Reviews > Cook Gear > Stoves > Jetboil Personal Cooking System 2005 > Jodi Cornelius > Initial Report

My Background: I have been backpacking for 3 years now and before that I car camped quite a bit. I consider myself somewhat new to backpacking and am on my way towards becoming a lightweight packer. I tend to use a Hennessey Hammock since my only tent is a bivy tent. I prefer the hammock to a tent as the hammock leaves me swinging gently in the breeze with no hard spot from rocks on the ground. Nor do I need to dig troughs for my hips and shoulders (side sleeper) so I can practice LNT (Leave No Trace) much better.

Product Information:

Initial Impression: This is just TOO cool. The PCS (Personal Cook System) arrived via UPS 2nd Day Air which impressed me - it's not "normal" for companies to send out test products in any other way than the least expensive. The stove arrived in a box that contained the Jetboil PCS which is the cook "cup", the stove attachment, and a canister of fuel. Included was an instruction sheet. I received a French Press (which will be reported on in a separate report) and a surprise - a Companion Cup - which arrived in a plastic bag and a hang tag attached to the handle of the cup that told me it was a Companion Cup. Included also was a Maintenance Kit in a plastic bag with a hang tag attached to the plastic bag.

Naturally, as soon as I got a chance, I fired the PCS up. The temperature was 30 F/-1 C so it was a little bit cold. I was pleased to note that the piezo igniter only took one push to start the fire. I put 2 cups/.5 liters of very cold water from our creek (temperature unknown - close to freezing though as there was ice formations along the banks) into the cooking cup and settled back with my timer to see how long it would take to boil the water. The timer hit 2 minutes, no boil. It finally started boiling after 3 minutes and 15 seconds. I was impressed! "Impressed?", you may ask. Why should I be impressed when the claim is a 2 minute boil time. Well, it was because when I turned the knob the half turn that the instructions say to do before hitting the piezo igniter, that's where I left it to boil my water! I had my flame on the lowest setting possible! It wasn't until the water first started boiling that I checked the knob and turned it up, hearing the "jet" noise get louder. I also discovered, at that time, just WHY they call it a Jetboil - it sounds like a jet engine while it's running. I like that sound. It was very simple to put together and take back apart. The cover that protects the bottom, exposed part of the cup, was a tad difficult to get off the first time although it has gotten easier with use. I'll be checking to see if it gets too loose and wants to fall off the more I use it. It does say that you can remove a tab that is on it if necessary, but I didn't want to do that just yet.

Test Plan: This test will be conducted during hikes ranging from overnighters to a week-long hike sometime in June, in the Allegheny Mountains of Northwest Pennsylvania. The terrain for these hikes range from easy jaunts to moderately difficult up and downs.

Weather conditions: In winter, the temps range from -10 F (-23 C) to 20 F (-7 C). We get snow just about every day depending on the winter. We usually have at least 3 feet and many times we have much more. Snow ranges from a heavy dense snow to a light powdery snow. Winds will be anywhere from calm to possibly as high as 50 mph/81 kmh. Spring time (which we are coming into now) can range in temperatures from 0 F/-18 C to mid to upper 50s F/13+ C with the weather being snowy, rainy, or sunny. Summer temperatures range from 40 F/4 C to 90 F/32 C. So this test stove will be used in wide range of weather conditions.

Things I like so far: I love the way it all fits inside the Jetboil cup. Although it is heavier than my alcohol stove system, I like how the fuel fits right inside the cup which makes it much easier to pack.

Things I don't like so far: The fuel canister weighs quite a bit more than they specify on their website. While this isn't really a dislike, I feel the weight listed on the website is misleading. Unless they are just weighing the actual fuel inside the canister, in which case, that needs to be specified.

Reviews > Cook Gear > Stoves > Jetboil Personal Cooking System 2005 > Jodi Cornelius > Initial Report