Stove of the Week: MSR Rapidfire

[Hikin_Jim]

OK, so this week's stove is a bit of a "sleeper" in the sense that it's not a stove that you would expect a lot from -- unless you knew better. But you'll have to read on to find out what's so interesting about this week's stove, the MSR Rapidfire.



HJ

[Sally]

Hi Jim,
I was wondering when you were going to get around to doing a report on my Rapidfire! Yes, folks, this is a nice stove. It performed flawlessly for 26 days on the JMT (we took our time - lots of layover days.)
I have an unused cannister of one of those old cylindrical fuel cans. It must be over 7 years old. Does the fuel ever go bad?

[Hikin_Jim]

Hi Jim,
I was wondering when you were going to get around to doing a report on my Rapidfire! Yes, folks, this is a nice stove. It performed flawlessly for 26 days on the JMT (we took our time - lots of layover days.)
I have an unused cannister of one of those old cylindrical fuel cans. It must be over 7 years old. Does the fuel ever go bad?

Sally,

The fuel should last a lifetime provided that you keep the canister dry. Rust seems to be what kills these canisters. If you use the canister, don't throw it away. I'd love to get one, even empty, for my collection.

Did you get your stove new? Original owner, Rapidfire. Pretty cool.

Yep, this is an overlooked stove, but it's a good one for its price.

HJ

[Sally]

I am the original owner of my Rapidfire. I've had it for so long that I can't even remember exactly when I got it.

I just discovered that I have 2 of those cylindrical fuel cans. One is nearly full, and the other is practically empty. You are welcome to have the empty one. You're going to have to come and see me at the Rancho Army - Navy Store some day, Jim!

Does anyone else have a dozen half empty fuel cans in their backpacking junk box? I do! I prefer taking full cans on a trip unless I think that I'll only need a partial can. Maybe I should take my stove on day hikes (like Jim does) and have me a cup of tea or a hot meal, and get rid of some of those pesky partially full cans.

[Hikin_Jim]

Does anyone else have a dozen half empty fuel cans in their backpacking junk box? I do! I prefer taking full cans on a trip unless I think that I'll only need a partial can. Maybe I should take my stove on day hikes (like Jim does) and have me a cup of tea or a hot meal, and get rid of some of those pesky partially full cans.

Taking full gas canisters is generally good practice -- especially in winter. If, however, you know your fuel consumption rate well and you've got a gram scale at home, you can figure out how long a given canister will last. If you've got a trip of that length, then you're set.

This points out the major drawback of gas (besides cost): It's hard to know how much you've got left in the field, and you can only take gas in the quantities they sell it in (4oz, 8oz, and sometimes 16oz). If you're headed out on a trip where you know you'll only need 5oz of gas, you generally still have to buy 8 oz worth.

Some people hate white gasoline, but in fact one nice thing about white gasoline is that you can just open the bottle when you want to see how much you've got left, and you can bring only as much as you need. If you need 5 oz, you bring 5 oz.

In terms of expense, gas kind of sucks it up: A 4 oz canister of gas costs $5.79 total at my local REI. The same amount of white gasoline? $0.38. If you use your stove a lot or use it for big groups, white gasoline is pretty sweet.

I am the original owner of my Rapidfire. I've had it for so long that I can't even remember exactly when I got it.

To the best of my knowledge, the Rapidfire was discontinued in 2001, so you've had it at least a decade. Take care of it, and you can at least quintuple that.

I just discovered that I have 2 of those cylindrical fuel cans. One is nearly full, and the other is practically empty. You are welcome to have the empty one. You're going to have to come and see me at the Rancho Army - Navy Store some day, Jim!

Sally, you ROCK. But you knew that. And either the first or second weekend of April, the clan and I are coming down.

HJ