MSR XGK Expedition Stove

Review Date
September 21, 2008

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Reviewed by: Clay Jenkins(Unregistered User) ,  Mountaineer

Price Paid:  $5.00 at garae sale

Summary:
I have used all models from all manufacturors. The MSk-GK is indeed the best for melting snow. However, the maintanence issues, and the plastic pump handle ( I once had one with a metall pump) are a BIG negative. I am now back to my old old Svea 123 because it does not break down. If the MSR folks would make an aluminum pump like the Optimus folks do, they woulld have a terrific product. CBJ

Review Date
June 11, 2005

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Reviewed by: thorstenhackl ,  Backpacker

Price Paid:  $100.00 at bever zwerfsport

Summary:
I bought it 8 years ago and to be honoust I have never serviced it, and it still works every three times a year I use it! Just great!!! It is strong and I dont have to threat it qith great care, it is that strong. Plus it is simple to use.

Customer Service:
dont know

Similar Products Used:
none

Review Date
August 5, 2004

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Reviewed by: BelowZero ,  Mountaineer

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
This is truly a great stove. However, it isn't perfect. Here are some pros and cons.

Pros:

-Built like a tank. This truly a robust stove.

-It gets the job done. If the main concerns are melting the snow, boiling water and getting "not so gourme" food prepared in rough conditions this is the stove you should go for.

-Fairly fuel efficient and burns clean with good quality white gas (80/110 filtering or better). Extremely clean white gas is also less volatile so it is even safer that way. However in extreme cold you might prefer less filtered variant.

Cons:

-This is the only stove from MSR that doesn't fit into their 1.5 liter pots. If you need to pack it tight and light you should think about DragonFly. However Dragon Fly isn't as robust as XGK.

-Pump is plastic. Pump isn't as robust as the rest of the kit. However, the new one is an improvement.

-It sounds like jet taking off.. However, if this is a major concern then you should look take a look at butane/propane burning stoves. They are much easier to handle and if you don't use your stove in remote (do you need a multi fuel burning stove?) or extreme locations they will also serve you better.

Customer Service:
Responsive and available in most places around the world.

Similar Products Used:
DragonFly, PocketRocket, many models from Trangia and Optimus.

Review Date
May 23, 2004

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Reviewed by: thistlekicker ,  Paddler

Price Paid:  $75.00 at LL Bean outlet

Summary:
even a technically-inept moron like myself can work this thing and fix minor problems with it, however rare they may be. A good example: about 5 yrs ago I was forced to hurl the entire stove/pump/fuel bottle apparatus out the door of an NPS backcountry cabin when the priming flame got out of control (the inept moron part). It still works - the jet housing is now a little crooked and pots tend to sit at a slight angle, but hey, it works like new! Buy this stove, easy, reliable, fast, you'll learn to like the jet-engine sound.

Customer Service:
none needed

Similar Products Used:
primus canister stove

Review Date
September 30, 2002

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Reviewed by: Robert Collins(Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker , from Denver, CO, USA

Price Paid:  $65.00 at REI

Summary:
I have the old XG-K with the yellow pump, bought around 1987-88. I have heard that the pumps made in the early 1990s were worse and sometimes broke easily. The new red pumps are good. If you have one of the old-style pumps, you can send it to MSR and they will send you a new model for around $20. The old yellow pumps work O.K., but you have to be careful with a couple of things. First, don't overtighten the adjusting screw or you will strip the delicate threads in the pump body. The new pump has a nut placed under the adjusting screw to prevent this. With the yellow pumps, the "air hose" at the end of the pump will often become brittle and crack. It is possible to replace this if you know what you are doing, but you need to use a hose bent upwards just like the original hose. You can mould some types of clear tubing (the kind made for chemistry setups) in a warm oven and then put it
in ice water to set the bend. If the tube is not bent UP (opposite the direction of the the smaller "dip tube"), it will not be above the fuel level in the bottle and this is a little dangerous. With a straight tube, it is possible that fuel could leak into the pump body if the O-ring in the end of the pump leaks. This could be dangerous. Also, you will probably need to force-fit a larger piece of tube on the end of the pump to retain the two tiny pins holding the air hose. One you remove them to replace the hose, they won't fit as tight and could work loose. So unless you really know what you are doing, just send in your old pump and the $20 and get a new one. The new one will work fine with the old stove assemblies. Also get the spare parts kit for around $13. It has O-rings and other parts you will need to replace after a few years.

I would suggest to everyone that you use kerosene in your stoves and not white gas. Kerosene is much less volatile. Gas vapors can explode violently and cause serious injury. There are lots of stories of leaking stoves (of all brands) blowing up with gasoline. Kerosene is much harder than gas to ignite. The disadvantages of kerosene are that it doesn't evaporate as fast, so spills can stink for a while. Since it is harder to start, you need to bring a little bottle of denatured alcohol (sold in hardware stores) or 90% isopropyl alcohol (not 70%, sold at some drug stores; Target has it) to prime the stove. Squirt a little in the stove bowl by

Customer Service:
Very good; just e-mail them and they will get back to you a couple of days. They will rebuild pumps and stoves for reasonable cost.

Similar Products Used:
none