Hit 1,000 miles on my old backpacking stove and it still fires first time every time

Picked up a Pocket Rocket back in 2018 for a trip to the Smokies. Figured I'd replace it after a couple seasons. Six years later and I just checked the log I keep in my gear bag, hit exactly 1,000 miles of trail use this past weekend. Still lights on the first click, no sputtering. Only thing I've done is blow out the burner holes with canned air maybe twice. Anyone else have a piece of gear that just refuses to die?

4 comments

4 Comments

erickelly21d ago

Simple tools that work just keep working, seems like the world forgot that.

theajohnson21d ago

My 2012 MSR WhisperLite just had its first real issue last month, a clogged jet from dirty gas in a remote area. Simple fix, five minutes with the cleaning wire it came with, and it was back to roaring. That kind of repairability is what people don't think about anymore, everything these days is plastic and sealed shut. Your Pocket Rocket is probably the same way, built to be fixed not replaced.

samrodriguez21d agoTop Commenter

Ha! Wish my stove lasted six years. I kill mine in three like clockwork.

elliot_roberts21d ago

Milleage isn't really measured in miles on a stove. That's more for your boots or pack. A backpacking stove tracks in burns, not distance. 1,000 burns is way more impressive than 1,000 miles anyway. You probably did way more than 1,000 burns if you've had it six years. Just saying, don't sell it short by using the wrong number. That little Pocket Rocket is a beast though, got one myself that's still kicking from 2015.