MSR PocketRocket 2: specs and how it compares (2026)

The MSR PocketRocket 2 weighs 73 g (2.6 oz), lists at $49.95, and has no regulator and no igniter. It is a simple upright canister stove for boiling water: not a windproof system, and not the lightest burner available.

This page covers how its burner, valve and size affect use, how it compares with the PocketRocket Deluxe and with integrated systems, and who should skip it. Figures are the makers' published specs. RidgeNote has not used or tested the stove.

MSR publishes a packed size of 3.3 x 4.1 x 7.9 cm (1.3 x 1.6 x 3.1 in) and a boil time of 3.5 min per 1 L, and no heat output. It threads onto EN 417 Lindal-valve canisters and needs a lighter or match.

Buy it if you mostly boil water (freeze-dried meals, coffee, oats) on three-season trips. At 73 g and $49.95 it is the cheapest stove in this site's stove guide, it has nothing electronic to fail, and it packs into a solo titanium pot.

Skip it if you often camp below freezing or on exposed ground. Its design has three limits: the open burner loses heat to wind, the unregulated valve loses output as the canister cools, and the narrow flame concentrates heat on thin pots. The PocketRocket Deluxe (83 g, $84.95) adds a regulator and a recessed burner; an integrated system goes further against wind.

Three stainless steel pot supports fold flat along the stem for packing.

The burner head is flat and open, with nothing around the flame; the next section covers what that means in wind.

The stove threads onto EN 417 Lindal-valve canisters (7/16-28 UNEF thread) and seals with an O-ring in the collar. A folding wire handle opens the valve from low flame to full.

An open burner heats the pot with hot gas rising from the flame. Wind pushes that gas sideways, so less of the heat reaches the pot base. The PocketRocket 2's burner sits exposed on top of the stem with no windscreen, so in a breeze boil times lengthen and fuel use rises.

Maker boil times are measured in controlled conditions; in wind, expect MSR's 3.5 min per 1 L to stretch. Cooking behind a boulder, your pack or a fold in the ground reduces the loss.

The valve meters gas straight from the canister, so the flame depends on the canister's vapor pressure. Two things lower that pressure in the cold: the canister cools with the air, and the evaporating fuel draws heat from the liquid, chilling the canister further during a long burn.

The fuel sets the limits. At sea-level pressure, propane boils at -44°F (-42°C), isobutane at 11°F (-12°C) and n-butane at 31°F (-0.5°C), so pure-butane canisters give little pressure near freezing. In a mixed canister the propane tends to burn off first, so a part-used canister does worse in the cold. On an unregulated stove, that pressure drop shows up directly as a weaker flame.

What helps: keep the canister in a jacket pocket or your sleeping bag before dinner; stand it on closed-cell foam, not frozen ground; in hard cold, set it in a shallow dish of water. Never wrap a solid windscreen around a canister-mounted stove: trapped heat can over-pressurize the canister.

MSR does not publish the burner diameter. The flame is narrow and concentrated, which suits boiling water. Titanium spreads heat less well than aluminum, so on a thin titanium pot such as the TOAKS Titanium 750ml Pot (103 g, 3.6 oz) the heat stays in the center, and thick food such as beans, pasta or oats can scorch even on low.

The valve will hold a low flame, but a low flame on an open burner blows out more easily in a breeze. If you only boil and rehydrate, this does not matter; if you simmer, it does.

Both use the same canister fitting; the Deluxe adds a regulator, a recessed burner and an igniter for $35.00 more and 10 g more weight.

PocketRocket 2: 73 g (2.6 oz), MSRP $49.95, flat burner head, no regulator, no igniter, packed size 3.3 x 4.1 x 7.9 cm, 3.5 min per 1 L.

PocketRocket Deluxe: 83 g (2.9 oz), MSRP $84.95, wider recessed burner head with a rim, regulator, push-start piezo inside the burner, packed size 3.8 x 5.6 x 8.4 cm, 3.3 min per 1 L.

The regulator holds output steadier as the canister cools or empties, which is the base model's main weakness. The recessed burner shelters the flame from side wind better than the flat head. The igniter means one less thing to light it with, though you should still carry a lighter, since piezo igniters can fail.

Choose the PocketRocket 2 for the lower price, lower weight and fewer parts. Choose the Deluxe if your trips often bring cold or wind.

The other choice is an integrated system such as the Jetboil Flash Fast-Boil Stove (371 g, 13.1 oz). Its pot locks to the burner and has a heat exchanger on the base, which keeps more of the heat in the water. Jetboil publishes 2 min per 0.5 L for the Flash and MSR publishes 3.5 min per 1 L for the PocketRocket 2; the volumes differ, so the two figures are not a direct comparison.

The trade is hardware weight against fuel. The PocketRocket 2 with a TOAKS 750 ml pot is 176 g (6.2 oz) of hardware, less than half the Flash's 371 g. On a weekend, one small canister covers either. On a long trip, or cooking for two, a more efficient system can mean one canister fewer. RidgeNote's stove and cookware guide compares eight stoves, from standalone burners to integrated systems.

The stove fits any EN 417 Lindal-valve isobutane/propane canister, including MSR IsoPro, Jetboil Jetpower, Snow Peak GigaPower and Primus Power Gas, in the usual sizes of about 100 to 110 g, 227 to 230 g and 450 g (the exact figure varies by brand). MSR does not publish a liters-boiled figure for it; wind and cold raise fuel use.

It does not fit pure-butane aerosol canisters (different valve), 1 lb propane cylinders or liquid-fuel (white gas) bottles.

TOAKS lists a 110 g canister and the PocketRocket 2 among the items that fit inside its Titanium 750ml Pot.

Buy it if you want a simple canister stove with no electronics, you mainly boil water, you hike spring to early autumn in moderate conditions, and you want a $49.95 stove that packs into a 750 ml pot.

Skip it if you often camp below freezing (the regulated MSR PocketRocket Deluxe or Soto WindMaster hold output better as pressure drops); if your sites are exposed (the WindMaster's recessed burner is designed for wind); if weight matters most (the Snow Peak LiteMax Titanium is 56 g, the lightest stove in the stove guide); or if you boil for a group and want a larger integrated pot (the Jetboil Flash has a 1.0 L pot and a published 2 min per 0.5 L).

Is the MSR PocketRocket 2 a good stove? For boiling water in mild conditions, its published specs make a strong case: 73 g, $49.95, no electronics. Its limits come from its design: heat lost to wind and weaker output in the cold.

Is MSR or Jetboil better? Neither across the board; the question is standalone burner or integrated system, and both brands sell both. Standalone burners weigh less, pack smaller, fit more pots and cost less. Integrated systems shield the flame and add a heat exchanger, which helps most in wind; they cost more hardware weight and fit fewer pots.

PocketRocket 2 or Deluxe? The Deluxe suits cold or wind; the PocketRocket 2 suits a lower price, lower weight and fewer parts. The figures are in the comparison above.

What fuel does it take? Threaded EN 417 isobutane/propane canisters (about 100 g, 230 g and 450 g sizes, which vary slightly by brand) from any major maker. Not pure-butane aerosol canisters, 1 lb propane bottles or white gas.

Before each trip, check the O-ring inside the threaded collar; if it is cracked, flattened or missing, gas can leak at the threads, so replace it. Thread the stove on straight and do not force it, because cross-threading damages the threads. If the flame turns uneven or yellow, clean the burner ports with a soft brush, and do not push anything into the jet, which can change how the stove burns. Pack it in its case or a cloth so the supports do not scratch the pot, and carry a lighter in a dry bag.