Jetboil Jetboil Stove Review

"This product represents a quantum leap in backpack cooking. I have used a variety of stoves, all of which lack simplicity and functionality. Everything fits into the size of a Nalgene, sets up easy, cooks and cleans up quickly. Imagine having a hot drink and oatmeal in about 1 min. You can eat before you even get out of your tent. You will, however, be limited on what you can cook but it is worth it. Once you start using this stove you wont want to be bothered by MSR every again. And by the way, I have two MSR�s. Any takers? "

"The stove works good for it's intended purpose, boiling liquids. That will cover freezed dried meals and coffee. It travels compact and is quick and simple to setup. There is some minor problems. Don't lock the pot/mug into the burner then try to take it loose with hot liquid in it. Just set the lid on it while heating the liquid because trying to pry it off with hot liquid in it will burn you. All in all, it does the job it is intended to do."

"Since I started backpacking, I have bought and used many kinds of stoves, including a 15-pound, two-burner Coleman that ought to have its own trailer, an MSR or two, Primus stoves and most recently, a Jetboil.

The Jetboil is a metal, 32-ounce travel mug with a dedicated propane stove that attaches to the bottom. The mug is tricked out with a set of heat transfer fins and exhaust vents that, according to Jetboil, doubles the efficiency of the stove. I’m inclined to believe them. This thing boils water fast. More efficiency means I have to carry less fuel and I’m down with that.

The Jetboil is modular, too. The propane canister and the stove, which features a built in piezo-igniter, stack neatly inside the mug. The mug has a foam cozy with a strap handle, a simple sippy-cup top, and a bottom cover to shield the heat transfer fins.

I am not a back country gourmet. Most of my trips are two or three nights and most of the time, it’s raining. When I’m hiking or cross-country skiing, I want a couple things fast and without fail: coffee, and noodles or couscous with a package of chicken or tuna tossed in. I don’t want to screw around with assembling, filling or priming anything, especially if I’m making coffee.

That’s why I really like the Jetboil and that’s why the MSRs are neatly packed away and collecting dust. MSRs are for the back country gourmets and militia types. They can be fussy and unless you need the flexibility to cook with white gas, diesel, alcohol or seal blubber, they are just not worth the aggravation.

The Jetboil is a nice piece of gear with a narrow set of applications. It is not compatible with pots and pans. That said, Jetboil has a number of one-pot recipes posted on their Web site. They also sell a coffee-press kit and extra mugs and cozies.

There is one real, aggravating issue with the Jetboil. The bottom cover should have some sort of grip: ridges, bumps or anything! It’ a pain in the neck to take off, especially when it’s cold. I’m pretty sure I will be wrestling with it until I lose it, which won’t be too long, because it’s black and virtually invisible once it hits the ground.

Jetboil recommends that you use only their propane, which smacks of the “triangular battery economy,” but it is labeled as a four season mix which is good. In general, using a propane canister when it’s really cold can be a bummer. The fuel might not vaporize and then you’re stuck eating snow and energy bars. So if you’re going to be out for more than a couple hours, you might want to keep the canister close to your body and tucked in the bottom of your sleeping bag when you crash.

The Jetboil is not cheap. A simple, single kit costs $80, but they are widely available in camping and specialty stores and of course over the web. For more details, visit http://www.jetboil.com."

"Chris's review is right on the mark. When backpacking, even on longer trips, I hate carrying and messing with pots and pans and anything complicated. (An exception occurs when it's a trip where I expect to catch fish.) For quick hot drinks and one-cup meals it can't be beat for simplicity and ease of packing. It's a one-person capacity rig; Jetboil would do well to put out a larger model. It works with a Primus propane cylinder (but those are larger than the Jetboil one and thus won't fit in the mug for storage) so if you have team members who want more culinary options you could bring just one canister and use it for both. As with any propane canister you can't fly with it, even if it's in your checked luggage, now that every bag is x-rayed. I give it four stars only because of its narrow niche; within that niche is a work of genius."

"I am a simple man who enjoys the simplest pleasures of living the outdoor life. Foremost, is that first cup of coffee that chases away the morning frost. In this regard, Jetboil is my newest favorite backpacking friend. Who ever said a "watched pot never boils" ought to re-think that proverb. Jetboil brings water to a boil right before your very eyes.

That being said, there are two things I would change. Get rid of the piezo ignition system (or improve it). Mine quit working after the first use! Always carry a lighter.

Second change would be to re-design the canister mating apparatus to accept multiple types of canisters, similar to the MSR Superfly. Yes, I know... Jetboil wants me to use their brand of fuel exclusively, but when I'm backpacking overseas (or deployed for my "job" with the US Army), the chances of me finding a Jetboil canister are nil. Often, I cannot even find a threaded canister. The ability to clamp onto the lip of any compressed propane/butane fuel canister would be incredible."

"this is a great stove...people above covered it well. it is so cool to whip that thing out on a snack break, and have a cup of tea brewing in under 2 minutes...literaly. it doesnt feel like you loose your trail momentum to have a hot cup o somthing. only downside to the older model (bought a new one for my pops and this problem was fixed) the breather hole on the cups lid was dead center so when i would take a drink, my nose would cover the hole...nothing would come out. i drilled a hole in the edge and it works great. cant say enough great stuff about this thing. could be my favorite piece of gear."

"I've had my Jetboil out on the trail for a couple of weekend trips now and I couldn't be happier. I keep reading that this is a great solo stove, but my son and I regularly use it together and I've never felt we've needed something bigger, or the second pot (at $30 a pop). I'm curious...does anyone else go over the "safe" fill line? I have with no problem, although I rarely need to. We have been dehydrating our own food (check out the book "Backpack Gourmet" if you haven't already) and going just a bit over the fill line is usually enough for rehydrating our package of food for two and a couple of hot drinks. On one recent trip with a group a bunch of us huddled up under a tree during a light rain storm. I had my Jetboil out and started boiling batches of water. It was so quick and easy and soon everyone who wanted some had hot water for their beverage of choice. For those of you who haven't seen it yet, Jetboil did just come out with an accessory (about $20) that will allow you to cook with any pot or pan. Now that I've sworn off "cooking" on the trail I'm not as excited about that, but still a nice feature if you anticipate catching some fish on the trail.

Concerning fuel...I don't know if I'm supposed to be doing this, but I've been using the Snow Peak cansiter and it's worked just fine, plus it's a buck cheaper than Jetboil's canister at REI.

One question/comment: I emailed Jetboil some time ago asking if they plan to come out with a titanium version, but, of course, they've never replied. I think it would be a great idea, although expensive. Anyone heard anything to that effect?"

"I am sorry to say that I have returned my Jetboil stove, having been very disappointed with its performance on my last trip to the Weminuche Wilderness. (Clear skies, a little windy, high teens to low 20's for a low in the early morning)

IF, and only if, you are interested in boiling water, it worked well until we were at higher altitudes (>12000 feet). The obvious problem one encounters at that elevation is that there is no wood, and therefore you rely on the stove to cook. It would not light without a lighter, it would not stay lit even with backpacks, rocks/stones blocking any wind, and even in a vestibule. It would not stay lit at that elevation. For camping on a river or at lower altitudes it will work well. But if you will be at any significant altitude, you will be disappointed with this stove. Sorry to give a bad review, but that's how it was. I will look into an MSR for my high country stove requirements."

"I tried this stove on a relatively cold day in the upper 20s with my water bottles starting to freeze. This stove quickly and easily got water boiling and a hot meal and hot chocolate going for me. It made all the difference in my hiking experience. I like that it all packs into one compact unit. I'm a fan!"

"For real fire I like a camp fire, but every now and then one needs a great all around stove. This may not be taht.... But if what you want is quick large cup of coffee in the morning.... this thing is a amazing! For real fire I like a camp fire"

"After taking my jetboil for a weekend snow camping trip at 9800 ft. I was trying to make some hot drinks as the temp plumeted to 0 degrees. The jet boil would barley work at that elevation and took up to 25 minutes to boil water. Here in the rocky moutains, we experience these kinds of conditions at atltitude for at least six monthes out of the year. I will keep my jetboil to try at atltitude this summer but I would not recamend this stove for any cold weather activities."

"I have had a Jetboil for over a year now with no problem. I did purchase the pot holder attachment for my backpacking skillet. It worked well also. Wind was a bit of a problem that was easly resolved by placing a piece of aluminum foil around the base of it. Problem solved. I will be purchasing the group pot to see if I can leave my small skillet at home. Great product."

"I love good coffee and tea. My office is my truck. I bought the JetBoil to bring water to a boil fast. It does just that. While camping it boiled at -4 C (+25 F), it worked great! For the real cold I do not know yet. I’ll keep my home made alcohol stove (just in case)."

"Since I've seen a few remarks here about a JetBoil's performance at altitude, I thought I'd add my experience. Our conditions were 46F with mild wind at 11,000 feet. The JetBoil performed as advertised, boiling 2 cups of water in under 4 minutes. I had no trouble lighting it or keeping it lit. And removing the cup from the burner unit with hot liquids inside was no problem thanks to the insulating sleeve around the cup. I'm sold on the thing and give it very high marks..."

"I've used this stove on trips in the southeast and it really gets the job done. In fact, it boils water faster than my son's MSR stove. I did invest in the pot support accessory kit, which does give needed stability. Also, you do need to be careful removing the cup from the stove - it's a tight fit. Overall, I'm very satisfied with the purchase and I highly recommend it."

"Prior to purchasing the Jetboil PCS two years ago, I had always used white gas backpacking stoves, most recently the Apex, which served me for over ten years. However, I had grown tired of the hassle of pumping, priming, spilled fuel and the overall fussiness of gas stoves and was looking for something better.

The Jetboil seemed to be what I wanted, a relatively lightweight, compact cooking system, fueled by readily available isobutane/propane cannisters.

My preference for backcountry food are prepared dehydrated meals and noodles - nothing that requires much more than boiling water. I haven't used the Jetboil for much more than that - and that's really it's forte, and what it was designed to do. It boils quickly and is very fuel efficent. Various reviews claim it to use 40% less fuel than comparable stoves, and while I haven't done any of my own testing to verify that claim, I can say that it does use very little fuel.

Prior to my last trip, I purchased the pot stand (which included some legs to attach to the fuel cannister), which worked out quite well - we used it to prepare meals for a party of three.

There are a few cons. The stove portion is a heavier than the lightest butane units with piezo ignition. Isobutane/butane stoves in general do not work well in very cold weather - I have mostly given up winter camping, and when I do, I'll take the old Apex instead. I have also not used it above 6500 feet, so I can't comment on it's high altitude performance."

"I just came back from four days above 11,000 ft in southwestern Colorado and the Jetboil performed flawlessly. Temperature range was low 30s to high 60s, (frost each morning). Prior extended outings in the Cascades and Arizona never really concerned me as elevation and temperature ranges were both very moderate. The first morning I noticed the Jetboil had a wimpy flame but boiled water as expected. After that I took the precaution of keeping the fuel canister in my sleeping bag throughout the night and morning two, three and four, the Jetboil fired right up with a hearty flame. I will always use a white gas stove (Optimus Nova) for hard winter camping. However, I was very pleased with the Jetboil's performance for summer outings between 11,000 and 14,000 ft."

"I do a lot of backpacking in the mountains of the northern part of georgia. I mainly use the Jetboil PCS. I've been using it for about a year now in all kinds of weather. even if it's windy it will light right up and boil water quicker than anything else i've used. the only problem arises when i a) have more then myself to cook for or b) im trying to cook anything other than dehydrated food. for the last, just get the pot supports and you're good. if you're looking for a good, simple, cook system while in the back country, i've seen no better"

"I have been using my jet boil for over 2 years now and I am still in awe of this system. I can go a long way on a single canister and I have used it several times above the 10,000ft elevation. Just remember to keep the fuel can warm. My trick at elevation is to use an old can cozy as an insulator this keeps the can from getting to cold as you use it."

"First, we love our Jetboil. Have used out West in Idaho at 9,000 feet and it worked well. Used it this weekend in the Virgina Blue Ridge Mtns. Stove did not light without a lighter and performed poorly at temps in the low 20's. We guessed fuel was a problem so we kept fuel cells in our coats next to our bodies and in the sleeping bag at night. This improved performance and got us through trip. Also suggest placing can on a emergency blanket to keep warmer. Works best above freezing, but when it works, it is fantastic!"

"Prior to the Jetboil I used Esbit and Trangia Mini stoves. I use my stove for boiling water mostly. Although the new larger Jetboil pot is much easier to actually cook with. Aside from camping, backpacking and hiking, I use my Jetboil weekly for coffee prep before going into my local high school football game on Friday nights. In 10 minutes I can have a small thermos of coffee ready to go. I love the reaction I get from my bleacher neighbors when I open the thermos an pour a cup. Another great use...coffee at the local drive in theater...mmm"

"I've had a Jetboil for nearly 2 years now and have had total sucess with it. It has been used as a picnic kettle to provide hot drinks, used as a solo cooker on cycle trips across the UK and on numerous bivi trips. I agree that you are limited in the range of food that you can cook on it but this is stated by all of the Jetboil literature. I use freezer bag cooking techniques when away from stores and have never had it fail to light. I do keep a flint and stel striker inside just in case as you can't totally rely on any product. Due to the amount of use, the only 'failure' it that the burner ring in the center of the burner has come loose however, a quick email to Jetboil and a replacement is coming through the post free of charge. All in all, a great product with fantastic customer service!"

"On paper and according to other reviews, the Jetboil stove is the best thing since sliced bread. The first time I used the stove, it performed as advertised. So far so good until tonight when I took it out to boil some water during a power outage. It only sparks on every fifth or sixth push of the button! Long story short, I won't be telling my friends about this stove; except for the fact that it let me down under cherry conditions! I shouldn't have to worry about ingnitors and burner head replacements after two or three uses!"