MSR PocketRocket Deluxe Stove Kit: Tested

By Mike Ellott Photos Bob Barrett April 22, 2021
Reading Time: 3 Minutes Print this page
The MSR PocketRocket Deluxe Stove Kit proves that size doesn’t matter when it comes to cooking up a storm in the outdoors.

My outdoor adventures these days are leaning towards escapes on overnight bikepacking trips. Before using the MSR PocketRocket Deluxe Stove Kit, my cooking solutions tended to revolve around a kit that never really stowed away together, for example a burner and pot would be in one bike bag, with its fuel canister (tending to be a bulkier item) finding another home on the bike. This didn’t sit well with me; ideally, in bikepacking terms, it’s best to group all the camping gear together and then distribute it evenly across the bike bags and frame. The PocketRocket Deluxe Stove Kit perfectly solves this problem with a pot that comfortably stores burner, bowl, fuel and lifter. Everything secured together in one place.


Design

This kit is perfect for one person and is also big enough in the field for two. It has a 1.2-litre hard anodised aluminium insulated grip pot, large enough to easily boil water for two pouched meals. If two’s company, the kit comes with a hot and cold 28oz bowl and strainer lid, making meals easy to share.

The key to the PocketRocket’s excellent performance is the pressure-regulated burner that ensures efficient boil times even in colder weather or when running low on fuel.

Where this stove kit stands out from the competition, is in the quality and design of its burner – a burner which is pressure-regulated. It can maintain a fast boil in hot or cold weather conditions, even if you are running low on fuel. ‘Fast-boil’ means about three and a half minutes to boil a litre of water, and with the MSR IsoPro 8oz fuel canister (sold separately) you have approximately an hour of burn time. So, you’ll have plenty of meals and adventures before you are looking at a replacing your fuel.


In the field

Assembling the stove is as simple as screwing the burner into your canister and unfolding the three supporting legs, and with the burner also boasting a reliable Piezo ignitor and easy-to-adjust flame adjuster, you can be set up and cooking dinner with a few minutes of unpacking your bags. One other stand-out design feature that worked well during testing was the large burner; the larger heat-surface means you can more easily adjust the flame for more effective simmering and cooking in general.

The inside of the pot is non-stick and wipes clean. The pot’s circumference (wide enough to get your hand into the bottom of it) makes cleaning it after you’ve cooked, super-easy. Once packed up and all back together, this whole kit weighs 371g – nice and light in weight and easily stored in my bikepacking bag underneath my saddle.

The kit packs down small and light for easy fitment in a backpack or bike-bag. Patagonia Red Bean Chilli is an optional extra – and a favourite with our test team.

The final word on the MSR PocketRocket Deluxe Stove Kit

Our tester’s bikepacking weekend in the Blue Mountains was a success – as was the PocketRocket.

It’s no secret that MSR is a company that creates reliable outdoor products to be put to the test in the hardest conditions, and that is mirrored here with this product. For something that could feel fiddly and flexible in your hands, this is far from it. The MSR PocketRocket Deluxe Stove Kit has been designed to be thrown into your backpack, ready to use in rain, wind or shine with its pressurised powerful flame. Yes, this has a reasonably hefty price-tag – and yes, you could find cheaper – but I would question if a cheaper unit would be as reliable or effective as MSR’s all-in-one mini powerhouse.

RRP: $299 See Spelean for stockists and more info on the PocketRocket Deluxe and other MSR stoves.