MSR
MSR Reactor 1.0L Stove System
- Weight: 5/10 How much it adds to your pack.
- Fuel use: 8/10 How much fuel it burns to boil a litre in calm air: less fuel to carry.
- Boil speed (calm air): 8/10 How fast the maker says it boils 1 litre in calm air.
Lowest price we found
£254.99 at Ultralight Outdoor Gear
Go to Ultralight Outdoor Gear Compare 2 shopsWinter and shoulder-season wild camps where fast boils and melting snow matter
- Fuel
- Gas
- Weight
- 430 g
- Pot size
- 1 L
- Boil 1 L, calm air
- 3:30
- Fuel per litre
- 11.35 g
Packed size 15.5 cm long and 12 cm across Compare with a 2-litre bottle
Shorter than a 2-litre bottle and a bit wider than one. Drawn to scale.
Where to buy
Ultralight Outdoor Gear £254.99 In stock. Free delivery. List price £299.99 on its page. May be the earlier handle covered by MSR's pot-handle recall; the fixed part is 14268.
View at shop: Ultralight Outdoor GearRock+Run £255 In stock. Free delivery. Free delivery from £100. May be the earlier handle covered by MSR's pot-handle recall; the fixed part is 14268.
View at shop: Rock+RunNeedle Sports £270 Out of stock. Free UK delivery over £50.
View at shop: Needle SportsPrices checked 8 Nov 2026 on each shop's own page; shops can change them. We earn no commission on these links; shops are listed by price. More
Our ratings (out of 10)
1 to 10, compared with the whole market. Each says what it's based on. How we score
Weight
From maker's figures 5/10How much it adds to your pack. 5: Does the job. Average for wild-camping gear.
430 g packaged (MSR's Tech Specs list 0.43 kg), in the 350-449 g band. Outdoor Gear Lab weighed 428 g; Ultralight Outdoor Gear's listing says 416 g.
Fuel use
From maker's figures 8/10How much fuel it burns to boil a litre in calm air: less fuel to carry. 8: Clearly better than most.
MSR says 20 litres per 227 g canister, which is 11.35 g per litre, in the 11-13.9 g band and close to the 11 g line. We band MSR's figure. Outdoor Gear Lab measured about 7 g to boil 0.5 litre, which is about 14 g per litre and would be the next band down.
Boil speed (calm air)
From maker's figures 8/10How fast the maker says it boils 1 litre in calm air. 8: Clearly better than most.
MSR says 3.5 minutes for 1 litre with IsoPro fuel (210 s), in the 210-269 s band and right on the 210 s line. Outdoor Gear Lab boiled 0.5 litre in 1 min 59 s, and The Great Outdoors says it was the only stove on its test to beat its quoted boil time.
What reviewers say (out of 10)
Ratings marked * are from reviews and are not part of the trip score. They are reviewers' scores, not our own measurements. How we score
Wind performance*
Reviewers' average 9/10How well it keeps boiling in a breeze.
4 reviews on wind performance, e.g. "It’s also the most wind-resistant ‘stove system’ I’ve ever used. Naturally there are limits, but in moderate gusts the unit didn’t flinch.".
Simmer control*
Reviewers' average 4/10How low the flame turns down without going out, for real cooking.
5 reviews on simmer control, e.g. "It won’t simmer, and it’s easy to burn food: much less convenient if you want to ‘cook’.".
In short
Good for
- Winter and shoulder-season wild camps where fast boils and melting snow matter
- Exposed ridges and coastal pitches where wind beats most canister stoves
- Solo walkers or pairs who only boil water for drinks and freeze-dried meals
Strengths
- Enclosed radiant burner with a pressure regulator: The Great Outdoors, Outdoor Gear Lab and Blister Review all rate its wind performance highly
- MSR quotes 3.5 minutes for 1 litre; Outdoor Gear Lab boiled 0.5 litre in 1 min 59 s
- 20 litres per 227 g canister by MSR's figure (11.35 g per litre)
- Stove, pot and a small canister nest together, packed 12 x 15.5 cm
- Lid locks on with the handle; strainer holes and a spout for pouring
Weaknesses
- 430 g packaged is heavy for one litre of capacity
- Almost no simmer control: reviewers say food burns easily, so it suits boiling water only
- No igniter: carry a lighter or fire steel
- Pot does not lock to the burner (Outdoor Gear Lab, Backpacking UK), and the metal gets hot
- Outdoor Gear Lab measured about 14 g of fuel per litre, more than MSR's 11.35 g
- MSR recalled the original pot handle in February 2024 and now sells a redesigned one (part 14268); some shops still list the earlier part number
- MSR gives no temperature rating, so we do not mark it winter-ready
Sources
We haven't tested this ourselves. Every score comes from these specs, tests and reviews.
ShowHide sources (6)
- MSR (Cascade Designs): Reactor Stove Systems page (Tech Specs)
- The Great Outdoors: MSR Reactor 1L review
- Outdoor Gear Lab: MSR Reactor review
- Backpacking UK (YouTube): MSR Reactor stove review
- Blister: MSR 1.0L Reactor Stove review
- MSR (Cascade Designs) customer reviews: Reactor Stove Systems (176 listed at 4.6 out of 5, 153 flagged verified buyers, none incentivised; the maker's own Yotpo feed, one page and one product id for the 1.0, 1.7 and 2.5 L pots)