MSR Windboiler – Completed Review

Thanks for all your work on this, Jim; chose a Windboiler over a Minimo on the strength of your piece.

What a treat to have such a thorough, well-illustrated, evenhanded and engagingly written review of a new item in hand within a reasonable interval of the product release.

Will,

Thank you for saying that. I really hustled to try to get the review out when it would be most relevant. I’m glad it was helpful.

HJ
Adventures in Stoving
Hikin Jim’s Blog

I rarely find myself using canister stoves and really wasn't even considering purchasing a new one until I read your review. That was a excellent piece that has be thinking about spending some of that hard earned cash.

Well, I’m not in the business of selling stoves, but if you were to come to the point where you wanted an integrated canister stove, this is a good one.

HJ
Adventures in Stoving
Hikin Jim’s Blog

MSR sells a WindBoiler pot assembly (cup, pot, lid). One suggested use is for two independent people sharing one burner and cartridge.

Would it make any sense to get that pot and use it with a conventional cartridge stove that you already own?

–MV

Thank you for the good review Jim. I'm a stove newbie, and it's probably a dumb question, but i was wondering, what are the lowest temps you could use this stove down too?

Thanks Jim for your review of the next iteration of cookers, and sharing it with BPL group.

Wondering if the Windboiler's burner can be easily accessed and ignited with a Bic lighter?

Apologies if I missed this in your review.

Thank you for the good review Jim. I’m a stove newbie, and it’s probably a dumb question, but i was wondering, what are the lowest temps you could use this stove down too?

That’s actually a more complicated question than you might imagine.

1. Start with isobutane/propane fuel (NOT regular butane)
2. At sea level, you should be able to use the stove throughout the life of the canister provided that the canister temperature doesn’t drop below about 20F/-7C.
3. If you take steps to warm the canister, like putting it in a bowl of tepid (NEVER hot) water, you can operate the stove in temperatures far lower so long as the water stays liquid.
4. You can go about 2 degrees Fahrenheit colder per 1000′ of elevation above sea level (about 1 Celsius degree per 300 m).

So, a bit complex, but if you take it step by step, hopefully it’s information that is digestible.

HJ
Adventures in Stoving
Hikin Jim’s Blog

Would it make any sense to get that pot and use it with a conventional cartridge stove that you already own?

I don’t think that would work well. The Windboiler pot is pretty stable on the burner because it locks into place with a dimple and slot arrangement similar to a Jeboil. Just setting the pot on a conventional stove seems like it would be tippy to me.

HJ
Adventures in Stoving
Hikin Jim’s Blog

Wondering if the Windboiler’s burner can be easily accessed and ignited with a Bic lighter?

Jim, I used both a lighter and a fire steel to light my Windboiler. No problems. I didn’t try matches, but there’s no reason that they wouldn’t work. I just don’t typically use matches anymore.

The only caveat with a lighter is that you want to “flick your Bic” fairly quickly. If you let the gas build up to much, then you can get a whoompf! and the hair on the back of your hand will be gone.

HJ
Adventures in Stoving
Hikin Jim’s Blog

Thank you Jim for the reply/info.

You’re welcome. And of course there are quite a number of posts on my blog that may be helpful. If they’re not giving you the answers you need, post a question here.

HJ
Adventures in Stoving
Hikin Jim’s Blog