New Stove System from MSR: Switch and new HX mug from Fire Maple: G2

[Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear]

Not sure is anyone saw this, MSR will soon be releasing a new stove system – the MSR Switch.  It looks to be a hybrid system, some advantages of an HX pot (fuel efficiency / wind protection) while maintaining no localized hot spots associated with HX mugs.  The hemispherical bottom basically doubles the surface area.  Seems pricey to me.  Looking forward to companies knocking off the Hemispherical bottom / wind blocking features at a lower price (if it works).

 

Fire Maple has launched a new HX mug: the G2.  Larger than the G2: wider and 750 ml compared to 600 ml for the G3 and can nest an 8 oz fuel canister.

https://firemaplegear.com/products/petrel-ultralight-pot-750ml?srsltid=AfmBOoopnSZ1eXRVF0cgkWlpSguvGIXA_DuZiL2VBbpkzMKOEVK_mJ1E

 

[Chris T]

I just purchased a G2.  Have not used yet, but am optimistic it will be more efficient than the 600 mil pot, just because it is wider.  I am basing this on what I have seen on Gear Skeptic’s videos on pot diameter and his follow up on Hx pots.  Let us know if you pick one up and do any testing , Jon.  Thanks!

[David D]

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[Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear]

Here is my review of the Fire Maple Petrel G2: the new 750 ml HX mug from Fire Maple.  The Petrel family of HX mug are probably the best HX mug in windy conditions (no windscreen).  The new G2 has better fuel efficiency in calm conditions than the G3 but is less efficient in an 8-mph wind.  My 2 cents.

 

[Martin Van Laarhoven]

The MSR Switch looks like a sweet combined stove, offering both efficiency and wind block, but yeah, wrong on the price, isn’t it? Other brands should take that idea and try to make it cheaper, it would be great if they did.

[Ross Bleakney]

I am not concerned about the price. People pay extra for quality. The big question to me is whether it adds much compared to a Jetboil. The big weakness as I see it is that it doesn’t “lock” into the stand. With a Jetboil you can hang it off of something — for example a ski stuck into the snow. You don’t have to worry about finding a flat spot on the ground. That isn’t the case here (unless I am missing something). The main advantage to this over a Jetboil appears to be the weight (which everyone here agrees is important) but you lose something in the process, making it more of niche product.

 

 

[Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear]

Funny, I think that locking into the stand is a big negative to me.  I have a knockoff Jetboil and the first thing that I did was remove the locking feature.  The biggest advantage of the Swith over any other HX mug is no hot spots.  You should be able to cook something in the pot without fear of burning things on the hot spots.  Additionally, it looks like it may be more wind resistant than a Jetboil.  I have had my JetBoil flame blowout in a 5 mph wind.  My 2 cents.

[Don Montierth]

The G2 looks to be about the same size as the Jetboil Stash pot, which I have been using with the MSR PRD.  Have you tested the Stash pot with different stoves? If so, how does the G2 compare performance-wise?

[Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear]

The G2 does look similar to the Stash HX Mug.  I  didn’t do much testing on the Stash with other stoves, my reasoning being that if you shelled out $130 for a Stash System, why would you need to look at other stoves?  I heard that you could contact Customer Service and order just the HX Mug and that is would cost about $60.  That being said, why would you spend $60 on an HX mug.  My 2 cents.

[Don Montierth]

I did just that – contacted Jetboil and bought the pot separately. Actually, bought the three parts that make up the pot, that is how they sell them (bare pot, lid, handle).  This was a couple of years ago, long before the FM G2 came out, and it is lighter than any similar pot I am aware of.  It and the PRD are quite fuel efficient. On a 6 day trip this summer in SEKI I used less than 2 oz of fuel, heating water for freeze dried dinners and oatmeal breakfasts.

I am curious how the G2 compares performance-wise since the two pots are about the same dimensions and volumes. The Jetboil probably has more fins.

[Ross Bleakney]

Funny, I think that locking into the stand is a big negative to me. I have a knockoff Jetboil and the first thing that I did was remove the locking feature.

I think it is nice to have both options. I can definitely see why someone would prefer it being unlocked. If the system is locked then it means you have to pick up the whole thing which is kind of unwieldy. Or you basically have to unlock it (instead of just picking up the pot). It is kind of a pain in that regard.

On the other hand it is really handy (especially in the winter) to be able to hang the stove off of a ski. Even for day trips it is great. Nice cup of tea or miso soup on a cold day — quite the luxury.

[Kent W]

Yup, same here. I bought the Stash system just for the heat exchanger pot. I use it with the Pocketrocket Deluxe stove, which has been an efficient and reliable setup for trips with 2 or more people. (Not sure where the Stash stove/burner is, somewhere in the back of the closet I suppose). I, too, would be curious how the G2 Petrel pot compares to the Stash pot, all other conditions (and stove) being the same. But what I’d really like is a smaller solo-size heat exchanger pot that weighs less than the Stash for my solo outings. Preferably one I can also use my cup on solo trips.

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