Jetboil Flash Cooking System

Comments about Jetboil Flash Cooking System:

So the "Flash" feature feels like a pretty cheesy marketing driven "upgrade"---if you can't figure out when water is about to boil/boiling you probably shouldn't be let outdoors unsupervised anyway. That said, Jetboil hasn't increased the price, so I'm not actually complaining.

Anyhow, this is a perfect cooking system---especially if you're cooking for one or two and don't often want or need a skillet. It boils water in a (wait for it...wait for it...) Flash and could not be easier to use: Screw in your fuel, open the stove's valve a bit, push the ignition button, and you've got boiling water or whatever before you know it. Easy and fast enough you can think about making a hot lunch instead of munching on dried fruit like a chipmunk. And the stove, fuel, and stabilizing platform all store inside the Jetboil cup.

We're pretty minimalist cooking-wise, so this is perfect for the gf and me: she carries her own cup and I eat out of the base or straight from the Jetboil. Nothing else needed except a couple of long spoons. Well, except for...

My one weakness out there is the need for a good cup (or three) of coffee. The french press addition adds virtually no weight, stores inside the Jetboil with everything else, and lets you make a delicious cup of your favorite real coffee no matter where you greet the sunrise or (with a splash of whiskey) sunset.

Comments about Jetboil Flash Cooking System:

Here's the deal. This is an awesome product and if you are looking for that last nudge to buy it, do it...there's not much you are going to regret.

I have used this on the trail but before I even had a chance to take it on a backpacking trip, it got about a week's use for home cooking when we lost power in a windstorm.

here are the pros: very durable, very stable, powerful, lightweight and easy to pack, and I can set it up in less than a minute. I like to cook even when I am in backcountry and this stove let's you have some fun and be a little creative beyond just heating water for prepackaged gruel.

Here are some of the few negatives--not deal breakers. First the ignition is a little fidgety--sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't (not always wind related). I actually feel like I won something when the trigger ignites it. Just be sure to pack a wand lighter or I use a swedish fire steel to launch a spark in there, otherwise you will lose all the hair on your knuckles (and you probably still will from the heat). The only other problem was probably 'user error' in that I left the jet fuel cannister stored in the cup for awhile and when I pulled it out recently noticed a little rust ring had formed. I have been able to remove most of the superficial rust but I would recommend removing the jet fuel before an extended storage period and I now wrap the cannister in a paper towel or put the screen from the coffee press (also recommended) between the cannister and bottom of the cup as a barrier. One last thing: if you use the frying pan you really need to watch your temp because that sucker can heat up and burn whatever you are trying to cook up.
But that's really it...just recommendations from experience vs. detractors.

Comments about Jetboil Flash Cooking System:

Returned from a 1 week packing trip from Mammoth to Tuolomne Meadows on 9/1/09. Took along the the previous model called the Jetboil Personal Cooking System and absolutely loved it. It heated water extremely fast and was stable with the addition of the optional stabilizer set. Three hikers heated two meals a day along with beverages for a week using one large canister. The larger canister did make the system more stable but did not fit into the cup. If the small canister is used the whole system packs into one small unit inside the heating cup. No problem with the igniter. No problem with the unit at altitudes greater than 10,000 feet. Previously used a Whisperlite and the Jetboil is so much easier and faster. Only used it to heat water and would not recommend cooking in this cup, but for what it is supposed to do--heat water incredibly fast, it is the best.

Comments about Jetboil Flash Cooking System:

This stove gets a bad rap because of the new look it was given. I will admit most true outdoorsmen aren't entering any fashion shows with their gear so they could care less about the different colors it comes in. With that said, I still like this stove. The only negative that I can find is the weight. Its a little heavy if all you need to do is boil water for dehydrated food. Everything else about the stove is perfect. It performs excellent in all climates and packs down into a decent size. If you want performance and aren't truly counting ounces this is the stove for you. My pack is usually around 35Lbs for a 3 day trip. I can handle carrying this stove knowning the performance is top notch. If your a diehard minimalist the weight will bug you.

Comments about Jetboil Flash Cooking System:

I recently went on a backpack camping trip in the Shenandoah National Park. Once we set up camp and got out our Mountain House meals it became apparent my Jetboil was the only one of 3 stoves that was worth anything. I heated up water for every ones meals and had the thing running non-stop the next morning for everyone's coffee. I'd say a con would be the size of water you can heat up at one time but it would have been more than enough for me had I not ended up cooking for 5!
I also love taking this to the field on army exercises to make Starbucks Via coffee any time of day. When you've been in the snow for 8 hours on a rifle range its seems like the most luxurious comfort ever! Plus regular army coffee is as bad as they say ("...looks like muddy water and tastes like turpentine")!
Bottom line: Buy it already!

Comments about Jetboil Flash Cooking System:

Just took it out on a kayak trip up Black Canyon to the Hoover Dam and back. My buddy and I used it as our only cooking source. Bottom line: He bought one when he got back. I have the previous model, and the only complaint is the temp control, but it looks like this model has fixed that. I purchased the pot stabilizer and stand and use the stand every time for stability. Love to boil water, put in the Starbucks via, then pop on the lid and bottom and drink coffee in the morning without getting off my A!

Comments about Jetboil Flash Cooking System:

I've used the JetBoil system for 5 years and immediately ordered the new stove when it was available in Oct. 09. The improvements are very well thought out; longer valve control, see through top, easy on base cover / cup, canister feet (which used to be an add on), and of course the temperature indicator. My 10 and 14 year old daughters used it last weekend on a Girl Scout backpacking trip. Most folks in camp were a bit jealous as we were all enjoying our meals and hot drinks long before their water was boiling. I even boiled water for three others so they didn't have to deal with their stoves. My original make it across the Grand Canyon in 2005 and I plan on taking the new one on my JMT hike this summer. I especially like the "all-in-one" concept. I eat dehydrated meals, couscous mixes, instant potatoes, and oatmeal. It's a great stove.

Comments about Jetboil Flash Cooking System:

I am so happy I found this upgraded Jetboil!! $1 more and you get a better igniter, stabilizer, a built in temperature indicator, and a bottom cap that doubles as a measuring cup. This thing is awesome!!

Comments about Jetboil Flash Cooking System:

Got this product for Christmas and it's an amazing product.

It's a little unstable with the tripod it comes with, but how lazy can you be...hold the frickin' thing while you are waiting the 90 seconds for your water to boil.

It is completely self contained (pending you buy the small canister of gas)

and packs down to the size of the cup. Easy to light, easy to put together a great improvement to the original jetboil pcs.

Great Product.

Comments about Jetboil Flash Cooking System:

Just bought the Jetboil to replace my long-lived white-gas MSR Whisperlite, which after 20 years is getting less reliable. Used the Jetboil on a sea canoeing trip in Puget Sound; here are my initial thoughts:

1. The Good: This is the most powerful stove I've ever used; heck, I'm tempted to use it at home instead of the $2,000 dual-fuel stainless steel G.E. range in our kitchen. It's so powerful that it almost seems like cheating -- I mean, is it still a "wilderness experience" if you can heat 3/4 L. of cold water in 3 minutes? Even the piezoelectric igniter that some reviewers say is unreliable worked first-click for me, though that's likely to change over time. (Note: the instructions tell how to refresh the electrode wire, by the way.)

2. Necessary Improvements: I still didn't give it 5 stars, though, because it's still not perfect. Here are things Jetboil needs to fix:

A. The igniter is placed in a fragile location. Yes, it's better than in the first version, but it's still sitting up on top. If ANYTHING flat gets set on the stove, the igniter is likely to break off. The smart people at Jetboil have gotta be able to think of a better way.

B. The heat indicator on the neoprene wrapper is just goofy. And, for those of us who worry about weight down to the point where we pick wiregate carabiners to save a couple grams, it's unnecessarily bulky. If you want a heat indicator, just sew a thin stripe down the side, not a ginormous faux-Nike Swoosh.

C. The pot stand should come with the stove. Without it, you can't use any cookware other than the proprietary pot.

D. Should have a waterproof lid option; the one that comes with it has a sipping hole, but I'd prefer one that protected my stove from the elements (when it's packed inside the pot) in case my pack takes a dunking.

E. Whole system needs a bag to pack it in, to keep everything together. I might use such a bag in the field (depending on whether I'm concerned about weight); I definitely need such a bag to store the system in the garage between outings.

But while Jetboil needs to keep tweaking, this remains a mindblowingly efficient water-boiling system. In my mind there's really no alternative; my old WhisperLite will get cleaned carefully then reserved for really high altitudes and cold temps (where I've heard the Jetboil may not work so well (though I'm anxious to see whether that's true or not). The Jetboil will take its place in my pack on every other adventure.