Although I will be cooking on a fire whenever possible (to save fuel), a stove is essential during a journey that is based primarily on the steppe. A good stove gives you the confidence to go anywhere even in the coldest, driest, most barren conditions. Eric Phillips, polar explorer first recommended the XGK stove to me. It is the most functional, simple, stable, and easy to repair of all the MSR range. As a multi-fuel stove it will also operate on a variety of fuels. From experience, a stove needs to be able to operate on everything from kerosene to diesel and petrol. In many parts of the world purified fuel is either not available or expensive. The XGK is really one of the only alternatives for a serious expedition.
Thanks to
MSR
MSR (and the Australian distributor Spelean) for this product, and also MSR cookware that is the lightest and most durable available.
REVIEW ON THE ROAD
So far I have probably cooked about 350 times on the MSR, and used everything from kerosene, to bad Mongolian petrol, to diesel. Considering everything it has performed very well. The cleaner the fuel, the better it runs, and the less cleaning it requires. It packs away very conveniently and so far has had no serious problems. I lost all my fuel at one stage due to a faulty o-ring, but with the help of my repair kit this was overcome.
For anyone reliant on stoves (like me out on the steppe) it seems like a wise choice so far.
