jetboil on a thru-hike?

[Summit]

alky stove. sure u dont boil as fast but it's the only reasonable alternative... cook on a fire.. less weight.

This is a thread about Jetboil stoves and how well they do on thru hikes, not a 'what's your favorite stove?' or in your case 'what's the only stove, cause I use it' thread.

[RollingStone]

Thought I would offer my experience with the Pocket Rocket which is positive. One fellow said this...

Another thing to note is that unless you get a heat shield for the Rocket you'll be wasting alot of fuel. I used to take 2-3 cannisters for longer trips and would go through two or three sometimes but now with my Jetboil I'll work off a single fuel with me and my buddy for three days or more.

I've had my pocket rocket out for as long as three weeks. Without a windscreen, and between two people being used to boil water 3-4 times a day, an 8 ounce canister lasted 6 days. So I am not sure if he was trying to heat water in a hurricane or what.

Having said that, I preferred the PR over the JetBoil because as someone else said, cooking in it isn't great. And on a long trip, or a thru hike you want options, especially with food. With he PR you can cook. We use the PR and Heineken cans tucked away in Ziplock Containers for our cook kit. Gives us plenty of options whether we are Freezerbag eating or decided to cook up some ramen or whatever. I also take a 4 ounce aluminum kettler from time to time that holds a liter for bigger capacity.

I did wind up makign windscreens for my PR stoves after moving to Montana from New England. Is much windier here, especially in the higher elevations.

Good luck with your stove choice.

[Panzer1]

Don't rely exclusively on the push button igniter. They sometimes break. Always have a cigarette lighter for backup.

Panzer

[sticks&stones]

i kinda like a jetboil, it's the only stove i've ever cooked with while hiking at the same time.

[mweinstone]

panzer is a master of preparedness. he carrys all mannor of cool crap he never needs but enjoys provideing for someone who might. weve hiked together and i know this first hand,...panzer is heir apparent to the theam song for hogans heros.

[Panzer1]

,...panzer is heir apparent to the theam song for hogans heros.

Why, which character in the show do I remind you of? I hope not sgt schultz.

Too bad we can't have music attached to our user id's.

Panzer

[DAJA]

I've been organizing my gear for an upcoming 3 day hike on Grand Manan Island to check out the new born seal pups and in migration of the Puffins... So I was packing up my jetboil group cooking system, and realized I can pack the canister, stove, pot support, small towel to protect the pot, jetboil spoon, jetboil spatula and 2 sea to summit x bowls.. Complete meal kit all in one package!

[sarahgirl]

yeah, even if the jetboil is a little bulky one can pack a lot of stuff into it, which ultimatley might be a space saver in the end. Have a great hike!

[Earl Grey]

I use a jetboil and love it. Of course there are lighter options but in the morning when I need to make some tea it does it fast.

What I do when boiling water is light the stove and then turn it up until its "loud" and doesnt get any "louder" even if you increase the gas flow. This seems to be the most effiecient setting because canisters last me a long time just boiling water this way.

I have a red button version and it broke not long after I got it. I wonder if I email them they will send me a new one.

Although snow peak does have 110g of fuel vs jetboil canisters 100g of fuel I do like the mix they use in the jetboil ones much better for winter. Ive never had issues with jetboil canisters when temps are in the single digits but the snow peak and the mixture they use doesnt work as good. I did see two snow peak mixtures before and one of them may have been a winter mix, not sure.

[BlazeWalker]

I bought mine when they first came out, 2004 I think. I've put it through normal use and have never had a single issue w/ it. Also the igniter on mine has the black button. I think a pretty good stove!

[Summit]

I have a red button version and it broke not long after I got it. I wonder if I email them they will send me a new one.

I am sure they will, or call their toll free number - faster!

http://www.jetboil.com/contactus

[JaxHiker]

They'll definitely take care of you. I do believe they've got great customer service.

[The Snowman]

to be honest I like the Jetboil more for makeing coffee on day hikes or when car camping its just too big and heavy for multiday trips.

[JaxHiker]

My JB with a full canister weighs 22.5 oz. My Giga with the same canister and the Trek 900 pan set (aluminum) weighs 19.9 oz. That's only a difference of 2.6 oz. Not a huge difference in my book.

Now if you add a bandanna for a pot holder and a Bic lighter to the Giga setup you're up to 24.2 oz making this 1.7 oz heavier than the JB.

[middle to middle]

Excellent thought process Jax, SPEED does count for something. That spring mountian water can get cold. The faster it gets hot the better. Ain't named Jet Boil for nuthin !

[Summit]

Here's the recall info with pictures, it had to do with the valve.
http://www.jetboil.com/recall

That's different from the 'red button igniter.' I have had no problems with valve leakage and the replacement igniter that they sent me has nothing to do with this recall article. They wouldn't likely do a 'recall' of the igniter since it's not essential to the function of the stove. But that's good information to know too for those who suspect leaking fuel.

I replaced my igniter mainly just to have a fully functional stove, but I'll continue to use a regular lighter most of the time. It's a lot less dangerous since you can light the lighter first, hold it over the burner and then turn the fuel knob slowly, thus lighting it very smoothly, rather than the kaboom you get with the igniter.

[Evil Eye]

Used my JetBoil all the way on my '07 Thru & have no regrets. As many have said, I too had ignitor issues so always carry a lighter ( the smallest Bic Clic fits in the burner ring for storage) No canister availability issues of note - did carry two occasionally.
Great Customer service - After 2-3 years of use - sent email to JetBoil for advice about burner ring & was sent new parts FOC along with a new ignitor.
Quick, straight forward, can simmer if you adjust to where it seems to "spit" at a low setting. Coffee press add-on works well. Another suggestion - REI has/had a longer stainless steel spoon engineered just for the Jet Boil - curved to fit the diameter of the JetBoil pot so clean up was easier.
Often fed & cleaning up while my alcohol stove friends are still waiting for a boil!!!

[SunnyWalker]

With the fuel canister does the jet boil weigh less than a Svea with gas in it?

[Summit]

With the fuel canister does the jet boil weigh less than a Svea with gas in it?

To make a true weight comparison you would have to add a pot on the Svea side - probably pretty close to a toss up if that pot is an expensive titanium, otherwise I think the JetBoil would win. Also, the smaller propane canister will last about a week, so to get the same mileage out of a Svea wouldn't you have to carry some fuel in a fuel bottle? Just trying to level-set the comparison.

[SunnyWalker]

Summit: I don't know anything about the Svea. I was reading The Complete Walker IV and C. Fletcher sure like his Svea. So it got me to thinking. I thought I was an alcohol stove (Triangia) convert. Well, sorry, I don't want to hijack this thread off the subject. I looke at the pics of the jetboil. Wow, it looks like it'll do the job alright.