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

The question of canister stoves vs. liquid fuel stoves, each with 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 newer, 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 might 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 important to…

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The MSR Stove Maintenance Guide

Have you ever been on a multi-day backcountry trip and dealt with a sputtering, inconsistent flame from your camp stove? Or maybe your stove stopped working altogether and you didn’t read up on how to make the normally easy fix required? These sorts of troubles can be no small emergency on a multi-day trip, especially if a large chunk of your calories need cooking or you’re melting snow for water. That’s why stove maintenance—particularly with liquid fuel stoves—is so critical. In fact, every MSR stove has been intentionally designed to be easily user-maintainable for a long, reliable life. Our Annual and Expedition Stove Maintenance Kits, along with intuitive, field-maintainable designs, keep this essential task easy to do, ensuring you never get stuck without the fire you need. With that in…

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Baffin Island Exploration: A Trip to the Edge of the World  

Baffin Island is the world’s fifth-largest island. It lies mostly north of the Arctic Circle in Canada’s Arctic Archipelago. It is absolutely wild, perched on the fringes of our global, Westernized society. Baffin Island is the indigenous land of the Inuit, who have lived and thrived there for thousands of years. We were incredibly fortunate to travel on these lands, and to receive advice and guidance from a local Inuk outfitter. Today, Baffin Island is part of Nunavut, the most northern territory in Canada. Baffin Island is cold. The average annual temperature is well below freezing, and summers are cool and brief. Baffin exists north of the arctic treeline, with only barren arctic tundra or ice cap and glaciers covering every inch of this immense island. Traveling in Baffin varies…

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Mastering High-Altitude Cooking: Essential Tips for Success 

High-altitude cooking can be challenging, even for those who know their way around a quality camp stove. The thin air, cold and wind of cooking above treeline can complicate even basic tasks, like boiling water, so you can forget about creating complex dishes above treeline without the right gear. The reality is that some stoves just aren’t built to burn well in the alpine zone.  Preparing for a high-altitude environment before you head out is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Fortunately, there are ways to maximize the efficiency of your high-altitude cooking kit. Here’s what you need to know to set yourself up for culinary success at high elevations.   Understanding the Challenges of High-Altitude Cooking Did you know that water boils at a lower temperature at high altitudes…

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Make the Most of Your Stove: MSR Stove Accessories

While the idea of “accessorizing” something might sound a little superfluous, MSR stove accessories are anything but. In fact, our engineers can work for years on a single design. That’s because each one needs to not only work in concert—and safely—with our camp stoves, but also needs to do so in a way that improves either efficiency and/or performance in a meaningful way.  No stove can “do it all”, so many of these accessories are engineered to extend a stove’s performance into extreme or rare conditions, while others simply allow greater convenience, versatility or efficiency. So before you start thinking about a whole new stove, or figuring out how to extend your fuel supply on a long trip, check out this comprehensive guide to MSR Stove Accessories and see just…

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Liquid Fuel Stoves 101: How to Choose the Right Fuel for Your Liquid Fuel Stove

Despite the popularity of small, canister-fuel stoves, liquid fuel stoves are still the best option for many people due to their unrivaled cold weather performance, low cost, (arguably) lower environmental impact, and worldwide fuel availability. Their exceptional field maintainability, legendary durability and in some cases, multi-fuel compatibility are also why liquid fuel stoves are an excellent choice for emergency preparedness kits. But which of the many liquid fuels should you use? If you have a multi-fuel stove like the MSR XGK-EX, Dragonfly, or WhisperLite Universal, you have several fuel options to choose from. Depending on where in the world you plan to use your stove, the options may vary from what you’re used to at home. Pros & Cons of the Common Liquid Fuels White Gas (Naphtha) White gas (aka…

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