MSR
MSR Reactor 1.7L Stove System
- Weight: 4/10 How much it adds to your pack.
- Fuel use: 9/10 How much fuel it burns to boil a litre in calm air: less fuel to carry.
- Boil speed (calm air): 9/10 How fast the maker says it boils 1 litre in calm air.
Pairs who want fast boils for two freeze-dried meals and drinks
- Fuel
- Gas
- Weight
- 500 g
- Pot size
- 1.7 L
- Boil 1 L, calm air
- 3:00
- Fuel per litre
- 10.32 g
Packed size 16.8 cm long and 13.5 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
Rock+Run £267 In stock. Free delivery. Free delivery from £100. It isn't clear whether this is the earlier handle covered by MSR's pot-handle recall or the fixed part (14269).
View at shop: Rock+RunUltralight Outdoor Gear £267.99 In stock. Free delivery. List price £314.99 on its page. May be the earlier handle covered by MSR's pot-handle recall; the fixed part is 14269.
View at shop: Ultralight Outdoor GearNeedle Sports £283.50 Out of stock. Free UK delivery over £50. The listing doesn't say whether it is the earlier handle covered by MSR's pot-handle recall or the fixed part (14269).
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 4/10How much it adds to your pack. 4: A bit below average.
500 g packaged (MSR's Tech Specs list 0.50 kg), in the 450-649 g band. Ultralight Outdoor Gear's listing says 488 g.
Fuel use
From maker's figures 9/10How much fuel it burns to boil a litre in calm air: less fuel to carry. 9: Among the best you can buy for this.
MSR says 22 litres per 227 g canister, which is 10.3 g per litre, under the 11 g line. PaleoHikerMD used 9 g to boil 1 litre in still air.
Boil speed (calm air)
From maker's figures 9/10How fast the maker says it boils 1 litre in calm air. 9: Among the best you can buy for this.
MSR says 3 minutes for 1 litre with IsoPro fuel (180 s), under the 210 s line. PaleoHikerMD timed four cups at 3 min 16 s (196 s) in still air and HikersBlog got 3 to 3.5 minutes in informal tests; SectionHiker expects 3 to 3.5 minutes in real use, and the slow end of that touches the 210 s line.
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.
6 reviews on wind performance, e.g. "in cold or windy weather, it suffers very little performance loss.".
Simmer control*
Reviewers' average 4/10How low the flame turns down without going out, for real cooking.
5 reviews on simmer control, e.g. "the heat exchanger makes simmering possible but requires practice to manage low gas outputs precisely.".
Reviewers disagree on this.
In short
Good for
- Pairs who want fast boils for two freeze-dried meals and drinks
- Winter wild camps where you melt snow for water
- Exposed pitches in strong wind where an open stove struggles
Strengths
- Enclosed radiant burner with a pressure regulator: SectionHiker, PaleoHikerMD, Outsider and HikersBlog all rate its wind performance highly
- MSR quotes 3 minutes for 1 litre; PaleoHikerMD timed 3 min 16 s
- 22 litres per 227 g canister by MSR's figure, about 10.3 g per litre
- 1.7 litre pot is big enough for two people; MSR says a 227 g canister and the burner nest inside (packed 13.5 x 16.8 cm)
- Lid locks on with the handle; strainer holes and a spout for pouring
Weaknesses
- 500 g packaged: one of the heavier systems we score
- Poor simmer control: SectionHiker says it takes practice, so it suits boiling water and soups
- No igniter: carry a lighter or fire steel
- Pot does not lock to the burner, so it can be knocked off
- MSR recalled the original pot handle in February 2024 and now sells a redesigned one (part 14269); 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 (7)
- MSR (Cascade Designs): Reactor Stove Systems page (Tech Specs)
- SectionHiker: MSR Reactor 1.7L Stove System review
- PaleoHikerMD (YouTube): MSR Reactor 1.7L wind test
- Outsider Magazine: MSR Reactor Stove, To the Test
- HikersBlog: MSR Reactor 1.7L gear review
- Switchback Travel (Maddie Downie): Best Backpacking Stoves of 2026, Reactor 1.7L section (roundup; the team says it tested the Reactor in Patagonia, Peru, Nepal and the North Cascades)
- 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)