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Long Term 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: |
October 3, 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
- Summary
| Field and Test Information: |
| Location(s) of test: |
Various locations in the deserts and mountains
and canyons of Arizona in addition to the high mountains of the San Juans in
Colorado. |
| Terrain: |
The majority of the terrain has been open desert
environments with few shade trees present. High elevations in
Arizona and Colorado include pine forests and open meadows. Campsites 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 freezing to daytime highs in the low 100s F (low 40s C).
Monsoon weather was experienced daily while in the mountains. |
Details in this Long Term Report are intended to be taken in addition to findings
as listed in my
Initial Report
and
Field Report.
Product Use and Performance
During the remainder of the long-term testing period, the Jetboil Group Cooking System (GCS) has accompanied me on several additional 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 or pan for two people, with meal preparation
ranging from simply boiling and simmering water to sautéing salmon filets.
The GCS has continued to serve me well during the course of testing - it
performed as well during my long term testing period as it did during the field
test period. In addition to cooking and reheating food, I took the
opportunity to test the GCS with some of my other pans (such as a small frying
pan) that I have available for use on my base-camp centered trips. I'm pleased
to report that the Jetboil stove worked quite well with all of these other pans,
though the stove seemed a little "tippy" when I tried sautéing in my 8-inch
(20-centimeter) frying pan - I suspect this is due to the fact that the pan in
question is has a fairly heavy non-detachable handle which pulled its center of
balance off to the side. As long as I was careful while cooking, I didn't
have any issues with the Jetboil tipping.
The Jetboil GCS has performed well in various aspects of cooking - it seems
to be fuel efficient, and quiet during use, while also lending itself to
different styles of cooking. Stowing the GCS has been easy, though I have
noticed that the plastic lid is sometimes difficult to get seated correctly on
the pot, and sometimes pops off while in storage.
During the final stage of testing, my piezo igniter failed, requiring me to
light my stove using my backup lighter. While this was accomplished
easily, it was a little bit frustrating trying to figure out why the igniter
all of a sudden stopped sparking. In order to resolve this issue, I
contacted Jetboil customer service. I'm pleased to report that the
customer service was prompt and courteous. I received a new igniter and
instructions for replacement. The repair was easy to accomplish, though I
found it difficult to detach the burner head - it seemed to be screwed on very
tightly.
[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
- Woo Hoo: Ability to use other pans opens up additional styles of cooking that
aren't suitable to the GCS 1.5 Liter pot
- Woo Hoo: Quick and courteous customer support
- General Comment: As with all fuel canisters, the only way to determine how
much fuel is remaining is to weigh the canister.
- General Comment: My stove's burner head was very tightly affixed, causing some
level of frustration during my repair/replacement of my peizo igniter
- Boo Hoo: Failure of the piezo igniter was disappointing
[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
|
