Jetboil Personal Cooking System - Gear Review

It's rare that a product can live up to the hype but if you've not yet used a Jetboil then you're not paying attention to the right kind of hype. Stop watching American Idol, get a Jetboil and let me be the first to welcome you to camp cooking 2.0. But before I get into a love-fest with the Jetboil there are a few things that pose safety concerns and performance issues. The unique self containing design with the cooking cup on top that interfaces and locks with the stove below is a blessing and a curse. The blessing is the increased time of reaching boiling status of your water and the streamline build. The curse is that due to the design most people will put the cup on the stove and then attempt to light it. This can cause a flash which besides being down right scary could burn things like eyebrows, eyelashes, hands, faces....you get the picture. Although the instructions do say in bold "Ignite burner before attaching cooking cup" I like most other guys couldn't be bothered reading the instructions first. I had to learn the hard way. Secondly, since the cup and stove can be "locked" together by placing the cup on the stove and rotating it so that the bumps on the cup bottom interlock with the indents on the stove, the mistake of pouring water from the cup while leaving it on the stove (it's one unit, right?) will likely lead to flames on the neoprene cup sleeve and your hand. I'm not saying it's time to call Jackie Chiles just yet but these two safety considerations should be taken into consideration before you fire up a Jetboil. What I like about the Jetboil Personal Cooking System When you do decide to fire up the Jetboil something magical happens...it works and works very well. I've used it in altitudes up to 12,000' without much trouble at all. Like any canister stove when the canister is cold the stove can sputter. I used the plastic cover to put the canister into and would pour a bit of hot water into the plastic cover (it's the "cup" looking thing that covers the bottom of the Cooking Cup while in storage) which can help to keep the canister from freezing. This seemed to help. If it's cold outside, remember to keep your cansiter warm by insulating it inside your pack or inside a jacket pocket while hiking. This is not unique to the Jetboil alone as most canister stoves can be iffy when the canister is cold. The speed at which the Jetboil can boil water is amazing - within 2 minutes in most scenarios I've had boiling water. In wintery situations, as my friends who I went to Rogers Pass with to backcountry ski can tell you, it may take a bit longer when boiling water in snowy and cold conditions but it's still amazing to pull it out of your pack, set up, boil water and have a hot cup of ramen noodles or hot cocoa in a few minutes. The storage of the Jetboil is also why it's immensely popular and why I choose it over my MSR Superfly. The fact that it isn't very heavy and is the relative size of a Nalgene is a serious plus for putting this in your pack. If you're looking to cook food rather than pre-prepared food that only needs water, you should consider the 1.5L Jetboil Cooking Pot. The Recap Lightweight - 14oz stove and cup weight Easy storage - 4" x 7" when stored in your pack Boils water super fast - times ranging from 90 seconds to 3 minutes Flash Alert! - don't put the cup on the stove before it is lit Remember to remove the cooking cup from the stove before pouring out water - or turn the stove off Sturdy construction - I've had my Jetboil for 2 years and used it over 40 times and it's still solid Check out a recipe for Salmon and Edamame Penne Pasta recipe that was recently cooked on a Jetboil. Buy Now: Get a Jetboil Personal Cooking System Check out good deals on more camping gear on Overstock.com