Lightweight Camping Stoves – MSR, Snow Peak, BRS

Like backpacking, efficient bikepacking is all about packing light. Careful choices in tent, sleep system and cook kit are easy places to save weight and space. Choosing a lightweight camping stove and meal plan saves significant weight and space over a more complex cooking plan and stove setup (read about freeze-dried meals and meal tips for bikepacking).

There’s no shortage of lightweight camping stoves on the market. From integrated pot and stove kits pioneered by Jetboil to standalone ultralight stoves, isobutane/propane canister stoves are the standard issue for lightweight backcountry adventures. 

L to R: Primus Lite System, Snow Peak GigaPower 2, BSR Ultralight, MSR PocketRocket Deluxe

I’ve used a wide range of lightweight backpacking stoves over the years. And like many types of gear, stoves continue to get lighter, smaller and more robust.  Let’s take a look at my four top lightweight camping stoves for bikepacking.

Snow Peak GigaPower 2 Stove

Snow Peak GigaPower backpacking stove

While a relative newcomer to the North American market (since 1999), Snow Peak has been manufacturing camping gear in Japan for over 60 years. In addition to a wide range of car camping and backpacking equipment, Snow Peak also operates an outdoor experience business, including Campfield, a camping/glamping property located in the Pacific Northwest, near the Washington coast. Campfield includes the Ofuro Spa (Japanese soaking bath) with a heated soaking pool, sauna and cold plunge. Inspired by traditional Japanese bathhouses, the Ofuro Spa invites nature in with an open-air layout that overlooks the campfield’s pond.

Everything Snow Peak creates is thoughtful and inspired, and the Snow Peak GigaPower stove is a prime example. Its clean design showcases an aesthetic design approach without compromising on practical functionality. The GigaPower is a solid contender as one of the best all-purpose lightweight stoves on the market.

While the boil time was significantly slower (almost two minutes longer) than that of the PocketRocket, they both used the same amount of fuel, making them equally fuel-efficient. The GigaPower also offers excellent low-end burner modulation, allowing for a nice, controlled simmering experience. 

The GigaPower 2 (as opposed to the simply named GigaPower) features an integrated igniter that has performed well. Although with limited trips on the stove, I can’t speak to the long-term durability of the igniter. Igniters are notoriously fickle, and I would never take a trip without a couple of backup lighters and/or matches.

Light and Versatile

In addition to its high-quality build and materials, the Snow Peak Giga earns stability points due to its four-legged pot base. The four legs fold out to create a stable, four-inch diameter stand for your pot. While not the widest platform, the four-leg design gives it a solid feel that is less prone to tipping, especially when using the Snow Peak Trek 700 pot, which is a good match for the four-inch pot platform.

The GigaPower stove is also reasonably priced at $45. It’s available on its own or in a package with the Snow Peak Trek 700 titanium pot and titanium spork. The package costs $99, which is essentially a 10% discount over the individual purchase price. At 0.7 liters (23 oz), the pot is sized right for solo missions and pack-light partner missions, where cooking is limited to boiling water for freeze-dried meal preparation. You will find it small if you need it for melting snow or boiling water for drinking. The Trek 700 pot is large enough to store the stove and a small 4-ounce (100-gram) fuel cartridge for easy packing.

While the Giga Power stove works great on its own. The addition of the windscreen (sold separately $10) improves performance in windy conditions and increases overall efficiency with added heat reflection. 

The combination of pot, stove, spork and windscreen runs $110, making the GigaPower a great value. Given the 0.7-liter size of the Trek 700 pot, it’s my pick for solo missions focused on a simple food program, featuring oatmeal, hot drinks, and freeze-dried meals. 

By the Numbers:

Stove weight: 86 grams
Stove + Pot weight: 212 grams
Boil time for 0.5 liters of water (no windscreen): 4 min 20 sec
Price: $45 ($99 with titanium pot + spork / $110 with windscreen + pot and spork)
Check the availability of the GigaPower 2 Stove and accessories

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MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe Stove

MSR PocketRocket Deluxe Bikepacking Stove

The PocketRocket is one of the most widely used lightweight backpacking stoves on the market for a reason. It’s lightweight, powerful and reliable. The MSR PocketRocket Deluxe differs from the PocketRocket 2 and earlier editions based on its larger burner design and built-in igniter. 

The first thing you’ll notice about the PocketRocket Deluxe is its larger burner size. It has the biggest diameter burner of the stoves tested, and it produced the fastest boil times of the collection. Interestingly, the actual fuel consumption to boil a half-liter was the same as that of the Snow Peak stove, which took nearly two minutes longer. So, while its boil time is fast, fuel efficiency is equal to that of the Snow Peak GigaPower stove and not quite as good as the BRS.

In addition to having the largest diameter burner, the PocketRocket also features the widest pot platform. The three-legged design creates a five-inch diameter pot stand. The built-in igniter has worked well for two seasons, which equates to a couple of weeklong trips and numerous weekend adventures. 

MSR PocketRocket Deluxe Stove Kit

The MSR PocketRocket is popular for a reason. It’s quick to boil, has proven durability and is competitively lightweight. However, it is the most expensive stove in the test at $85. It’s also available in a kit with a 1.2-liter aluminum pot. The pot is ideally sized for solo and partner missions. And it’s big enough to store an 8-oz / 225-gram fuel canister.  

All-Purpose

The MSR PocketRocket Deluxe Kit is my pick for all-purpose missions with a partner or longer-range trips where a larger pot and gas canister make it a practical choice.

By the Numbers:

Stove weight: 83 grams
Stove + Pot weight: 309 grams
Boil time for 0.5 liters of water (no windscreen): 2 min 30 sec
Price: $85 ($140 with aluminum pot). Check the availability of the MSR PocketRocket directly from Cascade Designs

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BSR Ultralight Titanium Stove

BRS Ultralight Titanium Backpacking Stove

The BRS Ultralight Titanium Stove is, as the name suggests, ultralight. It’s also ultra cheap. Available through Amazon for $17 ($16.90 actually), it’s a fraction of the cost of the other stoves. It also weighs a mere 27 grams (1/3 the weight of the others) and fits in the palm of your hand.

Is the BRS too good to be true? Maybe. There are a few mixed reviews of it online. However, there are also numerous positive reviews, and, based on my limited experience with it, it has proven to be 100% functional.

It fires up like a blowtorch and is easily the loudest stove in the collection, sounding like a jet engine. The noise had me wondering if it was burning fuel at a higher rate than the others. The answer is no. The boil time for a half-liter of water with the BRS was right in the middle of boil times at 3:30. And it used a couple of grams per boil less than the MSR or the Snow Peak. So, really, it is more efficient than the other two stoves. The slower boil time is in part due to the small size of the burner.

The Lightest Stove

Along with its tiny size comes a tiny stove platform, making it the least stable of the stoves. It wasn’t a big deal, but it does require extra attention to make sure you have a flat cooking surface and to keep the pot centered on the stove.

The valve offers limited modulation, but it can be adjusted to simmer if needed. The stove is sensitive to windy conditions, so be prepared to create a sheltered space or pack a windscreen for the best results.

If shaving grams is your goal, you won’t find a lighter canister stove. The BRS Ultralight Titanium Stove is our choice for go-light solo missions and short one or two-night adventures. And at $17, you can hardly afford not to try one. Add a small pot of your choice and hit the road. 

By the Numbers:

Stove weight: 27 grams
Boil time for 0.5 liters of water (no windscreen): 3 min 30 sec
Price: $17 
Check the availability of the BRS Ultralight Titanium Stove

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Primus Lite Stove System

The Primus Lite Stove System is included here primarily for comparison rather than as a contender for a dedicated lightweight bikepacking stove option.

JetBoil pioneered the integrated stove, and all major stove brands now offer a version. These stoves are characterized by their all-in-one design, in which the burner, heat exchanger, and cooking pot are designed to work together as a single unit.

The advantages of an integrated stove are efficiency, stability and ease of use. The disadvantages are weight and being limited to a single pot for cooking. Integrated stoves are not meant to be used as standalone stoves.

Nonetheless, they offer great performance in the wind and are proven to be the most fuel-efficient, despite not necessarily offering the fastest boil times. The pot fits the stove and a small 100-gram gas canister for simple packing.

By the Numbers:

Stove System weight: 383 grams
Boil time for 0.5 liters of water (no windscreen): 3 min 20 sec
Price: $117 
Check the availability of the Primus Lite System Stove 

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