High Sierra Topix

With their new Windboiler, MSR has definitely done a great job on the "human factors" (better handle, better lid, a cup that's actually useful, more slots so the pot attaches more easily, etc.), but if the Windboiler isn't significantly better than a Jetboil at handling wind, then it's really just a prettied up Jetboil.

So, how well does a Windboiler handle wind? I decided to find out.

I did several head to head tests with a Jetboil Sol in light to moderate winds. I could see that the Windboiler remained fairly constant while the Jetboil would lose ground (boil time would lengthen) as the winds increased, but I didn't really have the sense that I fully understood the capabilities of the Windboiler. Time to put it to a real test I thought.

So I headed to the windiest spot I could think of in Southern California – the San Gorgonio Pass area near Banning, CA, home to many a wind turbine.



I picked a spot for testing at the mouth of a canyon where I thought winds would come whistling through. I was not disappointed.


I have put up two videos on my blog that I think show the difference in the way a Jetboil behaves vs. a Windboiler in significant winds. Have a look if you like.

MSR Windboiler – Wind Testing

HJ

Nice review HJ, that stove looks like a 3 stage rocket ready for lift-off from the Cape!
Do you have any stove in your quiver that will light and stay lit in those winds?

freestone wrote:Nice review HJ

Thanks. A complex stove with a lot of variables. It's been a lot of work to give it a worthy review!

freestone wrote:Do you have any stove in your quiver that will light and stay lit in those winds?

Two: The MSR Windboiler and the MSR Reactor. Make sure you take a look at the second video in my blog post.

HJ

That video shows the stove already lit. Did it light and stay lit without problem?

Jim,
It looks like you've been up to Commanche Camp recently. How is the trail up Middle Fork?

robow8 wrote:Jim,
It looks like you've been up to Commanche Camp recently. How is the trail up Middle Fork?

On this last trip, I was with my daughter, age 5, so we didn't go very far. We only went to Third Stream Crossing. The trail to Third Stream was in decent shape. A little hard to follow right at the point it crosses the Middle Fork just before the camp, but no biggie.

We talked to another hiker who had come in from Icehouse Canyon. He said that the trail above Third Stream was more like a game trail in a lot of sections and that there were some sketchy washouts.

My memory is that the trail has been like that for some time and that the trail is actually better now than say 2006.

The road on the other hand is in worse shape than I've seen it in for some time. I wouldn't drive my Accord up it. We went in a friend's SUV (2WD), and it was fine.

HJ

robow8 wrote:That video shows the stove already lit. Did it light and stay lit without problem?

I wasn't having any trouble lighting it. Here are some videos of me lighting it in the same spot.





HJ