I just came back to the reviews on this stove to see if there were any complaints in the cold weather. I already have a review on this stove and I think it's great. I think someone was right however when they said this stove's threshold may be 0. In negative weather my stove did not preform well at all. But two of my freinds that I was with also had the same stoves and we all had different cold weather experiences. The newest stove of the three started the quickest. But he also had a full fuel container. The stove with the half empty fuel container wouldn't start until the fuel was warmed and the third stove wouldn't light and was given up on that morning. All three stoves have worked fine since. It should also be noted that neg 20 was the temp of the night before. This winter I'am going to end the question of weather it's the fuel or the stove or both. With the same three freinds one is going to sleep with the stove, one with a full fuel bottle, and one with both. I will write back on the results.

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None

I bought this stove after reading in the older backpacker mags about how good it was. I wonder if they were using hte same stove I was. mine worked for about 5 to 6 months and then about half the burner would only work. The only way to get around this was to run it full blast. I took it back to the store I had gotten it from and after many failed attempts to try and fix it(one guy said to spray it with wd40 then light it up). I got my money back and bought a primus multi fuel and it is the best thing I have ever boughten. Took the primus out hiking yesterday in -28 degrees celcius and it works like a charm. All I had were problems with this stove and I would not trust it for any serious hiking or packing!

Customer Service

I had a really hard time at the retailer even getting ahold of the company and was very disappointed with the guy on the phone and his wd40 idea.

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About four of my friends and I have PRIMUS stoves and we have never had any problems. Get a PRIMUS and don't worry again!

This stove is great!This summer I was out at Philmont Scout Ranch in NM and we had 2 camp stoves. A Peak 1 Xpert and a Peak 1 Multi-fuel. The xpert fired right up, while the other stove took a few minutes to light because of pumping it up. The Xpert boiled water in minutes, it was great! The water on the Xpert was meant to be for clean-up, but it got done so fast we used it for our cooking water! When i returned from my 115 mile expedition from Philmont, i bought one! It is well worth it!

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Peak 1 multi-fuel

Lights quick. Boils fast. Packs small.
Fule availability was scarce in Alaska.
Customer service said that fuel availability would be sparse until next year due to a fire at the factory the produces the fuel. If not for the fuel availability the stove would rate higher.

Customer Service

Had one cylinder with low pressure. Customer service said to send in receipt for a refund.

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Coleman 2 burnner white gasd stove
MSR Wisperlight

If your looking for a fourseason stove for anything shorter than expeditions, this is the best one on the market. My buddy always gets mad at me while he fiddles with his whisperlite while his fingers freeze off (i still don't know why those are so popular). All it takes is a twist of the canister and knob and your cooking. The canisters last a pretty long time. I used the last part of a canister at 5 degrees one night, and while it sputtered a bit starting off, in a minute it was kicking out full flame. Another great thing is that the canisters are crushable and recyclable. I was also able to easily get them while travelling through australia and new zealand. My only complint is that i wish it compacted smaller. Otherwise-awesome.

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MSR whisperlite, Snowpeak Gigapower.

This stove has proven very effective in my various treks through the Grand Canyon and Pacific Northwest. Its very compact and light and easy to assemble. Its system is very effective in fuel consumption. The only problem is that I'm not sure if the butane gas fuel will be available internationally. For this reason I can see the advantages of white gas.

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None

I bought an Xpert three years ago, and love it (enough to buy two more, read on). I have used it in Colorado at fairly high altitudes (11,000' to 12,000') and in fairly cold temps (zero) with great success. The controls are easy to use, even with gloves or mitts on.

The one problem I had with the first stove was that, after three years of constant use, the hose started to leak (if you read the original "Backpacker" review on them, this was called out as a problem). When I went to look at replacements, I noticed they had shortened, thickened, and strengthened the hose, so I bought another without hesitation. I also bought one for my friend who goes with me a lot - I was tired of seeing him constantly fight priming his MSR in the rain and the wind. At $49 on the Web, they are a good bargain.

One point about the fuel - there are two sizes of cartridges. The large ones will last a LONG time, but I have ended up going with the smaller ones, even though that makes the fuel more expensive, is slightly heavier if you have to carry more than one of them for an extended trip, etc. Why go to the smaller cartridges? Because it is REALLY hard to tell, like with all cartridges, just how much fuel you have left. With the big cartridges, that leaves you three choices if you are going on a trip and have a canister you have used quite a bit but still has fuel in it - carry two of them to be safe, leave the used one at home and take out a full one (what a waste), or go out feeling lucky. Instead, if you are on an extended trip, you can take two of the small ones, and then you either know you have a full second cartridge in reserve, or you are using your second cartridge, and can plan accordingly. Or to put it another way - with one large cartridge, all you know is you are somewhere between full and empty. With two small cartridges, the granularity just went to half that, and you know you are either on the first cartridge (no worries, mate!) or the second.

I received this stove as a gift. It worked wonderfully. I really enjoyed how simple it was to use. When winter hit though, and the cold really set in, I found that it couldn't keep up as well as I had hoped. The flame was weak and it went out easily. Anything below -5°F it was altogether useless. Several months ago someone actually stole the stove. Due to its problems with the cold, and having to buy compressed fuel, which I don’t like, I chose an MSR to replace it. I don't mind taking a minute out of my life to prime a stove. It's not that hard. But, if it really bothers you, and you're not taking this stove anywhere too cold, it is a fine piece of equipment. At warmer temps it boils quickly, and simmering is a cinch. –Ratings here depend on who you are—Want to use it in the winter? I would give it a 1. Only using it for warm weather excursions? It's easily a 4. I’ll give it a 3 to compromise.

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MSR and Primus

I still have eyebrows and I'm getting fat. All the guys with the MSRs that I camp with don't have eyebrows and are skinny. That should say a lot. At the end of the trail I plug it in and light it. Dinner time. No fuss at all. I work in the outdoor industry and can choose anything I want, but go with this stove because it's fool proof. All I want to do is to make fire fast and this little thing does it for me no questions asked. I've used it in Texas heat and I've used it in snow caves high in the Cascades with no problems while the other ran at the mouth a lot about his Dragonfly and how it was better and how as soon as he got it working with this field repair kit he would show me so, and then it was after the dinner I made he would get it working, and then maybe after breakfast. Never mind. Although, if I was in a plane crash I do want the Dragonfly so I can burn avaition fuel. That tends to happen all the time to us backpackers, being stranded with only avaition fuel after the plane crash. Bottom line: great stove easy to use, but you won't be as cool as some of the other white gas dudes.

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Every MSR stove
Peak 1
Gaz
Primus
Et al.

I agree with Eric from Wisconsin- this stove has problems when it gets really cold.
I temperatures approaching 0 degress F, I had a hardtime maintaining a constant flame and had lots and lots of flame outs. When any water (even a few drops) dripped down by the burner apparatus (melting snow for water), out went the flame. Right beside me, in the same conditions, a guy with an old MSR whisper-something was melting an ice-berg, as I emptied my lighter trying to keep a flame going.
Never had any such problems in less extreme temps though. Like the fuel containers and big knob.
However... I'm waiting anxiously for it to run into a terminal problem so I can justify buying another stove...