MSR Simmerlite Non-Hair Removing Techniques

On my MSR Wisperlite, the trick is to just let a tiny bit of fuel into the priming cup. I open the valve, hear the hiss indicating fuel is flowing for about 3 seconds, shut the valve and light. This results in a softball size priming fireball rather than a beachball size fireball. When the fireball starts to quickly die back (since the priming fuel has been almost used up) and reaches the size of a tennis ball, then I open the valve again and pump 2-3 times more.

A better method is to squirt some alchohol into the cup for priming instead. This almost eliminates the soot that gets all over the stove and so everything it touches doesn't get black smugs. Just use enough alchohol to heat up the preheat tube so the white gas will vaporize when you open the gas bottle valve.

I have the Internationale, and I make sure from the time I open the valve until I close it is only a couple seconds. It really doesn't take much. When the flames are just dying out I open the stove again, and sometimes pump. The key is to get as small amount of fuel in the primer cup as possible. Good stoves though. I have had experience with the fireballs too though. If anyone is hiking on the SHT and stops at the bear lake campsite to find a charred bench, that was thanks to my hiking partner who just wanted a cup of coffee before I was up in the morning.

Methyl Hydrate. (i.e. denatured alcohol)

Pour a little bit into the priming cup and light. It heats your preheat tube, and you can even put your cookpot on top while it's priming so that you're not wasting BTUs.

This is the only way I start white gas stoves anymore.

I have a love-hate relationship with the Simmerlite. It is light(for a white gas stove,) and dependable; but on the other hand, it won't simmer! I prime it with alcohol using a cheap eyedropper from the drugstore, but it does make things more complicated. You have to carry more gear(eyedropper, small alcohol bottle) and it is hard to see the alcohol priming flame in daylight. Don't like those white gas priming fireballs; I have Irish eyebrows the size of haystacks and it would take two fire fighters with a pumper truck to put them out.

I have seen one whisperlite user use a piece of esbit tablet to warm his stove it seemed to work very well.

In the huts on the Overland track in Tasmania there are special WG stove starting areas which are located outside and are surrounded by Stainless Steel and signs stating that they should be used.

Tony

I got that stove when they first came out and that's the same problem I've always had with mine. The Simmerlite doesn't have a priming cup and there's no way to gage the amount of fuel you're letting into the burner head. I'd go with the denatured alcohol.

Tony,
Sounds like they are planning on me coming for a visit.

Hey John, If it's like the Wisperlite, the key to a simmer is to barely pump up the fuel pressure–a couple anemic pumps at most. Probably everyone already knows the tip of blowing the stoves out after shutting them off as opposed to letting them burn out by themselves which results in cool, sooty, jet-clogging flame.

Denis, the priming cup for the Simmerlite is below the burner head where the legs attach at the bottom. Not anywhere near the preheat tube, but that’s where it is.

The trick for lighting white gas stoves is use as little gas as possible for priming. This can be tricky for some stoves because you can’t see where the gas is coming out from. Ideally use just enough gas to get it lit and once the stove starts to warm up more gas comes out, I’m assuming from what’s left over in the hose.

I’ve owned a few white gas stoves over the years and the one that I by far liked the most was the Optimus Nova. I’m not a big fan of MSR stoves mostly because they aren’t as refined as others (fireball priming, limited flame adjustability etc.). If you can I would recommend just getting something else.

Here’s a list of the stoves I’ve owned

• Optimus Nova
• Coleman Fyrestorm
• MSR XGK EX
• MSR Simmerlite

Optimus Nova: This is a great stove. Certainly not light but very stable, has great flame adjustability, very easy priming and an excellent purge system for the fuel line. Like an idiot, I sold it in hopes of finding something lighter (bought a Simmerlite instead, more on that in a moment). The Brunton Vapor AF looks like it might be on par with the Nova and I may pick one up to check it out and get rid of my fyrestorm and XGK if it’s good.

Coleman Fyrestorm: Talk about a really light stove. The quality seems only so-so. Fireball priming on this one is pretty normal and really scary. I have to send it in because two of the legs lock together but swing freely of the third and there’s this click coming from the fuel pump which causes the flame to puff up and down. Good flame adjustability though and when using it with a canister the flame is stable.

MSR XGK: Really reliable and stable even with larger pots. Good for melting snow and that’s about it. No flame adjustability at all. Priming isn’t too hard. I just watch the priming cup and the instant I see fuel I shut off the valve. This gets the stove going nicely with out too much flare-up. Really loud.

MSR Simmerlite: Okay, so I only owned this one for a day before I took it back to REI. Priming this one seems too chaotic for me. I couldn’t gauge how much fuel was being used for priming and this would cause a horrendous fireball. Actually had to run for the fire extinguisher because I thought it was going to blow up. It didn’t but that was enough for me to take it back. I bet using alcohol as suggested above would work well. Nice weight specs. It had limited flame adjustability even with low pressure in the tank.

Peace

Below is an interesting chart Fuel Vs Time of Trangia stove, MSR Whisperlite stove and a MSR Pocket Rocket.

With the Whistperlite blue line (shellite fuel), I used the only use a few pumps method to vary the fuel pressure and therefore the time it took to heat water to boil, note that the efficiency went up the slower the boil time.

Tony