Watched pot never boils

I (Erik) need a new way to boil water.

And I'm not alone! At campsites all over the world climbers are emerging from their tents and are hunching over Jetboils, PocketRockets, and even electric kettles waiting for their precious H2O to reach 100C.

There's no question that a morning brew is essential for an alpine start and that your instant oatmeal just isn't the same with cold water - but the question remains: what's the best way to boil the water? I went out and did some snooping.

For years I've used an MSR PocketRocket with a crappy aluminium pot perched on top. There's a couple of issues here:

• It takes forever to boil.
• It takes longer if there's a baby's breath of wind.
• It is a precarious balancing act.

So there I am, wasting gas and staring at my slightly steaming water trying to will the whole thing to stay upright. Learning that a watched pot never boils. Enough is enough!

I went to the local outfitters store and made a list of what they had available. Below are the available integrated stove / canister systems with auto-ignition. All have hanging kit functionality (comes extra) which could be handy in a portaledge. But one is the winner.

MSR Windburner ($140)
The design relies on a radiant burner being better than a flame for boiling water, and a system for ensuring the thing stays lit in windy conditions.
1L capacity, boil time 4:30 per 1L, weighs 15.5 oz.

MSR Reactor ($220)
Essentially a bigger beefier older brother of the Windburner. There are two modes of heat transfer - convective and radiant - which is great if you're a stove nerd, I guess. (Stove nerds exist. I've met them.) So, this the Lamborghini of stoves.
1.7L capacity, boil time 3:00 per 1L, weighs 1 lb. 3 oz.

Jetboil Joule ($235)
Meant for large groups. Expensive.
2.5L capacity, boil time 2:40 per 1L, 1 lb. 9.2 oz. (heavy!)

Jetboil MiniMo ($145)
Seems to be a competitor to the MSR Windburner. Except it doesn't appear to be designed specifically for windy conditions.
1L capacity, boil time 4:30 per 1L, weighs 14 oz. (light!)

Jetboil Sumo ($156)
Perhaps a competitor to the MSR Reactor.
1.8L capacity, boil time 3:45 per 1L, weighs 1 lb

Jetboil Flash ($120)
This appears to be a classic. Pretty cool how there is a colour-change indicator. Although, steam and bubbles are a pretty indicator of boiling if you ask me.
1L capacity, boil time 4:30 per 1L, weighs 15.25 oz.

Jetboil Zip ($91)
Meant for solo trekkers who are probably ounce-counters. Probably not the best choice for car-camping climbers.
0.8L capacity, boil time 5:00 per 1L, weighs 11.75 oz. (very light!)

Overall, the MSR stoves appear to have a more powerful stove and better wind protection. Wind protection is a plus for me (it's windy in Newfoundland). Also, 1L capacity is plenty for me. According my math, 1L = 3 cups of coffee.

So let's see - one coffee per Gumbo, delivered in less than 5min, even in windy conditions... the winner is.. THE MSR WINDBURNER! ​
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​- Erik