MSR stoves Reactor..experiences? worth it?

[MylesLI]

I want to upgrade my snow peak for more power and better winter performance...Reactor looks like the way to go...but experiences you've had will help me decide before I lose the 20% rei discount plus my rebate..thanks!

 

[bignslow]

Haven't had a chance to really put it through its paces, but we brought ours on a Katahdin trip two years ago (staying in the cabins). It boils water in a comically fast amount of time, and most everyone on the trip seemed to be slightly jealous. Keep in mind that you'll have a weight/cost penalty for this performance. You really don't hit the weight "ROI" until you're doing enough boiling to justify the higher efficency. Truthfully, if I were doing the same boil-in-bag dinners we had done for the trip, we would have been better off with something simple like a titanium cup and a pocket rocket (but then again we also had the advantage of a wood stove and filtered water).

 

[jniehof]

Note that, in similar approaches, the Jetboil MiniMo just picked up Backpacker's Editor's Choice. Might be worth looking into. Their Joule is liquid feed.

I lean towards alcohol in summer, but do use the Pocket Rocket for pure convenience car camping or bigger group, and white gas in winter. I am curious about these systems (wonder if anybody does one in white gas.)

 

[alexmtn]

As has been said, the Reactor makes the most sense when there's lots of water to be boiled -- winter campsite chores take annoyingly long when you have to wait to boil enough water for the night, boil enough water for sleeping bag warming, waiting to boil enough water for dinner, then again for breakfast and that day's hike. Such a pleasure to get it all done with so much less waiting, especially, relative to slower stoves, when the stove is serving 2 or more people's needs. Even when it's warmer or when you have a heated cabin and can hence use a water filter, the Reactor's speed is still great for meals, again especially if a group is being served. So I find the speed to be well worth the half-pound or so of extra weight in most circumstances. In fact, its amazing fuel efficiency (in standard room temp tests, 8oz of fuel will boil no fewer than 20 liters of water--as with all stoves, this of course goes down as temps get colder) pretty much cancels out the weight disadvantage on trips with that level of boiling requirement.

The only circumstance I've wrestled with a bit is when I'm packing the stove for emergency contingencies on a day hike, wherein the thing is 99% likely not even to be used. For day trips in which I view a stove as a necessary piece of group gear, I'll yield to another group member who can offer a lighter alternative if I'm convinced that it's reliable and that the person knows how to operate it.

There's been a recent development on the MSR front, if you like the Reactor's efficiency, power and ease of use, but are willing to trade some of it away for less weight. They've just released Windboiler, which channels Reactor technology into a product that fits more directly opposite the JetBoil in market terms -- in essence, it's a Reactor Jr. Still a few ounces heavier than the lightest JetBoil, but with the Reactor's wind resistance, and a good measure of its power and efficiency. For people who are considering stoves principally for solo use and want the performance, this one certainly warrants a look.

Alex

 

[hikerbrian]

But but but but.... The OP specifies improved winter performance. I suppose there needs to be some qualification of "winter" -- let's qualify that as below zero F. Very common in the Whites in the winter; I haven't seen a canister stove that outperforms white gas in these conditions, but I stopped trying the experiment years ago after witnessing two or three important canister stove failures when it was cold and really mattered. So I'd love to hear about folks' experiences; does this stove solve the cold weather performance problem? And sure, in a cabin, or in "winter but not actually that cold" conditions, or with some means of warming the canister, yes I understand a canister stove can be made to work. Thoughts? Specifically, will the Reactor boil 2-ish liters of water directly from snow/slush for my partner and I at 4:30 in the evening in January when it's 10 below, I've been hiking for 10 hrs, and I want to get some Ramens and butter into me rapidly? Cause those are the only conditions I care about... (These may NOT be the conditions the OP cares about)

 

[nartreb]

A few winters back I and my JetBoil camped with a guy who had just bought a Reactor. We tested them side-by-side (boiling water), and the Reactor was a little bit faster. We also had reason to think the Reactor offered more wind resistance, and a bit more control in case you needed to simmer. Don't know about newer models, but in those days the Reactor was clearly the superior stove. Both were much better than conventional stoves, no contest there, but between the two the JetBoil was still a perfectly reasonable choice with advantages in weight and cost.

(That trip was during a warm spell - temperatures barely got down to zero Fahrenheit overnight. But I've never had a problem lighting a canister stove in cold weather, not counting the JetBoil's built-in piezo igniter which tends to malfunction at any temperature.)

 

[MylesLI]

Really appreciate the time you all took to respond. I see the Reactor is ALWAYS 20% off on Amazon..so the rush is mitigated

I was in the ADKs last monthg..overnight was -30 White gas worked better than my SnowPeak...but the Snow Peak worked..just more slowly than normal

 

[alexmtn]

. . . I understand a canister stove can be made to work. Thoughts? Specifically, will the Reactor boil 2-ish liters of water directly from snow/slush for my partner and I at 4:30 in the evening in January when it's 10 below, I've been hiking for 10 hrs, and I want to get some Ramens and butter into me rapidly?

Brian, the answer to your question is "yes, and faster than with a white gas stove".

The key to getting an upright (non-liquid fed) isobutene canister stove to work in the cold is to ensure (typically by setting it in a small container of warm-enough-to-be-liquid water) that the canister temp stays above 15 degrees F or so. That done, there will be gas pressure and the stove will have the same relative performance to white gas stoves as it has in warmer temps. Of course, as I mentioned in my post above, the performance of both white gas and canister stoves goes down (boiling time increases) as the ambient temps go down. The last time I camped at -10F, the Reactor's boil time approximately doubled vs. room temp, and continued to be drastically faster than that of a whisperlite running beside it with wind a shield ring.

I greatly favor a canister stove on the preponderance of my trips (exception would be when I'm away from New England in a remote area where fuel canisters aren't readily available) due to their superior simplicity/convenience, neatness and safety (and in the case of the Reactor, efficiency and power).

Alex

 

[MylesLI]

Great post Alex. Thanks!!!

 

[Tom_Murphy]

The key to getting an upright (non-liquid fed) isobutene canister stove to work in the cold is to ensure (typically by setting it in a small container of warm-enough-to-be-liquid water) that the canister temp stays above 15 degrees F or so.
The last time I camped at -10F, the Reactor's boil time approximately doubled vs. room temp, and continued to be drastically faster than that of a whisperlite running beside it with wind a shield ring.

What did you need to do to warm the canister above 15 F when the ambient was -10F? Do you have to hike with it in your coat like batteries? Does the canister need to be in your bag overnight?

Thanks.

I have always swapped over to my SVEA in the winter. I love its simplicity and reliablity. I have always found it to be a very safe stove as well. For me, its only fault is its relaitvely small fuel capacity.

 

[hikerbrian]

Alex:

You've officially got my attention.

Thanks for your follow up. Since all I ever do in the winter is boil water (as apposed to simmering), this could provide the simplicity and efficiency I want. You use the propane/isobutane mix canisters in the winter?

I think I may purchase this in the fall and compare to my Whisperlite on a couple of winter overnights. The scientist in me needs to run the experiment. If the efficiency is there, and operationally it's not more complicated than a Whisperlite, no need to twist my arm!

 

[alexmtn]

What did you need to do to warm the canister above 15 F when the ambient was -10F? Do you have to hike with it in your coat like batteries? Does the canister need to be in your bag overnight?

Thanks.

Tom, as I mentioned above, the standard way to keep the fuel canister "warm" is to place the stove in a small container/bowl of (warm enough to be liquid) water when operating it. The warmer the water you start with, the less often you'll need to change it in the event that you're running the stove for an extended period -- i.e., while supporting a large group. No need to keep the canister warm ahead of time -- placing it in the water will warm it sufficiently in less than a minute.

Alex

 

[alexmtn]

Alex:

You've officially got my attention.

Thanks for your follow up. Since all I ever do in the winter is boil water (as apposed to simmering), this could provide the simplicity and efficiency I want. You use the propane/isobutane mix canisters in the winter?

I think I may purchase this in the fall and compare to my Whisperlite on a couple of winter overnights. The scientist in me needs to run the experiment. If the efficiency is there, and operationally it's not more complicated than a Whisperlite, no need to twist my arm!

We just need to get calendars aligned to [finally] share a winter trip -- then I can come with one and you the other.

 

[hikerbrian]

We just need to get calendars aligned to [finally] share a winter trip -- then I can come with one and you the other.

Yes! BTW, what's your fuel equation? I always plan 8 oz/person/night for white gas (10 oz if it's particularly cold or we don't have access to liquid water). How much propane/isobutane do you pack per night?

 

[MylesLI]

With my Snow Peak, I bring one small cannister per day and always have a spare left untouched. Moving to the larger size will allow me ( I think) to limit it to one can every other day..I will report next winter!!

 

[alexmtn]

Yes! BTW, what's your fuel equation? I always plan 8 oz/person/night for white gas (10 oz if it's particularly cold or we don't have access to liquid water). How much propane/isobutane do you pack per night?

First let's sure we're talking apples to apples with our per-person-per-night water heating requirements, which obviously vary depending on temps and trip design. For an intense cold winter backpack with -10F temps and sourced purely from snow, this would include:

Dinner: 1L
Sleeping bag warming: 2L
Night time drinking: 1L
Breakfast:1L (from liquid; not necessary to boil fully)
Next day's hike: 3L (1L of which is from liquid and not necessary to boil fully)

Total per-person daily boiling need: 8L

At -10F, I get roughly 10L of boiled water out of an 8oz canister, so that would be 6.4oz fuel per person per night. I'd tack on another canister or preponderance thereof for contingencies.

To demonstrate the range of possibilities: if the trip intensity were substantially less (e.g., +15F temps, 20% better stove efficiency, 2L/day hiking water, only 1L of bag warming), the requirement would fall to less than 4oz per person per night.

Alex

 

[MylesLI]

nicely done Alex

 

[hikerbrian]

Awesome, thanks Alex! FWIW, I wasn't asking in order to try and compare fuel requirements, just trying to get a rough idea of how much to pack if/when I bring it on an overnight for the first time. Yeah, always tough to get an apples-to-apples comparison between two individuals with different hydration requirements camping in different locations on different trips! I'm pretty excited about this stove.

 

[GrayBear]

Can anyone confirm the stories of the Reactor having a safety shutoff that can't be reset by the user? It sounds like it could be a serious problem under the wrong circumstance.

 

[JustJoe]

Haven't had a chance to really put it through its paces, but we brought ours on a Katahdin trip two years ago (staying in the cabins). It boils water in a comically fast amount of time, and most everyone on the trip seemed to be slightly jealous. Keep in mind that you'll have a weight/cost penalty for this performance. You really don't hit the weight "ROI" until you're doing enough boiling to justify the higher efficency. Truthfully, if I were doing the same boil-in-bag dinners we had done for the trip, we would have been better off with something simple like a titanium cup and a pocket rocket (but then again we also had the advantage of a wood stove and filtered water).

Pretty much what he said word for word. But add bulky to list as well.