MSR Windburner – Wind Testing

What is the big advantage that the Windburner claims over other stoves?  Well, wind proofness.  I mean, if the Windburner can't handle wind, then why would you buy one, right?  Either the Windburner does well in wind or there isn't an overriding reason to buy one.

I thought I'd put it to the test.

Wind swept Snow Creek Canyon near San Gorgonio Pass, the perfect spot for wind testing.

UPDATE 26 Nov 2014:  I've added a table of comparative weights and prices among the current Jetboil and MSR 1.0 liter (or less) capacity integrated canister stove offerings.  See Appendix II.
I've also added a more in depth discussion of how many boils you'd lose out on using a Jetboil vs. a Windburner.  See Appendix I.  There's also a discussion of when and why fuel efficiency matters in the main body of the post.

UPDATE 27 Nov 2014:  I've added some videos in Appendix III that show the lighting of the stove in windy conditions.  Definitely more difficult than in still air, but doable.  I had far more trouble lighting the Jetboil even though the Jetboil has a built in lighter.

I tried a series of four types of tests:

• Still Air
• Light wind
• Moderate wind
• Heavy wind



Testing the MSR Windburner near San Gorgonio Pass.  Note that you cannot actually see the flame, only an orange glow.
The enclosed burner of the Windburner is the secret to its windproof success.

A summary of my test results by test type is below.  The basic result of the testing was that the Windburner handled wind better, sometimes dramatically, than a Jetboil Sol.  See the comparative videos, below.

Test Results by Type
Still Air.  In still or nearly still air, the Jetboil Sol was clearly faster than the Windburner, sometimes by as much as 30 seconds faster.

Light wind.  In light wind, the Jetboil was still faster, but by a narrower margin.  The Jetboil's fuel usage went up slightly.  The Windburner's fuel consumption did not noticeably change.

Moderate wind.  In moderate wind, the Jetboil and the Windburner were more equal in terms of time to boil, but the Windburner typically would boil first.  The Jetboil's fuel consumption went up even more.  The Windburner's fuel consumption went up slightly but the change was small.

Heavy wind.  Here's where I was shocked.  I expected that the Jetboil would be markedly slower than the Windburner, but instead the Jetboil would not boil at all.  In heavier winds, the Jetboil would just blow out, and I never got the water to boil.  On the other hand, the wind had no discernible effect on the effectiveness of the Windburner.  Let me repeat that:  No discernible effect.  Needless to say, I was impressed.  I discontinued the comparison tests since I could get no meaningful boil times or fuel consumption figures from the Jetboil.

The day I did my testing , there were 35 mph/56 kph gusts predicted by the US National Weather Service.  Below are two videos, showing how the two stoves did.

Jetboil Sol in heavy winds.


MSR Windburner in heavy winds.


Now, of course you're not always going to be out in such dramatic conditions.  But no matter what, you're always losing heat with a Jetboil.  It's just a matter of degree.  Yes, you can shield it some, but you'll always be wasting some fuel just because of the burner's open design.  The Windburner is fundamentally more windproof.  The Windburner is fundamentally more fuel efficient in wind.

I'll put some numbers below in Appendix I that try to estimate just how much you'd be giving up using a Jetboil vs. a Windburner in terms of number of boils lost.

Wind farms dot the slopes above San Gorgonio Pass

Wind Resistance – Does It Matter?
Well, it depends.  If you're a low altitude backpacker, you probably can shelter your stove behind a log or rock, and wind resistance will matter less.  Note that I say, "less," not, "it won't matter at all".  You're always going to be saving fuel with a Windburner even in still air.  See also the next section on fuel efficiency.  I do note however that a Jetboil Flash has an MSRP of $100 USD whereas an MSR Windburner has an MSRP of $130.  If all you do is low elevation trips and you avoid high winds, the Jetboil Flash might be a good choice.  There is also a Jetboil Zip available for an MSRP of $80 USD.  The Zip is only 0.8 L (whereas the Windburner and the Flash are 1.0 L each), so it's not completely comparable to the Windburner, but it's worth mentioning.  See also Appendix II which contains a comparative table of weights and prices.

Now if you're an alpinist/mountaineer, a "big wall" climber, a backpacker given to spending the night at high elevation, or anyone who may find a sheltered spot difficult to come by, wind resistance might mean the difference between a nice hot meal – and eating uncooked freeze dried food, straight out of the bag.  If you rely on your stove for snow melting, you could wind up a whole lot worse.  If you can't get drinking water, you greatly increase your chance of getting hypothermia, and hypothermia leads quickly to death.  Hypothermia is simply not worth risking, period.

In high winds, even behind a rock or log, it's difficult to truly shelter a stove.  Anyone potentially facing high winds would be well advised to pick a Windburner over a Jetboil.

There's another way that windproofness matters – predictability.  Got fuel?  Are you sure you've planned your week long trip correctly?  I mean you don't want to be eating uncooked freeze dried food at the end of the trip just because you didn't bring enough fuel, right?  Well, hopefully, you've planned with a margin for error, but if you run into inclement weather, particularly high winds, your fuel estimates may be way off.  The Windburner is almost unaffected by wind.  You can make fuel estimates well in advance and rely on them.  With the Windburner, fluctuations in weather will not have you eating cold meals on your last couple of days out on the trail.

Commercial wind turbines in the San Gorgonio Pass area

Fuel Efficiency – Does It Matter?
Well, it depends.  If you're only going out for a few days, no high winds are predicted, and you always bring a fresh canister, then perhaps not.  While I like getting as much as I can out of my canisters, for a short trip with a fresh canister, it's not going to make much difference whether you use a Jetboil or a Windburner in terms of fuel used.  Only if high winds are predicted would I get worried about which stove would be the right one to bring.

Well, then, when does it matter?  When you have to bring an extra canister (or move up to a bigger canister).  An extra canister, even the smallest size, weighs about 7.4 oz/211 g.  That's nearly ½ pound.  In terms of saving weight, always avoid taking an extra canister or moving up to the next sized canister.  Look at the chart in Appendix I on how many boils you'd be giving up by using a Jetboil.  If losing those boils forces you to carry another canister (or carry a bigger canister), then it would probably be lighter overall to carry a Windburner (see examples, below).  Efficiency alone usually will not make up the difference for a heavier stove.  Only when you can avoid stepping up to the next sized canister or bringing an additional canister can a more efficient stove save you weight.

Efficiency vs. Weight – Examples
1. You normally will not save weight by being more fuel efficient alone. You just can't save enough weight that way to make up for a heavier stove. For example an aluminum Jetboil Sol weighs about 11 oz and the MSR Windburner weighs about 15 oz, a 4 oz difference. Now say that you save 1 g of fuel per 500 ml boiled, you boil twice a day, and you take a week long trip. Saving 1g twice per day for seven days is 14g.  In other words, you would need 14 g less fuel with the more efficient set up. 14 g is about 1/2 oz. Recall that in this example, the more efficient set up is 4 oz heavier.  Saving 1/2 oz in fuel will never make up for a stove that is 4 oz heavier.

2. You will save weight if you can avoid carrying the next largest size canister or carrying a second canister. The difference in gross weight between a 110g canister and a 225g canister is roughly 6 oz (4 oz of fuel + ~2 oz of steel container). If your 4 oz heavier stove is efficient enough to prevent you from having to carry a larger canister you've just saved 6 oz - 4 oz = 2 oz. Generally this type of weight savings will occur on trips of 7 to 10 days. The Jetboil Sol retails for $120. The Windburner retails for $130. Would I spend $10 to save 2 oz?  Well considering how many people there are willing to pay $150 for the titanium version of the Jetboil Sol which is only 1 oz lighter than the aluminum version (if you do a real comparison, not the spin doctored comparison on Jetboil's website), I'd say that a lot of people in fact would spend $10 more for the more efficient stove.

So there's my take on the wind resistance of the Windburner.

I thank you for joining me,

HJ

MSR Windburner Posts

• "First Look" Report
• Trail Report #1
• Hanging Kit I
• Lighting the Windburner
• Wind Testing
• Coffee Press
• Hanging Kit II
• MSR Windburner – Three Things to Note
• Cooking Ability
• Final, Completed Review

Disclosures
The item reviewed here was provided to me at no charge for the purposes of this review.  I am under no obligation to review this or any other item.  I am not compensated for my reviews in any fashion other than in some cases I am permitted to keep the item reviewed.  Given that I have well over a 100 backpacking stoves, a free stove frankly isn't going to buy anyone a good review.  Stove companies must measure up if they want a decent review here.  I am an amatuer stove blogger; I make my living elsewhere, in the IT field.  I fit blogging in as time permits.  Inasmuch as my income is derived elsewhere, monetary issues do not influence the reviews on this blog.  Yes, I do have advertisements on the blog.  I typically derive about $1.00 USD per day from the advertisements (last I checked).  This is a mere pittance and does not influence my reviews in the slightest.  Revenue from the advertisements goes toward hosting fees, stove fuel, and the like.  The blog is self supporting in that sense, and my wife is quite happy that I'm not using the family's income to run the blog, particularly given how tough the economy is these days.

Appendix I – Boils Lost with a Jetboil (vs. a Windburner)

OK, so if you use a Jetboil instead of a Windburner, how many boils are you losing out on?  In other words, how many additional boils can you get out of a Windburner than a Jetboil for the same amount of gas?

Let's try to put some numbers to it.  Assume, for example, that you get a difference of 1 gram of fuel per 500 ml boil and that you boil water twice a day.  Over a week long trip, the Jetboil would require 14g more fuel than a Windburner.  An integrated canister stove can normally boil 500 ml with something around 6g of fuel.  Thus, if over a week you use 14g more with a Jetboil, then you'd be "losing" a bit more than two boils as compared to a Windburner.

I've mapped out a chart below, showing how much more fuel a Jetboil would use depending on how much difference there is in terms of fuel consumption per 500 ml boil.

Difference per boil (grams)	0.25	0.50	0.75	1.00	1.25	1.50	1.75	2.00	2.25	2.50	2.75	3.00	3.25	3.50	3.75	4.00
Boils per day (500 ml each)	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
# of days	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7
Total difference (grams)	3.5	7.0	10.5	14.0	17.5	21.0	24.5	28.0	31.5	35.0	38.5	42.0	45.5	49.0	52.5	56.0
Fuel grams per boil	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6
Boils "lost"	1	1	2	2	3	4	4	5	5	6	6	7	8	8	9	9

So, how much difference per boil can I expect?  My numbers should not be considered exhaustive, but in still air, the Jetboil required something on the order of 0.25 to 0.5 g more fuel per boil.  In light winds, the Jetboil required something on the order 0.5  to 0.75 g more fuel per boil.  In moderate winds, the Jetboil's fuel consumption rose considerably, requiring about 1.0 to 1.25 g more per boil; I noticed in particular that gusts really affected the Jetboil's flame.  I don't have an estimate for heavy winds because the Jetboil would not bring water to a boil.  Clearly though, the stronger the winds, the more fuel the Windburner will save as compared to a Jetboil.

Now, do my figures make sense for you?  Perhaps.  Perhaps not.  Maybe you boil more water per boil.  Maybe you boil more often per day.  Maybe you're taking a shorter trip.  If you'd like a copy of my Excel spreadsheet so you can try your own numbers, you're welcome to it.  Just write me at Hikin [dot] Jim [at] gmail [dot] com and ask me for one.  Please be specific as to what you're asking for; I get a lot of requests.

Disclaimer:  My numbers should not be considered authoritative.  These are ballpark estimates only.  The only way to get exhaustive numbers would be to take multiple Jetboils and multiple Windburners, burn through multiple canisters per stove in carefully controlled conditions, and average the numbers after all tests were complete.  I simply have not got the resources to do such testing, and I fully acknowledge that fact.

Wind turbines, San Gorgonio Pass

Appendix II – Comparative Table of Weights and Prices

Integrated Canister Stove	Capacity (liters)	Weight (g)	Weight (oz)	Retail Price
Jetboil Sol (Ti)	0.8	279	9.8	$150.00
Jetboil Sol (Al)	0.8	312	11.0	$120.00
Jetboil Zip	0.8	345	12.2	$80.00
Jetboil Flash	1.0	400	14.1	$100.00
Jetboil MiniMo	1.0	415	14.6	$130.00
MSR Reactor	1.0	417	14.7	$190.00
MSR Windburner	1.0	432	15.2	$130.00

Weights are generally the manufacturer's stated weights in grams.  The notable exception is the weight of the titanium version of the Jetboil Sol.  The Jetboil website has "spin doctored" the numbers to make the titanium version appear lighter.  My number is based on an "apples to apples" comparison.   The weight of individual stoves will vary.  Ounces are a calculated figure based on a conversion factor of 28.3495.  Stoves are sorted in order of weight with the lightest stove first.  Note that all of the 1.0 L capacity stoves are within about an ounce of each other in terms of weight.  The spread is 32 grams from the lightest 1.0 L stove to the heaviest.

UPDATE, 7 January 2015:  I've received a note from MSR stating that production units are coming in heavier than the prototype units that the weights were originally calculated from.  MSR gave me a range.  Basically the unit I received is about in the middle of that range.  A weight just over 16 ounces should be about the weight of a unit that you would receive should you purchase one.  I might add that MSR was a bit chagrined about the miscalculation of the weights since they try to be transparent about such things.  I don't yet have an exact number for the revised stated weight, but it should be about 460 grams/16.2 ounces.  A bit disappointing actually.

Note:  My information is that Jetboil is discontinuing their Sol line of stoves (both types).

Size comparisons.
L to R:  MSR Reactor (1.0 L), MSR Windburner (1.0 L), Original Jetboil PCS (1.0 L), Jetboil Al Sol (0.8 L).

Appendix III  – Lighting the Stove in Windy Conditions
I've gotten a lot of questions about how easy (or not) the Windburner is to light in windy conditions.  Here are two videos of me lighting the stove with a fire steel in the same spot as the videos in the main part off this post were made.  These two videos were shot just before the other videos. It was definitely more difficult to light than in still air, but I had no trouble lighting the stove or keeping it lit long enough to get the pot on.  In still air, I can light the stove typically on the first strike.  In windy conditions, I found that it might take several strikes.  The type of fire steel that you're using may affect your results.  In these videos, I am using a Scout firesteel from Light My Fire.

The Jetboil Joule – Preview

I've been loaned a Jetboil Joule for the purposes of conducting a review.  I haven't started the review process just yet (I'm still working on the new MSR Windboiler), but I thought I'd post some photos and make a few remarks.

The Jetboil Joule is a powerhouse of a stove, designed for snow melting and cold weather.  It's an inverted canister stove which gives it a 20 Fahrenheit degree cold weather advantage over regular upright canister stoves. If you're not familiar with how and why an inverted canister stove confers a cold weather advantage on the user, please read my article in Seattle Backpackers Magazine, Stoves for Cold Weather II.

The Jetboil Line Up
So, first, how does the Jetboil Joule compare size wise to other Jetboils?

Jetboil stoves L to R:   Joule, Sumo, PCS (the original Jetboil), and Sol

The Joule is quite frankly massive.  It's a much bigger backpacking stove set up than any I can think of except perhaps a two burner rig such as the Coleman Xpedition, but even the Coleman Xpedition doesn't take up as much space in one's pack.

It's fairly heavy too at 28 oz/790 g.  That's over three quarters of a kilogram, which is fairly heavy for a stove, even an integrated stove system like the Joule.

But that weight and size may well be worth it if you've got some serious snow melting to do.  It's very clearly targeting mountaineers and serious cold weather travelers.

The Competition
How does the Joule compare to the competition?  Well, the only other integrated canister stove system that has comparable capacity is the 2.5 L version of the MSR Reactor.

The Jetboil Joule, left, and the 2.5 L MSR Reactor, right.

Also of note is the height of the stove when set up.  Here is the Joule, again alongside the 2.5 L MSR Reactor.

The Jetboil Joule, left, and the 2.5 L MSR Reactor, right.

The Jetboil Joule is as you can see, a fairly tall set up.  I will address system stability in my review.

Well, that's all for today; just a quick preview of the Jetboil Joule.  More to follow.

HJ

Lighting the Windburner

The new Windburner stove from MSR does not come with a built-in piezoelectric ignition.  It works fine to light the stove with a match or butane lighter, but it's always nice to know what your options are.  So, I thought I'd try a couple of quick lighting experiments.

UPDATE 27 November 2014:  I've added two videos that demonstrate lighting the Windburner with a firesteel in windy conditions.  See my Wind Testing post.

1.  Firesteel
First, I tried a firesteel.

A firesteel from Light My Fire

If you're not familiar with a firesteel, they're a fairly simple means of lighting things.  You take the steel striker, which is the silvery object on the left in my hand in the above photo, and scrape it rapidly and with force along the firesteel which is the object with the red base in my hand.  A shower of sparks results.  Now, sparks will light some things but not others.  For example, good luck lighting just a stick alone with a firesteel.  But try a firesteel on something fluffy and airy like a spread out cotton ball or dryer lint, and it will work just fine.

OK, so what about lighting stoves?  Well, it works well on some, but it's a bit harder on others.  The trick usually is to strike from directly above.  I tried it on the new Windburner, and...

The rim around the Windburner's burner and the wide head are ideal for lighting with a firesteel.

And it's perfect.  I mean it works really, really well.  It can be a trick to light some stoves with a firesteel, but the Windburner makes it look easy.  The rim around the Windburner appears to contain and concentrate the heavier-than-air fuel gasses.  The burner head of the Windburner is nice and wide and catches all the sparks.  I tried lighting the Windburner several times with a couple of different firesteels, and I got the stove to light on the first try every time.   That's pretty good; many stoves take multiple tries before they'll light with a firesteel.  Basically, a firesteel is eminently practical with a Windburner.

The MSR Windburner in operation

2.  Hand held Piezoelectric
Next, I thought I'd try a handheld piezoelectric ignition.

Hand held piezoelectric ignitions from Kovea (top) and MSR (bottom)

I tried varying the gas flow and placing the igniters in different places on the burner head, all to no avail.  Bottom line:  It just didn't work.


So, nothing earth shattering here, but it's nice to know what your options are.  I know many people like having a firesteel along, so it's nice to know that a fire steel works really, really well on a Windburner.

There you have it.  All in a day's work here at Adventures in Stoving.

Thank you for joining me,

HJ

MSR Windburner Posts

• "First Look" Report
• Trail Report #1
• Hanging Kit I
• Lighting the Windburner
• Wind Testing
• Coffee Press
• Hanging Kit II
• MSR Windburner – Three Things to Note
• Cooking Ability
• Final, Completed Review

Disclosures
The item reviewed here was provided to me at no charge for the purposes of this review.  I am under no obligation to review this or any other item.  I am not compensated for my reviews in any fashion other than in some cases I am permitted to keep the item reviewed.  Given that I have well over a 100 backpacking stoves, a free stove frankly isn't going to buy anyone a good review.  Stove companies must measure up if they want a decent review here.  I am an amatuer stove blogger; I make my living elsewhere, in the IT field.  I fit blogging in as time permits.  Inasmuch as my income is derived elsewhere, monetary issues do not influence the reviews on this blog.  Yes, I do have advertisements on the blog.  I typically derive about $1.00 USD per day from the advertisements (last I checked).  This is a mere pittance and does not influence my reviews in the slightest.  Revenue from the advertisements goes toward hosting fees, stove fuel, and the like.  The blog is self supporting in that sense, and my wife is quite happy that I'm not using the family's income to run the blog, particularly given how tough the economy is these days.

MSR Windburner – Hanging Kit I

Several people have asked me if the MSR Windboiler will work with a hanging kit.  Yes, it will.   MSR sells a hanging kit specifically designed for the Windboiler.  The Windboiler's hanging kit wasn't available when I got my stove, but I thought I'd try a hanging kit intended for the Reactor.  It worked well.  If one already has the Reactor hanging kit, I'm not sure that you'd need to buy a Windboiler hanging kit although I'm sure it would be a better fit.

UPDATE 13 November 2014:  I spoke with someone at MSR.  MSR doesn't recommend using the Reactor hanging kit with the Windboiler.  Because the center of gravity will be quite high, they believe that there's a chance that the stove could invert.  I hope to get a Windboiler hanging kit when they become available and report on the differences.

UPDATE 27 November 2014:  I have now got the proper hanging kit.  See: Hanging Kit II

I've posted a photo below.  Obviously it's not a "big wall" climbing situation, but you get the idea. The point is that it works.

The new MSR Windboiler, suspended via a hanging kit.

Now, the Reactor's burner is wider at the base than the Windboiler's.  There's a little bit of clumsiness where the "elbows" fitted onto the cables come around the base of the Windboiler, but it really doesn't hurt anything.

The "elbows" on a Reactor hanging kit stick out a bit on a Windboiler.  It looks a bit odd, but it works just fine.

The pot which locks to the burner is extremely secure when used with a hanging kit.

There you have it:  A very brief report.  The Windboiler with a hanging kit:  It works.

I thank you for joining me,

HJ

MSR Windboiler Posts

• "First Look" Report
• Trail Report #1
• Hanging Kit I
• Lighting the Windboiler
• Wind Testing
• Coffee Press
• Hanging Kit II
• MSR Windboiler – Three Things to Note
• Cooking Ability
• Final, Completed Review

Disclosures
The item reviewed here was provided to me at no charge for the purposes of this review.  I am under no obligation to review this or any other item.  I am not compensated for my reviews in any fashion other than in some cases I am permitted to keep the item reviewed.  Given that I have well over a 100 backpacking stoves, a free stove frankly isn't going to buy anyone a good review.  Stove companies must measure up if they want a decent review here.  I am an amatuer stove blogger; I make my living elsewhere, in the IT field.  I fit blogging in as time permits.  Inasmuch as my income is derived elsewhere, monetary issues do not influence the reviews on this blog.  Yes, I do have advertisements on the blog.  I typically derive about $1.00 USD per day from the advertisements (last I checked).  This is a mere pittance and does not influence my reviews in the slightest.  Revenue from the advertisements goes toward hosting fees, stove fuel, and the like.  The blog is self supporting in that sense, and my wife is quite happy that I'm not using the family's income to run the blog, particularly given how tough the economy is these days.

The MSR Windburner – Trail Report #1

I took the new MSR Windburner out for some further testing.  I'm not quite ready to write the final review just yet, but I've got a pretty good sense of the stove now.  This post is what I call a "Trail Report".  I take the stove out on the trail and I report how well it did or did not do.

MSR Windburner Posts

• "First Look" Report
• Trail Report #1
• Hanging Kit I
• Lighting the Windburner
• Wind Testing
• Coffee Press
• Hanging Kit II
• MSR Windburner – Three Things to Note
• Cooking Ability
• Final, Completed Review

So, further testing.  Our destination for testing is Mt. Williamson (8248'/2514m) in the San Gabriel Mountains.

Mt. Williamson (8248'/2514m), west face.

The summit of Mt. Williamson is exposed and typically fairly windy, perfect for testing a stove that claims to have good wind resistance.

View from the summit of Mt. Williamson looking out into the Mojave Desert. 

It was windy, but it wasn't quite as windy as I had hoped.  Still, I was able to get some good testing in.

Wind Resistance
First:  Wind resistance.  The stove did very well on the exposed summit of Mt. Williamson.  There were no problems when wind gusts would pick up.  I got a boil of 500 ml of water in approximately 2:10.  The water temperature was approximately 60F/15C.

The new MSR Windburner on the summit of Mt. Williamson

Heat Indicator Testing
The Windburner comes with a "heat indicator," a wire that is designed to glow redly quickly so that one knows that the burner is on and hot.  I wanted to check the functioning of the indicator.  Indeed, the heat indicator does glow quickly red, well before the rest of the burner is fully red.

The MSR Windburner's Heat Indicator wire glows a bright red.

The indicator wire was a little harder to see once the burner fully warmed up, but by then of course, one hardly needed an indicator wire to tell that the burner is on.

The Windburner's burner glows red.

Pot Stability
Naturally, I wanted to test pot stability.  The Windburner is a fairly tall stove, but it's actually pretty stable.  Here's a photo of my five year old daughter stirring the pot as we make lunch.  No problems with the stove being "tippy."  Now notice:  I do not have the canister stand on.  No issues with stability.  Note that I'm using a 227g sized canister here.  I do recommend the canister stand be used since it's so small and light, but if for some reason you didn't want to use it, things are reasonably stable with a 227g canister.  I think you'd be well advised to always use the canister legs with a smaller canister.

The Adventures in Stoving spokesmodel, demonstrating how stable the unit is.

The Windburner with Children
I got a question recently about whether or not the Windburner could be staked down for extra stability around children.  I had to admit that I didn't know.  So I thought I'd try it out.

The canister stand of the Windburner doesn't have any loops or holes that one could run a stake through, but if you turn the canister over, you'll notice that there's a fair amount of clearance between the bottom of the canister and the canister stand.

There is a gap between the canister stand and the bottom of the canister.

Now, say you had a pair of "shepard's hook" type stakes.

Two titanium shepard's hook type stakes.

All you'd have to do is loop the end of the hook over the triangular portion of the canister stand.

The Windburner's canister stand, staked down.

Now, I said there was some clearance under there, but is it enough to still fit on the canister?  Turns out there is.

A canister atop the staked down canister stand.

Here, I used two stakes.  It was reasonably secure.  It would probably be even more secure with three stakes.  Notice that I'm using a 227g sized canister.  With a smaller canister, there might not be enough clearance underneath the canister, but in that case, one could just loop the hook over the outer set of notches on the canister stand.

Handle Functionality
One of things I really like about the Windburner is that the handle can actually be used as a handle.  I found that I had good control and that the handle wasn't at all floppy.  There was no side to side movement.  Pouring was very steady.  Note in the photo below that I picked up the entire unit, including the gas canister.  No problem.  Plenty of leverage.

Pouring using the Windburner's excellent handle.
Photo credit: Hikin' Joyce (my daughter)

Heat Control and Simmering Ability
The Windburner's burner is substantially different than it's predecessor, the Reactor.  The Windburner's heat output is far more controllable.  But just how controllable?  Will it go down far enough to really simmer?

Before I answer that question, let me define what I mean by simmer.  A true simmer is the ability to hold the heat at a level such that the water inside the pot is at a very low boil.  In other words, a true simmer is just barely boiling.  Here's what a low boil might look like, in the photo below.  Note that there are just a few small bubbles.  The pot is not at a roiling boil.

An example of a very low boil.

I ran a series of tests where I would bring the water up to a full roiling boil, and then turn down the heat.  As I turned down the heat, I noticed that the stove would start to "growl".  As I turned down the heat further, the growling would start to pulse.  At very low heat, the stove would make a bit of a sputtering sound and then go out.  The flame would always go out before I could get to a level where the stove would simmer.  This was true atop breezy Mt. Williamson, and this was true in still air tests on my back patio.

UPDATE 29 November 2014:  I showed MSR some photos of my burner in operation.  They responded by saying that my burner didn't look right and that it certainly shouldn't burn for a while and then suddenly go out (as I reported above).  They shipped me a new burner.  I was quite pleased that they would ship me a new burner.  The new burner is quite stable on low.



So, how did I get the photo above of a very low boil?  Well, I took the pot off the stove for a minute and turned down the heat as far as I could.  I put the pot back on, and, voila, I got a low boil.  But I couldn't hold it at a low boil.  The boil's intensity would gradually increase until it would reach what I would describe as a moderate boil.  If one truly needed a very low simmer, taking the pot on and off a few times would do the trick, but I could not get a true simmer using the valve adjustment alone.

So, given the really good heat control that one does have on a Windburner, am I just being picky?  Well, possibly, but if one uses the true definition of simmer, the Windburner isn't quite there.  Flame control is good.  Flame control is a dramatic improvement over the Reactor.  But simmer?  No, not if you use a strict definition.

Size
I want to give people an idea of the Windburner's size, so here are some photos that will hopefully give you a good sense of the Windburner's size.  The Windburner is just a bit shorter, perhaps 2 cm, than a one liter Nalgene bottle.

A Windburner, left, next to a one liter Nalgene bottle.

The Windburner is just a bit wider than a one liter Nalgene bottle.

A one liter Nalgene bottle fits inside a Windburner pot.

The Windburner's Cup/Bowl
As I mentioned in my First Look report, the Windburner's cup/bowl is very functional.  My daughter likes that it holds a nice cup of hot cocoa.

Hot cocoa in a Windburner's cup.

My wife and I like that the hot cocoa doesn't go down my daughter's shirt.

The Windburner's lid fits on the cup and helps prevent spills

I'm somewhat humorously using my daughter here, but I'm illustrating a real point:  The lid fits, fits well, and minimizes spills.  I think this could be a really handy feature for when one needs to wear mittens or gloves.

Do note that the cup is rather hot when filled with boiling water.  One needs to let it sit a bit or use a bandana or something to hold the cup.

The Cozy 
I noticed that the cup/bowl on the Windburner can be really difficult to remove if it slides too far up the sides of the Windburner's pot.  I asked MSR about this.  They replied that the cozy is intended to "lock" into place and prevent the cup/bowl from going up too far.  Mine doesn't lock, I informed them.   They said that they were aware of a problem with an early production run of the stoves and that they would send out a replacement cozy to anyone who requested one.  Good to know.

To remove the cozy, simply lift up on the tab underneath the handle as shown below and slide the cozy down, off the pot.

Lifting the tab shown here allows one to remove the pot cozy.

Then slide the new cozy onto the pot and let it lock onto the bracket welded to the side of the pot.

To put on a new cozy:
Aline the handle on the bracket shown here and slide the cozy up until it engages with the bracket.

Since I had to take the cozy off anyway, I took a look at it.  It's a very different structure than the neoprene cozy I've seen on other pots.

The MSR Windburner's pot cozy.  Note plastic latticework.

The cozy does work in terms of insulating the pot from one's hands, but I found it uncomfortably hot to hold the pot by the cozy.  The Windburner's handle is a good one, and I recommend that you just use the handle.

While I had the cozy off, I also weighed it.  I was a bit surprised to see that the cozy and handle assembly weighed 49 g/1.7 oz, which struck me as slightly heavy.  The cozy on my Jetboil Sol weighs 24g by comparison (note that the Jetboil Sol has a smaller pot).  I believe the weight is a sort of by product of having a handle that can actually be used as a handle.  A simple neoprene cozy just wouldn't support a decent handle.  If one were truly concerned about weight, one could remove the cozy and leave it at home.  Be sure to bring a bandana or hot pad with which to grip the pot if you remove the cozy and handle.

The Windburner's pot, sans cozy.

So, there you have it, Trail Report #1 and a few more observations concerning the Windburner.

I thank you for joining me,

HJ

The author atop peak 8140+ (near Mt. Williamson).
Photo credit:  Hikin' Joyce (my daughter)

Disclosures
The item reviewed here was provided to me at no charge for the purposes of this review.  I am under no obligation to review this or any other item.  I am not compensated for my reviews in any fashion other than in some cases I am permitted to keep the item reviewed.  Given that I have well over a 100 backpacking stoves, a free stove frankly isn't going to buy anyone a good review.  Stove companies must measure up if they want a decent review here.  I am an amatuer stove blogger; I make my living elsewhere, in the IT field.  I fit blogging in as time permits.  Inasmuch as my income is derived elsewhere, monetary issues do not influence the reviews on this blog.  Yes, I do have advertisements on the blog.  I typically derive about $1.00 USD per day from the advertisements (last I checked).  This is a mere pittance and does not influence my reviews in the slightest.  Revenue from the advertisements goes toward hosting fees, stove fuel, and the like.  The blog is self supporting in that sense, and my wife is quite happy that I'm not using the family's income to run the blog, particularly given how tough the economy is these days.