MSR
MSR WhisperLite International
- Weight: 2/10 How much it adds to your pack.
- Packed size: 3/10 How much room it takes in your rucksack.
- Boil speed (still air): 6/10 How fast the maker says it boils 1 litre in still air. Wind slows every stove: see Wind performance.
- Wind performance: 5/10 How well it keeps boiling in a breeze, as sold, without an extra windshield.
Cold-weather and winter trips: liquid fuel keeps working in freezing air
- Fuel
- Liquid
- Weight
- 318 g
- Boil 1 L, still air
- 4:24
- Windshield in the box
- Yes
Packed size 1.178 L, 15 cm long and 10 cm across Compare with a 2-litre bottle
Shorter than a 2-litre bottle and about as wide as one. Drawn to scale.
Where to buy
Needle Sports £148.50 In stock. Free delivery. RRP £165.00 shown on the page; 1 in stock; stove only, no fuel bottle.
View at shop: Needle SportsEllis Brigham £165 In stock. Free delivery. No RRP shown on the page; available in 7 stores; stove only, fuel bottle not included.
View at shop: Ellis BrighamPrices 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 2/10How much it adds to your pack. 2: A weak point.
MSR gives a minimum weight of 318 g and a packaged weight of 423 g. Ellis Brigham's copy of MSR's listing reads '318 g (stove & fuel pump only)', which matches the method (a liquid-fuel stove counts its pump), so we band 318 g: the 300 g+ band. Needle Sports says the stove, pump, windscreen, bag and spares weigh 432 g. The fuel bottle is not included.
Packed size
From maker's figures 3/10How much room it takes in your rucksack. 3: Below average. Fine for some trips, not others.
MSR gives its dimensions as 15 x 10 x 10 cm (not labelled packed or in use). Two sizes are equal, so we work it as a roll 15 cm long and 10 cm across: about 1.18 L, in the 0.6-1.59 L band (as a box it is 1.5 L, the same band).
Boil speed (still air)
From maker's figures 6/10How fast the maker says it boils 1 litre in still air. Wind slows every stove: see Wind performance. 6: A bit better than average.
MSR gives 1 litre in 3.5 minutes on white gas and 4.4 minutes on kerosene. The slower one, 4.4 minutes (264 s), is in the 230-299 s band. OutdoorGearLab (2015) timed 0.5 litres in 2 min 42 s, and Backpackers says roughly 3.4 minutes per litre on white gas.
Wind performance
Estimate from maker's specs: windshield in the box 5/10How well it keeps boiling in a breeze, as sold, without an extra windshield. 5: Does the job. Average for wild-camping gear.
Estimate from maker's specs
In short
Good for
- Cold-weather and winter trips: liquid fuel keeps working in freezing air
- Base camps and groups cooking in big pots
Strengths
- Burns white gas, kerosene and unleaded petrol (MSR)
- MSR's windscreen, heat reflector, fuel pump, small-parts kit and stuff sack come with it
- One-piece stamped stainless steel legs for stability, and a self-cleaning Shaker Jet that can be cleaned in the field (MSR)
- MSR gives 3.5 minutes for 1 litre on white gas
Weaknesses
- 318 g (MSR) up to 432 g with its windscreen, bag and spares (Needle Sports), and about 1.2 L packed
- Does not simmer well: Backpackers says the flame is large or nothing, and OutdoorGearLab says it is difficult to simmer
- Priming and pumping have a steep learning curve (Backpackers); OutdoorGearLab says simmering needs the fuel bottle depressurised first
- The fuel bottle is not included in this version: Needle Sports sells a separate Combo with a 325 ml bottle
- Only two UK shops found for this exact version (part number 14044): Needle Sports and Ellis Brigham
Sources
We haven't tested this ourselves. Every score comes from these specs, tests and reviews.
ShowHide sources (5)
- MSR (Cascade Designs): WhisperLite International Stove, product page (US site, in dollars; SKU 14044)
- Needle Sports: MSR WhisperLite International (UK listing, part number 14044)
- Ellis Brigham: MSR WhisperLite International Stove (UK listing, copy of MSR's weights and contents)
- Backpackers (Kara Kieffer): MSR Whisperlite International Review
- OutdoorGearLab (Jessica Haist): MSR Whisperlite International review