Liquid Fuel - MSR SimmerLite

Advantages

• Light weight
• Faster boil times

Disadvantages

• MSR no longer produces this stove
• Uses more fuel to achieve faster boil times

Notes

• Pack weight: 11.5 oz. (327g)
• Single fuel: White gas

What terrible name for this stove. Luckily I bought this stove for its weight, not for the promise the name implies. Like almost all remote liquid fuel stoves the SimmerLite does not excel at "simmer". If you need "simmer" capabilities you need to look at the MSR DragonFly, Optimus Nova, or Optimus Nova+. From a quick search on the Internet MSR took quite a bit of flack for the inability of the poorly named SimmerLite to actually simmer.

I actually like this stove, but I only use it to boil water (or melt snow). Having previous experience with the inability of remote liquid fuel stoves to simmer, I never thought too much about the name. You know a name is after all just a name. My regret is that one of the lightest liquid fuel stoves is now off the market. Since, I almost exclusively, backpack in North America where White gas is always available, a single fuel stove is not a disadvantage.

The burner technology for the SimmerLite is similar to the WhisperLite.  If you look at a WhisperLite stove vs. a DragonFly stove you will see many differences but the one I am referring to is the burner where the WhisperLite has a typical gas stove type flame spreader, while the DragonFly has a inverted bell with a concave flame spreader. The result for the SimmerLite is a much quieter operation.  The inverted bell and concave flame spreader of the DragonFly make like a small jet engine.

One interesting note is that the MSR Windpro II stove is the canister stove twin of the liquid fuel SimmerLite. So MSR is still making the burner, but just jetting it for canister. Too bad there is not a conversion kit. If the name was the reason they quit sell this stove. MSR should have just changed the name and re-marketed the stove. Luckily the pump is identical to the WhisperLite so if I ever need to replace or repair the pump I can. Since all the seals and O-rings reside in the pump I am also covered with the Maintenance kit.

My use and testing show that the stove boils 2 cups (~500 ml) of water using a MSR Titan Kettle in 3 minutes using 3/5 oz. (by weight) of white gas.