one thing I'd like to add to this, not all petrols (gasolines) are created equal. after going on round the world motorbike tours. my experience showed me that Europe generally had great quality gas, in parts of eastern Russia, Asia and Northern Africa, I was buying petrol in milk bottles and it was brown I would filter the stuff through a rag ( I smelled wonderful but much better option that tearing down a carb with a leatherman on a dusty road at night when it got clogged) before putting it into my tank or back up bottles (Japanese and S Korean and petrol looked good enough to drink). The US was a mixed bag, some stations had great quality others, were less good(still nothing to worry about mind) I never got down to south Americas so can't comment. I only got high Oct or premium petrol where I had a choice, and was using a camp fire or my msr where fires weren't allowed/practical. My stove bottles acted as backup fuel bottles for my bike. So white gas was out. I must have burnt 100s of liters of varying quality fuel through the stove, and yeah it gets dirty, but a rag will sort that out. you can scrape the jet hole with a needle if it gets too messy. But 2.5 years of rides, and 1000s of meals and 1000s of liters of boiled water. the stove is fine, and the o rings are still good. The rubber will degrade, but it doesn't care if you are using the stove or not, left in clean air they degrade given time. and as for normal has speeding up the process, I doubt it as they are chemically very similar. but hell they last 5 years with very heavy use, they savings over white gas vs normal gas could have bought me about 10 stoves over. I can't see any problem with burning normal petrol in the stove. it's certainly not any more dangerous than whitegas. Maybe a little smellier and soottier. That's all. good video.
Awesome... I was looking at this video specifically since I want to do a South America motorcycle trip. Spare fuel / stove fuel will be one in the same, and and spare liter of fuel could be a life saver!
sir are thay safer than under tank units ever had any explode as i also would like a safe heater at night is there a non return valve on thease to stop flame flash back to tank any advice is well heard ??
I got a whisperlite for this exact reason. 2 years from Michigan to TDF and it served me well. Gas quality varied WILDLY from Mexico to Argentina, and i generally ran everything through a filter as well in the more questionable areas. Still havent had to replace any parts, but did require pretty diligent maintenance / cleaning. Great stove, especially when availability of white gas varies from sketchy to non existent in a lot of areas south of Texas. As to the health aspect of cooking over dirtier fuel I can not comment on with any great authority, but I did avoid it whenever possible.
@@BrettSeiler Something to also consider, I carried 2 10L MSR Dromedary bags(1 would be fine) for my TDF run, and would fill them with gas(obviously never used for water), for the NUMEROUS stretches where access to quality, or any at all, fuel was non existent. The MSR bottles imo dont really have enough capacity(1 Dromedary would be equal to roughly 10 30oz MSR bottles, and FAR more space efficient) to get you through the miles required in a lot of areas, and they have no ability to pack down flat when you dont need them. That being said, i was on a Ural so i was able to use the sidecar for easy secure storage of the bags when full, if that is a concern(top of pannier works, just watch your ass). As with the bottles, make sure not to fill them up past ~80%, as when they heat up the fumes will need a place to go, and they do not automatically vent. I was sure to crack em open whenever i stopped. MSR bottles for emergency, dromedary bags to greatly increase the routes you can take to places you would not be able to get to otherwise. All that being said, neither are needed 90% of the time. Best of luck
@@SCQT very true. The big gas bladders would also be useful, but i'd try to keep the use of those to a minimum. I hear about them leaking quite frequently, but I think that's due to abuse more than anything else. An extra liter is really just good for an extra 10 miles or potentially enough heat to get you through a night etc. FYI, the new mar caps do actually vent. They're no longer the simple screw on type, though those bottles are built to pressurize fuel so I'm not sure how helpful that ultimately is. Sounds like you had an epic trip... Looks like won't be going anywhere soon with covid
Unless you counted the number of pumps of each, you may have had more pressure in the Coleman fuel bottle than the gas fuel bottle which might by why the amount of fuel used was different assuming start times were the same. Weighing the fuel would also increase your accuracy of testing. The most useful test, would be to boil equal amounts of water at the same temperature in the same pot. Then you would have an idea of the BTU transfer of each fuel.
I've been burning a 50/50 mix of gasoline and Coleman fuel and my stove work fine. At $14 to $17 for the Coleman fuel compared to $2.50 for unleaded I'll just shake the stove to clean jet more regularly. The savings of running gasoline will more than save plenty of money for spare orings and then a lot more. Good video Thanks
Octane is irrelevant for stoves. In fact, we would rather have lower octane, which is exactly what camp fuel/white gas is. I've heard "around 50" thrown around a lot for the octane rating on white gas, it's essentially pure gas with very few additives (I think Coleman uses some anti-corrosion additives). Automotive gas on the other hand is packed full of additives, to increase octane (resistance to premature combustion under heat and pressure in an engine), aggressive detergents to clean sludge and carbon out of engines, and countless other additives that are great for modern engines, but terrible for our purposes and often highly toxic when burned in open air rather than inside an engine under pressure with the perfect blend of oxygen. Personally I use Crown camp fuel. I can pick up a gallon of it at Walmart for $7-8 and I've never had difficulty finding it anywhere in the US. The only time I couldn't get white gas, I ran kerosene with great results. If I were in a foreign country and I couldn't find proper fuel I wouldn't hesitate to run automotive gas, but within the US it's simply not worth the negatives. A gallon of camp fuel lasts a LONG time.
This shows that gas (and lets be real probably all LPGs) are usable for the stove. However the geniuses who designed these things also have a fuel optimal for the use-case. Stay safe!
Thanks to you I now the difference between the International and the Universal models... I have checked quite a few videos but yours is the only one so far who has described the difference and so easy to understand... I love the quality of the stove, but I only want to use cartridges...but have the ability to invert the cartridge if and when required...
I have one. Bought it in 94. (I think). Good stove. Hard to balance a canteen cup on it. Had to replace the pump once. Kicks out the heat real nice. Took me a while to learn to light it. About set a few picnic tables on fire before I figured out the concept of preheating.
pretty cool i have this stove have never used it, years ago bought a suunto and have used it a lot, so much easier setup, no messy liquid, sealed gas cannister
Thanks! I sure like my stove! MSR makes some great stoves! And they are most reliable! And your right MSR has great customer service! Thanks for your comment and your link!
Thanks for this. Great content. I have the international, but never put automotive gas in it. Kind of interesting and nice to know that in a pinch, car gas would work.
@robalan57 I cannot believe, after all the dicking around, setting up two stoves using different fuels in competition with each other, that he didn’t finish up by boiling two equal containers of water. Duh!
Thanks! I was thinking of using my old Whisperlite International with unleaded on motorcycle trips. My only bad experience with this stove occurred when the bail wasn't correctly locked on the fuel bottle. I moved the stove while lit and it came apart spraying fuel which ignited at the bottle. Scared the crap out of me. Luckily didn't get sprayed with the burning fuel. I would choose this stove over my butane stove for fly in and long distance trips.
Thanks for this. Great video. Based in the UK and we don't have Coleman fuel here so everyone recommends using unleaded petrol (aka gas). A bit worried by it all but after watching this, not so much. Thanks again!
Nice video - I liked it. The bottle that you pump more (higher pressure inside) should burn more fuel within the same time period. Other method to control burn rate of fuel is with the valve. Useful if you want to boil fast or just simmer. My suggestion is to boil a large pot of water to test 1) how fast it gets to a boil and 2) how much fuel was used. I imagine the 2 will be pretty stinking close too.
Good video. It proves that in an emergency like a power outage at home, you could use the stove with gasoline from your car. Just do it outside and expect to damage the 0-rings.
And in the end, Gentlemen, whether unleaded gas fuel or Coleman fuel, You get to heat your untreated water for safe consumption and / or heat a meal to warm your tummy IF, one is in a compromised condition until help arrives and gets you to safety. Ego, has no answer, regarding fuel types in certain instances. Thank you for your video, Sir.
HanaleiSurfrider1 Amen! With the hurricane coming, I just wanted to know if I could burn it safely. I got a gallon of gas easy - but white gas might be sold out by the time I fight my way into REI!
The octane rating of naptha fuels (white gas) varies with the manufacturer and source. Coleman-brand naptha itself typically has an octane rating of 50 to 55. However, it has none of the additives of gasoline, so the octane level alone is not a very good gauge of heat/performance. Like this video, I'm finding that petrol (gasoline) and naptha (Coleman fuel) burn roughly the same around, but that naptha puts out a lot more heat. MSR (he makers of the WhisperLite stove) gives the following ratings in BTUs per hour produced (for the WhisperLite Universal model)… naptha: 9700, kerosene: 7300, gasoline: 9000, LPG vapour feed: 5300, LPG liquid feed: 10300. This makes naptha slightly more efficient than auto gas, and also (as we see in the video) eaves less sooty residue to clean up - making it my choice for fuels.
Great video! I use usually gasoline in my whisperlite international. But I carry a little squeeze bottle of alcohol with me for pre-heating. Makes the process basically soot-free if you have good timing. :-)
Hey thats a great idea! I don't know if you can use alcohol in the whisperlite! But I will look in to it and see if you can! If so I will do a video on it! Hey thanks for the great idea! And thanks for watching!... :-)
In the UK I buy 'Panel Wipe'. I get it from a place that deals with spray-shop supplies. It is cheaper than Coleman fuel in those juice bottles & is plain petroleum spirit.
Anecdotally - I have an MSR Whisperlite international that I bought in 1999. I have used it fairly regularly since then. Because the first trip in which I used the stove, white gas was not available, I burned auto fuel for the last 17 years or so. I have not replaced any of the seals (Mine still has a lot of the old leather seals, which are great).... I have cleaned the line a few times but taking it out and shoving it back in, and I shake the jet before using. Maybe Im lucky.... Last year I disassembled the whole thing, cleaned it, cleaned my fuel pump/bottle, etc and finally bought some white gas.
Bought a whisperlite 1990 and used it for years. Gave it up for a Primus propane stove (I got lazy). I have missed my MSR for years so yesterday I bought a new =) No more disposable propane tanks
Hi Tony, MSR makes some great stoves! You'll like it when you use it! I don't suggest to use gasoline but it does work! Coleman fuel works great! Thanks for watching my friend!
The test has no point and doesn't proove anything. Different consumption rate is due to different pressurization if we already suppose equal output from each valve. In real usage its the specific heat output per volume of fuel that conditions the consumption given all the other parameters are equal. Eg: the one with a greater specific heat output will boil 1L of water faster and will spend less fuel for that purpose.
No. The parameter you misstate as specific heat is heat of combustion. Specific heat is the amount of energy needed to raise a material's temperature by one degree. Heat of combustion is the amount of energy released when a given amount of material is combusted. E.g., Units of specific heat would be cal/degree c. Units of heat of combustion would be cal per gram.
Let's not get too technical. What he did was a pretty good indication that how much fuel you will burnt in that given time frame. Maybe the Coleman fuel burns a little hotter but it is a lot more to pay per gallon too. I have a Coleman dual fuel stove 533 and I use only gasoline and save me a lot of 💰💰💰. 1 gallon of Coleman $13 vs $2 (usually I get 60 cents to a $1 off because of Fuel point from Frys). So easily 6++ times cheaper compared to white gas. Sure you can go for the Crown white gas which is $9 or so.
Gasoline often contains alcohol as an oxidizer. The alcohol has a lower heat output, because it has a lower energy density. My concern is how well the stove will last using automotive fuel. Weather the fuel will degrade the parts, or the soot will clog it up.
thanks for video. It's not available white gasoline por Coleman fuel where I live. I use regular automotive gasoline and kerosene, 50/50 in 413g coleman stove. It takes minutes to turn blue the flame. No problem with that. I love to use the stove any time I can. Thanks again for information.
Most Excellent Video.. I've been wanting to see regular Gasoline go through this stove. Side by Side Comparison? ..Way Cool.. ... Excellent Presentation! thanks..
I bought my whisperlite in 1995 and at that time with the silver alu SIGG fuel bottle. I never knew that it was not recommended to use auto gasoline which I have been using the past 20 years without any problems. I also never cleaned the stove according to the instruction manual because I lost it right after purchase. The only annoying thing is the soot at the first 2 min to heat up the stove. But I never had any problems with clogged pipes etc. However I have been using unleaded German gasoline so far. Maybe it is very pure without dirt? The question now is what to do in future as the European gasoline is now a mixture of benzine and methanol. Methanol is an alcohol which attacks the aluminum bottle. Are the new MSR bottles sealed internally agains corrosion? The old SIGG bottle certainly was not.
Hey it was a good test to see if gasoline worked! I don't suggest to use gasoline but it does work! Hey thanks for watching and subscribing my new friend and you take care!.. :-)
Hey thats a good question! It gets sooty using gasoline to! I guess we just have to live with that! And clean it up all the time! It does work great on gasoline, you should give it a try in yours! just to see! Hey Thanks for watching my new friend!.... :o)
Not to bash the test but was just thinking ... Scientifically ... if you have both bottles are at the same pressure, and valves are open the same amount, fuel consumption would be the same. Its like having two water tanks of different liquids and opening up both valves the same. The same amount of liquid is going to remain in each. The real test between the two fuels is heat output. Thats where there should be a difference. It may take more time/more fuel to boil water with a certain fuel.
If your using diesel or kerosene or paraffin in the stove you need to use methalated spirit in the preheat chamber right very like the Coleman lamps where the flame would run up and pre heat the fuel line to the mantel
Coleman fuel is much lower octane than auto gas. Typically you want to use the lowest octane possible in a camp stove if you run auto gas. Nice comparison video!
I have an old Whisperlite (at least 12 years old) and a newer Whisperlite (5yrs?? old). As far as I can see, the parts are the same. Never tried to swap pieces inside the pumps, but everything looks dimensionally the same, they take the same o-rings and the pumps will work on either stove. Maybe someone else has another experience, but that's mine. As for this not being a very scientific test, all things being equal, white gas is cleaner burning, has more BTU's per gallon than regular unleaded, (kerosene has even more) so it will be AT LEAST as efficient as regular unleaded gasoline, same heat settings, same duration, etc., as well as a much more stable fuel. Great Video!
I've used unleaded and coleman in the MSR Dragonfly. Main difference seems to be more soot and smell with unleaded when priming as this fellow found. Also unleaded costs $10 less per gallon than Coleman in my area.
Hey this was just a test to see if gasoline worked! And it works fine! I would not use it all the time! But in a emergency situation and that's all I had was automotive gasoline I would use it! It may be dangerous but I think all fuels are! Hey thanks for your comment and take care!.... :-)
Hey Thanks! Coleman fuel is expensive,Gasoline is to but not as expensive as coleman fuel! Thats why we did this test! And gasoline seems to work just fine! Give it a try in your dragonfly I bet it works great! Thanks for watching my friend and take care!.
Excellent. I was wondering if regular gas would work. I often use the military brass stove instead of my whisperlite because it will run on car gas. Good to know that either will work.
Hey I did not notice any difference in smell,between coleman fuel and gasoline! I did notice that coleman fuel burned a little hotter! Thanks for watching my friend!..
Hey Simply! Gas is 3.95 a gal in oregon, And coleman fuel is 9.50 a gal ! So gasoline is the cheapest! Thats why we did the test, Just to see how good it works! Thanks and take care!...
If I were buying a used MSR stove I would certainly have to ask what fuels the last owner used predominantly. Are MSR stoves dated? I am aware that MSR pumps have gone through several changes (saw a Whisperlite with a grey pump), don't know which are oldest & if all can be serviced. Wouldn't want to pay top dollar for a model with a suspect pump with known reliability issues AND perhaps find the lastest pump isn't backwards compatible.
I think it would have been a good idea to boil water to see if they are equal in heat production. If the Coleman brings it to a boil faster it may be worth some extra fuel. Who knows, maybe you will get an extra boil or two per conister using Coleman.
Hi, You cannot use alcohol or heet! You cannot put them under pressure! Plus the alcohol or heet will deteriorate the rubber seals in the pump! Thanks for watching and your comment!...
Gas used to be tons cheaper than white gas, and obviously available everywhere. I burned through gallons of the stuff on a few of my 2-3 week long back packing trips
All white gas including Coleman fuel is the same as auto gas but without the heavier distillates which gives auto fuel that yellow color. The burn time varies based on how high the pressure was primed into each bottle which means the white gas was slightly primes higher. The only concern with modern auto fuel is the carbon buildup that will occur sooner and is it as easy to remove compared to white gas in the field.
The main reason its not a great idea to use Gasoline "Unleaded" is this "Its Dirty" what I mean and others are trying to say is dirty is the fuel itself. It basically clogs your jets and is much more dirty burning leaving debris or soot dirt in the jet clogging it. Thus rendering your stove unworkable till you take the stove burner apart and clean it to get it unclogged to work again. Yes you can burn Auto gas in the stove but I would only do it if you desperate. Also I would highly recommend you prime any stove that needs priming to do it with not gas or coleman fuel but to prime with Alcohol fuel. It will preheat the stove much quicker and more importantly much cleaner without any soot of any kind. No one likes to pack a dirty smelly black sooty stove in their pack.
RViscara Hi, I do NOT!! suggest to use gasoline!!! It is a dirty fuel! I did this test to see if it works! And it does! And it will eat your o- rings long term! But if that's all I had I would use it!!! Thanks for your comment my friend!
The issue with burning Unleaded gasoline in your stove is the additives in this motor fuel. They don't play nice with "gasoline" stoves; these additives don't combust properly, build up in your generator, and finally clog the super tiny brass jet in your generator. Which stops everything cold, until you do a complete teardown and clean up of the affected parts (generator and jet).
I'm strictly interested in the economy of gasoline. I ruined a coleman dual fuel stove with gadoline in 20 minutes, however. MSR being specifically made for gasoline is my wish but I doubt any stove needle would not quickly clog using our additives in the US. I'm thinking this might be an unconquered challenge for manufacturers. Replaceable or cleanable needles are needed. Thoughts?
Camp fuel is about 50 octane. You should realize that the amount of fuel used is determined by the amount of fuel you pumped out of the fuel bottle. Using more of one fuel just means you had more pressure on it. The thing to compare is the amount of energy in the fuel. White gas has slightly more power potential than gasoline but it's not a lot. It has nothing to do with how long it lasts as stated above, it only means you get slightly more heat from burning the same amount of fuel.
I wouldn't mind having this stove. With white gas it would be awesome to use. Yeah, if I had the money, I would by this type of stove. I don't care if I have to prime it and pump the fuel to get to the stove. Oh, how I would love to have one of these. I give it FIVE STARS easily.
Thanks for your video. So the answer is that you actually did have trouble with the pump, and you had to replace an O ring. Given an option to buy and use a stove that requires maintenance or repair, and one that does not, I think most people would prefer the latter. I was just looking at the Coleman Exponent Multifuel stove, and I see the company recommends that you buy the accessory maintenance kit with that. No thanks.
Given that every piece of equipment at some point will need maintenance or repair, I would much prefer to purchase from a company whose engineers had the foresight to make said maintenance and repair simple and straightforward, rather than purchasing a product that was designed to be thrown away when it has a problem (not very helpful in the field).
That is a Great Stove I have one I didn't know it would burn Gasoline too and a little cheaper than White Gas. Do you know how to keep the bottom of the stove from getting all sooty? Great Testing by the way!
I ought to admit here that I don't have a MSR stove. I am not here to 'dis them. I just wanted to pass comment on the use of car fuel: Dont! I noticed once that a stove running on pump petrol displayed flames with slightly yellow tips and had a odour of car exhaust. You mentioned the stove using car fuel had flames of a slightly different colour. The only thing I got with that design of burner is a Coleman 502. As I now know where to get white gas by the gallon the Coleman has only been fed that.
NJPurling I do NOT!! suggest to use gasoline!!! It is a dirty fuel! And it will eat your O-rings long term! I did this test just to see if it works! and it does! If that's all I had I would use it! It did not smell like exhaust! Thanks for your comment my friend!..
Naphtha does not contain Octane. Gasoline has more dirt in it and burns dirty. Also one thing you didn't mention is that it must be unleaded gasoline as leaded gasoline will poison your food that you are cooking with lead.
Lead is no longer legal in the US gasoline so there will be no lead. But I will say because gasoline burns dirty I would think it would have a nasty flavor? This is a good video to study on. Yes number of pumps & spill on bottom pan burn, not sure either will burn longer than the other but a worth while check on what fuel is cheaper @ one given time when using the stove. I have a dual fuel lantern I buy the fuel that is cheaper than the other.
The fuel adds no flavour as it is not in contact with the food. If you were to cook a steak on a bbq grill fired by gasoline, you would get the flavour but if you are cooking in a pot with a top on it it would not change the flavour.
goo.gl/Acqwuo MSR WhisperLite Universal Stove Hybrid-fuel stove is MSR's first to combine canister and liquid fuel capabilities into one comprehensive package Built on upgraded WhisperLite chassis featuring improved stability, lighter weight and simplified maintenance; burns almost any fuel Patent-pending AirControl technology delivers optimized performance across all fuel types, in a lightweight package that won't slow you down 11.5-ounce minimum weight and one-pound, 3.4-ounce packed weight; 110-minute burn time with 20-ounce canister of white gas, 75-minute burn time with eight-ounce canister of MSR IsoPro fuel, and 155-minute burn time with 20-ounce canister of kerosene Includes limited lifetime manufacturer's warranty; made in Seattle, WA
To be helpful, I like that you did this test but....to be more precise with your testing, weigh your fuel out and count the number of pumps in each fuel bottle before conducting your test. Keep with weighing the fuel in the pumps as it will also allow for more precise fuel usage over eyeballing a line on a container.
one thing I'd like to add to this, not all petrols (gasolines) are created equal. after going on round the world motorbike tours. my experience showed me that Europe generally had great quality gas, in parts of eastern Russia, Asia and Northern Africa, I was buying petrol in milk bottles and it was brown I would filter the stuff through a rag ( I smelled wonderful but much better option that tearing down a carb with a leatherman on a dusty road at night when it got clogged) before putting it into my tank or back up bottles (Japanese and S Korean and petrol looked good enough to drink). The US was a mixed bag, some stations had great quality others, were less good(still nothing to worry about mind) I never got down to south Americas so can't comment.
I only got high Oct or premium petrol where I had a choice, and was using a camp fire or my msr where fires weren't allowed/practical. My stove bottles acted as backup fuel bottles for my bike. So white gas was out. I must have burnt 100s of liters of varying quality fuel through the stove, and yeah it gets dirty, but a rag will sort that out. you can scrape the jet hole with a needle if it gets too messy. But 2.5 years of rides, and 1000s of meals and 1000s of liters of boiled water. the stove is fine, and the o rings are still good. The rubber will degrade, but it doesn't care if you are using the stove or not, left in clean air they degrade given time. and as for normal has speeding up the process, I doubt it as they are chemically very similar. but hell they last 5 years with very heavy use, they savings over white gas vs normal gas could have bought me about 10 stoves over. I can't see any problem with burning normal petrol in the stove. it's certainly not any more dangerous than whitegas. Maybe a little smellier and soottier. That's all. good video.
Awesome... I was looking at this video specifically since I want to do a South America motorcycle trip. Spare fuel / stove fuel will be one in the same, and and spare liter of fuel could be a life saver!
sir are thay safer than under tank units ever had any explode as i also would like a safe heater at night is there a non return valve on thease to stop flame flash back to tank any advice is well heard ??
I got a whisperlite for this exact reason. 2 years from Michigan to TDF and it served me well. Gas quality varied WILDLY from Mexico to Argentina, and i generally ran everything through a filter as well in the more questionable areas. Still havent had to replace any parts, but did require pretty diligent maintenance / cleaning. Great stove, especially when availability of white gas varies from sketchy to non existent in a lot of areas south of Texas.
As to the health aspect of cooking over dirtier fuel I can not comment on with any great authority, but I did avoid it whenever possible.
@@BrettSeiler Something to also consider, I carried 2 10L MSR Dromedary bags(1 would be fine) for my TDF run, and would fill them with gas(obviously never used for water), for the NUMEROUS stretches where access to quality, or any at all, fuel was non existent. The MSR bottles imo dont really have enough capacity(1 Dromedary would be equal to roughly 10 30oz MSR bottles, and FAR more space efficient) to get you through the miles required in a lot of areas, and they have no ability to pack down flat when you dont need them. That being said, i was on a Ural so i was able to use the sidecar for easy secure storage of the bags when full, if that is a concern(top of pannier works, just watch your ass). As with the bottles, make sure not to fill them up past ~80%, as when they heat up the fumes will need a place to go, and they do not automatically vent. I was sure to crack em open whenever i stopped.
MSR bottles for emergency, dromedary bags to greatly increase the routes you can take to places you would not be able to get to otherwise. All that being said, neither are needed 90% of the time.
Best of luck
@@SCQT very true. The big gas bladders would also be useful, but i'd try to keep the use of those to a minimum. I hear about them leaking quite frequently, but I think that's due to abuse more than anything else. An extra liter is really just good for an extra 10 miles or potentially enough heat to get you through a night etc. FYI, the new mar caps do actually vent. They're no longer the simple screw on type, though those bottles are built to pressurize fuel so I'm not sure how helpful that ultimately is. Sounds like you had an epic trip... Looks like won't be going anywhere soon with covid
Thanks to you we figured out how to use this whisperlite stove with gas!!! You saved us from a cold meal 🎉😊
Perfect, Glad I could help. Thanks for watching.
Unless you counted the number of pumps of each, you may have had more pressure in the Coleman fuel bottle than the gas fuel bottle which might by why the amount of fuel used was different assuming start times were the same. Weighing the fuel would also increase your accuracy of testing. The most useful test, would be to boil equal amounts of water at the same temperature in the same pot. Then you would have an idea of the BTU transfer of each fuel.
I've been burning a 50/50 mix of gasoline and Coleman fuel and my stove work fine. At $14 to $17 for the Coleman fuel compared to $2.50 for unleaded I'll just shake the stove to clean jet more regularly.
The savings of running gasoline will more than save plenty of money for spare orings and then a lot more.
Good video
Thanks
Octane is irrelevant for stoves. In fact, we would rather have lower octane, which is exactly what camp fuel/white gas is. I've heard "around 50" thrown around a lot for the octane rating on white gas, it's essentially pure gas with very few additives (I think Coleman uses some anti-corrosion additives). Automotive gas on the other hand is packed full of additives, to increase octane (resistance to premature combustion under heat and pressure in an engine), aggressive detergents to clean sludge and carbon out of engines, and countless other additives that are great for modern engines, but terrible for our purposes and often highly toxic when burned in open air rather than inside an engine under pressure with the perfect blend of oxygen.
Personally I use Crown camp fuel. I can pick up a gallon of it at Walmart for $7-8 and I've never had difficulty finding it anywhere in the US. The only time I couldn't get white gas, I ran kerosene with great results. If I were in a foreign country and I couldn't find proper fuel I wouldn't hesitate to run automotive gas, but within the US it's simply not worth the negatives. A gallon of camp fuel lasts a LONG time.
This shows that gas (and lets be real probably all LPGs) are usable for the stove. However the geniuses who designed these things also have a fuel optimal for the use-case. Stay safe!
I like the video because I've never used gasoline in my stove and wondered about the performance. Thanks for the video. Question answered.
very simple, so clear, thank you Mr. Backpacker, greetings from Argentina
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching.
i have a stove like that, i got it as a gift a couple years ago, but haven't even used it yet. thanks for the info in it. atb, Tony
Excellent video, very illustrative, It follows step by step how to make the stoves work
Thank you, And thanks for watching
Thanks a lot for posting this video. You helped me with this instruction. I feel save using the MSR now.
Good, I hope this video helped some. Thanks for watching,
Thanks to you I now the difference between the International and the Universal models... I have checked quite a few videos but yours is the only one so far who has described the difference and so easy to understand... I love the quality of the stove, but I only want to use cartridges...but have the ability to invert the cartridge if and when required...
Glad I could help! Thanks for watching.
Cool testing, you just saved all of us some time and testing. now we know.
My friend picked up one of these at a thrift store for 3 bucks. THREE BUCKS!
Awesome deal. The thrift store didn't know what they had.
I have one. Bought it in 94. (I think). Good stove. Hard to balance a canteen cup on it. Had to replace the pump once.
Kicks out the heat real nice.
Took me a while to learn to light it. About set a few picnic tables on fire before I figured out the concept of preheating.
pretty cool i have this stove have never used it, years ago bought a suunto and have used it a lot, so much easier setup, no messy liquid, sealed gas cannister
Thanks! I sure like my stove! MSR makes some great stoves! And they are most reliable! And your right MSR has great customer service! Thanks for your comment and your link!
Thanks for this. Great content. I have the international, but never put automotive gas in it. Kind of interesting and nice to know that in a pinch, car gas would work.
wow great information and step by step!!
Cool video. I've trusted the WhisperLite since I was a Cub Scout and I still use it. Great backpacking stove.
@robalan57 I cannot believe, after all the dicking around, setting up two stoves using different fuels in competition with each other, that he didn’t finish up by boiling two equal containers of water. Duh!
very informative video - thanks for doing this!
Thanks! I was thinking of using my old Whisperlite International with unleaded on motorcycle trips. My only bad experience with this stove occurred when the bail wasn't correctly locked on the fuel bottle. I moved the stove while lit and it came apart spraying fuel which ignited at the bottle. Scared the crap out of me. Luckily didn't get sprayed with the burning fuel.
I would choose this stove over my butane stove for fly in and long distance trips.
Great test! !
Thanks for this. Great video. Based in the UK and we don't have Coleman fuel here so everyone recommends using unleaded petrol (aka gas). A bit worried by it all but after watching this, not so much. Thanks again!
Primus do a fuel that works in these stoves. I think its called primus powerfuel. Works perfectly and burns very clean
Thanks for the test, good job.
Thanks. And thanks for watching.
Nice video - I liked it.
The bottle that you pump more (higher pressure inside) should burn more fuel within the same time period. Other method to control burn rate of fuel is with the valve. Useful if you want to boil fast or just simmer.
My suggestion is to boil a large pot of water to test 1) how fast it gets to a boil and 2) how much fuel was used. I imagine the 2 will be pretty stinking close too.
Good video. It proves that in an emergency like a power outage at home, you could use the stove with gasoline from your car. Just do it outside and expect to damage the 0-rings.
And in the end, Gentlemen, whether unleaded gas fuel or Coleman fuel, You get to heat your untreated water for safe consumption and / or heat a meal to warm your tummy IF, one is in a compromised condition until help arrives and gets you to safety. Ego, has no answer, regarding fuel types in certain instances. Thank you for your video, Sir.
HanaleiSurfrider1 Amen! With the hurricane coming, I just wanted to know if I could burn it safely. I got a gallon of gas easy - but white gas might be sold out by the time I fight my way into REI!
Hi, I used the same jet that it came with! The standard jet! And it worked great! Hey Thanks for watching!..
The octane rating of naptha fuels (white gas) varies with the manufacturer and source. Coleman-brand naptha itself typically has an octane rating of 50 to 55. However, it has none of the additives of gasoline, so the octane level alone is not a very good gauge of heat/performance.
Like this video, I'm finding that petrol (gasoline) and naptha (Coleman fuel) burn roughly the same around, but that naptha puts out a lot more heat.
MSR (he makers of the WhisperLite stove) gives the following ratings in BTUs per hour produced (for the WhisperLite Universal model)… naptha: 9700, kerosene: 7300, gasoline: 9000, LPG vapour feed: 5300, LPG liquid feed: 10300.
This makes naptha slightly more efficient than auto gas, and also (as we see in the video) eaves less sooty residue to clean up - making it my choice for fuels.
Great video!
I use usually gasoline in my whisperlite international. But I carry a little squeeze bottle of alcohol with me for pre-heating. Makes the process basically soot-free if you have good timing. :-)
Hey Thanks! That's a great idea to use a little alcohol for pre-heating! I bet that works awesome! Thanks for watching and for your comment!..
Hey thats a great idea! I don't know if you can use alcohol in the whisperlite! But I will look in to it and see if you can! If so I will do a video on it! Hey thanks for the great idea! And thanks for watching!... :-)
In the UK I buy 'Panel Wipe'. I get it from a place that deals with spray-shop supplies.
It is cheaper than Coleman fuel in those juice bottles & is plain petroleum spirit.
Thanks! It does work on gasoline! So thats a good thing!...
Anecdotally - I have an MSR Whisperlite international that I bought in 1999. I have used it fairly regularly since then. Because the first trip in which I used the stove, white gas was not available, I burned auto fuel for the last 17 years or so. I have not replaced any of the seals (Mine still has a lot of the old leather seals, which are great).... I have cleaned the line a few times but taking it out and shoving it back in, and I shake the jet before using. Maybe Im lucky.... Last year I disassembled the whole thing, cleaned it, cleaned my fuel pump/bottle, etc and finally bought some white gas.
Bought a whisperlite 1990 and used it for years. Gave it up for a Primus propane stove (I got lazy). I have missed my MSR for years so yesterday I bought a new =)
No more disposable propane tanks
Thanks for sharing, And thanks for watching.
Hey Thanks my friend! That's my Las Vegas Super Cross shirt!.... :-)
Hi Tony, MSR makes some great stoves! You'll like it when you use it! I don't suggest to use gasoline but it does work! Coleman fuel works great! Thanks for watching my friend!
This was helpful, thanks!
Good, Thanks for watching.
According to Wikipedia, Coleman fuel (Shellite in Australia) has an octane rating of 50-55
The test has no point and doesn't proove anything. Different consumption rate is due to different pressurization if we already suppose equal output from each valve. In real usage its the specific heat output per volume of fuel that conditions the consumption given all the other parameters are equal. Eg: the one with a greater specific heat output will boil 1L of water faster and will spend less fuel for that purpose.
No. The parameter you misstate as specific heat is heat of combustion.
Specific heat is the amount of energy needed to raise a material's temperature by one degree. Heat of combustion is the amount of energy released when a given amount of material is combusted.
E.g., Units of specific heat would be cal/degree c.
Units of heat of combustion would be cal per gram.
schreckpmc That might be true, anyway you understood the point.
Ok.
Let's not get too technical. What he did was a pretty good indication that how much fuel you will burnt in that given time frame. Maybe the Coleman fuel burns a little hotter but it is a lot more to pay per gallon too. I have a Coleman dual fuel stove 533 and I use only gasoline and save me a lot of 💰💰💰. 1 gallon of Coleman $13 vs $2 (usually I get 60 cents to a $1 off because of Fuel point from Frys). So easily 6++ times cheaper compared to white gas. Sure you can go for the Crown white gas which is $9 or so.
Gasoline often contains alcohol as an oxidizer. The alcohol has a lower heat output, because it has a lower energy density. My concern is how well the stove will last using automotive fuel. Weather the fuel will degrade the parts, or the soot will clog it up.
The gasoline stove was on for quite a bit longer than the Coleman fuel one as well.
thanks for video. It's not available white gasoline por Coleman fuel where I live. I use regular automotive gasoline and kerosene, 50/50 in 413g coleman stove. It takes minutes to turn blue the flame. No problem with that. I love to use the stove any time I can. Thanks again for information.
Awesome and informative. Nice shirt....brrrappp!
Most Excellent Video.. I've been wanting to see regular Gasoline go through this stove. Side by Side Comparison? ..Way Cool.. ... Excellent Presentation! thanks..
the Observer Hey thanks! I don't suggest to use gasoline! But it does work! Thanks for watching!..
I bought my whisperlite in 1995 and at that time with the silver alu SIGG fuel bottle.
I never knew that it was not recommended to use auto gasoline which I have been using the past 20 years without any problems. I also never cleaned the stove according to the instruction manual because I lost it right after purchase.
The only annoying thing is the soot at the first 2 min to heat up the stove. But I never had any problems with clogged pipes etc.
However I have been using unleaded German gasoline so far. Maybe it is very pure without dirt?
The question now is what to do in future as the European gasoline is now a mixture of benzine and methanol. Methanol is an alcohol which attacks the aluminum bottle.
Are the new MSR bottles sealed internally agains corrosion?
The old SIGG bottle certainly was not.
Good testing indeed! Even if you get the highest octane available (at your local fuel station), you are probably cheaper. Nice
Hey it was a good test to see if gasoline worked! I don't suggest to use gasoline but it does work! Hey thanks for watching and subscribing my new friend and you take care!.. :-)
I have always used auto fuel in my whispering for over twenty years with no problems the only difference is Colman fuel is refined a little further
Hey thats a good question! It gets sooty using gasoline to! I guess we just have to live with that! And clean it up all the time! It does work great on gasoline, you should give it a try in yours! just to see! Hey Thanks for watching my new friend!.... :o)
Hey Thanks! This was just a test, I don't suggest using gasoline! But it does work! If you had to use it! Hey Thanks for watching!...
Not to bash the test but was just thinking ... Scientifically ... if you have both bottles are at the same pressure, and valves are open the same amount, fuel consumption would be the same. Its like having two water tanks of different liquids and opening up both valves the same. The same amount of liquid is going to remain in each. The real test between the two fuels is heat output. Thats where there should be a difference. It may take more time/more fuel to boil water with a certain fuel.
Great review! Thanks for posting. I'm curious what the difference in smell was like. That would be my main concern with cooking over gasoline...
Gasoline seems to work just fine. And really not much smell difference. Thanks for watching.
If your using diesel or kerosene or paraffin in the stove you need to use methalated spirit in the preheat chamber right very like the Coleman lamps where the flame would run up and pre heat the fuel line to the mantel
Coleman fuel is much lower octane than auto gas. Typically you want to use the lowest octane possible in a camp stove if you run auto gas.
Nice comparison video!
I have an old Whisperlite (at least 12 years old) and a newer Whisperlite (5yrs?? old). As far as I can see, the parts are the same. Never tried to swap pieces inside the pumps, but everything looks dimensionally the same, they take the same o-rings and the pumps will work on either stove. Maybe someone else has another experience, but that's mine.
As for this not being a very scientific test, all things being equal, white gas is cleaner burning, has more BTU's per gallon than regular unleaded, (kerosene has even more) so it will be AT LEAST as efficient as regular unleaded gasoline, same heat settings, same duration, etc., as well as a much more stable fuel. Great Video!
I've used unleaded and coleman in the MSR Dragonfly. Main difference seems to be more soot and smell with unleaded when priming as this fellow found. Also unleaded costs $10 less per gallon than Coleman in my area.
Hey this was just a test to see if gasoline worked! And it works fine! I would not use it all the time! But in a emergency situation and that's all I had was automotive gasoline I would use it! It may be dangerous but I think all fuels are! Hey thanks for your comment and take care!.... :-)
Hey Thanks! Coleman fuel is expensive,Gasoline is to but not as expensive as coleman fuel! Thats why we did this test! And gasoline seems to work just fine! Give it a try in your dragonfly I bet it works great! Thanks for watching my friend and take care!.
Excellent. I was wondering if regular gas would work. I often use the military brass stove instead of my whisperlite because it will run on car gas. Good to know that either will work.
Hi, Gasoline does work! Its not a real clean fuel! But if that's all I had I would use it! Hey thanks for watching!
Hey I did not notice any difference in smell,between coleman fuel and gasoline! I did notice that coleman fuel burned a little hotter! Thanks for watching my friend!..
Hey Simply! Gas is 3.95 a gal in oregon, And coleman fuel is 9.50 a gal ! So gasoline is the cheapest! Thats why we did the test, Just to see how good it works!
Thanks and take care!...
If I were buying a used MSR stove I would certainly have to ask what fuels the last owner used predominantly. Are MSR stoves dated?
I am aware that MSR pumps have gone through several changes (saw a Whisperlite with a grey pump), don't know which are oldest & if all can be serviced.
Wouldn't want to pay top dollar for a model with a suspect pump with known reliability issues AND perhaps find the lastest pump isn't backwards compatible.
wow men I was looking this information for long time. thanks a lot
wow amigo estube buscando esta informacion hace mucho tiempo muchas gracias....
Hey your welcome! I don't suggest to use gasoline! But it does work if you had to use it! Thanks for watching!.. :-)
MrBackpacker48 THANKS A LOT... HAPPY NEW YEAR
I think it would have been a good idea to boil water to see if they are equal in heat production. If the Coleman brings it to a boil faster it may be worth some extra fuel. Who knows, maybe you will get an extra boil or two per conister using Coleman.
Hi, You cannot use alcohol or heet! You cannot put them under pressure! Plus the alcohol or heet will deteriorate the rubber seals in the pump! Thanks for watching and your comment!...
It you can use ethyl in the cup as a cleaner preheating fuel, if you wish
Though you can put a squirter of it in the preheat cup to reduce soot buildup
When the generator heads up it put out VAPORS, not a mist. A mist is an atomized liquid. Vaporization is a phase shift, in this case liquid to gas.
Hi, people talk about the O rings going bad, where is the O ring located? Thanks
The O-rings are located in the pump. Thanks.
Gas used to be tons cheaper than white gas, and obviously available everywhere. I burned through gallons of the stuff on a few of my 2-3 week long back packing trips
All white gas including Coleman fuel is the same as auto gas but without the heavier distillates which gives auto fuel that yellow color. The burn time varies based on how high the pressure was primed into each bottle which means the white gas was slightly primes higher. The only concern with modern auto fuel is the carbon buildup that will occur sooner and is it as easy to remove compared to white gas in the field.
Can you use denatured alcohol or Heet?
The main reason its not a great idea to use Gasoline "Unleaded" is this "Its Dirty" what I mean and others are trying to say is dirty is the fuel itself. It basically clogs your jets and is much more dirty burning leaving debris or soot dirt in the jet clogging it. Thus rendering your stove unworkable till you take the stove burner apart and clean it to get it unclogged to work again. Yes you can burn Auto gas in the stove but I would only do it if you desperate. Also I would highly recommend you prime any stove that needs priming to do it with not gas or coleman fuel but to prime with Alcohol fuel. It will preheat the stove much quicker and more importantly much cleaner without any soot of any kind. No one likes to pack a dirty smelly black sooty stove in their pack.
RViscara Hi, I do NOT!! suggest to use gasoline!!! It is a dirty fuel! I did this test to see if it works! And it does! And it will eat your o- rings long term! But if that's all I had I would use it!!! Thanks for your comment my friend!
The issue with burning Unleaded gasoline in your stove is the additives in this motor fuel. They don't play nice with "gasoline" stoves; these additives don't combust properly, build up in your generator, and finally clog the super tiny brass jet in your generator. Which stops everything cold, until you do a complete teardown and clean up of the affected parts (generator and jet).
I'm strictly interested in the economy of gasoline. I ruined a coleman dual fuel stove with gadoline in 20 minutes, however. MSR being specifically made for gasoline is my wish but I doubt any stove needle would not quickly clog using our additives in the US. I'm thinking this might be an unconquered challenge for manufacturers. Replaceable or cleanable needles are needed. Thoughts?
@MrBackpacker48,lucky to see the vegas supercross,i got married in vegas.
I've used reg. gas in my msr you just need to clean it after using it each time no big dell
Camp fuel is about 50 octane.
You should realize that the amount of fuel used is determined by the amount of fuel you pumped out of the fuel bottle. Using more of one fuel just means you had more pressure on it.
The thing to compare is the amount of energy in the fuel.
White gas has slightly more power potential than gasoline but it's not a lot.
It has nothing to do with how long it lasts as stated above, it only means you get slightly more heat from burning the same amount of fuel.
I wouldn't mind having this stove. With white gas it would be awesome to use. Yeah, if I had the money, I would by this type of stove. I don't care if I have to prime it and pump the fuel to get to the stove. Oh, how I would love to have one of these. I give it FIVE STARS easily.
The fuel bottles that you use are of what size? 20 Oz or 30 Oz?
The bottles in this video are 30 fl. oz. Thanks.
Thanks for your video. So the answer is that you actually did have trouble with the pump, and you had to replace an O ring. Given an option to buy and use a stove that requires maintenance or repair, and one that does not, I think most people would prefer the latter. I was just looking at the Coleman Exponent Multifuel stove, and I see the company recommends that you buy the accessory maintenance kit with that. No thanks.
Given that every piece of equipment at some point will need maintenance or repair, I would much prefer to purchase from a company whose engineers had the foresight to make said maintenance and repair simple and straightforward, rather than purchasing a product that was designed to be thrown away when it has a problem (not very helpful in the field).
I run a half-tank of coleman through after 2-3 tanks of unleaded. Otherwise it gets cranky from the gunk/deposits.
Ahh prison lube. 😂😂
That is a Great Stove I have one I didn't know it would burn Gasoline too and a little cheaper than White Gas. Do you know how to keep the bottom of the stove from getting all sooty? Great Testing by the way!
Doing the preheat with alcohol, methanol, or heet will prevent soot buildup
MrBackpacker48
what jets are you using
This stove has the original jet in it. I did not change the jet to do this test. Thanks for watching.
Coleman fuel has a low octane of like 70 something..it has a lot more flash then pump gas.
It got down to 26 deg last night! That should have killed them off! ha..ha.. :o)
Hey Let me know how it works! I would like to know! Hey it would make a good video for you! Thanks.....
2:40 he puts in 89 octane gasoline? That is not any more available in Germany since 25 years. Lowest is nowadays 95 octane
LOL, Hey man its late. Thanks to my super fast internet, it only took 9 hours to upload...
I ought to admit here that I don't have a MSR stove.
I am not here to 'dis them.
I just wanted to pass comment on the use of car fuel: Dont!
I noticed once that a stove running on pump petrol displayed flames with slightly yellow tips and had a odour of car exhaust. You mentioned the stove using car fuel had flames of a slightly different colour.
The only thing I got with that design of burner is a Coleman 502.
As I now know where to get white gas by the gallon the Coleman has only been fed that.
NJPurling I do NOT!! suggest to use gasoline!!! It is a dirty fuel! And it will eat your O-rings long term! I did this test just to see if it works! and it does! If that's all I had I would use it! It did not smell like exhaust! Thanks for your comment my friend!..
My old pump lasted 15 years...
The flame looks very close to the fuel bottle. Scary.
The lowest octane, the better for gas stoves. The additives in higher octane gas is bad for the stove performance.
Very scientific! 🤣
Naphtha does not contain Octane. Gasoline has more dirt in it and burns dirty. Also one thing you didn't mention is that it must be unleaded gasoline as leaded gasoline will poison your food that you are cooking with lead.
Lead is no longer legal in the US gasoline so there will be no lead. But I will say because gasoline burns dirty I would think it would have a nasty flavor? This is a good video to study on. Yes number of pumps & spill on bottom pan burn, not sure either will burn longer than the other but a worth while check on what fuel is cheaper @ one given time when using the stove. I have a dual fuel lantern I buy the fuel that is cheaper than the other.
The fuel adds no flavour as it is not in contact with the food. If you were to cook a steak on a bbq grill fired by gasoline, you would get the flavour but if you are cooking in a pot with a top on it it would not change the flavour.
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MSR WhisperLite Universal Stove
Hybrid-fuel stove is MSR's first to combine canister and liquid fuel capabilities into one comprehensive package
Built on upgraded WhisperLite chassis featuring improved stability, lighter weight and simplified maintenance; burns almost any fuel
Patent-pending AirControl technology delivers optimized performance across all fuel types, in a lightweight package that won't slow you down
11.5-ounce minimum weight and one-pound, 3.4-ounce packed weight; 110-minute burn time with 20-ounce canister of white gas, 75-minute burn time with eight-ounce canister of MSR IsoPro fuel, and 155-minute burn time with 20-ounce canister of kerosene
Includes limited lifetime manufacturer's warranty; made in Seattle, WA
To be helpful, I like that you did this test but....to be more precise with your testing, weigh your fuel out and count the number of pumps in each fuel bottle before conducting your test. Keep with weighing the fuel in the pumps as it will also allow for more precise fuel usage over eyeballing a line on a container.
Automotive gas doesn’t burn as cleanly because of all the additives.
Don't use gasoline.