MSR MicroRocket -- Packability Report #2

People have asked, just how packable is the new MicroRocket?

A 110g canister, a MicroRocket, and a piezo ignition will all fit into a 550ml mug type pot -- but the lid won't fully close.

In order to answer that question, I thought I'd compare five reasonably well known upright canister stoves:

1. MSR MicroRocket
2. MSR PocketRocket
3. Optimus Crux
4. Snow Peak GigaPower (GS-100)
5. Soto MicroRegulator (OD-1R) 

Hopefully, once you've seen the photos, you'll have a better sense of just how packable the MicroRocket is.

The MicroRocket folds down smaller than most. Is it significant? That depends on exactly which pot you're using. With some, it will make a difference.

Here's a photo of a GS-100 in a BPL Firelite 550 pot with a 110g Snow Peak canister.  Note the position of the lid.

A Snow Peak GS-100 stove and a 110g Snow Peak canister in a 550ml mug type pot

Now contrast that to this photo with a MicroRocket.

An MSR MicroRocket stove and a 110g Snow Peak canister in a 550ml mug type pot

Neither closes fully, but the MicroRocket is a better fit. If this was a 575ml or 600ml pot, you might be able to fully close the pot with a MicroRocket whereas you might not with a GS-100.

UPDATE, 27 Jan 2012 2256 Hrs:

I just took my GS-100 stove out. I thought I'd try one more thing, and... I'm going to have to amend my report (above) just a bit.  

The reason that the GS-100 doesn't fit quite as well as a MicroRocket in a 550ml mug type pot is that the valve adjustment wire on the GS-100 is very springy.  The wire forces the GS-100 over to one side which causes it to fit poorly.

If one undoes the wire and flips the wire out of the way, the GS-100 fits ever so slightly better than the MicroRocket.  However, there's no material difference between the two in a BPL Firelite 550 pot.   

So, if one doesn't mind a very minor bit of fiddling, the GS-100 is equal to the MicroRocket in terms of its width and how it fits in that particular pot.

The MicroRocket is a few mm shorter overall than the GS-100.  In a BPL Firelite 550, this has no practical impact, but for some applications, perhaps that might matter.

The very best fit was perhaps the Optimus Crux, but I found no practical difference between the compactness of the Crux vs. the MicroRocket. Both are tops when it comes to packability.

An Optimus Crux stove and a 110g Snow Peak canister in a 550ml mug type pot

The Soto MicroRegulator OD-1R takes significantly more space than a GS-100, MicroRocket, or Crux.

A Soto MicroRegulator OD-1R stove and a 110g Snow Peak canister in a 550ml mug type pot 

The big loser here is the PocketRocket which doesn't even begin to fit -- and that's without a canister of any sort.

A PocketRocket doesn't even begin to fit in a 550ml mug type pot

Hopefully you've now got a sense as to the relative packability of the new MSR MicroRocket.

Thanks for joining me on another Adventure in Stoving,

HJ

Other posts on the MSR MicroRocket

• The New MSR MicroRocket -- First Look
• The MSR MicroRocket -- Trail Report #1
• The MSR MicroRocket -- Trail Report #2
• The MSR MicroRocket -- Cooking Report 
• The MSR MicroRocket -- Packability Report #1
• The MSR MicroRocket -- Packability Report #2
• The New MSR MicroRocket -- Completed Review