Gotta give another plug here:

While I've been rounding up all the camping gear around here I unpacked my trusty old MSR XGK stove. I bought this stove with full knowledge that it was not the kind of camp stove you use for simmering a pot of chili on all day, as it doesn't have a reputation for having the easiest flame control, and tends to be more binary in nature. It's got two basic states, off and HOLY COW, IT'S A VOLCANO!!! The reason one bought this model stove was easy to figure out; it's simple to operate, and it always works. I mean it works when your life may depend on it, and it'll burn near anything flammable. This stove is called "Expedition" quality, and it's designed to work anywhere you may be, with even the most questionable of fuel. If it can be ignited the MSR XGK stove will boil water with it. Fast.


My particular XGK is one I purchased back around 1991-2. It's the original model, and was unchanged for a couple decades. The newest model utilizes the same basic burner design, and can claim the same old reliability, but it's got an upgraded support design, which was a small shortcoming of the original design.



As you may be able to tell in the top picture, the original design had four pot supports that folded away from the center to rest your cooking vessel on. In study it looks great, but in practice it was a pain, as the supports never stayed in place while cooking. They did pack up nicely though. The second picture here is of the new design. I have no doubt that those legs and supports do a great job and also pack away nicely.


Finally, this last shot, which isn't my personal stove, is exactly how mine now works. See, a couple weeks ago I sent a short email to Cascade Designs, who owns MSR ( that stands for Mountain Safety Research, by the way), about my old stove and to inquire about getting the updated pot supports for the original XGK. Not only did they tell me how to get other parts, they sent me the new supports. Free. No questions asked. No postage required. How about that?

So, as I've done in the past, I have to recognize that kind of truly awesome customer support, and say that it's just one more reason that I will always look to MSR for the kind of camping gear I need when I need that gear to just plain works. It's worth every penny. Thank you Cascade Designs and the crew at MSR!