The old ranger at Shenandoah handed me his 30 year old stove and said try to kill it

Charles Craig · 2026-10-11T12:50:03.484059+00:00

Back in 2019 I was at a campsite in Shenandoah and this older guy, maybe late 60s, saw me fighting with a brand new backpacking stove that kept flaming out. He walked over, pulled a beat up MSR WhisperLite out of his truck, and said he bought it in 1989 and it had never once failed him. He let me use it all weekend and it lit on the first try every single time, no priming drama, nothing. Mine cost $85 and died by Sunday, his was older than me and still going. I ended up mailing my stove back and getting a WhisperLite a month later, still have it. Now every time I see a shiny new ultralight stove review I think about that guy. What gear have you seen survive way longer than it had any right to?

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The old ranger at Shenandoah handed me his 30 year old stove and said try to kill it | Camping Gear Reviews - Thought Shares