MSR windburner vs jetboil

[Ogrenerd]

Hi all,

I'm looking for a backpacking stove. I've narrowed it down to these 2 brands. Not sure which. Jetboil seems to have several types that could work. I'm looking for thoughts experiences of either. I'm also a little concerned about the 1 liter size. Is that big enough for a guy to eat a good sized meal? Like the idea of having an all in one system, like the skillet from msr. Anything else to consider? Any advice? Experiences?

Thanks

 

[WesternHunter]

Go with MSR. I'm in the midst of the "burn down" aaron snyder has talked about on so many podcasts. Jetboil just up and decided to melt the coil down when I was boiling water last year. Spent the money to ship it to jetboil and they can't fix it, the Ti version is discontinued, so they may give me 20% off on a new one..... whoopdy freakin do....20%...
Plus I think the MSR is more efficient anyway, especially in wind.

Hi all,

I'm looking for a backpacking stove. I've narrowed it down to these 2 brands. Not sure which. Jetboil seems to have several types that could work. I'm looking for thoughts experiences of either. I'm also a little concerned about the 1 liter size. Is that big enough for a guy to eat a good sized meal? Like the idea of having an all in one system, like the skillet from msr. Anything else to consider? Any advice? Experiences?

Thanks

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[RosinBag]

I prefer the Jetboil because if it’s efficiency. Gram to gram fuel consumption, I get more 2 cup boils out of the 110 gram canisters with the Jetboil verse the MSR. I don’t think wind has ever been an issue as I can always build a small wind break if it was needed.

 

[mfllood3800]

My jet boil is lasting 5 years now. But if it dies, I will get a MSR for personal reasons, as well as practical.

 

[AK Troutbum]

I have no personal experience with the MSR but it appears to be a knock off of the JB, without the heat indicator or electronic start. I’ve used JB’s for many years without a single issue, and as far as I’m concerned, if your ok with carrying a cook system that weighs a pound, but is also very efficient and super reliable, I’d recommend the JB all day long.


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[NevadaZielmeister]

I had TWO Jetboils catch on fire. I saw flame shooting out of the side of the Sumo and lost all confidence. They sent me another one and that one came with the flame shooting option as well.

MSR has been making stoves for a long time and the Windburner and/or the Reactor stoves are trouble free. I switched to the Windburner and love how efficient it is. Forget the piezo electric starter on the JEtboil, they seem to eventually fail also.

Attached is my own photo.



Oh, and yes, they sent me a new one again plus a 20% discount. I sold the new Sumo and will never look at Jetboil again.

 

[Ogrenerd]

Hm, hearing something is catching on fire isn't very comforting. There are some pretty drastic differences between these 2 brands.

 

[MT_Wyatt]

I’ve used and owned both. That igniter on the jet boil wasn’t all that great. I had one fail on me in some serious weather. So I started using the msr version and couldn’t be more impressed.

There’s a huge difference between the lid, sleeve and cup between the two, and I’ve found the msr system to be vastly superior to the jet boil flash - but I haven’t messed with any of jet boil’s newer versions.


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[jspradley]

My Windburner has served me well.. the lack of auto ignite is pretty much a non issue. A ferro rod or lighter spark works just fine to ignite it.

 

[sveltri]

Jetboil seems to be anti-hunting. I've been very pleased with the Windburner. It is big and fairly bulky, but also been bombproof for me so far. As far as the 1L being big enough for a meal, most dehydrated meals require <1 cup of water which leaves plenty for coffee or whatever else you might want.

 

[FURMAN]

The MSRs never checked any of my boxes so I have not used one. I have used the jetboil ti for years and never had a problem. All I do is heat water. I did test many other stove/pot setups and this is the most efficient setup I found.
WindMaster + 4Flex Combo Stove - SOTO Outdoors
XTS Pot — Olicamp

 

[WesternHunter]

Jetboil Ti is the one I just had burn down. Up until that happened I did enjoy the performance of it. Only ever used to boil water and it worked great. My style lid was about the only thing that annoyed me when it was running well.

Just a bad taste in my mouth for Jetboil right now. When you take care of your gear and don't hoenstly use it that much every season, you don't expect it to melt down.

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[nrh6.7]

I have the Windburner and have been happy with it. It has a wire over the top that glows so you know when it is on, and the lack of an igniter is a non-issue for me. Be careful not to allow anything to boil over. Took the boys camping and used it to heat up milk for hot chocolate. The milk boiled over and ran down the side and onto the heating element. Now only half of the element works and I'm having to send it back for repairs. My fault and probably wouldn't happen with water, but fyi.

I also have the windburner skillet and it is awesome. Wouldn't take it into the back country but for base camp it could be great.

 

[sveltri]

I have the Windburner and have been happy with it. It has a wire over the top that glows so you know when it is on, and the lack of an igniter is a non-issue for me. Be careful not to allow anything to boil over. Took the boys camping and used it to heat up milk for hot chocolate. The milk boiled over and ran down the side and onto the heating element. Now only half of the element works and I'm having to send it back for repairs. My fault and probably wouldn't happen with water, but fyi.

I also have the windburner skillet and it is awesome. Wouldn't take it into the back country but for base camp it could be great.

Is the skillet too bulky or heavy for backcountry use? When camping last weekend I had no way to cook fish and really wished I'd had that skillet.

 

[Tag_Soup]

I tried out a windburner and it was OK, I liked the build quality better than the JetBoil Sol. I wouldn't trade my MSR reactor for either and a $100 bill though... The reactor is bomb proof, wind proof, efficient, and has a secure but easy to remove pot fitment. If you are wanting something for more than just boiling water, I would consider a liquid fuel stove like the MSR whisperlight. For summer trips I have used one with a snow peak titanium pot and a lightweight skillet (mine is an old MSR, but the new sea to summit alpha looks sweet), it works pretty well. I will probably be switching to just bringing the Reactor and an ultralight grill with foil from now on though. I am not a huge fan of liquid fuel systems unless you are going way up...and even then the newer fuel is quite a bit less elevation/temp sensitive than it used to be IMHO.

 

[camping1601]

No experience with the MSR, but my JB SOL TI is still going strong after three years and it gets used a lot.
I saw them get discontinued and bought a new pot, but haven't needed it yet.

 

[nrh6.7]

Is the skillet too bulky or heavy for backcountry use? When camping last weekend I had no way to cook fish and really wished I'd had that skillet.

For me, both. It comes in at 8.3 oz on my scale and it measures 8.25" in diameter and almost 3" tall. If you have the room it could work great. They now have a version that is ceramic coated and weights about the same.

 

[MIedge]

I've had a windburner for a few years and it has worked flawlessly every time I have used it. My buddy just purchased a jetboil and the first time he fired it up it melted/caught on fire right in front of our eyes. We would have been screwed had I not brought my MSR.

 

[xrayit]

Dumped Jetboil and never looked back, MSR Windburner is a much better build quality and works when you need it to work.


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[Ogrenerd]

Thanks for all this info.

On the msr...there is a duo which seems to be a bigger option. Are the accessories interchangeable? Is the platform of the smaller the same as the duo? I could see bringing a couple kids with me some day. Wondering if I could swap between cups, etc.