The Novel Msr Microrocket -- Trail Study #1

I took the novel MSR MicroRocket out on the trail for the start fourth dimension yesterday.

This is an installment inwards my serial on the novel MicroRocket stove from MSR.  Other installments inwards the serial include:

• The New MSR MicroRocket -- First Look
• The MSR MicroRocket -- Trail Report #2
• The MSR MicroRocket -- Cooking Report 
• The MSR MicroRocket -- Packability Report #1
• The MSR MicroRocket -- Packability Report #2
• The New MSR MicroRocket -- Completed Review

The novel MSR MicroRocket stove

I took amongst me both the novel MicroRocket equally good equally the older PocketRocket.  Here are my exam laid ups:

An MSR 850ml Titan kettle (left) in addition to a 550ml BPL Firelite 550 (right)

Inside each laid upwardly is a stove in addition to a 110g canister of gas.  The PocketRocket is within the Titan kettle, in addition to the MicroRocket is inwards the Firelite 550.  The PocketRocket won't fifty-fifty come upwardly unopen to plumbing equipment within the Firelite 550.

Each laid upwardly contains a stove in addition to a 110g canister of gas, much equally i would purpose for a trip out on the trail.

Now, honor something from the inwards a higher house photo.  The canister inwards the kettle on the left is canted over.  The pot supports of the PocketRocket have got a high profile in addition to cant the canister over.  The PocketRocket's blueprint way that yous have got to have got a larger pot if yous desire to shop the stove inwards your pot.  On the other hand, the canister inwards the pot on the correct is relatively flat.  The MicroRocket has a much nicer profile in addition to takes upwardly far less room inwards your pot.

A MicroRocket makes much to a greater extent than efficient purpose of the infinite within a pot.

The MicroRocket is a real infinite efficient stove.  You don't postulate to send nearly equally much pot amongst the MicroRocket.

Now, here's an interesting thing.  Let's push clitoris those canisters out of there.  Look inside.  The newfangled lighter that comes amongst the MicroRocket fits correct within without needing a larger pot.

The novel piezoelectric lighter that comes amongst the MicroRocket fits correct inside.

Speaking of the lighter, at start I was genuinely skeptical.  Why on globe would anyone bother amongst it?  I hateful the existent wages to a piezoelectric ignition is convenience.  It's built inwards to the stove, yous press a button, in addition to "whoosh," you're cooking amongst gas.  And MSR did what?  They separated the ignition system?  Hunh?

The split upwardly piezoelectric ignition of an MSR MicroRocket

Well, of course of teaching the work a built inwards piezoelectric ignition organisation is that it's almost equally reliable equally a hide door on a submarine.  I hateful the danged things simply fail.  So, MSR separated it.

A trail ready cooking laid up:  BPL Firelite 550 mug/pot, 110g gas canister, an an MSR MicroRocket stove amongst split upwardly piezoelectric ignition.

OK, hence why non simply send a regular lighter?  Well, expert question, in addition to that was my start thought.  H5N1 regular lighter tin ignite pretty much anything whereas a piezoelectric lighter entirely industrial plant on gas.  However, let's non discount convenience.  I tried out the lighter yesterday, in addition to yous know what?  It's pretty slick.  It works; it industrial plant well; it is genuinely convenient.  I was pleased that it worked the start fourth dimension almost every fourth dimension I tried it.  Beats the heck out of some piezoelectric ignitions I've tried.  And, since it's split upwardly in addition to non constantly getting incinerated, it should proceed to operate whereas a lot of piezoelectric ignitions are simply hence much junk a calendar month after getting the stove.

For those who are genuinely concerned amongst weight, I incertitude such a lighter volition live on worth it to them.  Still, I bet at that topographic point are a lot of people for whom the convenience volition justify bringing it along.

Now, here's some other consideration:  How practise yous low-cal your stove?  With my gas stoves, I unremarkably operate the valve amongst i mitt in addition to low-cal the stove amongst the other while the pot sits off to the side.  In other words, the flaming runs a fighting into empty air earlier I set the pot on.  With the MicroRocket's piezo ignition, I set the pot inwards place, plough on the gas, and, almost inwards the same breath, press the clitoris on the ignition.  Whoosh.  No waste.  Does it salve a huge sum of gas?  Probably not, but fifty-fifty if it saved entirely 1g per cooking session, on a calendar week long trip, the piezo ignition would pay for itself inwards damage of weight.  I'm withal non convinced that a split upwardly ignition volition grab on, but I don't shout out upwardly it's quite equally dumb of an thought equally earlier I tried it.

With the MicroRocket's long piezoelectric ignition, i tin low-cal the stove amongst the pot inwards place.  The ignition unremarkably industrial plant on the start try.

When i compares the burners when folded for travel, it's quite clear that the MicroRocket is far to a greater extent than compact than the former PocketRocket.

The MSR MicroRocket (left) in addition to the MSR PocketRocket (right)

When unfolded, the stoves are real unopen inwards size.  One thing I noted is that the valve command wire is a picayune bigger on the MicroRocket.  If you're pot is boiling over, it mightiness live on prissy to have got a slightly bigger, longer valve command wire.

The MSR PocketRocket (left) in addition to the MSR MicroRocket (right)

The MSR PocketRocket (left) in addition to the MSR MicroRocket (right)

I practise honor what may live on a real of import difference:  The MicroRocket has far greater pot to burner clearance.  Notice inwards the photograph inwards a higher house simply how picayune clearance at that topographic point is amongst a PocketRocket.  Why mightiness this matter?  Carbon monoxide.  Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that tin live on quite deadly.  If a burner is equally good unopen to the bottom of a pot, the burner's flaming is "quenched" when it hits the bottom of the pot.  Quenching results inwards incomplete combustion, in addition to incomplete combustion results inwards carbon monoxide emissions.

Every stove manufacturer has large warnings almost how yous should never operate your stove inwards a tent or other enclosed space.  And sooner or later, most of us are faced amongst a province of affairs where not operating the stove inwards an enclosed infinite mightiness genuinely live on to a greater extent than dangerous.  Let's see.  There's a freezing pelting falling outside.  Gee, I shout out upwardly I'll become laid my dinner outside.  Yeah, that'll live on safe.  Hypothermia volition never occur to me.

Ha!  I don't shout out upwardly so.  Having the selection to live on able to laid within when yous genuinely have got to could live on genuinely important.  The PocketRocket has received a some criticism (see Appendix "B," below) because of its relatively high story of carbon monoxide emissions.  If MSR has reduced the carbon monoxide emissions (and I believe that they have got done simply that), in addition to hence the MicroRocket genuinely is a stair forrad in addition to non simply a slicker, to a greater extent than compact PocketRocket II.

A await at the departure inwards burner clearance betwixt the MicroRocket (left) in addition to the PocketRocket (right)

I don't have got the way to stair out carbon monoxide, but I tin reckon the clear in addition to obvious difference betwixt the sum of burner clearance.  So, spell I can't give yous a specific ppm carbon monoxide number, I tin tell there's going to live on an improvement.  Reduction inwards carbon monoxide emissions lonely mightiness justify an upgrade to the novel MicroRocket.

In damage of burner stability, the MicroRocket is to a greater extent than stable than the PocketRocket.  How much to a greater extent than stable is difficult to quantify, but my subjective feel was that the shorter pot supports are less springy in addition to are to a greater extent than stable.

A PocketRocket (left) amongst a Titan kettle.  H5N1 MicroRocket (right) amongst a BPL Firelite 550

I tried the MicroRocket amongst a modest BPL 550 pot/mug in addition to a slightly larger MSR Titan kettle (850ml).  Both were quite stable.  I had no feel that a "lose your lunch" tumble was going to occur at whatever minute.  I have got non yet tried the MicroRocket amongst anything larger than the 850ml Titan kettle.

Testing a MicroRocket amongst an MSR Titan kettle

OK, OK, Jim, all this materials is great, but tin the darned thing cook?

Ah, well, I suppose nosotros ought to tackle that one, instantly shouldn't we?  lol.

Boiling H2O on a MicroRocket

OK, fair enough.  So, exam one:  boiling 2 cups of water.  With the 2 pots I used, it took almost iii in addition to a one-half minutes to boil 2 cups of H2O amongst a moderate flame. I didn't reckon whatever pronounced speed departure betwixt the two, but in addition to hence I genuinely am non a nanosecond ninny when it comes to boil times.  Let me larn this straight:  You got upwardly earlier dawn, got on the trail at start light, have got hiked all 24-hour interval in addition to have got gained a vertical mile of elevation, and you're worried almost which stove boils H2O 20 seconds faster?  Are yous out of your mind?  Look, boil contests are the equivalent of 2 drunkard males having a "mine's bigger" declaration inwards a bar.  Nobody inwards their correct heed cares.  So set the halt sentinel away.  The relevant thing to greenback hither that the boil times are normal in addition to you'll live on fine amongst this stove.

Now, exam two:  Simmering.  This is a describe which the PocketRocket has received a fighting of criticism over.  Let's effort it out on the MicroRocket.  First, let's plough it downwards a bit.

A moderate boil on an MSR MicroRocket

OK, no work hence far.  I tin larn less than a raging boil that's trying to climb over the sides of the pot.  But that's non just simmering, instantly is it?  Let's reckon what else nosotros tin do.

A fairly depression boil on a MicroRocket.

Now, that's genuinely pretty good.  I didn't have got equally good much problem at all bringing it to a pretty depression boil.  This boil meets the technical Definition of simmering which is the powerfulness to agree H2O at or simply below a depression boil.  But tin nosotros become fifty-fifty lower?

A peculiarly depression boil on a MicroRocket

Now, you'll have got to trust me on this one, but the stove is inwards fact on.  If yous await closely, you'll reckon one, perchance 2 bubbles coming upwardly off the bottom of the pot.

A unopen upwardly await at a real depression simmer on a MicroRocket

Now that is a pretty darned expert simmer.  I constitute it a picayune tricky, peculiarly inwards daylight, to arrange the flaming downwards this low.  I did kill the flaming once, but it genuinely wasn't that bad.

OK, so, exam three:  The sticky, gooey, I want to burn downwards oatmeal test.

Simmering oatmeal on a MicroRocket

I simmered oatmeal for several minutes over a depression flame.  So, how did it do?

The bottom of my pot after an oatmeal simmering test.

Zero, count 'em, zilch burned spots.  The MicroRocket did pretty well, peculiarly when considering that I was using a titanium pot.  If it tin practise this good amongst a titanium pot, it'll practise fifty-fifty amend on aluminum.  Now, total disclosure, I stirred spell simmering.  Hey, I'm a stovie non a magician, OK?  I mean, c'mon, let's live on serious, you're going to have got to stir some amongst titanium cookware if yous desire to avoid burnt spots, fifty-fifty on a depression flame.  But spell I did stir, I took no odd or extraordinary measures.  I didn't stir frantically.  I didn't stir every blessed second.  In fact, I took a pair of breaks to have got photos in addition to such.  In other words, I simply did normal things that whatever sensible someone would practise when simmering amongst titanium cookware.  The MSR MicroRocket was able to handgrip it.

H5N1 discussion of warning:  Every stove volition have got private variations, stove to stove.  I incertitude it, but there's ever the possibility that I could have got picked upwardly the i MicroRocket stove amongst an unusually shine valve or something similar that. However, my feel is that this stove simmered good non because of a fluke but because of a expert design.  I shout out upwardly MSR has set together a prissy picayune stove here.

Well, at that topographic point yous have got it, Trail Report #1 on the novel MicroRocket.  Thanks for joining me on some other Adventure inwards Stoving.

HJ

Appendix A:  Test Conditions
All tests described herein were conducted on a clear sunny 24-hour interval amongst temperatures of unopen to 72F/22C at an elevation of unopen to 3000ft/915m.  Winds were light, by in addition to large less than 3mph/5kph.  Water from a naturally occurring stream was used for all tests.  All stoves were run amongst butane gas carried inwards Snow Peak 110g canisters.

Appendix B:  References
Stoves, Tents in addition to Carbon Monoxide - Deadly or Not? Part 3: Laboratory Measurements for Canister Stoves, yesteryear Roger Caffin, PhD.  Published on Backpackinglight.com, dated 2007-05-30
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