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Jetboil Group Cooking System (GCS)
Long Term Report October 3, 2006
Tester Information:
Name: Jason Boyle
Age: 29
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 6"/ 1.68 m
Weight: 170 lb/ 77 kg
Email address: c4jc "at" hotmail "dot" com
City, State, Country: Snoqualmie, Washington, U. S.
Backpacking Background:
I have been camping and backpacking for about 18 years. My introduction to the outdoors started with the Boy Scouts of America and has continued as an adult. I have hiked mostly in the Southeastern and Northeastern United States. I am generally a lightweight hiker, but will carry extras to keep me comfortable. I have recently relocated to the Pacific Northwest and spend most of my time hiking and backpacking in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, but I can be found exploring the other wild areas of Washington!
Product Information:
Manufacturer: Jetboil
Model: Group Cooking System (GCS)
Components: Stove/Burner, 1.5 L pot, Pot Supports, Base Stabilizers, Neoprene Pot Cozy
Year of Manufacture: 2006
URL: www.jetboil.com
| Listed weight: |
Total 19 oz (540 g) |
| Pot Support: |
1.2 oz (35 g) |
| Stabilizer (canister feet): |
.9 oz (27 g) |
| 1.5 L cooking pot: |
7.5 oz min/12 oz max (213 g to 369 g) includes lid, cozy, handles, cover |
| Measured weight: |
Total: 19.7 oz (558 g) not including fuel |
| Pot Support: |
1.2 oz (34 g) |
| Stabilizer (canister feet): |
.95 oz (27 g) |
| Lid: |
1.8 oz (51 g) |
| Cover (bottom): |
1.6 oz (45 g) |
| 1.5 L pot: |
8.2 oz (232 g) includes pot, cozy, and handles |
| Jetboil Burner: |
5.95 oz (169 oz) |
| New Jetpower Canister: |
6.75 oz (191 g) |
**Disclaimer: my scale is accurate to +/- .05 oz (1 g)**
| Listed Dimensions: |
7 x 4.5 (17.5 cm x 11 cm) |
| Measured Dimensions: |
6.5 x 3.25 (16.5 cm x 8 cm) interior pot dimensions |
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7 x 4.5 (17.5 cm x 11 cm) entire kit including lids |
MSRP: $109.95 US
Country of Manufacture: Made in the USA
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Product Description:
From the Jetboil Website:
Simmer, fry, or sautι for groups with this flexible 1.5 liter system. Ideal for gourmet cooking, scouts, family camping, snow melting.
The Jetboil CGS is marketed as a fuel efficient stove for group use. For more information and detailed product description please see my initial and field reports.
Summary:
The Jetboil GCS has performed well over the past four months. All of the components have withstood multiple days of backpacking without any damage or loss in performance. However, after leading several group trips of 4 plus days with 8 plus people, I am not sure that there was any significant weight benefit to carrying multiple canisters versus another type of stove.
Field Conditions:
I have used the stove for an additional 9 days over the last two months. The first trip was a five day backpacking trip in Yosemite National Park, where camping elevation maxed out at 9700 (2957 m), temperatures ranged in between the 85 F and 38 F (29 C to 3 C) and precipitation and humidity were non existent. My second trip was a 4 day backpacking trip in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness in the Mt. Baker Snoqualmie National Forest. Camp elevation ranged around 3500 (1067 m), temperatures ranged between 80 F and 45 F (27 C to 7 C), and precipitation was again non existent. On both of these trips I was guiding a group of at least 8 people.
Long Term Test Results:
The durability of the stove has been very good. All of the components are still working properly and have required no maintenance. Other than some scratches on the inside of the pot due to the loose components shifting around while inside of my pack everything looks new. The burned did received 5 less days of use because I did not take it with me to Yosemite. I flew to the park and did not want to chance having security take my stove so I brought all of my components and borrowed a burner from the group that I was guiding for.
I mentioned in my field report that the lid had been deformed by my friend. My first use after his accident I placed the deformed lid on upside down like I normally do. The heat and steam from boiling water made the plastic lid pliable again and it reformed to its original shape. Very Cool! I also mentioned that I had trouble keeping the lid on when the stove is not in use. One of my friends mentioned to burp it like I would a Tupperware Lid. I followed this suggestion and it solved my problem.
I really like the Jetboil GCS but I think it loses some of its usefulness when used as a part of a large group. On both of my trips since my field report there were 9 people and 8 people respectively. We brought the GCS and an additional stove on the first trip and had 2 additional stoves on the second trip. Using the 1.5 L pot, I could generally make water for either coffee or oatmeal for about 4 people depending on how much water was taken by each individual. Same for dinner with the 1.5 L pot full I could make about 3-5 dehydrated meals depending on what each individual meal required. So based on these experiences plus my earlier testing I think a single GCS would work for no more than 4 people. Any group that is larger than 4 people I would recommend at least one additional stove.
Additionally once the group started getting larger, more fuel is required and used up more quickly. For my Yosemite trip, I brought 3 canisters and for my Alpine Lakes trip I brought 2 canisters and on each trip went through all of the fuel I brought with me. Another issue with canister stoves in general is loss of performance as the canister is used. This was noticeable during the trip as it took longer and longer to boil a full pot of water. I feel that the longer the trip and the larger the group that there are other fuel alternatives that present a better option.
For most of the meals on the last two trips, I only boiled water, but on the last night in Yosemite I made one of my favorite meals Quesadillas! I did not use the 1.5 L pot because the tortillas would not fit into the pot! I used a small fry pan brought along to make the quesadillas and the Jetboil set up. This worked out very well. Once I brought the frying pan up to a good temperature I was able to turn it down very low and maintain a good quesadilla temperature in the pan. The center of the pan was hotter than the rest of the bottom, but that is to be expected since that is where all the flame is concentrated. For almost an hour I was able with careful shifting in the pan and my keen cooking skills, I was able to serve up some awesome quesadillas for 9 people.
In conclusion, I like the Jetboil GCS and will continue to use it as my three season stove when I am in a group setting with 4 or less people.
Improvements:
I would like a shallower pot with more surface area/larger diameter. This would make it easier for me to make pancakes and other breads.
Test Plan:
I evaluated the Jetboil GCS on the following characteristics in over the test period. My answers are in blue.
Durable:
- How durable are the metal components of the stove; to include the pot, pot handles, pot supports, canister feet, heat exchanger ring, and the metal railing on the burner itself? Everything held up well over the entire test period. Other than a few superficial scratches everything looks new.
- How durable is the neoprene cozy? It has held up to everything. I left it on during all washings and it shows no signs of wear.
- Is it easily torn while being stuffed into my pack or setting on the ground around camp? No.
- Will anything be damaged by the loose fit of the components inside of the 1.5L pot? Nothing was damaged by the loose fit, but the inner surface of the pot was scratched.
Usefulness:
- The Jetboil GCS claims to be an integrated system; is it all that I will need to bring on group led trips or will I need to carry additional pots/pans to meet my group cooking needs? If meals are kept to one pot, or boiling water and four or less people then it is sufficient.
- Will I be so blown away by its usefulness that I am I willing to take the extra weight of the 1.5L pot on solo trips? I would rather have the single cup if solo, which is not a big surprise.
- I am not a gourmet cook by any means but I do like to do more than boil water. One of the things I like to do while camping is to make pancakes. I use all types of mixes when doing this, muffin mixes, cornbread, and biscuits. All of these require flipping and an even temperature. Will the Jetboil GCS allow me to easily flip pancakes and will it provide me a nice even temperature throughout the bottom of the pot? Bread mixes where not that useful with the included pot. If I used a bigger frying pan I was able to achieve better results, not great but better.
- Many of the bean dishes that I make like Zatarans Black Beans and Rice call for simmering. Can the stove create a nice simmer without burning my beans and rice to the bottom of the pot? Yes.
- Another camp favorite is Quesadillas, which require even heat or else they burn. The reason I keep bringing up even heat is because of the concentrated burner, I wonder if the flux ring will actually distribute the heat for a consistent temperature on the pot bottom. I was able to make pretty good quesadillas with the stove. I did not use the 1.5 L pot, but instead used a frying pan which made the difference.
- How quickly does the stove boil water for those times when I need water for coffee, tea or dehydrated meals? I did a stopwatch test in my garage with the following conditions: air temperature 56 F (13 C), 1 liter of tap water, lid on, partially used canister of Jetpower fuel and it took 8 minutes and 21 seconds to bring the water to a rolling boil
- One of my favorite things to do especially on day hikes is to carry my stove and make some tea at my destination. Is this set up light enough and convenient enough for me to carry on day hikes to make tea? Not when a smaller pot is available.
- Is it really more fuel efficient than other stoves? I was disappointed with the overall use of the smaller canisters. I went through them much quicker on my trips than I anticipated. With larger groups, I was constantly boiling water.
- How useful are the fold out pot holders? From the pictures on the website they look flimsy especially if the pot is full of water. They are very sturdy.
- How well does the piezo electric lighter work? It usually lights the stove on the first or second push.
- Is it affected by altitude? I used it at 9700 (1067 m) without any problems.
- Will the system work with other canisters? Yes, any canister that has a Lindahl valve will work with the burner.
- Is there a noticeable difference if another canister fuel is used? I used it with an MSR canister and it barely made it through my four day trip. I did not weigh it or provide any scientific measure but it did not seem to provide the same output as a Jetpower canister.
Thanks to Jetboil and BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to participate in this test.
Read more reviews of Jetboil gear
Read more gear reviews by Jason Boyle
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