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The Jetboil Personal
Cooking System (PCS) is a backcountry cooking system designed to integrate
the main cooking components into a sturdy, efficient, and lightweight
package. The basic components of the system are as follows: a
gas canister, the stove, a hybrid cup/cook pot with integrated heat
exchanger, a lid, and a neoprene cozy. The system nests for packing
(with the canister and stove packed inside the cup), and stands sturdily
as seemingly one piece when assembled.
For details about the
components and assembly of the Jetboil PCS, please see my Initial
Report. For details of my first two months of experience with
the Jetboil PCS, see my Field
Report.
Since the Field
Report, the JetBoil has been used on three backpacking trips,
consisting of five nights/mornings of use. All three trips were in
the Sierra Nevada, two in Yosemite and one in Emigrant Wilderness.
Summer conditions in the mountains on my trips have been perfect - warm
and sunny during the day and cool and clear at night. During this
long term test period I haven't had to use the JetBoil in any unusual or
difficult weather conditions.
Cooking with the
Jetboil
For the most part I've
used the Jetboil for what it does best - boiling water. With a
history of alcohol stove use, I tend to prefer the less gourmet but
easy 'freezer bag cooking' style, where I simply add hot water to a
home-prepared bag or commercial freeze dried meal. This has made the
Jetboil a perfect companion for me.
In camp I typically use
the Jetboil twice in the evening - once for boiling my water for dinner,
and once again before bed for making a hot drink. The Jetboil boils
water so fast that I have to make sure everything is ready before I start
it. Before the Jetboil, I'd set the water up to boil and then dig
out my food and necessary accessories. With the Jetboil, I have to
have everthing ready to go since the water will be boiling faster than the
time it takes me to prepare everything else.
In the morning the
Jetboil is great! I barely have to be awake to operate the thing,
which is good since I have to turn it on before I have my coffee. On
a cool morning it is nice to have a hot coffee and oatmeal in hand in a
matter of minutes, with no fuss or worrisome preparation.
The minor issues I had in
the Field Report with the cook pot removal from the stove base have
improved. With time the cook pot has become easier to remove and I
have become comfortable with the feel of it. I have a similar
situation with the pouring ability of the Jetboil with a lid. I am
comfortable holding and balancing it and haven't spilled or burned
myself.
Cleaning the
Jetboil
The Jetboil PCS is easy
to wipe clean if used for cooking. I've made coffee, hot chocolate,
ramen noodle mixes, and pasta inside the Jetboil and have had no problems wiping it
clean with a simple paper towel. I've also used the heat exchanger
cover as a regular hot chocolate mug. The hot chocolate mix tends to get a bit
caught up in the grooves that mark volumes, but as long as I don't let it
sit and dry out it is easy to
clean out.
I have one problem with a
permanent rust stain at the bottom of the cook pot. At the last
morning in camp while in Lyell Canyon, I made some coffee and when finished, hastily dried
out the cook pot, leaving it still pretty damp inside. I then packed
the stove away with a fuel
cannister sitting in the bottom. Two days later, at home, I opened
it up to wash it out. I found that the moisture left in the
Jetboil cook pot had caused the
fuel cannister to rust. Since it was stored in the bottom of the pot
the rust transferred to the bottom of the cook pot. I scrubbed it, but couldn't get everything
out. Consequently, there is a faint ring of rust stain left in the
bottom of the
pot.
I've learned my lesson though, and
don't store fuel cannisters in it when left wet!
Revisiting
questions from earlier reports
In my initial report I
had a few random questions in my test plan. These were answered in
my Field Report and I will answer them again now:
- Can the heat exchanger
cover double as a small cup?
Yes, in
fact it is marked as a measuring cup! I've used it as a hot
chocolate mug in the evening and oatmeal bowl in the morning. I just
have to wash it quickly so the food doesn't dry in the measurement
grooves.
- Will the heat effect
the neoprene of the cozy negatively?
The
neoprene is holding up well - no signs of wear or melting at
all.
- Is the piezo igniter
reliable?
I had it fail on one occasion
when making tea on my front porch, but it has always performed well while
camping. I always carry a backup lighter/matches, of course. If it doesn't want to
spark it means the igniter has bent a bit from packaging. This is
easy to remedy by bending it back.
- If I need to use the
maintenance kit, how easy is it to replace the different
components?
After six months, I haven't
had any failure of the Jetboil, making the maintenance kit completely
unneeded (luckily!)
In
summary
Pros
- It boils
water in lightning speed!
- It is very easy to use - even I can
use it before I've had my morning coffee.
- Easy to
clean
- Easy to pack and store inside my
backpack
Cons:
- Has minor stains and coloring on
inside of cook cup.
- Still a bit difficult to remove the heat
exchanger cover.
I have enjoyed this test
as it has been my first experience with the simplicity of a
cannister-style stove. Thanks to BGT and JetBoil!
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