MSR Whisperlite question

“I just got the MSR Whisperlite Shaker.. seems like a great little stove. I just tested it out in the driveway and was able to operate it with ease.

My other stove is a Primus Yellowstone lite, which uses propane/butane, so the MSR is my first white gas stove.

Question for owners of this stove or similiar: Do you keep your pump attached to the fuel bottle when storing it in your pack? I'm a bit apprehensive doing that, since the fuel could spill if the "+/-" knob turns. If not, what do you do with the pump after it's been in the bottle and has fuel on it? Keeping it in a Ziploc bag seems logical. Just wondering if any of you guys had any tips. Thanks!

PS - the stove will get an actual field test this weekend, looking forward to it! :-)”

“Is this the same stove Goretex has? If so, whose house are you burning down during the field test?”

“I used a whisperlite before I went the tin can route. I never had a problem leaving the pump attached. Luck? I don't know but it didn't leak once on my AT thruhike.”

“Artex, that’s what I do I put the whole fuel bottle in a large Ziploc and then I put that in another Ziploc. The bottle has never leaked, but I feel better knowing I have a little extra protection. Fuel spill not good.”

“I use to leave my pump in/on the fuel bottle. However, beware, because the pump plunger can cause a portion of the pump to break if the plunger comes out and is pushed/bent toward one side. Mine eventually broke, but MSR gladly replaced the entire pump.

As far as priming the cup, DON'T FILL IT FULL. As soon as you see fule entering the priming cup, shut off the flow...that is all the priming fuel you'll need. If you fill the cup full you'll most likely get some LARGE flames prior to the stove being adequately primed.”

“I always leave it in the bottle, never had a leak......my partner never leaves it in the bottle...we have been arguing about this for years....neither of us has had a fuel leak, but my stove seems to need less cleaning then hers...I attribute this to leaving the pump in the bottle, she attributes it to dumb luck (we usually use the same fuel can)....I can't really say which is best.....that's what you wanted to hear, huh......she puts her pump in a ziploc...I enjoy never having to mess with mine.

On long trips, and during the winter, I use two fuel bottles, both bottles have a pump in them....can't beat having a spare pump....although I have only needed it once or twice, it was a lot easier then stopping during dinner or melting snow to fix the thing.

Just thought, I never bleed the thing off either.....gonna have to that next time........”

“Did you get that Goretex!”

“Budder just got me to remember something I do sometimes to protect the pump....my coffee mug fits rather nicely over the top of fuel bottle, offering protection for the pump.....sometimes I do it, sometimes I don't............




......Ok........now that's one more thing I gotta remember to do.”

“i have a whisperlite and i leave the pump in the bottle and carry it in a large ziploc. i usually let the pressure of the bottle before putting it in my pack but sometimes i forget and i have yet to have a leak (knock on wood).”

“As far as priming the cup, DON'T FILL IT FULL. As soon as you see fule entering the priming cup, shut off the flow...that is all the priming fuel you'll need. If you fill the cup full you'll most likely get some LARGE flames prior to the stove being adequately primed."
Buddur
07:15:59 PM
09/26/02

tell me about it, I don't know how many times I have done that. It usually takes me 2 times to get it right. The guy where I bought it showed me how to light it but he knew how to do it and never told me about the large flames that erupt when there is to much fuel in the cup. Should have seen me jump back...lol”

“Cool, thanks a bunch for the advice everyone, I really appreciate it. I'm thinking I'll go the leave-the-pump-in-the-bottle route and keep it in a ziploc.

You guys rule! :-)”

“Buddur and Ewker are right-on about the priming. My eyebrows are just starting to grow back.

Does anyone leave that wick on? I removed mine thinking that it wouldn't produce as much soot... and it hasn't.”

“I just leave the pump in and release the pressure by slowly unscrewing the pump (and then re-tightening).

I like mtnsteve's suggestion about having an extra pump. Mine broke on a winter trip. It was still usable but that was just luck. MSR was very good about sending a replacement.

I use the 'count to three' method for getting the right amount of fuel in the cup.”

“Well... I learned me somefin new!!! I never considered leaving the pump in, but I'l try it next time (with the zip-lock).

I've heard a little gum-out or other carburetor cleaner from time to time helps keep the thing clean.”

“I also leave the pump in, but I also always carry my fuel bottle in one of the outside pockets of my pack, that way I can check my =/- valve whenever I stop, and don't have to worry about an inadvertent fuel leak inside my pack.”

“Same as wanderer. Never had a leak.”

“I wonder if I can put a shaker jet in my regular whisperlite?”

“No, I don't leave the thing assembled. The bottle gets a lid put back on it and the stove fits nicely inside my pot, along with a little 3M scrub pad, wind screen, paper clip to keep wind screen together, lighter, and clothes pins to keep the Mountain House Bag closed tightly while it cooks.”

“You should be able to "upgrade" by getting just the fuel line/jet assembly...I know that worked when the stoves first came out, I did it.

Just a note....if you notice that you are cleaning the stove more and more, and that it's not burning as hot as it did before, check the inside of the jet....it seems that soot forms and even after you clean it, a small piece of soot will break off and block the jet again. Replacing the jet with a new one will work wonders....you can clean the inside of the jet completely, down to the brass (be careful not to scratch it up or enlarge the hole) but that is hard to do in the field, hell it's hard to do at home. Anyone have luck soaking it in carb cleaner??

Also...any of you that go high, over 14/17000' and use kerosene, may want to try leaving the gas jet in, instead of replacing it with the kerosene jet...we did this in Mexico and everyone kept asking where we got the white gas, the stoves burned so well they couldn't believe we were using kerosene. I figure this is because at high elevation there is less o2 and using the gas jet (it's smaller) cuts the amount of fuel back to a reasonable air fuel mix. We never tried this below 15000', so I don't know for sure”

“Oh yea...the stoves we used in Mexico were XGK's, not sure how well this would work on the Whisperlight Internationals.....”

“Ditto on leaving the pump in the fuel bottle...me too. To bleed the pressure from the stove, you turn the stove UPSIDE DOWN and open the valve slowly....”

“I leave mine in and prime it with alcohol. Much cleaner than using the white gas!!”

“I always wondered why they call them "whisper"light - the darn things are noisy!!”

“I prefer 'Whisperloud'.”

“Keep an eye on the black rubber o-ring on the pump and the one on the cap that comes with the bottle. These tend to crack after extended use and if you overprime in sub-freezing temps you may have a Challenger disaster waiting to happen.”

“The pump mechanism on mine is like a coleman, with a piable cup. If the pump won't pressurize, lubricate that cup.”

“It's a good idea to carry a control valve o-ring and a fuel tube o-ring in your repair kit. I had both fail on me on different trips. I had spares so it wasn't a big deal. I have the MSR Firefly. It's the stove that the Whisperlight replaced. In my opinion they should have still kept making the Firefly. It can simmer pretty good and is very powerful wide open. It's also very loud which is the main reason I don't use it much anymore.”

“or loud-lite?


pocket rocket man here. but then again, i don't do much high or cold hiking....”

“I leave my pump in the bottle.

I place a rubber band or two around the bottle and plunger to keep it from backing out.

I carry it in a outside pocket of my backpack to keep it upright and protected.

Once in 6 years it did leak a bit when the valve opened. Best way to avoid this is to not leave it pressurized and store it upright.”

“I gave my stove an actual field test in the Catskills this past weekend. Great stove, and I left the pump in. Thanks for all your advice!

However, the stove wasn't loud at all compared to others that I've heard. The GTX sounds like B-52 flying 100' overhead. I'd compare my Whisperlite to a Cessna 172.”

“I used mine this weekend and 2 out of 3 times I fired it up without the flames erupting...lol
After seeing other people use the pocket rocket I may have to look at it. That is just to easy to fire up.”

“Lighter than that rig you're carrying, too.

I gotta work some more on the windscreen for my Esbit. Darn thing still isn't letting enough air in, darnit...”

“Like the others, I bleed the bottle so that it is no longer pressurised and stuff it down the corner of my pack. I've never had a problem (touch wood).

It's called the whisperlite, BTW, because it's a lot quieter than the XGK and positively silent compared to the Spider. The last two are called 'what' stoves because when they're running everyone keeps shouting, 'What?'.

What's this about moving to Maine? Are you making the jump to sanity?”

“Yeah, I'm planning on moving there in about a year. Of course, I also said the same thing a year ago, but this time will be different. I'm just wiping away some debt first, since I won't be making as much up there. I'm still planning on going the teaching route, which I think I told you about when we went hiking in the 'Dacks in July. It'll happen soooooooooooon!”

“A fellow TTer found the MSR Whisperlite Shaker Jet Stove for 1/2 off and, knowing I was looking, picked it up for me. I've used it a couple times now and have been very pleased. I normally prefer to carry esbit or alky but with the possibility of having to melt some snow on a recent trip, I went with this instead. It's my first liquid fuel stove and I was a little worried after hearing all sorts of horror stories about people's stoves leaking and such. But, I found it very easy to use and will likely use it on lots of my cold weather trips!”

“I like mine, except you can't simmer with it. Other than that, neat stove.”

“I can simmer w/ mine. Whatcha doin' wrong?”

“You shoulda seen the pie I made w/ it recently. Simmered for a good 20 minutes. Mmmm Yum”

“I can simmer on mine.
But then again I have mad skills.”

“Yah, but have you got a three-headed frog?”

“Never had a problem with this stove(7 years) Last year I bought the simmer pump figuring I could use it for perking coffee for canoe camping, car camping etc. but it didnt work all that well and I had to pull the coffee pot off because it would boil over but it does work better for simmering other things.

Anyway it stopped working last fall and then I brought along during the winter at a cabin figuring with new fuel it would work, but it didnt.

Tonight its fixed, I read on a site that the tube is looser than the old pumps, it swivles and it needs to rest against the sidewall (bottom side)of the fuel canister. Simple stuff I guess but I was excited to see it fire up again”

“I figured when my original pump gave out I'd get one of the new ones, but I've been able to still get maintnance kits (so far) and the original has lasted since 1991.

I've got a couple of thermarests about that old, too. Can't kill the damn things!   LOL

(that oughta jinx the hell out of 'em!)”

“The plastic pump broke on my whisperlight one frozen day. It was about 10 years old. The new pump has less plastic.”