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Field Report: Jetboil Group Cooking System
(GCS)
| Personal Biographical Info: |
| Name: |
Stephanie Martin |
| Age: |
31 |
| Gender: |
Female |
| Height: |
5'5" (1.65 meters) |
| Weight: |
145 lbs (65 kg) |
| Email Address: |
syoong "at" alum "dot" mit
"dot" edu |
| Location: |
Phoenix, AZ USA |
| Date: |
July 25, 2006 |
| Background: |
Having always enjoyed spending time outdoors,
I got serious about it in 1996. Since then, I've been actively day hiking
most weekends. In addition to day hikes, my husband and I generally take a
couple of week long trips to the Grand Canyon annually, in addition to short
weekend backpacking trips. Our backpacking philosophy has been rapidly
moving towards ultra-light gear. My target base pack weight is 10 lbs (4.5
kg), and my typical shelter is a single wall tarp/tent. In general, we
average 12 to 15 miles (20 to 24 km) per day. See
http://www.ToddsHikingGuide.com
for trip reports and a better sense of our hiking style. |
| Other Stoves used: |
A stove and fire fanatic, I've a rather large
collection of cooking apparatus. When I first started out, I started
using a liquid fuel stove, then for convenience I upgraded to a multifuel
stove with simmering capability. Eventually I decided that lighter was
better and converted to a tablet fuel stove and even
built a couple of my own alcohol burning stoves. I also own a
commercially made alcohol stove. I have never owned or used a canister
stove. |
| Product Information: |
The Jetboil GCS is a compact integrated cooking system
featuring the Jetboil Burner with piezo igniter, pot support, stabilizer,
1.5 liter anodized aluminum pot and pot cozy. |
| Manufacturer: |
Jetboil, Inc. [http://www.jetboil.com] |
| Year of Manufacture: |
2006 |
| Listed Weight: |
Total System without fuel: 19
ounces (540 grams)
1.5L FluxRing Pot: 12 ounces (369 grams)
Pot Support: 1.2 ounces (35 grams)
Stabilizer: 0.9 ounces (27 grams) |
| Listed Dimensions: |
7.0 x 4.5 inches (175 x 110 mm),
stowed |
| Weight as Delivered: |
Total System without fuel: 19.7
ounces (558 grams)
1.5L FluxRing Pot: 11.6 ounces (328 grams)
Pot Support: 1.2 ounces (34 grams)
Stabilizer: 1.0 ounces (27 grams) |
| Measured Dimensions: |
7.0 x 4.5 inches (175 x 110 mm),
stowed |
| Type of Fuel: |
Jetboil Jetpower (Isobutane/Propane)
Canister*
* Jetboil's Canisters are manufactured using a Lindal threaded valve. |
| MSRP: |
US$109.95 |
| Warranty: |
1 year limited warranty |
Contents
-
Product
Use and Performance
-
Continued Test
Strategy
- Summary
| Field and Test Information: |
| Location(s) of test: |
Various locations in the deserts and mountains
and canyons of Arizona. |
| Terrain: |
The majority of the terrain has been open desert
environments with few shade trees present. High elevations in
Arizona include pine forests and open meadows. Camp sites were
typically sandy or covered in pine duff. |
| Weather Conditions: |
Mostly sunny with a few overcast days. Outside
daytime temperatures during the test period have ranged from nighttime
lows near 70 F (21 C) to daytime highs in the low 100s F (low 40s
C). No precipitation was encountered and little to no wind was
present. |
Details in this Field Report are intended to be taken in addition to findings
as listed in my
Initial Report.
Product Use and Performance
The
Jetboil Group Cooking System (GCS) has accompanied me on several car camping and
backpacking trips ranging from a simple overnight/weekend trip to being out in
the field for a full week in duration. The cooking system was typically
used to cook meals in one pot for two people, with meal preparation ranging from
simply boiling and simmering water to sautéing and (re)heating lo mein noodles.
My days of carrying multiple stoves to suit my cooking style on trips may
well be done with. I pleased to report that the JetBoil GCS may well have
won me over. As I mentioned in my initial report, I've historically shied
away from canister stoves due to the disposable and non-refillable nature of the
canisters. The flexibility
afforded by readily available canisters while abroad or while traveling combined
with the higher efficiency of the Jetboil system had me intrigued enough to give
it a go - and I'm glad I gave it a try. Even after numerous nights (at
least six nights worth) of meals I'm still on my first Jetpower canister.
I quick check with my scale and it indicates I still have about half of the fuel
still remaining - which, to me, was a rather great surprise. I certainly
did not expect to have quite so much fuel remain. Even better, an inquiry
to my local garbage collection services indicated that my city can recycle the
spent canisters!
Not only has the Jetboil proven to be efficient in its fuel consumption, I
have found it easy to setup, use and stow back away. The most difficult
part for me has been ensuring that the pot support legs are fully within the
Fluxring. Every now and again I noticed that I had set the pot down
slightly askew on top of the pot support and would have to recenter it.
Even with the pot full with over a liter (quart) of water, the system seemed
stable and not prone to tipping. Once lit, the Jetboil lives up to its
reputation and certainly heats water (and cooks food) quite rapidly, even on
lower heat output settings.
Cleanup of the Fluxring pot has proven to be an easy affair. The
surface of the pot cleans readily, and I haven't had any issues with foods
sticking or burning onto the pot's surface. I've found in most cases, a
couple of good rinses with a bit of water to suffice.
So far, all components show little to no wear, and everything remains in good
working order. The only item of note is on occasion, if I forget to
slightly offset the lid before I turn the flame off to allow my food to sit in
the pot (in the case of boil and rehydrate type meals), I have noticed that the
lid tends to get "sucked" into the pot, for lack of any better way to explain
the phenomenon. This is explained via the Ideal Gas Law - or more simply,
hot air takes up more space then cool air, so if the lit is seated tightly on
the pot, once the heat source is turned off, the air in the pot cools and
shrinks, creating a bit of a suction effect, sucking the relatively soft plastic
lid inwards.
[back to Table of Contents]
Continued Test Strategy
While I will likely not see "4-season" conditions during the
remainder test period, I will continue to see a wide range in temperatures and elevations as I hike in
both low desert country and the high mountains in the northern portion of
Arizona. I will also be making a trip to the San Juan mountains of
Colorado
during the test period and the Jetboil will accompany me on that trip.
I'll be continuing my evaluation of the Jetboil GCS for multi-person use -
primarily
cooking for just myself and my husband. Items I will be
evaluating include: ease of use and maintenance, durability, cooking techniques
achievable and ability to use other pots or pans with the Jetboil burner (while
staying within the recommendation of maximum diameter of 9 inches (23 cm) and
weight of 6.5 lbs (3 kg)).
[back to Table of Contents]
Summary: Woo Hoo's and Boo Hoo's
I really am glad to have had the opportunity to test the Jetboil GCS. If
not for this opportunity, I would probably still not have made the move to
canister stoves. With that said, here
are my "Woo Hoo's" (likes) and my "Boo Hoo's" (some room
for improvement).
- Woo Hoo: I really like the volumetric markings on the inside of the pot -
because I typically backpack with just a hydration bladder for storing water, I
usually have no way of measuring liquid volumes unless I remember to bring a
separate measuring device
- Woo Hoo: Easy to set up, break down and pack away
- Woo Hoo: Efficient use of fuel
- Woo Hoo: Relatively quiet, when compared to my other stove with adjustable
flame capability
- General Comment: As with all fuel canisters, the only way to determine how
much fuel is remaining is to weigh the canister.
- Boo Hoo: none at this time
[back to Table of Contents]
My thanks to BackpackGearTest.org and Jetboil for this testing opportunity.
Read more reviews of Jetboil gear
Read more gear reviews by Stephanie Martin
|
