Let’s be clear—I’m an MSR fanboy, always have been. For big adventures or when cooking for more than just myself, I’ll always reach for my WhisperLite. I’ve had one for 20 years, and it’s never let me down. More recently, I’ve been using the Pocket Rocket with a 1.4L titanium pot—it’s compact, and everything (fuel, cooker, and base) fits neatly inside.
A while back, a friend lent me an MSR Windburner. I gave it a shot, but since I don’t rely on freeze-dried meals or coffee, I didn’t get much use out of it. Out of the box, it’s primarily designed for boiling water, which felt limiting. While MSR offers a range of Windburner-specific pots and pans, their proprietary base means they only fit Windburner stoves—which is good if you’re looking for a true windproof system stove. But I was looking for something that works with my existing cookware.
Well, that just changed.
The new Switch stove takes the best bits of the Windburner and adds the versatility of a stove that works with any pot or pan. Like the Windburner, the Switch packs up neatly, storing the stove, fuel canister, and redesigned pot support inside the included pot.
Unlike the Windburner, the integrated Switch pot doesn’t “click” into place—it simply sits on a circular rail. It’s still stable, but if you knock it over, you’re only losing the pot, not the whole flaming stove (which, let’s be honest, is a big plus).
Need to cook with a different pot or pan? Just flip out the built-in pot supports and throw on whatever you need. MSR recommends keeping it under 20cm in diameter, and in my experience, even a full MSR Quick Pot (18.3cm) feels stable.
The MSR Quick pot is 18.3cm in diameter, and even full doesn’t feel unstable when heating up.
The included 1L Switch pot features a unique convex bottom that distributes heat evenly and boils water fast. MSR claims it takes just 2.5 minutes—I haven’t timed it, but I can confirm it’s quick. The pot’s removable cork cozy is burn-resistant and grippy even when wet, and the coated fold-out handles keep heat transfer to a minimum, so you can sip your hot Raro (or tea) the second it’s ready.
MSR also redesigned the fuel canister support, making it easier to clip on and compact enough to fit inside the nested setup. The stove itself has a built-in piezo ignitor and a pressure regulator, ensuring efficient performance at different altitudes and making it more fuel-efficient overall.
The Perfect Stove for Me?
I’ve only had the Switch for a short time, but I can already tell it’s going to get a lot of use. It might just be the perfect stove for me.
I mentioned earlier that I’m not big on freeze-dried meals, but since joining LandSAR here in Wellington, I’ve started relying on Back Country and Real Meals. When you’re out on an exercise or search, stopping to simmer a rice risotto just isn’t practical. Boiling water is often the best option.
But when I’m tramping, having the ability to use any pot? That’s a game-changer.
*Update* How Its Going?
I’ve had the MSR Switch for almost a year now. It’s been on a bikepacking trip in Finland, around the Rakiura Southern Circuit, to the tops of the Remarkables in the height of winte,r and on multiple trips into the Tararuas. So how does it perform? For context, I’ve owned and almost exclusively used an MSR Universal WhisperLite (white spirits) for the past 25 years — and I haven’t used it once since getting the Switch.
On the first few outings I mainly used it to boil water for freeze-dried meals, which it does effortlessly. More recently, though, I’ve been cooking proper meals — curries, risottos — and the freedom to use almost any pot has been excellent. The only real drawback is centring larger pots: the cooking surface still isn’t huge, so you need to be sure everything is properly balanced. I’ve also found myself packing my old MSR pan handle again, as the added security with larger pots is welcome. That said, I still haven’t knocked a pot off the Switch.
Another standout is just how economical the stove is. Recently I was convinced a gas canister was completely empty — I couldn’t hear or feel anything inside it. I’d brought a fresh one along and figured I’d just burn the old canister out. Turns out it wasn’t empty at all, and it still had enough juice left to cook a full meal for four hungry people.
All up, I’d highly recommend the MSR Switch for its versatility, its impressive fuel efficiency, and its all-round no-nonsense badassery.