Cooking burner for one person

I want a cooking burner/stove that can use fuel containers from several different makers of fuel containers. Ideally if the MSR Pocket rocket could use fuel containers from more than just MSR. This is for one person.

I live out of cities and have limited sources for propane fuel.

So if you could provide the name of the product/cost and types of fuel containers it can use. When I say types of fuel, I mean types of container not alcohol vs propane etc...

Thank You for your help.

The screw thread and valve arrangement on the MSR Pocket Rocket(tm) conforms to the industry standard, so it can be threaded onto iso-propane/butane canisters from many different manufacturers, such as Sno-Peak and a variety of off-brand canisters. This is not true universally of all propane burners. As I recall, Primus has a proprietary valve arrangement which forces you to use Primus canisters. This is not true of the MSR or Sno-Peak burners and some others.

My Primus Micron (now discontinued) uses the standard valve.

The Pocket Rocket will work admirably for your purpose. I have used mine in this manner for at least the past decade.

I love the Pocket Rocket as well. I've used the MSR brand fuel can and a Wal-Mart brand when I couldn't get to a outdoor store for the MSR.

The Pocket Rocket will use most other fuel cylinders (Jetboil and Snow Peak were the other ones I used.) When I used mine (before I switched to the Jetboil Sol), I preferred the MSR cylinders because they were a bit wider and lower than other brands, which made them a tad more stable. However, I never had tip-over problems with other cylinders, either.

I always found that any store that sold Jetboil or Snow Peak canisters also sold MSR canisters, so getting them was never really a problem. The only reason I ended up trying the other brands was that the outfitter had temporarily sold out of the MSR canisters (big Scout weekends created a "run" in both cases.)

You may want to look at the MSR MicroRocket - it's just a more compact version of the Pocket Rocket (of course, compact equals more dollars.)

I use Jetboil, and their canisters are compatible with the pocket rocket, several other MSR stoves, as well as snow peak, and others. I usually buy the coleman brand canister at Walmart. It fits as well.

Maybe this is for winter camping or true cooking, but have you considered just an alcohol stove? Very simple, cheap and easy to make (ie, Super Cat). Very simple, CHEAP and easy to operate. Fuel is available almost anywhere (eg, you could buy a gallon for $8-10 and it will last you quite a while). About the only downside is you have to wait maybe twice as long for your water to boil or if you plan to cook, you'd have to make 2 perhaps (or a simmer ring) since they aren't adjustable.

One point of clarification.... the pocket rocket will use any brand of butane/iso-butane/iso-butane, propane mixture cylinders. However it does not thread on to those cheap propane cylinders you can get at the hardware store. The two types of cylinders look somewhat similar but they are not. Are you looking for a stove to use with those cylinders?

Oops, I missed that one! The small lightweight backpacking stoves such as those made by MSR, Snow Peak, Primus, etc. are NOT designed for propane fuel but for an isobutane-propane mix (30% propane at most). Please don't try to mix the two unless you want a sudden tragic end to your trip!

Pure propane is not suitable for backpacking anyway because the weight of the metal designed to contain it is far too heavy. To use it, you need a stove specifically designed for propane. It will be heavy!

Aimless is wrong as far as I know. I have a Micron and use Sno-Peak canisters. I think other models are the same. I think he's thinking of the older style stoves that don't have the Lindal valve.

Primus does have a normal Lindal valve so can be used with MSR stoves.

I just switched from a MSR pocket rocket system to a super cat alcohol stove. The reason I did it was availability of fuel, simplicity (i.e. no moving parts to break), and weight. I would recommend exploring the following site www.zenstoves.net and giving it a try. It will cost you about 10$ for everything, super light, and the amount of alcohol fuel you get compared to the MSR containers for the same price is outrageous.

This is a little off from your question about fuel canister but I found that my portable wood stove serves me best. Better than a gas stove like propane and the wood stoves burns anything I find along the way. It takes about 12/14 minutes to boil one litre of water. Works in any temperature and at any altitude but is temperamental in windy weather. Weight is about same as MSR whisperlite.

And, illegal when fires are banned. Which is usual where i hike. Which means I'm best served by one of my alcohol or canister stoves, at half that weight to boot.

This is true, but keep in mind the heat put out by the same amount of white gas compared to alcohol is considerably more.
http://equipped.outdoors.org/2013/02/heat-output-of-alcohol-vs-white-gas-vs.html
Follow the imbedded link to the Zen site for a more comprehensive analysis.

It's a good idea to check the details of those fire bans; increasingly alcohol and Esbit stoves, or any stoves without shutoff valves, are included in those bans along with wood stoves. Last summer several national forests in the Pacific Northwest specifically stated that stoves must have a shutoff valve and be approved by Underwriters Laboratories. I believe that was in response to the fire in Colorado caused by a careless alcohol stove user last spring. The UL provision would also exclude any homemade stoves.

Wood stoves, as well as campfires, are also prohibited in areas where wood is scarce, in areas near, at or above timberline. Here in the Pacific Northwest, that's above 4,000 to 5,000 feet elevation. That's regardless of fire danger and has to do with the thin soils lacking organic matter at those elevations. Strip those areas of the small amount of down wood that needs to rot and replenish the soil, and you end up with bare dirt instead of wildflowers.