It’s a simple thing, a camp stove, but it’s one of the pieces of gear that can truly make or break your evening if things don’t go as planned. A sputtering stove is a useless stove when trying to boil water at high elevation. When it comes down to it, you’re relying on your camp stove to prepare your meals out on the trail and it pays to have one that can tolerate the conditions that you expose it to. The MSR Wind Pro II stove was designed that just that in mind.
About the Stove:
The Wind Pro II is designed to function in a wide range of conditions, but also to provide a wide range of flexibility for the chef. Instead of minimizing the stove to the point that it can only boil water, the stove has been engineered to boil and simmer, opening up possibilities for budding cooks. The stove connects to the fuel source via a thin, flexible tube that allows the pot to sit lower to the ground for stability, and also allows you to invert the fuel source into a”liquid feed” mode for cold or higher elevation performance. Generally, canister stoves struggle with elevation as the elevation reduces the internal pressure of the fuel inside the canister, reducing it’s efficiency and possibly even preventing it from staying lit. The liquid feed mode aims to solve that problem, as it works at practically any elevation and temperature. As suggested by the name, it is designed to work well in the wind, and includes an aluminum wind shield to help with that. It’s a flexible shield that can be wrapped around the stove to block wind, which decreases boil time by improving heat transfer and boosting efficiency. It has an adjustable flow valve too, so you can dial in the exact amount of fuel you need. The system includes the burner itself, a carry bag, a flexible line that connects to your fuel source, an aluminum wind shield, a fuel canister stand, and a handy service tool just in case.
What I liked:
It’s a fairly light system considering the complexity of the design. The minimum weight comes in at just 6.6 oz, and adding the accessories will still only run just 11.5 oz, including the wind screen. While that’s more than twice that of many simpler stoves, having the ability to function at a higher elevation, in colder temperatures, or just to simmer is worth the weight in itself.
The system in good conditions can boil a liter of water in just under 4 minutes, and it’s never failed to provide a cup of hot boiling water even in terrible weather. When the wind kicks up, it maintains it’s burn when other stoves blow out, and adding the wind shield ensures that even powerful gusts will allow the unit to function as desired. The inversion of the fuel canister works great, providing an instant result of more fuel and a higher heat output. This can turn a sputtering stove that’s struggling to function into a raging fire spot instantly, and it’s an excellent way to use up that last bit of fuel.
The stove folds up pretty small too, collapsing in on itself to minimize pack space. It’s not quite small enough to fit in a cup, but it’s close and is fairly unobtrusive.
The design of the Windpro II also makes it very stable. Even with gusting winds or on uneven ground, I’ve never had to worry about my precious meal tipping over or losing my last cup of hot cocoa to the greedy earth. Thanks the the solid steel design, it’s very durable, holding large pots of water without flinching.
It also uses any standard fuel canister, so you don’t don’t to stick with MSR fuel. I’ve tested Jetboil, Coleman and a few other brands and they’ve all functioned flawlessly. It’s more efficient than most traditional rocket style stoves too, saving fuel, weight and money in the long run.
What I didn’t like:
The stove has no integrated starter, so starting the stove requires the use of a striker or a lighter. Thankfully, it’s fairly easy to light even in poor conditions, only requiring a few strikes before igniting on average.
Packing the stove is a bit awkward. It packs small enough for my tastes, but packing it down results in an off centered glob of metal that’s difficult to pack without having protrusions sticking out. I’ve never had any real issues with this, but it’s worth noting.
Overall:
The Windpro 2 stove is an excellent piece of equipment. It’s built like a tank, a very hot fiery tank, with it’s solid steel legs and solid tubing. It functions in practically any conditions, and in more than 5 years of service it’s still working like it’s brand new with no service or field work every have being required. I’ve used it to boil water, grill meats, cook pancakes, make quesadillas and much more, all in the worst conditions imaginable, and it’s still my go to stove all of these years later.
The Highest of Recommendations
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TreeLineBackpacker 
Thank you for introducing us to this fantastic stove.Your pictures tell the story. I am going to be doing more research but it sounds like a good investment.
You are very welcome. It’s a great stove if you want something that can get a little creative with cooking, or if you cook larger meals. If you just want something super small and light, I recommend the pocket rocket. A classic.