Reactor Stove System Backpacking Stove
5
5
25
25
Wonderful, boiled water faster then all the other stoves i have tried at 10,000ft. Super light and compact and very durable. Fuel and stove store inside pot making for easy packing. Use a small cleaning cloth to hold all moisture and keep it quiet when moving.
September 29, 2011
FAST!
This thing was designed for one purpose - boiling water, and boiling it FAST. This is not a great stove for fine cooking, as there is no way to simmer anything in it. If you want to cook pasta in it, you will constantly be lifting the pot off the stove in order to keep from boiling over even at the lowest setting possible. However, this will boil water even at high altitudes if you prefer to bring a cannister over white gas. When you think of high altitude, you think of a white gas stove. However, this will melt snow at altitude and it is highly wind resistant.
My only beef with it is that the system is heavy. If you're solo backpacking, consider a much lighter Jetboil Sol Ti.
September 15, 2011
Almost perfect.
cons. heavy. This is like the only cons I found. Hope there will be a Ti version. It can only boil. Since it is designed for high altitude. I can not blame it to much.
pros. boil water really really fast. Save gas. Great design such as the handle, the storage system.
August 30, 2011
very fast
Works great and is easy to set up. In my opinion, works better for boiling water than for actual cooking as it's a little hard to dial it in for simmering. I appreciate the ability to use a canister in cooler/higher altitude situations where I would normally switch over to a white gas stove.
As the cannister serves as the base, the setup is a bit less stable than some other stoves. It would also be nice if the stove could be secured to the burner like you can with the Jetboil.
June 30, 2011
This is a powerful weapon!
This is a powerful weapon! If you want to drink coffee in the outdoor fast, buy reactors will not regret it! Because he can in a short period of about three minutes to boil one liter of water! This is not blowing pieces, I use several reactors and other appliances to do comparison, can be said that the reactor is perfect there! Recommended buy!
June 1, 2011
Fast and Simple
Easy to use, impressive power and boil time. Great for when you need hot water fast. I have used this at altitude and in very cold weather with no issues. Others (including jet boil lovers) will be jealous. I wish it had an auto-ignitor however. The pot is big enough for it's intended purpose while the whole unit remains at a manageable weight and size.
May 26, 2011
Fast, Fast, Fast!!
Used last weekend in -16 degree wind chill conditions at 9800 feet. No problem igniting and the design is safe enough that we had our young Scouts do it. Does not have a self igniter, but given that the piezo igniter on one of other stoves did not work in the cold, I am happy to provide my own spark. Easily twice as fast as other stoves in boiling water. I was pleasantly surprised (and thankful), this was as good as advertised. 8 oz fuel canister does fit in pot.
March 22, 2011
MSR Reactor
This thing does what it claims to do: Boil water FAST. I had this stove at around 10,000 ft of elevation with big wind gusts and it boiled a liter of water in the claimed time, if not faster. It also melted snow surprisingly fast. I had read other reviews and was still surprised how well this stove works. The ONLY trouble I had was lighting it in the wind (> 10 mph). It took a few tries and some wasted gas. I recommend lighting it in a sheltered environment, place the pot on once it is lit, and then move it outside your tent. After that, no problem.
February 6, 2011
Fast and Efficient
fast boiling stove with high efficiency pot = 3 min boil.
It is very fuel efficient and is worth every penny.
I have never used a stove that boils water so fast and efficiently as this MSR Reactor.
January 11, 2011
Excellent Stove!
It is the fastest stove I have used!
When I got it, I try as soon as possible.It had boiled a pot of water within 2'20''.
The quality of it is as good as all my MSR products. I believe them.
January 1, 2011
absolutely love it.
Had it on the trail at least three times this fall and was floored, as were my backpacking companions. Unbeatable wind protection and boil speed. When weather is bearing down and light is fading, your Mountain House feasts are but moments away.
January 26, 2010
good
I bought this as a second stove for shorter/lighter trips and mountaineering.I have used Dragonfly.I find the Reactor to be a bit more efficient, but it's also more basic.The biggest drawback to the Reactor is that it is a one pot stove and practically a one stove pot. The pot will fit on a Dragonfly, but my pot I use with the Dragonfly won't fit on the Reactor.
January 20, 2010
AWESOME Stove!!!!
I bought this stove at REI the night before a winter campout. The weather ended up being 34 degrees and rainy. I was able to boil 1.5 liters of water in just over 3 minutes while others were waiting 15 minutes or longer with traditional stoves. The other advantage was that with the pot removed the reactor acts as a great hand warmer for cold weather camping. Can't wait for new attachments to come as I will be one of the first to buy.
December 21, 2009
Great stove
Just bought my MSR Reactor stove today and immediately tried it out in 30 degree weather with snow, sleet, and a slight breeze. Started up great and worked awesome! I like how you can fit the larger MSR fuel in the pot so you won't have to call two smalls one. Does seem a little heavy, but hey, if I wanted an ultra light stove I would have bought something else.
December 19, 2009
Exceptional stove!
Made camp life luxurious for 3 people. Well-made, easy to use and packed well. Makes water for tea/coffee in a minute. Perfect for dried meals and used it to boil water for drinking. So simple to set up and break down we brought it out anywhere and made drinks or food along the trail. It's like a trail microwave, but lighter :)
December 18, 2009
Very quiet and functional! Worth the investment!
I have owned a MSR Dragonfly for 11 years and decided that it was time for a new addition. When it comes to cooking, my backpacking trips mainly include freeze dried meal and hot chocolate. The Reactor is perfect for this. My Dragonfly always sounded like a jet was about to take off. The Reactor is MUCH quieter and boils water faster in my opinion (particularly if you include setup and take down into account). The pot with which the water goes into is bigger than what I would normally carry and I had my doubts. When comparing the two stoves, carrying my stove, fuel and pot in 1 container is much more convenient than the 3 separate items I had to dig around for with with Dragonfly. I will probably still use the Dragonfly when altitude is an issue but I would say that the majority of my treks can be handled by the Reactor. There are 2 things I will suggest: 1)You will want to use an additional little towel besides the one that it comes with to wrap your fuel canister so it doesn't bang against the inside of the pot and 2) I wish MSR would make a deep dish plate (or bowl since we are talking about a 5" diameter) that could fit inside the reactor pot because there is still space that needs to be maximized. MSR's Folding utensil folds small enough to fit inside as well (you could fit more than 1 if you don't like using a spork).
November 5, 2009
Terrific and versatile stove
I picked up the reactor stove maybe two weeks ago and already am in love with it. Once upon a time I thought that a gourmet stove was the only way to go (MSR Dragonfly for example), but the more camping and backpacking we do the more we come to rely of freeze dried food. This simplifies the process as you need boiled water. Well, the Reactor boils water real damn fast. I am not one to time things, but it boiled enough water to make a two person meal and have left over water for tea in the time it took me to get out my bowls, sporks, get the food packet open and clear a place to sit down and eat. It packs down really well and reduces the need for multiple bags of gear (stove, pump, fuel, support base). It's lightweight and very easy to use. In short I love it!
October 14, 2009
Leave All The Other Ones At Home!!
I have tried a few different backpacking stoves - including another MSR model - and I can truly say that the Reactor is the real deal. It is very light, holds a sufficient amount of water for most cooking tasks, and boils water very quickly. Admittedly, it is a bit larger than some other models on the market, but, on balance, the extra size (which isn't all that much) is well worth the added performance.
September 14, 2009
Best Stove System But have some deficiency
The Reactor looks like the best option in the world for melting snow. But is the few minutes of time saved worth more than twice the cost, +6oz of weight, and loss of capability of using other pots? Probably not for me. And a critical flaw IMO, the Reactor burner does not attach to the pot so it can not be suspended in an alpine tent, easily held or served while heating, etc.. also It make CO,should be very carefully.
August 26, 2009
Just what I was looking for!
I purchased this stove because of all the good reviews it received. I am not disappointed, it's compact, easy on fuel and durable. I have purchased other MSR products and have yet to be disappoited. The fast boil time is no joke!
June 26, 2009
Amazing!
The stove arrived via Fedex during a typical Colorado summer afternoon rain storm (heavy wind and rain). I ran out to the back patio with stove and pot (w/ 1 liter of water). I used the spark of my 'bic' to light the stove, set the pot on the stove, and I ran inside to view the pot from a window. Even in the driving wind and rain, the water boiled in ~3.5 minutes. The system is 5 oz. heavier than my current system, but we bought ultra light stuff sacks and pack covers to make up for the weight difference. The fuel savings may help, too. I am very pleased with this stove. Being able to know that I can make a hot cup of tea, quickly, on a cool and windy morning for my wife and me gives me a very warm feeling... "Happy wife, happy life (and happy camp :)"
June 17, 2009
Perfect. Boiled 1L of water in under 3 minutes even at 14,000ft
Just used it for Longs Peak, and it boils water insanely fast. Sips fuel too. Only wish it had a built in igniter and you didn't have to take the burner off the fuel canister to put it back into the pot. Beats Jetboil hands down, now they just need to bring out more compatible cookware
September 14, 2008
Excellent stove
Pro's: I used my reactor at about an 8,500 foot elevation this weekend and it was a great performer. it boiled a half liter of water nearly faster than i could get my dehydrated food out of my pack and open. Con's: It would be nice if they would put out a lightweight frying pan to give it a little versatility. Overall: lack of accessories would not detour me from purchasing one. It is awesome for what I bought it for. Being compact, light, gas efficient and ready to battle some wind.
May 27, 2008
Really was pleased
This thing is a a great package! I have used a Whisper lite International for years and was reluctant to move on to a cannister stove but one trip to the mountains relieved my concerns. Cooks fast and evenly with easy clean up and no gas to mess with! You know how it is on a cold morning when you want that first cup of hot chocolate or coffee? This is so much faster and neater than the old gas burner. Progress is a wonderful thing!
January 16, 2008
Great but limited!
This stove outperforms any other MSR model, and even the Jetboil system, in terms of boiling times. Although I have not tried it over 2000 feet. The fall back is the limited choice, actually no choice, in cookware, you get the 1.5L pot and that's it! In order to compete with the Jetboil system MSR needs to bring out more pots and pans to the market for the ingenious stove!
December 9, 2007
