I'll will be elk hunting in Colorado in September and need to replace my backpacking stove.  So far I have my choice narrowed down to either a MSR Pocket Rocket or a Snow Peak Giga Power Stove.  Both look like good stoves but am wondering if any of you have experience with either of them before I make my purchase.  

Bernie Bjorklund

NC Iowa/SW Wisconsin

No experience, but I am researching this right now.  The reviews are very good on the Pocket Rocket, but i have also seen good reviews on the Giga.  I think either one is good.  I think I saw somewhere that the Giga has an optional electronic starter.  That may be a pro or a con depending how well it works.

I have not used the Snow Peak stove myself. I however do have an MSR pocket rocket and like it a lot. If I was to upgrade I would think about a jetboil myself. since I usually have dehydrated foods and the jetboil works quicker at altitude to heat water

I'm still using my Optimus 99; not the fastest mind you; but the fuel is easy to get.

I only have experience with the pocket rocket (a couple of hunting partners have them too) and have been very pleased with it.  I only use it to boil water for dehydrated meals, hot chocolate and oatmeal as I carry as little weight as I can when backpack hunting.  I'd buy it again if I needed a stove since it works very well for what I need and is very light weight.

Take a look at the SOTO Microregulator I did some test with guys on our hunt last year and it hands down is faster then the pocket rocket or any other stove that was there and my be lighter this stove is amazing I love mine. Jetboil solo copied Sotos Micro parts and I was told it is even faster that is hard to believe but Elkreaper told me so it has to be true. The soto seams to not use alot of fuel either.  Widow

Jetboil is a great stove I have gone on 10 day hunts and use one canister of gas.

I use an old SVEA so can't comment on newer stoves but wanted to pig pile with those that keep cooking to mostly boiling water to re-construct their meals.
Easy with no clean up is very important when hunting hard all day.

If you also need a cookset, look no further than GSI"s "Soloist" set.

It is fantastic. Light, easy to clean, heats fast and cleverly designed. It uses the bag as a wash basin or water bowl for example. I bet any stove you decide to get will nest in it too.

Joshua

my buddy just showed me how to make an alcohol stove from 3 beer cans. In 04 he hiked the entire AT in 6 months and ditched his whisper light and used the one he made for almost the whole time. He still has the same one and uses it all the time. It will boil a pot of water with about 2 oz of alcohol. It is very small, bomb proof, weighs almost nothing and uses any alcohol based fuel. Denatured,  rubbing, gas line anti-freeze, even 151 proof rum. It has no moving parts, o-rings or lines to break, doesn't soot up pots, flare up or give off many fumes, so it's good for using in tent vestibules. It is what i will be using for my elk hunts.

I have used the MSR Pocket Rocket since the year they were introduced.  I combine mine with a titanium 1 liter kettle.  It is used mainly to boil water, and does so quite rapidly.  I don't own a white gas stove any longer, because the Pocket Rocket is so convenient and light weight.  I wish MSR still had is cartridge recycle program going, but other than that I can't think of a think I would change about my set up.

Jet boil for me. Used mine there last year. Mine is in my pack every day.

There is now the new Titanium version which is really light weight.

I still use my Sigg Jet and it's going on 22 years old. Still making that sound.  No experience with the new stoves, but there are some nice ones I'd like to try out.

Between the two you mentioned, flip a coin.  My brother has the MSR, I have the SP, we used them at the same time and the results were identical, boiled water in about 3 minutes or thereabouts.  Bring some heavy duty aluminum foil to wrap around the stove/pot, acts as a windbreak and will help conserve fuel.

Jet Boil!  Impressed everytime I use it, along with Mountain Home meals.

I think that you will get along with eather one of them well. I used MSR for a long timeand loved it.  I now use a Jet Boil though I seem to get more use out of the fuel with that.

My elk hunting gang all have the Pocket Rocket.  We have never experienced a single problem with them.  They are a quality product for a super light weight stove, and will never let you down.

DB

The little soot stove is great, even at high elevation.  My jet boil gets kinda sad over 10500

We used two Jet Boils on our Moose hunt last fall and they did a great job.  We had a third but only used it in the field a couple of times for a hot lunch.

Mike

Jetboil all the way  

Thanks for the information guys!  I'm realizing that there are several really nice stoves out there and most people like what they have.  My son Jay and I each bought MSR Pocket Rockets this weekend not knowing what each was going to buy.  He stopped in from a vacation in the Black Hills and bought a Pocket Rocket without knowing I'd been researching all the stoves.  We tried our stoves out and they work great!  We're getting our packing lists complete and can hardly wait for our September trip to Colorado.

Bernie Bjorklund

NC Iowa/SW Wisconsin