MSR PocketRocket Stove

cascadedesigns.com; 3 ounces
I first wrote about MSR’s PocketRocket in 2003, when I tested it during a backpacking adventure in Shenandoah National Park. Then I had kids and my days of camping were put on ice for a few years. But I’ve recently been taking my kids car camping, where the model seems to be pack everything and the kitchen sink. Yet despite my equipment largesse, the PocketRocket still goes everywhere we go and is, hands down, the best piece of camping equipment I own. In my original review on GORP.com I wrote, “Whip this tiny go-go-gadget fire breather from its four-inch-long holster, thread it onto your iso-butane fuel canister, snap a match, and away you go. Camp cuisine has never been so easy.” Five years on that advice holds true. Whether you’re an ultralight purist (the PocketRocket’s 2010 edition is a mere three ounces) or just need to boil up some hot chocolate for a pack of hungry kids, this stove stands the test of time.
-Alistair Wearmouth