Jetboil Rook Questions

[Zim]

I got a great deal on a hardly-used Jetboil Zip last night. Never used one before, but it seems very straightforward. My questions are:

1) The one I bought is missing the tripod stabilizer. Unfortunately, I didn't know that was a component that came with it and the person didn't tell me. Is that a necessary item? I was checking it out online, and it seems like you could easily have the fuel canister sit on the floor/ground as long as it was relatively flat.

2) Can you cook any solid foods in there at all?

3) Would people recommend any accessories?

Thanks!

[Northern Lights]

You don't need the stabilizer, just find a flat surface

Yes you can cook pretty much anything in it.

I have a french press for mine. That is about all I have found I really need, and even then I don't use it often.

[atmilkman]

You can use the Jetboil without the tripod but that's kind of iffy. The Jetboil canister which is the only brand that will fit into it is small diameter and not a good idea. Email Jetboil tell them your story and that you want to register your stove and they may just send you a tripod. The Jetboil is primarily a water boil stove, you can cook in it but you have to turn it down and pretty much stir constantly and it's deep so that's not so great or too fun. As far as accessories go Jetboil tells me you can use aftermarket fry pans with the pot support which you should have (which is what I do) but again you have to turn it down and stir constantly and they tell me it needs to be 7" in diameter or less. Mine is 6 3/4 so it works pretty good. Another down side of cooking like this is wasting fuel. Like I said it's pretty much water boil only which it does fantastically. I have the Sol Ti and it boils 2 cups of water in 45 seconds.

[Gunslinger]

I have the Jetboil Ti Sol and love it. I have never taken the stabilizer with me on a hike, just extra weight. I have never had a problem without it. I agree with atmilkman that it is best for just boiling water and not cooking in the cup. However, you can use other brands of fuel besides just the jetboil brand and while it boils water very fast, I think 45 seconds is an exaggeration.

[bamboo bob]

I've used the Jetboil a lot and love it. I just bought the tripod feet and haven't used them yet but I used the Jetboil for many hundreds of meals and may send it home if it seems unneeded. There are definitely times when it seemed unstable like when cooking from tent in the rain or in crowded clueless shelters in Georgia. When it gets warm and I get more weight conscious I could send them home.

[SmokeEater]

I have the original Jetboil and the Jetboil Ti. I have used aftermarket fuel for both. Works just fine. I never use the stand. Original did not come with one. No problems yet. As far as boil time for me its about 2min. I have not used it for cooking just boiling. Great stoves! If you are really wanting a stand jetboil will probably send you one at no charge. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lneyC-FlFpE&feature=related

[atmilkman]

I have the Jetboil Ti Sol and love it. I have never taken the stabilizer with me on a hike, just extra weight. I have never had a problem without it. I agree with atmilkman that it is best for just boiling water and not cooking in the cup. However, you can use other brands of fuel besides just the jetboil brand and while it boils water very fast, I think 45 seconds is an exaggeration.
My mistake TapRack 1 cup water 45 seconds did it all last weekend and the weekend before on the FT lowest temp was 49F just did it again on the porch 1 cup 45 seconds no BS clicked the ignighter opened it wide open with lid loosely left on per Jetboil takes longer to rig it up than it does to boil water. Give it a try.

[Zim]

Thanks for the advice. I think I'll try and make do with just the jetboil for a while, then if I need the adapter/stand/fry-pan I can pick one up in Damascus, which is after the first week of my section hike.

[Gunslinger]

Hey milkman, do you have any idea how many times you can boil with one of the smaller jetboil brand canisters? Thats something I have been wondering. Thought about weighing a new one, then boiling water with it and seeing how much weight was lost.

[atmilkman]

Hey milkman, do you have any idea how many times you can boil with one of the smaller jetboil brand canisters? Thats something I have been wondering. Thought about weighing a new one, then boiling water with it and seeing how much weight was lost.
Don't really know how many boils I get to a can. I got a bunch of partials laying around till next time I go "car camping" I've been doing 2 and 3 day trips so I just been grabbing a new can (lol) I'm going on a 6 dayer (is that proper english) in 2 weeks so I'm taking only one can and see what happens. I'll keep track of cups and time and how many and I'll let you know what I come up with. I'm curious too. Some people on here have said 14 boils some have said 10 some have said 20 one guy said 2 weeks. I'll try and get a more accurate estimate and am gonna boil only no cooking.

[Gunslinger]

6 dayer is perfect english. I think I will use one whole can at the house just to see how many times I can boil. I'm sure it would also vary slightly depending on weather conditions. Let me know what you figure out and I will do the same. Thanks.

[leaftye]

I don't know if I ever had the tripod support until last summer. I've had my Jetboil for about a decade. I've certainly never used a tripod support before, and haven't had a problem. The only reason I bought it was because I was using the really tall 500g fuel cans that made the Jetboil system way too tall for comfort. The tripod stabilizer helped with that.

I suppose my favorite accessory is the adapter that allows flat pans to be used. Actually, that might have come with my original Jetboil, but I never used it until I bought it last summer. I think it's intended to be used with the Jetboil heat exchanger pans/pots, but I used it with an old steel pot.

Another accessory that might be nice is an adapter to allow canisters to be refilled. For much more info about this, check out Hikin Jim's website, Adventures in Stoving. You'll also want a scale to determine the fuel levels of your canisters.

[PapaGarrettP]

My thoughts-
1.Tripod - very light and worth it if you are on uneven terrain, like rocks, but no need if on flat surface (like picnic table);
2. Forget cooking "hash-like" food in the JB cup. It is too deep and flame too hot.
3. I got a JB frying pan for Xmas. It is light and expensive, but works pretty well for eggs and meat.
4. I have used my JB on three 5-day section hikes (me and two buddies each time). We cooked a coffee (each) for breakfast, boiled water for a dehydrated meal everyday for dinner (each) and a hot chocolate every night (each). I never ran out of fuel from one fresh can.

[Doc Mike]

One small can will last 2-3 weeks on the trail depending on how much you use it.

[ocalacomputerguy]

I have a jetboil gcs pot. Used it to cook for 4 adults 1 child for a 2 night hike. You will want the tripod to use the pot if you are using a 110 gram canister. You can cook eggs, hash browns etc in it. It's a good compromise between the cup and fry pan. You will need the pot support to use it. I believe that you need the support for the fry pan also.