Switching My Cooking Gear?

[Dad]

Looking at doing a thru on the AT. Have done about 700 miles so far but plan to start over and do it all. Have used a pepsi can stove but am considering a Jetboil. Philosophical question: My approach so far has been to boil water and pour it into lipton sides, freeze dried meals, etc with little actual cooking (but some actual cooking). Is a Jetboil overkill for me - either the flash or the minimo. If I do it I am leaning toward the minimo, but would like some input on whether to do the flash, minimo, (or just keep on using the alcohol stove). Your thoughts appreciated.

[HooKooDooKu]

The biggest reason to utilize a Jetboil would be to minimize fuel consumption. Boiling water very efficiently is what Jetboil was designed to do from the start.

However, the Minimo is not the lightest of Jetboil stove systems.

The best part of the MiniMo is that Jetboil finally made a stove you could simmer with. Older systems such as the Zip, Flash, and Sol come with a stove that it only takes about 1/4 turn between off and full blast.

The Jetboil SOL was the attempt at going light weight. The stove was still the same, but the cups were ligher. There was the aluminum version that is otherwise like other cups; but there was also a titanium version that tried to go just a little lighter. But they had the problem that the heat-exchanger fins were still aluminum and the two metals expand at different rates. If the cup gets too hot, the welds would fail and the cup ruined. (By limiting use to boiling water, that insured the cup never got hotter than about 212º).

My first Jetboil was an Aluminum SOL, and I got a great deal on last years MiniMo. So for my JMT thru, I combined the two... the improved stove of the MiniMo paired with the lighter SOL aluminum cup (I believe this is essentially what the MicroMo is).

[Greenlight]

I carry a JetBoil Flash, and like you, all I use it for is to heat up water. I do mostly freezer bag meals, so I make a couple cups of coffee in the morning, have a couple of pop tarts, peanut butter, a bit of bacon jerky, while I boil the water for my "lunch" meal, stuff it in it's cozy, and put it in my pack. It's still warm when I eat it. . At my lunch stop, I boil the water for my dinner, and repeat the procedure. That way when I stop for the day, all I have to do is pull out my meal cozy and I've got a warm meal waiting for me (and most of the time any pasta is completely rehydrated!). It is a system that works for me. If I were a Hobbit, or ever become one, I may change my mind and start carrying pots and pans and meat hooks and forage for root vegetables and salad greens while hiking. I'm not there yet. JetBoil rocks for me, and is worth being a tad heavy.


Looking at doing a thru on the AT. Have done about 700 miles so far but plan to start over and do it all. Have used a pepsi can stove but am considering a Jetboil. Philosophical question: My approach so far has been to boil water and pour it into lipton sides, freeze dried meals, etc with little actual cooking (but some actual cooking). Is a Jetboil overkill for me - either the flash or the minimo. If I do it I am leaning toward the minimo, but would like some input on whether to do the flash, minimo, (or just keep on using the alcohol stove). Your thoughts appreciated.

[4eyedbuzzard]

I really tried to like alky stoves, but there were just too many drawbacks. Biggest were they are so slow compared to cannister (especially Jetboil), and their poor performance in windy conditions (even with a good screen). I've settled on carrying the Jetboil SolTi, even on short trips where there is a definite weight penalty over alky. And contrary to all the "you can't cook in it", most all food cooked on the trail in a pot is done in a water base - soups, rice mixes with sauces, mashed potatoes added to hot water, etc. All are basically cooked in/with water and so the temp doesn't exceed boiling water temps anyway. If you were to run it dry, yeah, you'd probably have a problem with the heat exchanger. But I haven't yet in some 5+ years.

[swjohnsey]

I've used light weight cooking setups. Zelph's Ultravenom worked best for me. I prefer something with a little more horsepower. I use a Simmerlite which is a little heavier unless you are going 10 days without resupply.

[HooKooDooKu]

If you want to look beyond Jetboil and find a light weight canister system, check over this Journal entry (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/entry.php/8153-What-is-the-lightest-canister-stove-and-pot-combination) I put together some time ago (meaning the info is dated and therefore doesn't include newer products that have come to market). You'll find that there are several options available where you can have a cook system that only weights about 6oz for stove/pot combo.

[hyperslug]

Unless something has changed, Jetboil and other such systems are about the heaviest option. Even with the fuel efficiency of the Jetboil I can't imagine fuel weight savings ever coming close to the weight of a traditional canister stove like the Pocket Rocket. And while most people will mostly boil water it is nice to be able to cook fresh food the first night when you come from town or even outside the hostel. The only downside it will take you 5 minutes to reach a boil instead of 3.

[poolskaterx]

I have been too happy with my optimus crux setup.

Each time used it boils faster than my two buddies who use jet boils and it cost less and is a wee bit lighter... oh, and I can cook/simmer with it if i desire. Gonna get something lighter one day but have not found anything that strikes my fancy enough.

[scrabbler]

If its just a boil water scenario, dont forget Esbit options.

[Starchild]

Jetboil is great for getting hot water now. It takes some (easy) adjustment when using a JB, don't heat the water till you are ready to use it, or sure you can be ready in the 2 minutes it takes. A few times at first you will be caught unprepared to use that water when it is ready and have to scramble a bit.

Jetboil is also great for convenience, it can be set up ready to go, so all it takes is a turn and a click while still in the sleeping bag and your coffee water is heating. Great if you like many hot meals per day.

Jetboil is also great in how efficient it is, in thru hiking terms it means you will visit several trail towns in a row and not have to worry about where they sell fuel, because you have so darn much still left in that smallest canister. There are 3 sizes of fuel, 2 very common, usually referred to as small and large, but there is a extra large one, I once did a calculation that it would take about 3 very large canisters to do a entire 6 month AT thru, which means that it is possible to carry all your fuel with you from the start. No reason to do this, but jsut something I found interesting.

Jetboil also works well in the cold, when other canister stoves don't. On my thru, I used my jetboil to get other people's water to a boil, then transferred it to their stove for the simmer time. They could not get a boil on their own. Temps was in the low teens.

With that all said it is heavier than most fuel systems so you do pay for all that, it is more ideal for 2 people then one (at which time the weight penalty goes away).



For my thru I used the Jetboil Sol Ti (discontinued, but weighted IIRC 15 oz with a full canister included, 3 oz less when empty), till it got hot out and I didn't desire hot meals, most of the time just hot morning coffee, which I picked up a esbit stove till it got cold again and I got my JB back.

[CarlZ993]

The JetBoil stove - and the MSR equivalent: Reactor & Windburner - are designed to boil water rapidly & efficiently. Both setups are heavier than other canister/pot combinations. The Reactor & Windburner is somewhat more efficient and faster, especially in windy conditions (they are practically impervious to the effects of the wind).

If you desire a 'traditional' upright canister stove system, I'd recommend you look at the Soto Windmaster stove. It is light - 2.8 oz w/ stuff sack. It has a raised rim around the concave burner head. It handles the wind must better that other similar stoves. As far as a pot, there are a lot of choices. Usually, titanium are the lightest & costliest. Evernew, Snow Peak, & Toaks Outdoors make some nice pot. Toaks are usually cheaper than the other two. If you want an aluminum pot (cheaper & usually slightly heavier), there are many choices - GSI, MSR, Olycamp - just to name a few. For one person, a 1 L pot (plus or minus) is sufficient. To make the cooking system more efficient, make or purchase a pot cozy (360 deg coverage). This is made of reflectix (usually). You boil your food, pour in the ingredients, stir, remove from the stove, & place it in the cozy. If your recipe calls for to simmer, simply leave your food in the pot cozy for double that amount of time. It continues to 'cook' in the cozy. Saves on fuel. It is worth the extra ounce or so the cozy weighs.

If you have some bucks to spend, you can't go wrong w/ the Evernew 0.9L wide based pot. This is my go-to pot. Still want titanium but spend a little less? Check out the Toaks pot in similar size.

If you're looking at keeping down the costs of your pot, GSI makes a pot called the 'Boiler' in 1.1L. It is the exact size as the comparable 'Soloist' without additional items - spoon, bowl, water bucket stuff sack, etc. It costs $30. Olycamp makes a similar size pot for $30 called the XTS. This pot has heat retaining fins around the base similar to a JetBoil. I've seen videos that seem to show faster & more efficient boil times with this pot.

Good luck in your decision making.

Disclosure: I own all the pots & stoves mentioned... Yes, I'm a GearHead.

[Rex Clifton]

The jeboils are great, but that would not be my choice for a long distance hike. For one thing, if there is a campfire, it's nice to put the pot on the fire to save fuel. You can't do that with a jetboil. Also, even the Micromo is heavy compared to a traditional setup. For me, I use a Snow Peak 700 paired with a Soto Micro regulator stove, which is a couple of ounces lighter that the Micromo. I made a pot cozy for the Snow peak so pasta sides are a snap to make, just boil water, dump in and slide on the cozy.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[bigcranky]

We used various canister and alcohol stoves for years. Finally got a Jetboil right before our Long Trail hike -- entirely because of the fuel efficiency. Our previous canister stove used 15g of fuel to boil 2 cups of water, the Jetboil consistently used 5g. That fact that it's also superfast is a bonus :) We did actually cook Knorr sides and the like in it, and that worked okay, but you have to be careful it doesn't boil over. No simmering possible in ours (Jetboil Ti). I'd buy it again in a minute.

[TS-WNY]

I switched from a Jetfoil Flash to a GSI Minimalist and a BRS-300T stove. Works well for me and I wanted to cut some size and weight.

[liteweight]

I really like my jetboil minimo for one or two nights out. It simmering capability is great and cooking in the pot is no problem. For longer trips I carried a soto and recently picked up a olicamp ion micro (1.5 ounces).

[Secondmouse]

Looking at doing a thru on the AT. Have done about 700 miles so far but plan to start over and do it all. Have used a pepsi can stove but am considering a Jetboil. Philosophical question: My approach so far has been to boil water and pour it into lipton sides, freeze dried meals, etc with little actual cooking (but some actual cooking). Is a Jetboil overkill for me - either the flash or the minimo. If I do it I am leaning toward the minimo, but would like some input on whether to do the flash, minimo, (or just keep on using the alcohol stove). Your thoughts appreciated.

Jetboil is heavier than other canister cup/stove solutions but I like it because it is so efficient with fuel. If I was going where I could not resupply that's probably what I'd take. but the AT has opportunities to resupply every couple of days so for me it's not worth the extra weight.

and I like it because it is so fast. when I don't care about the weight, it makes 16oz of coffee in just a couple minutes, which I might almost consider some kind of safety/sanity benefit. :D

personally though, options break down on the AT to alcohol or canister stoves. canister is more convenient/fiddle free. with a Fancee Feast stove, a 12oz bottle of HEET lasts me 3-5 days depending. there are charts showing which is a better option based on mileage...

[swisscross]

personally though, options break down on the AT to alcohol or canister stoves. canister is more convenient/fiddle free. with a Fancee Feast stove, a 12oz bottle of HEET lasts me 3-5 days depending. there are charts showing which is a better option based on mileage...

Did you mean 13-15 days on 12oz of heet?
I make a coffee smoothie most mornings.... I get bubbles (not rolling) with <3/4oz with my FF stove.
I could stretch a full bottle of heat over 16 days and eat two hot/warm meals a day.

[SIV]

As far as stoves go, I have a few (i.e. Equipment Freak). My favorites are the While Box alcohol, Jet Boil canister, Bush Buddy wood burner and the MSR Pocket Rocket. All have their pluses and minuses. But in the end, the Jet Boil is the fastest, most efficient and most stable platform for me.

While I absolutely love the simplicity of the White Box alcohol stove, it falls short in the winter months due to the cold and wind. The BushBuddy would be my go to stove if I was in the wilderness for a year, as your fuel supply is endless! But the Bush Buddy requires collecting fuel and constantly tending the fire The Pocket Rocket is small, compact and powerful, but for me the biggest flaw is the poor stability (mug full of water atop a small stove, atop a canister). I've spilled more than one pot of boiling water with my Pocket Rocket and scalding hot water is not fun when it meets bare skin. The Jet Boil, even though not exactly light, boils water in minutes utilizing a very stabile platform and I've never experienced a spill or failure to fire up.

In the end, you have to give them all a try and decide what works best for you.

[Secondmouse]

Did you mean 13-15 days on 12oz of heet?
I make a coffee smoothie most mornings.... I get bubbles (not rolling) with <3/4oz with my FF stove.
I could stretch a full bottle of heat over 16 days and eat two hot/warm meals a day.

no, but I did misspeak. I don't carry a 12oz bottle of HEET. I should have said an 8oz Vargo bottle with measuring lines but even 12oz still won't get me anywhere near 13-15 days. 8oz will comfortably last me 3-5 days, or roughly the amount of time between resupply...

3/4oz of alcohol in a Fancee Feast will reliably rolling boil 16oz of water in my 750ml cup with a lid and a wind screen in still air. however, I drink that much or more coffee just at breakfast.

I don't completely boil the water for my coffee but making two packets of instant oatmeal adds another 8-10oz of water that I do want boiling, so breakfast is a little more than an ounce of alcohol.

lunch is cold or snacks while walking. supper is usually 16oz for pasta side, mashed potato, or Mountain House, 10oz for couscous, and sometimes 6-8oz for tea or cider, depending on the weather.

so that's heating roughly 40-50oz of water/1.5-2.25oz of alcohol per day, give or take. 8oz will comfortably last me 3-5 days, or roughly the amount of time between resupply... ..

granted, that's an outside case. I could get by with less but it gives me some head room in windy conditions (yes, I use a wind screen), or I have a spill, I need an extra day, to use as a fire starter, or help out someone else who ran out, etc...

anyway, I don't believe you've ever gotten 2 hot/warm meals/day for 16 days on 12oz of alcohol. that would require 3/8oz of alcohol per meal. you can't recover small amounts of alcohol from a Fancee Feast so with the inaccuracies of measuring and waste I think you probably mean theoretically. I just go by what I actually use...

[swisscross]

anyway, I don't believe you've ever gotten 2 hot/warm meals/day for 16 days on 12oz of alcohol. that would require 3/8oz of alcohol per meal. you can't recover small amounts of alcohol from a Fancee Feast so with the inaccuracies of measuring and waste I think you probably mean theoretically. I just go by what I actually use...

Opps I misspoke/ typed as well.
I get about 16 boils...8 days out of a 12oz bottle.

[Secondmouse]

Opps I misspoke/ typed as well.
I get about 16 boils...8 days out of a 12oz bottle.

it's easy to do without being able to edit...