Pocket Rocket or SnowPeak GigaPower?

[Tim Testa]

Simple question, which do you think is better and why? I stuggle between the two for many reasons.

– MSR name and reputation.

– Snowpeak has four stands which makes it more sturdy.

– Snowpeak has a package that comes with a titanium pot and spork which is pretty light and can fit two fuel canisters in and on top of it. The pot can also be used a a strainer.

– MSR has the Titanium Titan Tea Kettle that you could buy on the side and supposedly have a fuel canister (maybe two) fit into it with the pocket rocket.

And well, im sure you know all the rest so Ill just stop here.

[Robert Bryant]

The titan kettle nesting thing is a joke. You have to set it some exact way that is impossible to get it to work. I don't think they even market this supposed nesting ability anymore.

I put together a Evernew .9L pot with a Snow Peak LiteMax and a canister and it gives enough room to pack everything easily without being huge. If you want good nesting this works well and unless something has come out recently that I am not aware of I believe the litemax is the lightest commercially available canister stove.

[Brad Rogers]

I have both, and much prefer the Gigapower. The Pocket Rocket pot supports are flimsy and pointy. It is harder to pack than the Gigapower, though both work fine as stoves. As for the MSR name, the Pocket Rocket isn't made by MSR in the states, it is made in Korea like many Canister Stoves (like the Snowpeak LiteMax). The Gigapower is made by Snowpeak in Japan.

[Boozer]

Another vote for the GigaPower stove. Great reliable stove. I couldn't stand the pocket rocket for the same reasons Brad pointed out – pointy and lack of stability.

[W I S N E R !]

I think the MSR is junk. I returned it in in hour because the supports are so flimsy.
I have the manual Ti Gigapower. I've used it for at least 3 years now. Awesome little stove.

[Mark Verber]

I would go with the gigapower. More stable pot pot supports, slightly more fuel efficiency, generates less carbon monoxide.

As to pots… the Ti pot / spork is cute, but I would skip it. The evernew .9l wide bottom pot is around 20% more fuel efficent and a great size. Stove, fuel canister, utensils, and small cup fit into the evernew pot.

I personally rather use lexan utensils so I don't scratch up my pot.

–Mark

[Roger Caffin]

Hi Timothy

The Pocket Rocket has four deficiencies compared to the Gigapower:

The PR pot supports are prone to bending
The PR is much higher and less stable
The PR focuses the flame to a small area, giving a greater risk of burning your dinner
The PR emits a lot of carbon monoxide

We do have some (lots of) good articles on these stoves for subscribers.

Cheers

[Matt Lutz]

Caffin +1 for the subscription plug!

And go with the Gigapower. If I ever replace my PR, I'm going with something from SnowPeak.

[Roger Caffin]

Thanks Matt :-)

Can I just add that the Vargo Jet-Ti stove (which is available from BPL) is almost the same as the SP Gigapower in performance, robustness and CO emission?
I have both, and use both.

Cheers

[Justin Chaussee]

I have a PR… Wish I bought a snowpeak instead.

I think MSR hit a homerun with the Whisperlite series, but that's about it. I love my whisperlite international, hate my PR. Another downside to the PR that I didn't see anyone write yet is it's efficiency in the wind. Even in a light breeze, your boil time gets trippled with the PR. They claim it has a built in windscreen like system, but it doesn't work that well at all. My biggest pet peeve with the PR is the pot stands are too tall. Get the Snowpeak.

[Robert Bryant]

"Thanks Matt :-)

Can I just add that the Vargo Jet-Ti stove (which is available from BPL) is almost the same as the SP Gigapower in performance, robustness and CO emission?
I have both, and use both.

Cheers"

why buy the vargo? the litemax is the same price with more weight savings. it says it can also output more btus if that is your thing. it is all kovea so it seems like a question of if you want last years model or this years at the same price.

[Monty Montana]

My Snow Peak Lite Max is tops!

Robert, I pair the Lite Max with a MSR Titan and find the nesting easily achieved. To do this you place the burner in the pot first – I wrap mine in a piece of paper towel so it doesn't rattle around and scratch the inside – and then put the fuel canister on top of that with room to spare. Since the canister has a concaved bottom it accommodates much of the mass of the burner; if you load the Titan in reverse order, then the lid won't snap down because a little bit of the burner projects above the rim. Happy trails.

[Stephen Petschulat]

> The PR is much higher and less stable

This is the biggest deficiency based on my usage of it. It makes it difficult to use a lightweight aluminum foil windscreen with it. Roger's articles on CO2 emission also indicate it is on the poorer end of the scale, so I may end up relegating it to the car camping kit (no in-vestibule cooking) and get the Snow Peak.

[Matthew Swierkowski]

I have both and prefer the Giga. The main reason is what Roger mentioned in that the flame gets focused into a small area with the PR. Not an issue for boiling water, but if you want to simmer anything you better stir it constantly. The Giga is also a little more stable, and packs up into a nice little box instead of the triangular shaped container that the PR goes in.

[Aaron Lastname]

Careful…That Giga case weighs .85oz …. ;)

[Latham Farley]

This thread may be 3+ years old but I was just wondering the same. Thanks for the great comments. I'm definately going to go with the GP.

Latham

[USA Duane Hall]

The PR is still out there, MSR came out with the Micro Rocket which I have yet to buy to replace my sold PR. I have only used my used GP once, it worked quickly for soup last winter on a short, snow lunch trip.
Duane

[Link .]

Latham, Look at this site

http://www.adventuresinstoving.blogspot.com/

[Hikin’ Jim]

Nice link. :) And as the author of the above linked blog, please let me comment: I'd definitely go with a SP Gigapower over a PocketRocket.

The MicroRocket and the GigaPower are a bit more closely matched, but the GigaPower is $40 whereas the MicroRocket is $60. I think you would do well with either the MicroRocket or the GigaPower, but I would definitely not pick the PocketRocket. Despite the PocketRocket's popularity (why?!), I really don't think it's the best stove. There are certainly a lot of others out there of that general type (SnowPeak LiteMax, Kovea SupaLite, MSR MicroRocket, SnowPeak GigaPower, etc.) that I would pick before considering the PocketRocket.

I like the Vargo JetTi (bought one for my little sister), but I think in retrospect that I prefer some of the others listed just above. The JetTi's pot supports are just a tad short in my opinion. Besides that, I think the JetTi may now be out of production.

The MSR Titan Kettle is a good product, and I've gotten a lot of good use out of mine although I typically use it with a Caldera Cone from Trail Designs which is an alcohol set up.

HJ
Adventures in Stoving

[Elliott Wolin]

Heretic here, I have no problems with the Pocket Rocket, but I haven't tried that many upright canister stoves.

Maybe I just don't know any better. The PR has worked fine for me on a number of trips. I always use a windscreen. It's never tipped over, and the supports seem to work fine, even with relatively large pots (when there's three or more of us I take a Coleman F1 Powerboost).

My opinion may be influenced by the fact that I got it real cheap.

[German Tourist]

As a long term user there is another topic I want to point out:
I have used both stoves for months on end. After several months of use the PR thread will wear out and you will not be able any more to screw down the stoves onto the canister basically rendering it useless. This has happened with two PR and to make things worse MSR refused to take them back under warranty. I would never use a PR again!
I have changed to a Snow Peak now and have been continually using it for 2 years without any problem. I can definitely recommend the Snow Peak. It has far exceeded my expectations.

[Robert Samsot]

Apologies for the rookie question on an ancient post, but can you clarify what you mean by the stove you mention being available from BPL? I just recently became a member, so perhaps there was a commerce section back in the day that no longer exists, or perhaps I'm missing something rather obvious.

Thank you!

[Paul McLaughlin]

yeah, BPL used to sell gear but no longer.

[Dena Kelley]

I can't offer commentary on the GigaPower, but I'm another satisfied Pocket Rocket user. I've got two seasons on mine and I have not had any problems with it. It's never tipped on me, the pot stand has never bent, and I don't cook indoors or in a tent so the CO emissions don't matter to me. It's probable that I'm more in the ideal for what Pocket Rocket's were intended for- I use a small 800mL pot and primarily use it to boil water for hot drinks and rehydrating food. So the focused flame is also not a problem for me. I can definitely see that if I were cooking food rather than simply rehydrating that the PR might not be ideal, although frankly I don't know that any canister stove would truly be ideal for that purpose.

[Ryan Smith]

The only thing I liked better about the PR was its fire starting ability. Had a few instances where we tipped one on its side and started a fire with wet tender, whereas the Gigapower always sputtered and tried to create a fireball. Warning: Don't try that at home kids.

Ryan

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