Jetboil Stoves

It’s been a few weeks now since my Kissimmee River backpacking trip. As happens in my busy life, I dumped the contents of my pack on the living room couch, dealt with the ones I need to throw away or clean, and ignored the rest. Now that I’m planning the next trek, I saw my new Jetboil stove sitting there, a reminder that I haven’t clued you in on it yet. I’d hoped Santa would bring me one, but since he didn’t, I went out and picked one up myself.

Now, I’ve never been fond of cooking in the woods. Or contents under pressure. My first backpacking stove, some 12 years ago, was a Whisperlite, and the danged thing leaked and flashed back on me after just a few trips, almost igniting me and my gear. I’ve gone through a parade of stoves since then. A friend gave me a Zip Stove (add twigs and start a tiny fire!), but it’s heavy. My brother made me a soda can alcohol stove, which was nice and light, but I didn’t like how it flared up when lit. I won an Esbit stove, and I liked the light weight but hated the probably poisonous stink of the fuel tabs. I settled into using a Primus stove, a medium weight option that my pot could sit on just fine.

And then I saw the Jetboil last year at Brasington’s. I almost jumped on it right away, but knew I had no trips planned in the immediate future. The “Personal Cooking System” model was compact and didn’t need a windscreen (a real plus in Florida). It’s essentially a giant mug instead of a pot, wrapped in a cozy, and the fuel can fits inside it for storage. No matches or lighter are needed. Just inspect, assemble, and click! you’re cooking with gas.

I didn’t time how quick it came to a boil. However, I turned my back for a moment and it boiled over. Oops! Shut that off with some difficulty. I watched it the next time, and it indeed took two minutes or less. Hot food quick is wonderful on a cold evening. I’m thrilled. Here’s the specs on it if you’re curious about it yourself, at the Jetboil website.

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Sandra Friend

Author of 45 books, Sandra Friend established FloridaHikes.com in 2006 to expand on the field research she'd completed for her first six hiking guides. She has been honored with lifetime achievement awards from the Florida Trail Association and the Florida Outdoor Writers Association.