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View Full Version : Is Sumo Jet Boil too much Stove for a thru-hike? Pasta Questions too.



SeeksChayah
03-27-2014, 11:45
Experimented, last night, with what size pot I would need to make a decent calorie dinner.
All Pasta boxes say that 2oz is a serving. I know I have to up my calorie intake for a thru hike, and pasta is light.
So, I thought it would be good to start there. I experimented with wheat penne.
I found that I could comfortably boil 4oz pasta w/o boil-over in 20oz of water. This was possible in at least a 32oz pot.
It took ~4 mins to bring water to boil (inside w/ no wind).
Then it took ~9mins to get pasta to al dente texture.
(Note: Planning on using 1tbsp Olive oil packets for calories too ).

Out of all the canister stoves that I have available to me (b/n Family, Friends, & Myself)- the 2 listed below have the correct pot size.
1) Sumo Jet Boil (without the orange bowls) ~13.4oz
2) MSR Pocket Rocket (with 32oz titanium pot plus "fry-pan lid") ~13.7oz

The Jet Boil Sumo looked so big to me, but when I weighed all that I would be bringing w/ the MSR- it actually came out ahead.
I am curious what this community thinks.
Is it too much for this hike?

Another tid-bit of info I noticed (not sure what to do with yet...): It takes less water and fuel to re-hydrate freeze-dried meals than it does to get pasta to be edible. However, freeze-dried meals are often chock-full of preservatives. It's hard to choose between fuel use, pack weight, proper nutrition. There doesn't seem to be a win-win.
Your thoughts?

bfayer
03-27-2014, 12:09
I'm not a thru hiker but I cook Knorr pasta sides in my Jetboil SOL quite often. I have a separate 1.5 lt pot, but I only use that if I am cooking for groups.

I can't imagine ever needing the 1.8 lt SUMO pot just for myself.

Starchild
03-27-2014, 12:34
Jetboil Sol worked great, I even made chicken and beef stew from scratch on the trail, I would not want anything larger at any time during the trail, and I did share with Splash quite often (so the Sol cooked for both of us). I do feel that the Sol is actually better for 2 hikers then one.

Also my plan was not to worry about calories on the trail, that's what town stops and AYCE buffets are for, and the body can store vast amounts of calories. What it can't store is protein, and for me that's what I found it needed and was very satisfied with that. If I ate carbs on the trail I felt hungry sooner even though I are more then quality protein.

YMMV, but yes the Sumo is way too big I believe is a safe statement for most single hikers.

Perhaps some test backpacking is in order.

Venchka
03-27-2014, 14:01
Put the cold water and pasta in at the same time & light the stove. You should save some burner time vs. boil water & then adding pasta. Pasta cooks just fine starting in cold water.
I would call 0.3 ounces difference a coin flip. Which set up takes up less space in your pack? Can the Jet Boil pot be used if the stove craters on you? Which stove works best with wind blowing? Minute Rice cooks faster-5 minutes. Should they be sued for false claims? You could cook more than 1 meals worth at a time & eat the rest later saving one cooking cycle. Assuming your pot will hold more pasta.
The good news: You're asking questions about real stove.

Wayne

Starchild
03-27-2014, 14:07
Can the Jet Boil pot be used if the stove craters on you?




Not sure what craters means but the Jetboil pot can be used on other stoves and on a campfire, you may have to remove the cozy.

takethisbread
03-27-2014, 19:01
yes


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Venchka
03-27-2014, 20:23
Not sure what craters means but the Jetboil pot can be used on other stoves and on a campfire, you may have to remove the cozy.

Craters: Stops working. Breaks.
Thanks! I thought that some of the models were essentially one piece, stove & pot. Perhaps I was mistaken.
Looking at those weights, my all seasons, all temperatures antique complete kitchen is only six ounces heavier dry. Paid for. It simmers too. No titanium was sacrificed to build it.

Wayne

Starchild
03-27-2014, 21:47
Craters: Stops working. Breaks.
Thanks! I thought that some of the models were essentially one piece, stove & pot. Perhaps I was mistaken.
Looking at those weights, my all seasons, all temperatures antique complete kitchen is only six ounces heavier dry. Paid for. It simmers too. No titanium was sacrificed to build it.

Wayne

No none of the jetboils are one piece and the pot can be used separately from any stove. Again you may have to remove the cozy but can leave it on if you have a small flame (esbit or alcohol in a tealight). The other major thing you need to be concerned about is any of Jetboil's titanium pots have a weakness, the bond between the pot and the 'flux ring' (heat exchanger) is not strong, so you must keep it from getting too hot, which basically means water only, not for cooking, just heating and boiling water (again this is only for their Titanium pots, their aluminum pots don't have this). Failure to do this will cause the flux ring to break away from the pot and basically melt, the system will still work but with reduced efficiency.

The other thing about real cooking in a jetboil is that the flux ring transfers so much heat that real food can stick and burn way too easily to the bottom. Many have commented about the limited adjustability of the jetboil basically it was either 'off' or 'on full', while the range of the valve is limited never found it a practical issue and could simmer and felt I had more then enough adjustability of the flame. Maybe I just got a good one.

Venchka
03-27-2014, 22:03
Thanks for the information. I own 5 stoves, if one of those wee folding Esbit holding thingies counts as a stove. If all 5 ever die, I may look at the JetBoil. Until then I'm content with what I have.

Wayne

bfayer
03-28-2014, 06:59
I also have no problem simmering in my Jetboil. It doesn't simmer as well as some other stoves, and would not be my first choice for real cooking, but it is doable. The problem comes in when you try to use a non Jetboil pot with the stove, the flame is very concentrated, so even if you turn down the flame, you still get a single hotspot in the center of the pot. The Larger Jetboil pots and fry-pan with the flux-ring mitigate that problem, but they are heavier than other pots, so you lose part of the advantage of the Jetboil system.

As a fuel efficient water boiler, it cannot be beat.

Back to the original post, Another good thing about the Jetboil system is that the pots are interchangeable. So if you think you need the SUMO, take it, and if you find it is too big, change it out for a smaller Flash or Sol pot. I would go the other way around and take a smaller pot, and if it turned out to be too small, get the bigger one.

Why go with the smaller pot first? It weights less and you will benefit from a lighter pack to start. You will not be as hungry when you first start. You will most likely find out it's big enough.

Don H
03-28-2014, 08:31
During my thru I was eating an entire Knorrs with some form of protein (tuna, chicken, spam, etc) and a 1/4 pound of M&M peanuts for dinner every night and was still loosing weight!

I did all my cooking, which was only dinner, using the freezer bag method.

My cook kit consists of:
Alcohol stove with wind screen, 600ml Snowpeak Titanium mug, foil lid, plastic spoon, 1' square of windshield sun shade (insulates freezer bag).
or
MSR Pocket Rocket, 600ml Snowpeak Titanium mug, foil lid, plastic spoon, 1' square of windshield sun shade.
Either set up weighs less than 6 ounces not including fuel.

I own a Jetboil but thought it was too much for long distance hiking.

RCBear
03-28-2014, 08:40
I have a jetboil sumo and it is a fantastic stove. I no longer carry it unless I am sharing it with another (or 2). It is simply too large and heavy to deal with on longer hikes. I now carry just a pocket rocket and a 20 ounce Stanley stainless mug that cost 15 bucks and will nest a small jetboil canister. I think the wider base small MSR did not fit if I remember. I will probably buy a JB Flash pot soon though which should be perfect for 1.

rafe
03-28-2014, 08:49
I own a Jetboil but thought it was too much for long distance hiking.

Same here. All you need is a canister and the screw-in-burner thingy, and a pot and lid and maybe a windscreen. You can do that on your own or have it all nicely "integrated" for you. My Jetboil ends up sitting at home. Maybe I just never mastered it. The piezo igniter never lasted more than a few outings.

bigcranky
03-28-2014, 10:17
Cooking raw pasta takes a lot of fuel and water. Most hikers rely on things like the Knorr pasta sides, which are pre cooked and don't take as long, plus they don't need to be drained. You could pre cook and then dehydrate your pasta , then it comes back pretty quickly in boiling water, but that's less practical for a thru hike. Works great for a weekend.


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