What is Reddit's opinion of MSR PocketRocket Stove?

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

> Just get a small camp stove like this.

Looking at your link, now I'm a bit confused. Isn't this also a compressed gas canister just the same as the ones I posted? What's the difference? How would this be any safer than the former?

This is a good list for someone who is going to go car camping... but if your goal is to be a backpacker, you might not want to spend money on some of these things.

Canopy - great if you're a car camper, but not something you're going to haul around as a backpacker. Get a cheap $10 tarp and some rope.

Stove - I suggest Camp Chef Everest for car camping, but if you're thinking of being a backpacker, then you're better off getting something like the MSR Pocket Rocket. It's harder to cook meals on a single butane canister stove, but you're definitely not going to be hauling a Coleman dual burner on your back.

Lights - I love my Coleman propane lantern, throws off great light and lots of it. But again, if you're thinking of backpacking, a Cheap camp lanterns on Amazon that you can take in your pack is a better idea (if you bother taking a lantern at all, most don't). You should have a good headlamp like the Black Diamond Spot for either car camping or backpacking.

You do need a good cooler; the more money you spend, the less you'll need to refill the ice. Table and chairs aren't strictly necessary... but it's much more civilized cooking standing up. It's also much nicer sitting at a table eating. It's kind of the point of car camping, that you can bring some luxuries along. But again, if you need to save some cash to get a good backpack, then you probably want to keep the luxuries to a minimum.

Oh, I mentioned it below, but to for hauling stuff around, use something like a Rubbermaid tote. These tubs make a great way to haul and store gear at home.

Don't forget some garbage bags to haul out garbage. Bring along some smaller bags in case you've got some smelly garbage.

REI's base/family camping checklist is a good list for car camping.

https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/family-camping-checklist.html

But if you're going backpacking, check out their backpacking list and remember that backpacking items will work for car camping, but generally not the other way around.

https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/backpacking-checklist.html

edit: missed a link

There are a bunch of gear tips and recommendations in the wiki:

https://www.reddit.com/r/CampingandHiking/wiki/index/gear

Probably worth reading through the whole wiki if you haven't been out in a while, there's some good stuff in there that'll get you on the right track.

I'm a fan of Gossamer Gear packs for light loads, they make a nice day pack, too:

http://gossamergear.com/packs.html

The Pocket Rocket is a pretty tried and true backpacking stove, and there are a ton of cheap clones on Amazon.

I've used one around the home for most of my life... cooking at the table is very popular in Asian cultures (Hotpot, BBQ, Shabu-Shabu), which is why you can easily find the canisters at Asian markets. But even though I have one, I've never bothered to bring it out of the house.

They use butane canisters, so they're not great when the weather gets cooler (less than 40F). The stove's ratings are also on the lower side at 7650 BTUs, and that will decrease with the temperature. In comparison, the MSR Pocket Rocket is listed as 8200 BTUs, my Coleman propane dual-burner is 15,000 BTUs and unaffected by colder weather. If I were going to buy one today, I'd consider the Camp Chef Everest which puts out 20,000 BTUs per burner. If you're actually cooking, and need to leave a pot on the stove for any length of time, dual burner stoves with built in wind screens make it so much easier.

Generally when I'm car camping, I'm cooking for several people and the big dual burner stove makes it so much easier, cooking pancakes, eggs and hash browns on one big griddle using both burners. We often have more than one dual-burner stove, but can also use our backpacking stoves and Jetboils for heating water for coffee and hot cocoa.

If there's only two of us, I can get by fine with a canister stove like the MSR PR (and Jetboil for drinks). It's a little more difficult to "cook" on an MSR PR since it's not as stable as a table-top stove, but it's much lighter to pack.

Melburnian mentions the Coleman Sportster 2 dual fuel stove. I've got an older model (40 years old?) that is sitting in the shed. It works fine (at least on white gas), but it's bulky, heavy, requires pumping (and more pumping and more pumping)... if I'm forced to pump, I'd rather bring along the MSR Whisperlite International which is lighter, more compact and also burn a variety of fuels.

How do people feel about the jetboil compared to say the MSR PocketRocket or snow peak?

I picked up a Pocket Rocket last year and its pretty solid if you dont mind carrying around fuel. I have a Dualist cook set that this folds up and fits inside of to save some space. The fuel canisters for it are small enough where I'm not worried about it taking up much room in my pack or adding to the weight I carry.

So then, worse case, you haven't already wasted any money because you haven't invested in it.

The only reason why you need a small stove for camping is because you are backpackign in as well. If you're backpacking in, then big colman 16.4 propane tanks are going to be a PIA anyway in terms of weight and space taken up in your bag. Hiking SUCKS if your pack is too heavy.

Drop the $40 for a MSR Pocket Rocket, or similar stove and then the $5 for a isobutane canister. Trust me, it'll make your backpacking experience much better.