When it comes to backcountry stoves, it’s tough to beat the convenience of an integrated stove system. Integrated canister stoves connect a pot and burner together securely, which maximizes fuel efficiency, wind performance, stability, ease of use, and leads to very fast boil times. Integrated stoves are also designed to be highly portable, with all components and a fuel canister fitting snuggly inside the pot together.
The main downside with integrated stoves is they tend to be heavier than the combination of an ultralight stove and pot (our faves are the BRS + Mini Solo), but depending on your needs, the added convenience, fuel efficiency, wind performance, and super fast boil times of an integrated stove may make them a better fit for your adventures.
In the world of integrated stoves, two models stand apart in our opinion: the Jetboil MiniMo and MSR WindBurner. While both stoves perform very well and are worth recommending, we wanted to put the two systems up against each other to see which one wins out in a range of performance categories.
Quick Specs Comparison
Jetboil MiniMo
Integrated Stove System with Wide Cookpot & Simmer Control
CleverHiker Rating: 65.8/100
Price: $170
Weight: 14 oz.(Stove & Pot)
Fuel Type: Isobutane/propane canister
Boil Time: 3m 30s
Burn Time (8 oz. fuel): 30m
Pros
- Convenient
- Fast boil time
- Simmer control
- Pot included
- Push-button igniter
- Performs well in wind
Cons
- Expensive (but comes with pot)
- Heavy & bulky for backpacking
MSR WindBurner
Highly Wind-Resistant Integrated Stove System
CleverHiker Rating: 69.3/100
Price: $190
Weight: 15.3 oz.(Stove & Pot)
Fuel Type: Isobutane/propane canister
Boil Time: 2m 55s
Burn Time (8 oz. fuel): 95m
Pros
- Performs well in wind
- Convenient
- Fast boil time
- Pot included
Cons
- Expensive (but comes with pot)
- Simmer control isn’t great
- Heavy & bulky for backpacking
Price
In general, integrated stove systems tend to be on the expensive side. There are more affordable backpacking stove options, but remember that these systems are a combination of stove, pot, and bowl, not just a stove. Also, it’s tough to beat the convenience and performance of integrated stoves, so for many they’re worth the investment, especially if you plan to put them to good use over many years. The MSRP of both these stoves is close, but the MiniMo wins out by a hair.
Jetboil MiniMo MSRP – 134.95
MSR WindBurner MSRP – 149.95
WINNER: Jetboil MiniMo
Weight
Both stove systems are heavier than the average ultralight stove and pot combination, but their speed, convenience, and stability make them exceptional for backcountry travel. If you’re looking to travel light, we recommend checking out the BRS Stove and Mini Solo Cookset (total weight: 7.5 oz), but you will sacrifice a bit on fuel efficiency, wind performance, cook time and overall stability. As far as these two integrated stoves are concerned, the Jetboil MiniMo wins out by a small margin.
Jetboil MiniMo – 14 oz.
MSR WindBurner – 15.5 oz.
WINNER: Jetboil MiniMo
Boil Time
The MiniMo and Windburner both have incredibly quick boil times, which is a nice convenience after a long day on the trail or when you’re making a hot cup of java on a chilly morning. We tested both these systems in a range of different conditions and recorded the boil times as we cooked. Below are the average boil times we found when using each system in the same conditions.
Jetboil MiniMo – 1:53 minutes to boil 1/2 L of water
MSR WindBurner – 2:05 minutes to boil 1/2 L of water
WINNER: Jetboil MiniMo
Simmer Control
Both stove systems offer good simmer control, allowing you to go beyond just boiling water. With simmer control, you can cook meals that require low heat and longer cook times, and also keep the contents of your pot from boiling over. This was a close one, but we thought the MiniMo’s simmer control was slightly easier to adjust.
WINNER: Jetboil MiniMo
Stove to Pot Attachment
Having a secure stove to pot attachment is essential for stability. While both these systems are secure, the MSR WindBurner has more pot locking notches, which makes it easier to quickly fit the pot to the stove and lock it securely into place. The Jetboil MiniMo has only two notches, so you need to line it up at the proper attachment spot. We also found that the MiniMo has a slightly less secure feeling attachment with a little wobble, compared to the solid connection of the WindBurner.
WINNER: MSR WindBurner
Pot and Lid
The MiniMo has a wide, stout pot, which is easier to eat out of and also makes for slightly faster boiling times. In comparison, the Windburner’s pot is tall and slender, which makes it a bit easier to fit in a backpack, but harder to spoon out a meal. Both pots are good, but we generally prefer the shape of the wider MiniMo.
The lids on both the MiniMo and WindBurner are fairly secure. That said, after boiling, we found it easier to remove the lid from the MiniMo without risking hot steam hitting our fingers. More importantly, we found the pour spouts on the MiniMo worked far better than the spouts on the Windburner lid. The MiniMo did not leak, but the Windburner did, and leaking boiling water while trying to make a controlled pour is a pretty big downside in our books.
WINNER: Jetboil MiniMo
Handle
The large metal swinging handles on the MiniMo feel much more secure to us than the plastic and nylon strap handle on the Windburner. This one isn’t really even close.
WINNER: Jetboil MiniMo
Wind Performance
Both these integrated stove systems will work far better in windy conditions than a typical stove and pot combination. Overall this is one of their key strengths. That said, the WindBurner is an absolute beast in nasty weather and we found it works better in fierce winds than the MiniMo.
WINNER: MSR WindBurner
Durability
Both these systems are very high quality, and if treated with care, they should last for many years of backcountry use. This was a close one, but the WindBurner does feel more secure and stable to us than the MiniMo, which has a slight wobble between the stove and pot. We also really believe in the quality craftsmanship, product testing, and warranty behind MSR products, which we’ve been using for many years.
WINNER: MSR WindBurner
Ignition
The MiniMo has a push button igniter, while the Windburner requires the use of a small lighter for ignition. This is another key win in convenience for the MiniMo. In the long run, push button igniters tend to eventually fail, but, they’re also a really nice convenience for the first 1,000+ uses.
WINNER: Jetboil MiniMo
Overall Winner…
While both of these cooking systems are excellent performers and definitely worth recommending, if we had to choose only one, we’d go with the Jetboil MiniMo. The key differentiators of the MiniMo for us are its sturdy handles, far better functioning lid and pour spouts, wide pot shape, push button ignitor, and slightly faster boil times. It also doesn’t hurt that it costs and weighs a bit less. While the MiniMo doesn’t perform quite as well in heavy winds as the MSR Windburner and was slightly less fuel efficient in our testing, those downsides weren’t quite enough to swing the scales for us.
