An upright backpacking canister stove released by MSR in 2019, the Pocket Rocket Deluxe takes the normal version of their popular upright canister stove (the standard Pocket Rocket stove) and adds an external piezo push start ignition system along with an internal pressure regulator, promising more stable performance across both low canister and in colder weather applications. After utilizing the Soto WindMaster for years that utilizes a pressure regulation system – for more you can see our full Soto WindMaster review – MSR has now also adopted this technology utilizing a similar design.

Through previous use and testing I’ve found a pressure regulator does indeed greatly improve upright canister stove performance in the field and with the new MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe arriving on the market in 2019, the stove had the intriguing bonus of built-in pot supports and the promise of a very durable piezo ignition system (even down to replacing the actuation lever with metal vs. the plastic typically seen). At less than 3 ounces, the weight is right as well and I was curious to see how the new stove would perform across a wide variety of temperature ranges, canister levels, and ambient conditions.

The MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe backpacking stove features pressure regulation with integrated folding pot supports.

MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe Stove Design

The Pocket Rocket Deluxe is a lightweight upright canister stove, with a built in 3 prong, collapsible and serrated pot support system with a foldable control lever. The stove features a wide burner for more even heat distribution, and a raised lip around the edge of the burner provides some built-in wind resistance and screening. Integrated into the stove is a push-button piezo ignition system, touted by MSR as the most durable they’ve ever created. The wiring of the ignition system is routed internally with the spark point located inside the somewhat protected burner area of the stove similar to some other pressure regulated upright canister stoves on the market. The MSR however, features a metal lever to light the stove, as opposed to plastic, and the actuation lever is located opposite the control handle.

Overall construction is quite solid and despite the light weight, nothing on this stove feels flimsy. The stove threads are brass (note the stove has a Proposition 65 warning as leaded brass is used). In addition to the folding pot supports, the control lever folds underneath the stove as well to make everything quite compact for packing – but beware that in order to do so, you must open the valve slightly so make sure to double check that you reclose it before connecting it to a canister. The stove is listed at 2.9 ounces (2.95 measured), not including a small stuff sack that is also included, which adds .55 ounces. For an upright canister stove with an ignition system, the stove is quite light.

With the valve handle and pot supports folded, the MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe is quite compact for easy packing.

Performance Testing

For performance testing, 2 cup rolling boil tests were conducted using 68 degree Fahrenheit water in all cases. Canister temperature was equal to the ambient test temperature at test start. All tests were performed using MSR IsoPro 110 gram fuel canisters. The low canister tests were performed using canisters that were 85-90% empty, and the full tests with canisters that were 90%+ full at the start of each test. Tests will vary based upon barometric pressure, usually associated with elevation change in backpacking scenarios. With most backpacking (or areas where you will actually setup camp) locations taking place between sea level and about 10,000 feet tests were performed at somewhat of an average elevation of just over 5,000 feet with a barometric pressure of 24.4 inHg. Except for the efficiency test all tests were performed at full throttle. An Evernew 1.3L titanium pot with lid was utilized in all cases.

Test 1: Baseline

Ambient Temp: 63F
Canister Level: Full
Wind: 0
Volume: 2 Cups
Boil Time: 2:01
Fuel Used: 7 grams

Test 2: Low Fuel

Ambient Temp: 63F
Canister Level: Low
Wind: 0
Volume: 2 Cups
Boil Time: 2:48
Fuel Used: 8 grams

Test 3: Cold

Ambient Temp: 28F
Canister Level: Full
Wind: 0
Volume: 2 Cups
Boil Time: 1:59
Fuel Used: 7 grams

Test 4: Cold + Low Fuel

Ambient Temp: 28F
Canister Level: Low
Wind: 0
Volume: 2 Cups
Boil Time: 8:35
Fuel Used: 6 grams

Test 5: Wind

Ambient Temp: 63F
Canister Level: Full
Wind: 10mph
Volume: 2 Cups
Boil Time: N/A – test stopped @ 15 minutes (water temp no longer rising)
Max Temp Reached: 157F
Water Temp at Test Stop: 149F
Fuel Used: 47 grams

Test 6: Low Throttle

Throttle set to approx. 50%
Ambient Temp: 63F
Canister Level: Full
Wind: 0
Volume: 2 Cups
Boil Time: 2:44
Fuel Used: 7 grams

In good conditions, you can expect the MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe to use around 6-7 grams of fuel for a 2 cup boil.

Discussion

Results on our tests with the stove were surprising on a couple different levels. The stove, when conditions are right, is able to perform a 2 cup boil very fast and can even beat a 2 minute timeframe with our times ranging from 1:59 to 2:01 (within standard deviation) between the low and cold full canister tests. Essentially, as long as you have a full canister your boil times won’t change much between cooking dinner in the evening while it’s still warm out, to getting some water boiling for coffee or breakfast on a chilly morning, starting water temperature aside. At the same time you’ll be using a respectable amount of fuel. However, the stove’s performance did fall off when canisters were low. Noticeably so in moderate conditions, and quite a bit in cold conditions as one would expect for all upright canister stoves.

Additionally, the stove was not able to bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a steady 10mph wind with a full canister. While the stove started off strong, performance was dramatically reduced as the canister cooled from evaporative cooling and performance began to steadily decline towards the latter half of the 15 minute burn time, with a noticeably reduced output until the test was halted. A water temperature of 157F was reached about half way through the test here, but was falling and was down to 149F by the end of the test. Note that this is a fairly intense test – 10mph might not sound like much, but when 10mph is directly hitting your stove and pot and unrelenting this is a brisk situation.

Most of the time, while the winds may frequently be at this or higher levels on a trip, we’ll be cooking in more protected areas and the full force of the wind will not be hitting the stove. However, this was still surprising. While the recessed burner of the Pocket Rocket Deluxe is wind-resistant by design, there is still a relatively large gap created between the burner head and the bottom of the pot as the stove’s pot supports raise your cookware quite high off of the stove. This creates a fairly significant area where wind can decrease performance between that recessed burner head and the pot itself. In fact in this test the 2 windward pot supports were of a normal color, while the leeward pot support was nearing white hot as the wind blew the heat downwind.

While they could be lower, the pot supports themselves are well designed however, and easy to collapse for packing and to extend when you’re ready to cook. While there are only 3 supports, they are large and offer a very stable platform even for a larger pot like the Evernew 1.3 used in our test runs. In fact, MSR states that even larger pots – up to 8 inches in diameter can be used.

Using the stove is easy with the piezo ignition, which is probably the most ergonomic and easy to use system that I’ve ever seen – with one hand on the control lever to open up the gas, one’s index finger rests perfectly on the ignition lever. However and of note the spark that is created is not the strongest I’ve seen, and on several occasions multiple clicks were required to actually light the stove – but usually the stove will light reliably and even in wind.

The adjustment range is fairly wide and the stove can indeed be dialed down substantially, so low in fact that it began to remind me of an alcohol stove at times – so some real cooking would be possible here and the stove does indeed have more than just an off or full blast setting. At the low end though, still conditions will be desired. At the top end of the adjustment range I’d say it could be a little finer to allow one to go from full blast to just a bit below that without as much turning.

In good conditions, efficiency and speed of the stove is great. Usually running at lower throttle will decrease boil times but increase fuel efficiency in calm conditions, however with the Deluxe no change was observed between full and half throttle in regards to fuel used to boil the same amount of water. However, turning the stove down even lower it would appear will save you about a gram (based on our cold+low test) of fuel for a 2 cup boil, but you’ll be waiting a while to save that gram. This is one stove where I personally would run it at or near full blast unless I was intentionally not in a hurry.

The compact nature of the MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe will allow it to fit inside many cookware options, along with a fuel canister.

Conclusion

Overall, the MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe performs very well in many situations. The stove has extremely fast boil times when using a full canister – boiling in about 2 minutes, and in all calm weather scenarios the Pocket Rocket Deluxe is also quite fuel efficient using around 7 grams of fuel for most 2 cup boils. In situations where fuel canister pressure is low the stove did exhibit some struggles – normal for upright canister stoves. However it appears the pressure regulation system may be somewhat limited. This could be noticed in situations when it's cold and/or when using canisters with a low fuel level. This situation can also occur when it’s windy by way of canister cooling with the longer boil times that are involved.

At $85, this is one of the most expensive upright canister stoves you can buy, and this seems like a high price to pay for performance that can roughly be equaled by other upright canister stoves on the market (pressure regulated or not). As such, the MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe seems best suited for those that appreciate a stove with built-in piezo ignition in a lightweight package with very fast boil times and efficiency in fair weather scenarios, and for those that are willing to be mindful of keeping their canister warm at night, pack a full canister, will take extra steps to find wind-protected cooking locations, and who overall have basic cooking needs involving short boil times.

The MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe retails for about $85. Find it here at REI Co-op as well as here at Amazon.com. You can also find the stove as a kit with an included aluminum pot and pot lifter – you can take a look at the kit version here at REI.com. For more on backpacking stove considerations, see our backpacking stove guide.

Editor's Note: This review originally appeared in Issue 41 of TrailGroove Magazine. Read the original review here for additional photos, a list of pros and cons, and our rating of the MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe backpacking stove.