Reviews > Cook Gear > Stoves > Jetboil Group Cooking System > Steve Nelson > Field Report

Field Report: Jetboil Group Cooking System
August 8, 2006

Reviewer's Information

Name: Steve Nelson
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Email address: nazdarovye at y..oo dot com
City, State, Country: San Francisco, CA, U.S.A.

Backpacking Background:

I've been backpacking since I was a kid, starting in the Adirondacks of upstate New York and in nearby Quebec. I now live in California, backpacking in all four seasons there, with occasional trips back to the east coast and elsewhere. I like hiking fast, and transitioned to lightweight backpacking over the past few years. I also enjoy skiing, snowshoeing, canoeing, and aviation in addition to backpacking, so my gear gets exposed to a wide variety of uses and conditions. As a design and usability consultant, I love analyzing and improving products; backpacking provides a rich arena for that.

Product information

Overview

The Jetboil Group Cooking System (hereafter referred to as "GCS") is a matched system of stove, supports, pot with "FluxRing™" heat fins, plastic lids, and neoprene pot cozy. This system uses the same burner and FluxRing technology as the original Jetboil (identified as the "Personal Cooking System" on the Jetboil web site), and also is compatible with that system's components. The burner unit has a built-in piezo lighter and a flame that is supposed to be able to be adjusted from simmer to full power. In addition to supporting the custom pot with the FluxRing, the GCS stand also supports use of any not exceeding "23 cm (9 in) diameter" or total weight of "3 kg (6.5 lb)".

I provide more details on the stove, pot and other elements in my initial report, which you may wish to reference. This report focuses on my first two months of use of the GCS in the field.

Field Conditions

I've used the Jetboil GCS so far to prepare six boils for meals; created 1 qt (1 L) of boiling water from snow; and done three test boils at home with three different canisters. Locations have been in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Emigrant Wilderness in the Sierra Nevada. Elevations have ranged from sea level to 9,200 ft (2,800 m), temperatures from 37-80 F (2-27 C), and winds from calm to about 10 mph (16 kph). Weather has been clear and sunny on all trips; while we had a record snowfall this past season, temperatures suddenly shot to record highs, and though I did find snow to melt, my cooking has been in relatively mild conditions, with fairly low winds.

Field Observations

General Usage

I continue to be amazed at how fast the GCS boils water, and how little fuel it uses to do so (with one exception noted below). I've generally boiled 2 c (1/2 L) batches of water (a little more for one meal, quite a bit less for clean-up water), and so far my standard amount comes to a boil in just over 2 minutes every time, even in the field. Fuel burns for these boils have also been quite consistent: .15 oz (4 g) of fuel for a 2 c (1/2 L) boil, measured on a digital scale that has a possible error of +/- .05 oz (1 g). That's pretty impressive performance, especially compared to other canister stoves I've used.

The stove generally fires up on the first or second click of the lighter—though one time, near sea level in the Bay Area, I had to click perhaps a dozen times, then finally bend the piezo wire a bit, before it would start. I'll keep an eye on this in the future; perhaps the wire can get dislodged a bit in transport. That said, lighting and adjusting the stove is easy, and it's quite convenient and fast to fire it up even just to warm water for a beverage, or boil a small amount for cleaning. All of my cooking so far has been at full blast; I've not tried simmering yet, and that's on my list for my long-term testing.

The fold-out pot handles work well and it's reasonably easy to pour water from the pot into a cup or food bag (I would like it even better if it had a lip—but it's really not necessary). The water volume markings on the pot are quite useful—I've referenced them pretty much every time I've fired up the stove.

The pot cozy certainly seems to work well from a boiling efficiency standpoint, but doesn't insulate food quite as well as the full cozies I've made myself for use with my other pots and cups. The flux ring can of course draw heat out as easily as it transfers heat into the pot; I've used the plastic covers to help mitigate that and cover the top of the pot, and in our mild conditions so far, this has been enough to keep my food warmer than it would have been just sitting out. I've also used the plastic covers as plates and insulators with my freezer bag food and plastic mugs.

The stove is easy to assemble and break down; it cools relatively quickly for the latter. It packs up into a neat package, which I discovered to my delight just barely fits through the opening of my BearVault 200 bear canister (alas, it won't fit through the opening of the new BearVault 400 model).

Melting Snow

On our Emigrant Wilderness trip, I took the time to melt and heat enough snow to result in 1 qt (1 L) of boiling water—simulating a camp task I'd do often in winter. Unfortunately, despite the presence of snow, ambient conditions were decidedly un-winterlike: temperatures were somewhere around 65-70 F (18-21 C) during this test. In any case, using consolidated spring snow, it took the Jetboil 12 minutes to produce 1 qt (1 L) of water that was starting to bubble, and about 13 and a half minutes to bring it to a full, rolling boil. It's hard to know exactly how much fuel this took, since I was only able to weigh the canister upon my return and get total burn for all usages on that trip, but given the consistency in burns for boiling my normal amount of water, my rough estimate is that the snow melting took about .85 oz (24 g) of fuel. Given the margin of error in my scale, it's possible the normal water boiling took less, and the snow melting took more. I'm afraid that's as accurate as I can get at this point, since I'm not going to haul a digital scale up to the remaining spots where we have late-summer snow in the Sierra Nevada.

Compatibility and Consistency

I'm pleased to report that the GCS was compatible with every brand and both diameters of canister I've tried with it so far (not just the Lindal valve, which of course is to be expected, but also the fold-out support stand).

I have done three test burns at home with three different canisters of fuel: the standard 100 g (3.53 oz) Jetpower canister I received with the GCS; a 220 g (7.76 oz) Snow Peak canister; and an 8 oz (227 g) MSR canister. All three canisters were fresh when I did these tests, and all three generated comparable results: 2 c (1/2 L) of water came to a rolling boil in just under 2 minutes, using up .15 oz (4 g) of fuel. All tests were done with cool tap water, in a 70° F (21° C) kitchen, on top of a stove with a hood fan running at full speed (creating a small and probably insignificant updraft). Bottom line: each fuel mix may have different properties and be better for certain conditions, but in the mild conditions of the kitchen, all three performed consistently and well.

I consider all of the above good news for my travels, when I may have no choice in which brand or size of canister is available to me.

Durability

The stove's components have held up well so far—the only real wear I note is scratching on the two plastic lids, and a tiny bit of discoloration on the burner and piezo wire. I was a bit concerned about components rattling around when packed as directed; they do, but I've not noted any significant wear or scratching inside the pot (I've also wrapped the stove and parts in a bandanna for some of my packing time).

Issues of Note

I've really only found one thing so far that I don't like about the GCS: the pot stand is fairly loose, and easy to dislodge in the field when I remove the flux-ring pot from the stove (the fins of the flux ring are easy to catch on the wings of the pot stand). In the picture below, I'm lifting the pot stand slightly off from the main stove assembly:

I've had the pot stand fall off completely a couple of times as I added or removed the pot; the first time, not thinking clearly, I reached down to pick it up and drop it in place. Ooops! It was hot enough to burn my fingers, and I won't make that mistake again.

In any case, I would love to see the pot stand positively lock into place—perhaps this can be accommodated in a future design, or perhaps I'll find out I've been doing something wrong and can correct this.

Long-Term Field Information

My outdoor recreation for the remaining two months of this test will take place mainly in California and Oregon, with a few trips to the east coast and elsewhere. The majority of my backpacking trips will take place in the Central and Northern Sierra Nevada (Yosemite, Mt. Shasta, Lassen Peak, Sequoia/Kings Canyon, and several trips in the Tahoe and Donner Pass areas), and will include four days on the John Muir Trail. I'll be canoeing on fresh water lakes and rivers, and we'll occasionally car camp mostly at beach sites along the California and Oregon coasts. The compact and modular nature of the GCS also seems to lend itself to day hiking and travel applications, so I'll also test it for those.

Altitudes will range from sea level through at least 12,000 ft (3,660 m), and temperatures from the 80s F (27+ C) down to as low as the 20s F (approx. -5 C) if I get lucky. Climate conditions will include rainy, windy and sunny Sierra Nevada summer weather; moderate coastal California weather; and possibly warm summer conditions in other locations. Due to our heavy snowfall this past winter, there's still a chance I might find additional snow to melt, and I'll run another test if given the opportunity.

In my long-term testing I'll also try different pots with the stove, and will try actual cooking in the included pot, not just boiling water.

Long-Term Test Plan

I'll bring the Jetboil GCS on all of my backpacking and hiking trips where I'll be cooking for two or more people, as well as on many of my solo-cooking trips. I'll also bring it along for canoeing and kayaking, and will test boiling and cooking with it at home.

I'll be continuing to monitor:

• General usability: how easy is the stove to set up, light, adjust, and cook with in the field; how well do all of its components mesh; how easy is it to change canisters and check fuel levels?
• Cooking performance: how well does the system boil water; fry foods; simmer; sauté; perform other cooking tasks; how fast does it boil water in varying conditions?
• Fuel usage: how much fuel does the stove use in varying conditions (how do altitude, temperature, wind and other environmental factors affect the stove's performance); is the "FluxRing" all it's made out to be, and does the system really boil "twice the water in half the time"?
• Stability: how effective and stable are the plastic legs included in the GCS, especially with a fully-loaded pot of boiling goo; how many types of canisters do they work with?
• Is it possible to cook using other pots; if so, what are the differences from the included pot with cozy and heat exchanger in terms of effectiveness and efficiency?
• Snow melting: how well does the stove serve for melting snow; how long does it take to generate a liter/quart of boiling water from snow in the conditions I encounter?
• Is the stove suited for careful use in a tent vestibule?
• The pot's size and configuration: it's advertised as a cooking system for "groups"; is the pot really big enough for cooking for groups, or just for boiling water for them; how well do the shape and handle and lid of the pot support cooking and related tasks; does the shape of the pot work well, or trap food in sharp corners; is it easy to remove the pot from the stove to facilitate cooking or serving?
• The anodized pot material: how well does it work for cooking and browning; how easy is it to clean; how durable is it?
• The cozy: how effective is the cozy for "boil and soak" cooking; does it retain heat well; does the heat exchanger work in reverse (sucking heat out of the pot) after the stove is turned off? Do the plastic base cover and lid have any insulating ability?

I'll also be continuing to evaluate packability, durability, clogging and maintenance: how easy is the stove to pack up, and does it fit easily into my packs and other components of my "kitchen"? How well do the stove and its accessories hold up; does it need any cleaning or maintenance, and how hard is it to perform that maintenance if it becomes necessary? Is there any added wear and tear from rattling of loose components in the pot?

As always, I'll take pictures to document the product and my use of it in the field. I've also weighed and labeled both fuel canisters, and will weigh them after each trip (and each use at home) to track fuel usage. I am using a permanent marker to write the dates and weights on the bottom of each canister, and will also keep track of cooking types (e.g. boiling water or cooking food, and for how long), stove fuel flow settings, and ambient conditions.

Summary

The Jetboil Group Cooking System is a modular cooking system including pot, stove with pot support, canister tripod stand, pot cozy, lid and base cover. Its standout feature is its efficiency, with—in my direct experience—consistent boil times of 2 minutes for 2 cups (1/2 L) of water and low fuel consumption.

The system is a bit on the heavy side compared to a similar-capacity system based on separate components, but is cleverly designed and appears to be living up to its efficiency and value claims so far.

Things I like:

• Amazing boil times with good efficiency, even in the field and at altitude
• Nice quality
• Collapses down into a neat kit

Things I don't like:

• Somewhat heavy
• Pot Stand a bit loose; challenging to replace when hot
• Piezo lighter and sharp edges of pot ring exposed to jostling in packed state

Thanks to BackpackGearTest and Jetboil for giving me the opportunity to participate in this test.

Reviews > Cook Gear > Stoves > Jetboil Group Cooking System > Steve Nelson > Field Report