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Jetboil Helios Stove System

$149.95

(19)

Item # 769449

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Utilizing innovative liquid-injected technology, the Jetboil Helios system offers excellent output consistency in the coldest of temperatures.

Liquid-injected butane fuel system positions the canister upside down for high-output power throughout the entire life of the canister
Pot supports center and secure Helios FluxRing® pots, while also accommodating traditional pots and pans for maximum versatility
Attachable windscreen protects and maximizes burner efficiency in windy conditions
Remotely positioned piezo igniter easily starts stove, even after the cooking pot and windscreen are set in place
Compact system includes proven technology for fast and convenient setup, usage and storage
System includes Jetboil stove burner base with integrated pot support, 2-liter hard-anodized pot, canister stand and attachable windscreen
FluxRing™ heat exchanger improves fuel efficiency by evenly distributing heat along the bottom of the pot
Heat-resistant fold-out handles, plastic lid and bottom cover protect hands and surfaces when serving
Neoprene cozy stays in place during cooking without melting, increasing heat retention and cooking efficiency
Adjustable-flame burner is housed in a windscreen, reducing heat loss in windy conditions
Burner base, windscreen and canister stand fit neatly inside pot for compact storage and transport
Suitable for fuel-efficient excursions where extra capacity and versatility are needed
Fuel canister is sold separately
Please note: Helios system components are not compatible with the Jetboil Personal Cooking System or Group Cooking System

Specifications based on manufacturer's information.
Please note: We cannot ship fuel-burning products to addresses in Japan or Korea.

Imported.

Item 769449

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Jetboil Helios Stove System Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

Jetboil Helios Stove System

3.2

(based on 19 reviews)

61%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Stable (14)
Good power output (12)
Easy to light (11)
Easy to clean (6)
Lightweight (6)

Cons

Heavy / bulky (8)
Poor temperature control (8)
Difficult to light (6)
Difficult to clean (3)
Unstable (3)

Best Uses

Car camping (12)
Backpacking (9)
High altitude (7)
Hiking (7)

- Reviewer Profile:
- Avid adventurer (15)
- What Is Your Gear Style:
- Comfort driven (9), Survivalist / minimalist (9)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (5)

Reviewed by 19 customers

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Displaying reviews 1-10

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Jul

2008

(17 of 21 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

no bang for the buck

By AKscott

from Anchorage, AK

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to Light
Powerful
Stable

Cons

Bulky
Difficult to Clean
Poor temperature control

Best Uses

Car Camping

Comments about Jetboil Helios Stove System:

Gave it the old college try, and returned it the day after I got back from my trip. It is pretty bulky, and there is no temp control. It goes from 0- a million, and that is it. If you only want to boil lots of water, this would be great, but if you are trying to cook anything else, I would highly recomend not going this route. The insulating strip also burned on it the one time I used it, and I don't think that plastic is a good choice for a wind screen. (but im no expert) hope this helps...

Jun

2008

(7 of 9 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Jetboil does it again

By Lil One

from Monterey Bay, Ca

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Compact
Easy To Clean
Easy to Light
Great temperature control
Lightweight
Powerful
Stable

Cons

Best Uses

Backpacking
Car Camping
High Altitude
Hiking
Picnics

Comments about Jetboil Helios Stove System:

I used this for camping. It was really windy and the windscreen came in handy. The stove is very stable and so easy to use. It is worthy the money. Everyone loved the stove.

Jan

2009

(6 of 9 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Not a mountaineering stove

By JB99

from Fort Collins, CO

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Stable

Cons

Barely works over 14k
Bulky
Difficult to Light
Poor performance in cold
Poor temperature control

Best Uses

Car Camping

Comments about Jetboil Helios Stove System:

This thing is a gimmick. If you need a real high altitude stove get the classic MSR XGK. At the Piedre Grande Hut (13,900feet) sheltered from wind in above freezing temps the Helios took close to 40 minutes to boil 1.5L of water. The MSR's and Snowpeak's other people brought worked circles around this thing boiling water. It is nice and quiet though, because it's barely working. The flame control is a joke too, the only setting at altitude seemed to be very very low. Only with a brand new canister did it really light up despite the design with the inverted canister. To sum it up; only buy this thing if it's more important to you to have a nice quiet stove than it is to eat and drink warm meals in the backcountry. Save your money and REI from another return of this gimmick and buy something else.

Aug

2008

(5 of 7 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Lots of Options

By gearguy11

from Rochester Hills, MI

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to Light
Great temperature control
Lightweight
Powerful
Stable

Cons

Best Uses

Comments about Jetboil Helios Stove System:

This flame thrower is as good or better than most canister stoves! It boils fast .. but MSR Reactor is probably 30 sec faster .. if that matters?

There are lots of options:

1. Canister upside down for hotter/bigger flame and cold temp operation. Fuel is vaporized in tube, near burner; so canister does not cool due to evaporation of fuel.

2. Canister upright for better flame control but cooler burn and evaporation cooling effect of other canister stoves .. warm temp use mode.

3. You can elimate the wind screen for less bulk / complexity like most other canister stoves.

4. You can remove the rubber pot girdle if the odor after heating bothers you.

In conclusion, this stove has all the pros/cons of other canister type .. plus other options/features listed above.

Happy camping and playing!

Aug

2008

(5 of 5 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Flip canister over for more control!

By gearguy11

from Rochester Hills, MI

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to Light
Powerful
Stable

Cons

Bulky
Complex

Best Uses

Backpacking
Car Camping
Hiking

Comments about Jetboil Helios Stove System:

You have to experiment with any new product.
Just turn over the canister to get far better temperature control!
A side by side test on my deck (no wind) on a warm summer nite @ 600 ft showed this stove to boil 1L of water just as fast as the MSR Reactor .. I was amazed at this!
It seems a bit bulky to carry, but OK for a group since the pot is larger than many stoves.
Also .. somewhat complex to setup and tear down and get it all back in the pot.
I'm not sure yet about the plastic windscreen.
It seems to get warm, but did not melt while boiling for a few minutes .. time will tell.
Also the plastic pot lid gets quite soft after boiling .. wonder if it will hold its fit/shape over time.
And finally, there is a slight smell of rubber after boiling due to the neoprene pot girdle.
This probably would not be noticed in the field when you are tired, hungry, and anxious to eat.
A slight breeze would probably eliminate the odor.
I think this stove has lots of potential!
I am anxious to try it on a trip .. especially in winter. They advertise performance down to -10F .. amazing .. just have to wait 4 months to find out.

Jun

2010

(4 of 4 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Almost Perfect

By rsqguy

from Kansas City, MO

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Compact
Easy To Clean
Easy to Light
Great temperature control
Powerful
Stable

Cons

Bulky

Best Uses

Backpacking
Car Camping
High Altitude
Hiking

Comments about Jetboil Helios Stove System:

Just used a combined helios system and a personal cooking system that ended being 2 stoves and 3 pots. (a 1.5 l and 2 3l pots) Used them at Philmont Scout ranch with a crew of first time kids.The system proved to be fast and fairly trouble free. No issues at altitude. The stoves temp controls I found to be very easy as long as you stop and look at what you are doing. With the helios system I found turning the fuel bottle upright prior to lighting then flipping over after lit worked well to prevent too much fuel from rushing the stove and making lighting difficult. Otherwise turn on stove until you hear gas run, turn off and light, then turn back on. The stoves and pots held up to the abuse of young boys, and didnt require the extra work of the white gas. We used 2 and a half 16oz fuel bottles in 12 days. Overall, light, fast easy. Only things to beware of is setting pots down where coils can get debris caught, or dent flux rings. would be beter with protective ring similar to pcs system on pots.

Mar

2009

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Do not buy this one!!!

By Neil in Alaska

from Wasilla, Alaska

About Me Casual Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Cool Looking

Cons

Difficult to Light
Poor temperature control
Unstable

Best Uses

Car Camping

Comments about Jetboil Helios Stove System:

I kept this as my cool stove. Our trips are usually so fast paced and all day trips that we just snack during the day. We came back from a long day of hunting and were tired at the truck. I told everyone that I would boil some water for some Cup-O-Noodles. It was zero degrees with no wind. Well, twenty minutes later, the water was nice and LUKE WARM, which doesn't go well with hard crunchy freeze dried noodles. We dumped the water out and left hungry. All the reviews about temp control are right, it was also hard to light when it was that cold. I have been with people who have those tiny little burners that fit in your shirt pocket that do ten times better. I can't imaging someone who relies on this stove every weekend. Mine is going back!!! Find something that is more than "Cool Looking" get something that "WORKS."

Feb

2009

(2 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

taken it back

By trailman

from camden county new jersey

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Cons

Cold Weather

Best Uses

Comments about Jetboil Helios Stove System:

I first tried the Helios in temperatures just under 30 degrees. It took over twenty minutes to boil one liter of water. The same night, we tried the Helios again. It blew two fireballs and did not work again. Thinking that the Helios was defective, I returned it and tried a new one several times....once after putting it in the freezer for six hours, it worked great. Then I took the new Helios (and a backup) to New Hampshire for a four day backpacking trip in the whites. It failed the first time we tried it. It would not melt one batch of snow in thirty minutes

Jan

2009

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

3.0

Love the stove, have the pots.

By TheObserver

from New Jersey

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to Light
Lightweight
Powerful

Cons

Bulky
Difficult to Clean
Poor temperature control
Unstable

Best Uses

Backpacking
Car Camping
High Altitude
Hiking

Comments about Jetboil Helios Stove System:

The stove itself is very nice in that it will work in cold weather.

The base of the stove is very stable. The large feets spread out makes it stable. The canister is tubed in, which is good for when using a windshield. The jetboil comes with a windshield.

However, the pots do not use heat resistant rubber, and hence the lid can ot be used during cooking, so forget about efficiency. Jetboil tries so hard to be efficient with the flux ring, but then wastes everything on not having a lid. The rubber on other parts of the pot beside the lid is also of poor quality and will easily melt. The insulator and the grip has melted on my pot.

Other problems.
Too much plastic! The windshield is plastic. A aluminum or titanium shield would have been better. Also the shield will come off the cips even if slightly touched. The fit is very poor.

I will keep the stove with a few modifications I will make, like replacing the windshield and carrying a wire so I can secure the pot stand from folding back down. As for the pots, I will not be using them. Just too combustible. I'll use my Snow Peak pots and my GSI pots.

Jul

2009

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

This stove worked fine

By Swan the hiker

from Colorado Springs, CO

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy To Clean
Great temperature control
Powerful
Stable

Cons

Difficult to Light

Best Uses

Backpacking
Car Camping
Hiking

Comments about Jetboil Helios Stove System:

We just used the stove for the first trip, a 5 day backpacking trip. We camped at 10,600 feet and the stove boiled water very fast. Cooked trout twice and had great results. Just turned it down and cooked them slow for best results. It does take some getting used to to light it without flame up. Turn it on for a second or two, then turn it off and light it. Then turn it back on and adjust the temp setting. Basically just like the priming procedure on my MSR Dragon Fly stove. Very stable, easy clean up, cooked very well. The plastic wind screen worked fine in medium wind. One draw back is that you can't use the pot on a campfire in a pinch. I think it would damage the fins on the bottom of the pan. Over all we were very happy with the stove once we got used to it. Of the 3 stoves I have it is the fastest to boil water. One 220g canister lasted all 5 days using it 4 to 6 times a day. No more bulky than my Dragon Fly with a cook kit. Acutally it has reduced the weight we carry.