vs. Liquid Fuel Backpacking Stoves—Specs to Consider Depending on what’s most…

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How to Clean Your Backpacking Stove

We’ve all been there: the moment of horror when you realize your oatmeal (of course it’s oatmeal) is boiling over onto your stove. (We’ll blame it on not having finished that first cup of coffee yet.) And even though you snatched the pot away as quickly as you could, some of that nice, thick oaty sludge managed to splat right onto the burner head. Now what? Whether you have an ultralight canister stove, an uber-efficient system stove or a burly liquid-fuel stove, we’ve pulled together the do’s and don’ts of cleaning your cook setup, courtesy of our expert MSR repairs team. They’ve seen it all, and now they’re passing their knowledge to you. Read on to learn how to clean your backpacking stove. How to Clean Canister Stoves These popular…

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MSR Employees’ Favorite Camp Recipes

Camp meals vary wildly from person to person. Some are ultralight backpackers who eat cold instant refried beans every night without complaint (not joking). Others, whether car camping or out in the backcountry, want the whole shebang, from a starter salad to a glass of wine and dessert. These five recipes from MSR employees lie mostly in the middle (though some definitely lean toward the backcountry feast side of the scale). We’re a pretty outdoorsy bunch here at MSR, and we’ve perfected our camp recipes over years of adventures. MSR also makes pretty spectacular backpacking and camp stoves, if we do say so ourselves, and each employee has a favorite for cooking up their camp recipes. Check out this deep dive into our stoves, from Polar explorer Eric Larsen. A…

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