I bought this for my extended solo camping snowshoeing photography trips, which I’m on now in Kosciuszko National Park in Australia (11 days in to a 4-6 week trip)… I already have the small MSR Windburner system but thought I’d try this one out. Unfortunately it doesn’t have the same base with all the fins that transfer the heat to through to the base of the pot. It’s just a standard pot with a round bracket that sits on the round stove… Even though I was in my vestibule with no wind getting in, using the MSR Heat Exchanger and an MSR wind shield (neither came with the MSR Group Stove) it used so much gas (3-4 times as much for cooking my pasta dinner or melting snow) I had to stop using it and use my backup system of an MSR Titan kettle and Kovea Titan stove ... MoreI bought this for my extended solo camping snowshoeing photography trips, which I’m on now in Kosciuszko National Park in Australia (11 days in to a 4-6 week trip)… I already have the small MSR Windburner system but thought I’d try this one out. Unfortunately it doesn’t have the same base with all the fins that transfer the heat to through to the base of the pot. It’s just a standard pot with a round bracket that sits on the round stove… Even though I was in my vestibule with no wind getting in, using the MSR Heat Exchanger and an MSR wind shield (neither came with the MSR Group Stove) it used so much gas (3-4 times as much for cooking my pasta dinner or melting snow) I had to stop using it and use my backup system of an MSR Titan kettle and Kovea Titan stove otherwise I wouldn’t have any gas left, and I always bring extra. I wouldn’t have bought this if I had known what I know now. ☹️

Awsome stove system for adventures

I recently took the MSR Windburner Combo system on a week-long bike tour along the central coast of California. After hours of research I decided that the Windburner Combo fit the criteria I was looking for, large enough to cook for multiple riders and easy to use in the winds along the coastline. This stove not only met but it exceeded my expectations, as MSR usually does. At first I thought that the pot was a little big for what I wanted, but once I started to pack I found I could fit the stove, my bowl, a spork, lighter, coffee, and my reusable food wraps in the pot this saved space and kept the kitchen gear organized. This stove has great temperature control, I was able to boil quickly as well as keep food at a low simmer all without having to worry about the ... MoreI recently took the MSR Windburner Combo system on a week-long bike tour along the central coast of California. After hours of research I decided that the Windburner Combo fit the criteria I was looking for, large enough to cook for multiple riders and easy to use in the winds along the coastline. This stove not only met but it exceeded my expectations, as MSR usually does. At first I thought that the pot was a little big for what I wanted, but once I started to pack I found I could fit the stove, my bowl, a spork, lighter, coffee, and my reusable food wraps in the pot this saved space and kept the kitchen gear organized. This stove has great temperature control, I was able to boil quickly as well as keep food at a low simmer all without having to worry about the stove blowing out. Thanks to the radiant heater being fully enclosed we were able to easily cook on the beach or on the windy hillsides overlooking the ocean. The rings on the bottom of both the pot and skillet are meant to hold heat on the bottom of the cookware, but I also found that your pot or pan will always be centered on the burner which keeps even heat over the pans and adds lots of stability this is great for people who like to do more cooking while on their adventures! The ceramic coating makes the cleanup a breeze which is great after a long day of riding. The pot lid is also worth mentioning, being made from aluminum it cools quickly so you don't have to worry about it being too hot for too long, also speaking of hot lids the lid has a built-in strainer with a lid latch so you don't have to hold that hot lid while straining your pastas. I also found that if you don't have a convenient place to set your lid while cooking you can attach it to the handle to keep it off the ground and out of the way. The addition of the skillet was very nice it gave us multiple ways to cook and make more than one type of food at a time.

Big improvement

Big improvement over model that mounts to top of fuel canister. This model is still impervious to wind but will actually simmer when used with the 2.5L pot. The 1L and 1.8L pots still fit if all you need is to boil water quickly.

Bomber stove

This system does it all. The best part is wind efficiency. I also have the Reactor, but like that you can control the heat. Great piece of gear.

Delivers

Just used for a week straight. Wind performance as expected is amazing. Pot size is perfect for 2 very, very hungry people or 2 and a kid. The pot coating is impressive. It sautees veggies wonderfully. I'd cook those, transfer to a bowl, then finish cooking in the main pot. Did not miss having the skillet really. One 8oz canister lasted 5 days, could go way longer if just doing freeze dried.

Finally Converted and glad I did.

With Covid messing up the original plans for the summer, it seemed like a good year to do a couple of longer hikes that have been on our list. 9 days on the GDT in Aug and 10 days on a long loop in Banff (RedDeer/Clearwater loop).On the early season shakedown trips lost confidence in the firefly and decided to go with this system.I really liked it. We experience an alpine blizzard and a couple of very cold evenings where I brought the unit into the tent to keep the canister warm. The convenience and speed of the unit was really great when getting back in the tent was the only thought on a persons mind.Boiling time in horizontal snow/sleet was still almost as fast as normal.A couple days later I was frying falafel in the pot (I have the pan but did not bring ... MoreWith Covid messing up the original plans for the summer, it seemed like a good year to do a couple of longer hikes that have been on our list. 9 days on the GDT in Aug and 10 days on a long loop in Banff (RedDeer/Clearwater loop).On the early season shakedown trips lost confidence in the firefly and decided to go with this system.I really liked it. We experience an alpine blizzard and a couple of very cold evenings where I brought the unit into the tent to keep the canister warm. The convenience and speed of the unit was really great when getting back in the tent was the only thought on a persons mind.Boiling time in horizontal snow/sleet was still almost as fast as normal.A couple days later I was frying falafel in the pot (I have the pan but did not bring it) and found the heat distribution to be pretty good for this type of application.I'll still be taking the old liquid fueled MSR international on trips where being able to top up a bottle with anything combustible is key, but this will be my goto hiking stove for some time to come.

Good combination

I thought long and hard and decided to go with this with an additional 1.0 pot for solo trips. In long term I could add the skillet and stock pot option. The structure for 1.0 pots and 2.5 pot are different - 2.5 pot heat exchanger is basically a ring that keeps the pot apart from the burner unit and does not have the same closure with the integrated cup style pots. Not sure if this provides equal wind protection but we will see. Does any one know the difference?

Great in hand

Great choice. Coating is perfect and cooks perfectly. First impression screams quality and it was fun lighting it up the first time. Works well for a few people and better option then tiny pocket rocket for everything except maybe scorching water. Very packable and happy with it.

Great stove system!

This stove system is amazing! I used it in Mt Baker, Washington and had windy conditions during our trip. The stove just worked amazing and was very easy to setup/use. Would definitely recommnend it

Works well - directions stink

I used this recently for the first time. Had a bit of trouble figuring out how to use it though, the directions sucked. I felt like it was leaking a lot of gas whenever I tried to remove the canister. I prob just need to watch a YouTube video and figure it out :)