Chris Townsend has a new and innovative stove in for review and finds the MSR Switch Stove System to be ‘unlike anything seen before’.
The latest combined stove and pot system from MSR – the MSR Switch Stove System – has a unique design unlike anything I’ve seen before. It’s very different to MSR’s other stove systems, the well-established Reactor and Windburner, which have radiant burners and can only be used with compatible heat exchanger MSR pots. The lighter weight Switch has a standard burner and is more versatile as it can be used with any pots. The cost is also much lower.
Chris’ verdict
Overall, the Switch is an efficient system with an interesting and unusual pot. It’s not the lightest option but the price is reasonable.- Regulated burner
- Fast boil time
- Pot design
- Tall & narrow pot
- Not that light
| Quick Specs | |
|---|---|
| Price: £135 Weight: 389g complete, burner & pot w/out accessories 328g Fuel: isobutane/propane Dimensions: stove 9.4 x 8.4cms, pot 17.7 x 11cms Burner Diameter: 2.8cms Power: 7100 BTU, 2100W Boil time: 2 minutes 45 seconds Fuel Used: 10 grams www.msrgear.com |
The Pot
At a glance the hard anodised pot looks like a heat exchanger one as there’s a cage with airholes round the base. Turn the pot upside down though and you can see it isn’t. Instead of heat exchanger fins there is just the base of the pot, which is rounded rather than flat. MSR says this unusual design “improves cooking times and allows the pot to be heated more evenly”. The cage gives wind resistance and a flat base for the pot. The capacity is given as 600ml though the pot will hold 900ml if filled to the brim. I guess this is for safety reasons. 600ml is ideal for solo backpackers but a bit small for duos.
The pot has a small, removable, burn-resistant cork cozy that gives a good grip when wet and protects your hand from burning when the pot is hot. The fold-out handles don’t have any covering to protect against heat however. There’s also a plastic lid with drain and pour holes and a plastic cup that fits over the base. The latter has useful measures marked on it in ounces, cups, and millilitres. The pot has a 600ml maximum fill line and a 2-cup line inside. The stove and a 100-size canister fit inside the pot. At 209g with cozy and 189g without the pot is a reasonable weight compared with other hard anodised aluminium pots though heavy compared with titanium.
The Stove
The stove has a wide ring round the top with a raised outer edge in which the pot sits. There are also three fold-out pot supports so the stove can be used with other pots. The burner is narrow and looks the same as that on the MSR Pocket Rocket 2. It’s regulated to maintain output as a canister empties and to enable good flame control for simmering. There’s also a built-in piezo igniter. At 119g it’s quite heavy for this type of stove. The MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe which also has a regulated burner and a piezo igniter weighs 83g. The unit comes with stretchy canister legs that spread wide and give good support, which is needed as the Switch is tall, 32cm high with a 100-size canister.
In use
I used the MSR Switch Stove System on several trips in the Cairngorms in the Autumn and it worked well. It boils water fast and the flame can be turned down for simmering, though it is wise to keep stirring the bottom as this gets very hot. A long-handled spoon is needed for this as the pot is deep – 17cm from top to bottom and too narrow to easily get your hand in. The same long spoon is ideal for eating from the pot too as the food is way down inside it. I never had the pot even half full. The rounded base does make the pot easier to clean than a flat one as there are no corners where food can stick. In a strong breeze the Switch worked well as the narrow burner head keeps the flame inside the cage.
Boil times & fuel usage
In the field 400ml of water took two minutes fifty seconds to come to a rolling boil in a slight breeze and a temperature of 4°C with a 2/3 empty 100g canister. Boil times were similar on other occasions. In a more controlled test at home in windless conditions with a temperature of 12°C and a full canister the boil time for 500ml was two minutes forty-five seconds with 10g of fuel used. This is slightly longer and slightly more fuel use than with heat exchanger stoves. The boil time is still fast and I don’t think a difference of thirty seconds or even a minute really matters. The fuel usage could be significant on multi-day walks with no resupply options where you wanted to get the maximum out of a canister but isn’t that important for shorter trips. Overall the MSR Switch Stove System is an efficient system with an interesting and unusual pot. It’s not the lightest option but the price is reasonable.
Use with other pots
As the MSR Switch Stove System is designed to be used with different pots I tried it with the titanium 900ml MSR Titan Kettle, which weighs 125 grams, and the hard anodised aluminium Fire Maple Petrel which weighs 166 grams, has a heat exchanger on the base and like the Switch pot has a recommended capacity of 600ml but which will hold almost a litre. Both pots balanced well on the fold-out Switch pot supports. The Titan took 45 seconds longer to boil 500ml of water, suggesting that the rounded pot base does increase efficiency, but surprisingly used the same 10g of fuel. The Petrel however took 30 seconds less to boil the water and used just 5g of fuel, showing that a heat exchanger pot is more efficient than the Switch pot.
Read more reviews of the best camping stoves, as tested by our experts.
