Gear Review: MSR Whisperlite International
Ode to the classic MSR Whisperlite International.
What’s 40 years old and runs on gasoline? This stove! It’s one of those pieces of camping gear that just never dies…
A blast from the past, literally.
Ok, so I bought the MSR Whisperlite International as my first real camping stove in 1986 when I was 17. I thought it was the best thing in the world! Small, light and boiled water crazy fast. Ran it on white gas (Coleman Fuel) exclusively at that time. This was way back when you had to clean the jet with the little wire tool it can with. It was always a little finicky and truly an art form to light. But never inside a vestibule! (ask me how I know!!).
So for many years as a backpacker and climber, it served me well. Then I had a family and stuff, and car camped with a bigger stove for a lot of years. When I got back into hiking years later, the JetBoil was the new best thing. So, used one of them for years. Then came bikepacking and I made my own ultralight alcohol shoves and used them for another bunch of years. But…..then I discovered Motorcycle camping!!
My original unit
So mine has been sitting around in a bin for almost 30 years. Once I decided it would be nice to have a stove that ran on the same fuel as the bike, I dug it out, filled a bottle with gasoline and lit it up. Boom just like that! OK, well, no boom. But certainly lots of flame and soot. Gasoline as a liquid sure doesn’t burn as clean as White gas but once you get through the the pre-heat process, It actually burns pretty well. And no, it doesn’t smell like gas when your using it. Nor does your food taste like gas. So get those preconceptions out of your head right now. Somewhere along the line in the past, I upgraded to the Shaker jet, so it’s literally self-cleaning while I ride. I needed to put a little oil (yup, a drop of Motorex!) on the genuine leather pump plunger, but other than that the little sucker worked as good as the day I bought it. One happy camper…
There are different sizes of bottles available, but I just carry the largest one and keep it filled. That way I always have a little extra fuel for the bike. I have mine tucked away in an Enduristan bottle holster, with a Ziploc over the top to keep the dirt out of the pump.
Oh, and I’ve upgraded from the original tinfoil windscreen to this little titanium number. I highly recommend it…
The current version
There’s been a few changes over the decades, but really more like tweaks rather than a full overhaul. The current valve adjuster is way easier to control the flame so you can, you know simmer (hahahaha).
All the Numbers
You can read it all for yourself, but it’ll be hard to find another stove that is as durable and versatile as the Whisperlite. I still take a little alcohol stove if all I’m really doing is boiling water for coffee. But for anything else…
The End?
Are there other stoves out there that are easier to use? Yup. Are there lighter, more compact ones? Yup. Are there stoves with way better temperature control? Again, yup. Will I keep using my original unit likely forever? A final, resounding yup!
