Making a fire in the wilderness amid strong winds is quite challenging. With the campfire set aside, conventional camping stoves that use convective heat with obtrusive flames are major setbacks for campers, alpinists, mountaineers or hikers because of their susceptibility to strong winds.
The MSR Windburner stove is an alternative solution to outsmart those prevailing challenges of winds because of its radiant burner technology and heat transfer features.
MSR Windburner was engineered with the weatherproof features in mind, as seen in the enclosed design. No matter how disruptive the winds are in the wilderness, this stove will remain fuel-efficient, while enabling you to boil water for your hot coffee or for the rehydration of your freeze-dried or home-dried meals. There are no obtrusive flames, unlike with the conventional stoves. Nonetheless, it burns excellently because the burner has been enclosed.
In addition to its great features, the Windburner stove comes with a versatile cookware because you can use it to eat in or boil water. The cookware is made with the anodized aluminum that is good in thermal conductivity. There’s no need to have a separate bowl unless of course you are travelling with a partner because the cookware is about 1 liter, which is insufficient to serve two people at the same time.
There are reports that the company has launched the 1.8 liter version. We are yet to see that. For now, the larger alternative is the Reactor stove by the same manufacturer.
Packaging
The stove has dimensions 9 x 5 x 5 inches and comes with a rounded concave surface enclosed with the wire screen. In your package, you will find a complete stove system with all the components that include the following:
- A radiant head
- Pot cozy
- Anodized aluminum cookware with fins for heat exchange
- Absorbent square cloth
- All-in-one cup
- Foldable canister
- Top and sip lid
The stove’s components are portable and can be contained inside the cookware for ease of travel. Then the top lid will cover them until your next camp stop. The 4 oz small fuel canister can also be stored in the cookware. With a weight of 1.1 pounds, it’s a breeze to pack this Windburner stove in a backpack and hit the road in no time.
Design & Durability
The Windburner is renowned with its compact and lightweight design that is windproof. It is an integrated camping stove that comes with a built-in cookware made of the anodized aluminum material. Aluminum is a great heat conductor, so it helps in efficient heat transfer.
The stove includes the mug with the insulated cozy that has a handle to hold the mug. There is also a 16 oz bowl and a handle that has the same shape as the travel mug. The lid is versatile and can be used for sipping and straining options.
For stability, the folding canister stand can be used to hold the stove burner. Meanwhile, the 4 oz IsoPro fuel canister can be stored in the pot because of their portable designs. With the canister, you can secure the stove, especially in uneven terrains where it can fall at any time. From the lid, you can drink your coffee.
There is a secure connection between the pot and the burner. Meanwhile, the heat transfer fins enable the pot to remain hot even after 10 minutes of disconnecting or switching off the stove. The compatible accessories include the Windburner skillet, hanging kit, coffee press kit and the accessory pots.
If you want to light the stove, you will have to manually light the burner. Note that it might be challenging at first, especially if the winds are too strong because there is no built-in self-igniter. This is the only drawback so far with this stove. You will have to cover your lighter or matchbox whenever lighting the stove to prevent the strong winds from extinguishing the spark.
The cookware has some liquid markings to prevent over-filling of liquids that could mess up the stove when they boil. The included plastic cup also has markings for convenient measurements when boiling or warming fluids.
For durability purposes, the anodized aluminum takes control. It is a durable and lightweight material used in many cookware products. Also noteworthy is the nonstick and heat conducting properties of the aluminum metal. It will be easy to travel with the Windburner because it is lightweight. Minimalist campers will find this stove not only durable, but portable as well because it packs small.
Fuel Compatibility
The stove comes with the 4 oz IsoPro fuel canister wherein you can fill the Isobutane propane fuel. It is easy to find this fuel in your local supermarket or gas-store. When traveling, the fuel canister can be stored with ease in the cook pot. But, if you want to get a larger one, it may not fit.
This stove saves you more fuel by boiling fluids quicker than you would with conventional camping stoves. Normally, conventional stoves will consume more fuel in windy conditions and will take longer to boil even half a liter because the winds can disrupt the obtrusive flames. The Windburner burns 500 ml in less than 2 minutes, so that is fuel-efficient.
Value for money & guarantee
With a price range from $130 to $160, this is one of the relatively expensive stoves, even more than some of the conventional stoves with more liter capacity. It has an advanced radiant burner technology that is justifying the price. With this technology, you are guaranteed a pleasant preparation of the hot coffee in the morning regardless of the windy conditions.
For an efficient cooking, you must prepare to spend more money on the accessories such as the MSR Piezo Igniter, Windburner Skillet and the Utensil set. The fuel is not included, so prepare money for that too. If you feel that the 4 oz IsoPro fuel canister is insufficient, you can consider the larger 8 oz IsoPro fuel canister from MSR. A minimalist camper may not like the idea of a larger canister.
Quality is guaranteed with this Windburner stove. The manufacturer offers a lifetime warranty against any defects you might encounter. So, having this windproof stove is a good investment. But, for those travelling in groups, this stove may not be a good investment for them because of its relatively tiny size to even serve two people.
Also noteworthy is that, the stove is only ideal for quick boiling of water for your coffee or for minor breakfast meals such as oats. It is not for serious cooks in the wilderness.
Unique Features
The MSR Windburner is furthermore made amazing by its unique features. It has a premium wind performance with its pressure regulator in addition to its innovative reactor technology. With these, you will be able to boil water in a “blink of an eye” in spite of the winds in the precinct of your camping tent. This is a capability that is seldom seen in conventional stoves that exclusively use the convective heat.
Here are the most interesting and useful unique features, explained in details.
Radiant Burner Technology
Just like its predecessor, the Reactor Stove, the Windburner operates with radiant burner technology. The amazing thing about this technology is the fact that it is wind resistant, meaning it is seldom affected by strong winds, notwithstanding the difficulty to light the stove in those winds.
It may take ages to boil water or rehydrate your freeze-dried meals with other stoves. The MSR stove with the radiant burner technology proves that wrong. Within a few minutes, your meals will be ready to serve without winds jeopardizing the stove’s performance.
Pressure Regulator
The other important factor to consider is the pressure regulator for its importance in expediting the performance of the Windburner stove amid wildest winds. The stove has the ability to regulate pressure efficiently, even when the fuel canister has been almost depleted or camping in cold weather conditions.
So, the efficient pressure regulation, plus the fuel efficiency, are the unrivaled capabilities of this stove. You therefore do not have to buy so much fuel in order to burn this stove. If you are on a budget and often camp in windy conditions, this Windburner stove is ideal for you.
Foldable Canister Stand
Some people are tempted to ditch out the canister stand to save more weight. This is, however, discouraged, especially when you camp in uneven terrains because you might break your precious windproof stove. If your camping surface is even, then that will not be a major issue because the stove can stand on its own.
With the stand, you can secure the stove in a tight position. The main aim is to use the stove in windy conditions when others fail. So, it’s likely that, without the canister stand, it can fall.
When you want to pack to another location, the foldable canister stand comes to your rescue. You can easily fold it to store in your backpack. When ditching it, beware of the surface on which you put it because it might be broken with ease.
Heat Resistant components
All the components should not be hot, otherwise you risk being burned. The bowl and the cookware are heat resistant so that you can handle them well. The pot’s cozy is insulated, so there are no anticipated burns in case you handle it. Of course, you might need to constantly stir the contents in the pot that’s why the components should be heat resistant. The bowl is also heat resistant.
Other components are not heat resistant. Warning should be exercised when dealing with this stove because of its invisible flames. Minutes after you have lit it, there might not be signs that it is hot, but in actual sense it is hot. Do not touch the mesh discs to test if it’s indeed hot.
Moreover, the heat transfer fins, are not be touched as well, even after a few minutes of switching off the stove. They can absorb heat that is meant to keep the cookware warm for about 10 minutes. Should you need to exchange the fluid contents, you must switch off the stove.
