MSR WindBurner Camp Stove Review
An in-depth review of an integrated camp stove that won’t let you down, come wind, rain, or snow
September 18th, 2025
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Our verdict
The MSR WindBurner Personal and WindBurner Duo are dynamic, windproof camp stoves that perform extremely well in high-alpine environments when you need a reliable stove system. We tested both the Solo and the Duo, but found we preferred the Duo, which is perfect for situations when you’re in charge of group cooking and want a quick system that is windproof and simple to use.
Given its 1.8-liter capacity and modular, integrated pot design, the WindBurner Duo was a clear choice for our title of Best Backpacking Stove for Groups. We tested the Duo for five years, over hundreds of miles of backpacking and hiking, including backcountry guides in Southeast Alaska. We even tested the WindBurner Duo alongside other top rated and reviewed stoves, like the Soto Windmaster and the Jetboil Flash.
This is not the best option for most ultralight backpackers. Rather, its extra price, bulk, and weight make it best for situations where you really need a stove of this caliber—when you’re in charge of scouts, a group of friends you’re taking outdoors, clients you’re guiding, or taking family or friends for an overnight trip.
MSR WindBurner Camp Stove
Personal
Duo
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MSR WindBurner Specifications
Price: $200 (Personal), $230 (Duo)
Weight: 15.5 oz (Personal), 21.1 ounces (Duo)
Dimensions: 4.5 x 8 (Personal), 5 x 8 inches (Duo)
Liquid Capacity: 1 liter (Personal), 1.8 liters (Duo)
Integrated pot: Yes
Ignitor: Yes
Fuel type: Canister
BTU: 7000
Fuel source: Isobutane-propane
Fuel efficiency: 9 L boiled per 100 g fuel canister (Personal), 7.9 L boiled per 100 g fuel canister (Duo)
Average boil time (1L): 4 minutes 30 seconds
Comparison table
| BACKPACKING STOVE | WEIGHT (OZ) | INTEGRATED POT? | FUEL TYPE | BOIL TIME (1L) | SIMMER? | AUTO IGNITION? | PRESSURE REGULATOR? | FUEL EFFICIENCY BOILS PER 100G FUEL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSR WindBurner Duo | 21.1 | Yes | Canister | 4 min 30 sec | Marginal | No | Yes | 7.9 L |
| MSR WindBurner Personal | 15.5 | Yes | Canister | 4 min 30 sec | Marginal | No | Yes | 9 L |
| Jetboil Flash 1.0 L | 13.1 | Yes | Canister | 4 min | No | Yes | No | 10 L |
| Jetboil MiniMo | 14.0 | Yes | Canister | 4 min 30 sec | Yes | Yes | Yes | 12 L |
| MSR Switch Stove | 13.8 | Yes | Canister | 5 min | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.5 L |
Best for
Backcountry cooking in more rugged or wintery terrain
Mountaineers, backcountry guides, and those who go to high altitudes or winter camp in groups or pairs often
Those seeking an integrated, modular pot system
What we liked
Extreme windproofness
Works well in cold conditions
Biggest capacity integrated stove we’ve found
Modular design allows for group and solo use without additional equipment
What could be better
Weight
Bulky to pack
Slightly slower boil compared to other stoves
The Personal doesn’t have a remote canister with wire attaching
How we tested
We tested the MSR WindBurner in various backpacking, guiding, and camping scenarios, from cooking for two to group cooking. Over the course of five years, and over thousands of miles, we’ve used the MSR WindBurner Duo in cold and windy landscapes, like guiding in Big Sur in a February downpour, and a winter group hike in Central Oregon. One tester even relied on it for backcountry guiding in Southeast Alaska.
While testing, we boiled water to see how fast it could perform, and even melted snow for winter camping and water supply.
When searching for the Best Backpacking Stoves, we evaluated customer reviews from REI, Evo, Backcountry, Moosejaw, and Amazon, and identified the most popular stoves at each of those retailers, the WindBurner Duo being one of them. We then tested and compared the Windburner alongside other top rated backpacking stoves, and gave the Windburner Duo the title of Best Group Stove.
Performance in the Field
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The WindBurner is a very intuitive system. Unlike the other stoves we’ve tested, the WindBurner is a remote canister stove, meaning the fuel canister is connected to the stove via tube. To set up, unfold the legs, plop the stove on the burner, and screw the canister into the end of the satellite piping system. It’s that simple.
The burner where you ignite the stove lights easily, and the small lip around the burner helps with lighting in windy situations. The large burner heats quickly and works, even when the wind rips and the snow is falling. A pressure regulator also helps this stove to perform well at high altitudes.
While guiding in Big Sur in the pouring rain in February, one tester kept the WindBurner constantly going to supply folks with morale-boosting hot tea and miso soup. The WindBurner ran all night long with ease, supplying hot water faster than individual backpacking stoves and creating a sense of together-ness as they suffered through the rainy evening together.
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Another huge advantage of the WindBurner 1.8 L is its modularity. You can use the same stove base for the 1 L WindBurner cooking pot. The 1 L cooking pot plops onto the WindBurner’s base just as well as the giant 1.8 L pot. This means you can convert your group system to a solo or couple’s system without having to buy a whole new integrated canister system. The 1L WindBurner cookpot is 2/3rds the price of all the least expensive integrated systems we considered, so choosing the 1L accessory pot offers some cost savings if you’re ok with the weight.
There are a few things to quibble about regarding its design. The WindBurner is bulky and heavy. It’s hard to find a spot for the 1.8L system to fit in a backpacking backpack. In addition, we don’t like that the handle is made of fabric. It’s hard to get a gloved hand into the right spot when doing it in the dark.
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The WindBurner Duo is a remote canister stove, which gives it better stability over stoves with a TK design, like the TK. The burner system is compatible with the integrated pot, allowing it to balance perfectly on the stove, rather than sit precariously like other canister systems. We found that the pot on the WindBurner Duo didn’t budge while cooking, even with some minor bumping from our testers.
The fuel piping system cuts down on the system’s height (it’s already the tallest we reviewed) and makes it even more stable. While some customer reviews complained that the pot doesn’t screw in securely to the base, we liked that feature. It made it much easier than the Jetboil MiniMo to handle while hot (though it still must be done with care).
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Maybe more so than wind, we’ve tested the MSR WindBurner Duo in snowy weather and pouring rain. We tested the Windburner Duo during a winter group hike in Central Oregon where we stopped trail-side to make everyone hot coffee. It made the trip even more delightful and pumped out large quantities of water quickly so no one had to wait their turn to get served.
It seems obvious why our testers who guide in Alaska use the WindBurner Duo in the backcountry as a part of their Essential Winter Camping Gear. This stove is absolutely worth it if you’re going to be out in the elements needing hot water and food—it won’t let you down.
Features
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The 1.8-liter pot not only sits perfectly atop the WindBurner’s enclosed burner, but it also nests all the other cooking components. An 8-oz fuel canister (sold separately), stove legs, and fuel hose fit inside the pot, while the 0.85-liter bowl fits on the bottom, and the BPA-free drinking/straining lid keeps everything inside.
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The MSR WindBurner Duo’s enclosed burner allows for cooking in windy conditions. It also uses a radiant burner, which means the burner itself is made from porous material that distributes fuel and houses the flame, that produces both convective and radiant heat. This allows for more control of the airflow and consistent distribution of heat.
The pressure regulator attached to the fuel hose adds to the WindBurner Duo’s abilities to perform in inclement weather, allowing users to adjust the cooking temperature without wasting fuel.
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The MSR claims the WindBurner Duo can boil a liter of water in 4.5 minutes. However, without wind, it’s one of the slower burners (fuel efficiency often means slower boils). Oddly, however, in our personal tests it always seemed to burn faster than the MSR PocketRocket.
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The MSR WindBurner can boil 18 liters of water per 227 gram canister of fuel, or 2.3 liters of water per 1 oz of fuel. It’s not the most fuel efficient, but it’s also not the worst.
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A selling point of the WindBurner Duo is its compatibility to other MSR products that are actually really useful, like the WindBurner Ceramic Skillet, the Coffee Press Kit, and Stock Pot. For those cooking for groups, these additional items can be super helpful for serving up a complete meal (including gourmet coffee!).
MSR WindBurner Duo vs. MSR Reactor
Built around the same technology as the award-winning MSR Reactor, the WindBurner shares many similarities with that designed-for-mountaineers stove. The windproof burners on the two stoves are similar, but the WindBurner is designed to use fuel more efficiently with several features that make it more tailored to ease-of-use than the utilitarian Reactor. It’s also significantly less expensive than the Reactor.
As you can imagine from its name, the WindBurner’s major perk is that it can still function in high winds. By reducing the effect of wind, it burns more efficiently and boils faster.
However, the WindBurner Duo is a remote canister stove, which gives it better stability over the Reactor. (Note that the WindBurner Personal doesn’t have the remote canister, so isn’t quite as stable.)
The WindBurner also has an insulated sleeve and handle. Although these are minor additions, they give it a much more user-friendly design than the Reactor.
The WindBurner Duo takes everything we like about the Reactor and makes it more user-friendly for those in charge of groups who are cold, hungry, and need a morale boost in the form of hot food.
When compared to the MSR WindBurner Duo, the Personal falls flat for us. It doesn’t have the remote canister and is essentially a heavy Jetboil with maybe a little more wind protection.
MSR WhisperLite vs. MSR WindBurner Duo
We prefer the MSR Windburner Duo to the MSR WhisperLite for a group stove because of its speed of cooking and ease of use. However, if you plan gourmet cooking, like onions or steaks, go with the Whisperlite.
Which stove you use for your group depends on how you intend to use the stove. Will you be doing any gourmet cooking? How quickly do you need hot water? Where are you guiding?
The WindBurner can’t be used as a gourmet cooking system. The WindBurner also doesn’t have as much temperature control as the WhisperLite. If you want to sauté, go with the WhisperLite.
The WhisperLite is also a better option if you are guiding somewhere where fuel canisters may be difficult to find. The WhisperLite International runs on liquid fuel, including white gas, kerosene, and even unleaded gasoline. Liquid fuel stoves require you to reuse and refill the same fuel bottle, cutting down drastically on waste compared to pressurized fuel canisters. An empty fuel bottle also weighs considerably less than an empty isobutane canister. Notably, a liquid fuel stove is usually much easier to repair in the field than a canister stove. Learn more about liquid fuel and other fuel types in our Best Backpacking Stoves guide.
Still, we think for most group trips the WindBurner will serve you better. When you need hot water for a big group in inclement weather, the WindBurner can do that job more quickly. In contrast, the WhisperLite requires priming liquid gas before use, which has a steep (and potentially explosive) learning curve. The Windburner can be used much more safely and as the name suggests, it’s going to be a lot faster to boil time on a windy day.
Who should buy this
Buy if you frequently go backpacking or camping in climates where there is wind, rain, or snow, and are cooking for at least one other person.
Skip if you don’t see yourself needing the windproof factor very much, and would like a less expensive and/or lighter stove.
Where to buy
The MSR WindBurner Duo stove system is a popular gear item, so you have options when it comes to retailers. Here are some of the pros of the retailers.
REI
Pros: 100% satisfaction policy for 1 year; 10% dividend for members.
Backcountry
Pros: Frequent sales for Expedition Perks members (free to join), fast shipping, Gearhead chat customer service is excellent
Amazon
Pros: Free 2-day shipping with Amazon Prime membership
Similar products
Soto Windmaster Stove With 4 Flex
Weight: 2.3 ounces
Push start integrated ignitor button: No
Pressure regulator: Yes
Integrated pot: No
Fuel type: Canister
Fuel source: Isobutane-propane
Fuel efficiency: 8.5 L boiled per 100 g fuel canister
BTUS: 11,000 BTU
Average boil time (1L): 4 minutes 2 seconds (1 L)
What we liked: Extreme windproofness, fast boil, igniter that never dies, modularity allows for use on solo pots or big group group pots, cooks hotter and faster than other stoves, cooks the hottest of all the stoves at 11,000 BTUs
What we didn’t like: Not as fuel efficient as some stoves, not as intuitive to use
The Soto WindMaster Stove with 4 Flex won our Best Overall Backpacking Stove for good reason—it is the lightest, most versatile, most wind-resistant stove we tested, and widely available at a reasonable price. We’ve thru-hiked thousands of miles with this stove and it’s the one we reach for the most.
However, this is a canister-style stove, which means that it lacks advantages of the wind protection offered by the integrated canister system. It also won't work as well in low temperatures as the remote canister system found in the WindBurner.
If you’re looking for a lighter, less bulky stove than the WindBurner Duo for casual, solo backpacking, the Soto Windmaster is an excellent option.
Soto Windmaster Stove With 4 Flex
Weight: 13.1 ounces (includes cooking pot)
Push start integrated ignitor button: Yes
Pressure regulator: No
Integrated pot: Yes
Fuel type: Canister
Fuel source: Isobutane-propane
Fuel efficiency: 10 L boiled per 100 g fuel canister
BTU: 5200 BTU
Average boil time (1 L): 4 minutes
What we liked: Easy ignitor system, insulating cozy and handle, thermochromatic heat indicator, fits fuel canister inside, fast boil, everything you need included in initial purchase, colorful designs
What we didn’t like: Not great for cooking or simmering, price, heavier than non-integrated stoves, no pressure regulator
Like the MSR Windburner Duo, the Jetboil Flash 1.0 L comes with a pot, piezo igniter, and stove, so if you get this system, you don’t need anything else, which makes it a convenient system for those who aren’t sure what they want.
The Jetboil Flash won our Easiest to Use Backpacking Stove. It's one of the best gear innovations we've seen in recent times and a great option for an integrated stove.
However, this stove does not have a pressure regulator, which means it will not do well in cold temperatures or at altitude. It has a smaller capacity (the 1.0L capacity is actually the size of the pot). The max fill line is about 2/3rds up).
It's a good option for camping and backpacking in 3-season conditions for a solo person or couple. However, we still recommend the MSR Windburner Duo for more extreme weather conditions, bigger groups, or any cooking that is more refined than boiling water.
Jetboil Flash 1.0 L
Weight: 10.9 oz
Push start integrated ignitor button: No
Pressure regulator: N/A
Integrated pot: Yes
Fuel type: Liquid (requires weight of fuel bottle)
Fuel source: White gas, auto, kerosene, isobutane (for the International model)
Fuel efficiency: 5.1 L boiled per 100 g fuel canister
Average boil time (1 L): 3 minutes 30 seconds (white gas), 3 minutes 45 seconds (isobutane)
What we liked: International model ideal for traveling, simple, straightforward design, liquid fuel can reuse the same bottle
What we didn’t like: Heavy, not as intuitive to use as more modern stove designs
The WhisperLite is a classic backpacking stove and long favored by guides for how simple it is to fix, clean, and maintain in the field. It uses liquid fuel, which is great for international travelers since it can burn kerosene, unleaded gasoline, and white gas. We also like that liquid fuel stoves reuse the same fuel bottle, reducing the waste of pressurized fuel canisters required of the other stoves in this guide. You'll find the WhisperLite in our guide to Outdoor Gear that will Last a Lifetime.
MSR WhisperLite
Why you should trust us / About the Author
Liz Thomas has backpacked over 20,000 miles and spent at least 1,000 nights sleeping outdoors. On most of these overnight trips, she’s cooked dinner on backpacking stoves. When she wakes up in the morning in the backcountry, she boils water for some hot coffee. On chilly days, she enjoys cooking a hot lunch.
Liz is an award-winning writer and the Editor-in-Chief of Treeline Review. A former Fastest Known Time (FKT) record holder on the Appalachian Trail. She was guest editor at Backpacker Magazine, where she is currently the columnist of “Ask a Thru-hiker” and instructor of their online class, Thru-Hiking 101. Her first book, Long Trails: Mastering the Art of the Thru-hike, was the recipient of the National Outdoor Book Award for Best Instructional Book called by judges destined to become the “Bible of the Sport.” Liz has talked gear on Good Morning America (TV), in The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, Buzzfeed, The Washington Post, Men’s Journal, Women’s Health, Gizmodo, and Outside Magazine. She represented the sport of hiking at President Obama’s Great American Outdoors Initiative. You can read all of Liz’s articles on her website or Treeline Review author page.
