Fire starting an MSR WhisperLite Stove at over 3,560 metres (11,700 feet) - Lake Como, Colorado

I currently use an MSR WhisperLite stove for most of my backpacking and camping needs. Although it requires some regular care and cleaning it's been pretty reliable - especially at high altitude and in cold weather. Nevertheless, I don't want you to think I'm endorsing just this stove - I've used dozens of other designs and models, with great results, but only have enough money to actually own one or two kinds for myself.

For many, many years I used and enjoyed the Svea 123 - like the WhisperLite, it's a pressurized-burner camping stove that uses Naptha, or "White Gas" as fuel. Both the Svea 123 and the WhisperLite work well for me at high altitude and in cold weather.

The main thing is we've all got to stop making campfires!! Campfires destroy the surrounding vegetation (because you're trampling everything while trying to cut wood that shouldn't be burned in the first place - even old limbs and branches have nutrients that should be returned to the forest floor...) and separate us from Nature. How, you might ask, does a campfire separate us from Nature?? Well, the smoke scares away wildlife and critters of all kinds in addition to obscuring the beautiful nighttime sky. Plus the blackened and scared rocks, around the fire pit, remain an eye soar for years to come...

This video is a little dramatic in that I had to pump and control fuel flow with one hand while recording with the other. So, the flame was a little bit larger than normal but you get the idea - heat from the flame helps create pressure in the fuel line to create a jet-like spray of fuel going to the burner...

Here's my personal web page about low impact techniques for the backcountry:
http://www.rogerwendell.com/softly.html

Here's my page about backcountry gear:
http://www.rogerwendell.com/gear.html

Here's my page about camping:
http://www.rogerwendell.com/camping.html

08-29-2009

Category:

Education

Tags:

• msr
• whisperlite
• stove
• svea
• 123
• pressurized-burner
• camping
• naptha
• white
• gas

[hitachi088]

what are the type of fuel you can burn with that? kero,gas,diesel,naphtha?

[zeekzilch]

@hitachi088

Good question! In this video I'm using "White gas," a petroleum naphtha product (also known as Coleman fuel or camping fuel), that is a highly refined gasoline that burns well at cold temperatures (important for those of us in Colorado!). There's a version of stove you see in my video that's called an "International" that will also burn kerosene and automotive gasoline but mine will not.

[icychap]

Put a lid on that pot, man!

[zeekzilch]

@icychap

Good point!

[starshock01]

lol thats one way to start it...but using the priming pan will save you a ton of fuel on lengthy treks

[zeekzilch]

@starshock01

What is a priming pan??

[starshock01]

@zeekzilch -usually liquid fuel stoves like this one have a smaller version of the stove on top on the bottom, so that little tiny thing on the bottom is where you light before the one on top, its called a priming pan because it heats the fuel line and turns it into a gas so flare ups like this dont happen

[zeekzilch]

@ellis2269

Try it with one hand while controlling a camera with the other...

[zeekzilch]

@starshock01

I had some trouble holding the camera in one hand and controlling/lighting the stove with the other...

[ellis2269]

you are suppose to fill the cup and light it let it burn almost out then open the valve up so you don't get such a flare up....dumb a** needs to read directions