Initial Report: Jetboil Stove (Personal Cooking System)

04/07/2004

 

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Personal Data

Paul Schilke, 31, Male, 165 lbs (75 kg)
Berrien Springs, Michigan USA
Paul AT qtm DOT net (primary)

 

Product Information:

 

Manufacturer: Jetboil
Model: Personal Cooking System
Year of Manufacture: 2004
URL: http://www.jetboil.com
MSRP: $80

 

Weight Listed:       14 ounces (397 grams)
Verified:    12.9 ounces  (366 grams)
Fuel Canister, Full: 5.8 ounces (164 grams)

 

Cooking Cup Capacity:
Listed:        1 quart  (1 liter)
Measured:  34 fl ounces (1 liter)

 

Dimensions of Pot with Sipper Lid and bottom cover in place:
Height: 7 inches (17.8 centimeters)
Width:  4.5 inches (11.4 centimeters)

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Sipper Lid
Cooking Cup with Cozy and Exhaust Vents / Heat Exchangers
Bottom Plastic Cover (doubles as measuring cup)
Burner Base with igniter button, control valve and wind screen

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Initial Impressions

 

The Jetboil PCS is professionally packaged.  The included instructions are easily understood and include pictures, diagrams, several warnings and basic troubleshooting information.  The instructions do not refer to how long it should take to boil water.  The troubleshooting section does refer to a time when the temperature might be too cold for the stove to operate; they suggest warming the canister with the hands in this case.

 

For this initial report, I tested the Jetboil stove lightly.  In the course of that initial test, tiny bubbles appeared in the water at 90 seconds and a full rolling boil occurred after 3.5 minutes.  The outdoor temperature was near 50° F (10° C) and the wind was mild.  The problem encountered during the initial test was induced by moisture left in the Cooking Cup.  I put the fuel canister in the bottom as directed without fully drying the stove and the steel at the canister's bottom rusted.  Now there is a ring of rust in the bottom of my Cooking Cup; a problem which should clean up with a bit of steel wool.

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How it works

 

The Jetboil Personal Cooking System takes the all-in-one package approach to cooking on the trail.  Not counting the fuel canister, the Jetboil PCS consists of 4 pieces: (1.) the Burner Base, which includes the igniter, control valve and wind screen; (2.) 1 quart (1 liter) Cooking Cup which includes an attached heat exchanger and vent area, and a removable neoprene cozy with attached ballistic nylon handle; (3.) a plastic lid which doubles as a Sipper Lid; and (4.) a plastic cover which serves as a measuring cup, as a cover over the sipper hole during cooking and as bottom cover during storage and steeping.  All pieces, including the recommended fuel canister, fit inside the Cooking Cup or snap onto the exterior for storage. The Cooking Cup is where the Jetboil PCS differentiates itself from other canister stoves.

 

The Cooking Cup serves as pot and cup.  The Sipper Lid is made of a heat resistant plastic; during initial testing, after 3.5 minutes, the lid stayed quite cool.  The lid has 2 holes in it, one for sipping drinks, the other serves as a breather hole.  There is no closure door on the Sipper Lid, during boiling I laid the bottom cover over the door.  The cup slides into the burner and rotates to lock on, the latter a nice feature I've never seen on any other cooking system.  The point of attachment is 1.75 inches (4.5 centimeters) below the bottom of the cup's interior.  The extra space provides venting and room for the heat exchangers.  Supposedly, the heat exchangers serve to multiply the burner's efficiency by increasing the surface area exposed to the burner's flame (the fact that Cooking Cup attaches to the Burner Base also acts as a multiplier.)

 

The Cooking Cup has 2 other innovative and potentially useful features.  A neoprene sleeve measuring .04 inch (1 millimeter) encircles the Cooking Cup, Jetboil calls this sleeve a "cozy".  In the hiking world a cozy typically describes an insulating sleeve into which a hot pot is placed after bringing the water and food to a boil.  The idea is that the food will continue to cook and less fuel is used per meal.  The idea works for some and for others it doesn't.  The course of this test will test the cozy idea of steeping food in hot water after the burned is turned off.  The one problem with using the Cooking Cup and Cozy to steep food is the exposed heat exchanger on the bottom and Sipper Lid hole at the top.  The solution to the latter could be to simply cover the Sipper Lid holes with a sock, wash cloth or other sundry item. The solution to the former could lie in the bottom Plastic Cover; replace it after removing the cup from the stove and the heat exchanger fins are covered.

 

At first glance, the Plastic Cover appears to be made of material similar to the Sipper Lid.  However a simple scratch test shows it to be more brittle than the Sipper Lid.  Perhaps it is not as heat resistant or durable.  The Plastic Cover is also a measuring cup, clearly demarcated as 1/4 cup ( .06 liter), 1/2 cup ( .13 liter) , 3/4 cup ( .18 liter) and 1 cup ( .24 liter)  It does not provide metric conversions.  The plastic is hard for me to remove with one hand, requiring that I grip the Cooking Cup between my legs as I work the cover off.  I think that if the bottom plastic cover were made of the same plastic as the Sipper Lid, it would flex and come off more easily.

 

A hand strap made of ballistic nylon is sewn into the cozy.  So far the handle is a very effective and lightweight alternative to the handles used by other pots.  I can hold the pot by the handle or the cozy with great comfort.  I wonder if this remain true after simmering food for 15 minutes.

 

Although the Cooking Cup can hold 34 fluid ounces (1 liter), it is full to the brim at that point.  Inside the pot is scribed a max fill line at the 2 cup ( .58 liter) point.  Now does that indicate the fluid max fill line or the solid max fill line.  I document the difference in a future report. The Burner Base houses the cooking control valve.  I believe that the control valve provides a true simmer, a luxury I've not experienced with the white gas or alcohol stoves I've owned in the past. 

 

The Burner Base also provides a piezo electric igniter allowing me to leave my lighter stored in a plastic bag for emergency uses only.  After turning the control valve on, a push of the igniter button throws a spark to the right location for prompt  flame creation.

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This a great product which should prove durable and useful.  I'm not keen on the idea of storing the stove as directed after use, mainly because I don't do dishes on the trail.  Usually I hike.  I'll guess I'll have to wash up when using this stove if I want to store it as the manufacturer intended.  I also think the plastic cover could be made of more flexible plastic similar to the Sipper Lid.

 

 

Cozy
Measuring cup
Igniter
Ease of use

 

Things I don't like initially

 

mild rust stain because of user error
inflexibility of bottom plastic lid

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Test Plan

 

I will be testing the stove on 2 separate week long hikes and at least 1 weekend hike.  I predict the temperature for my test series will range from near freezing to 90° F (32° C)

 

On the hikes I will definitely be cooking whole oats, corn grits, pasta, cheese filled pasta, powdered eggs, Jell-O, coffee, tea and hot chocolate.  At times I may cook French lentils, TVP, and brown rice; or I might steam some fresh vegetables.  I will also try the stove with a dehydrated meal or two.  I will try cooking hot lunches of Raman Noodles and instant soup.  I might even try heating up a can of Spaghetti O's during a weekend hike.  I will test the steeping capabilities of the stove.  I will try to see how many meals I can get of the included canisters of fuel in addition to canisters from other manufacturers.  I'm especially keen to test the canister which provides more than twice the fuel for only a dollar more.

 

Furthermore, answers to the questions posed in my test application will be provided with even greater detail than is provided in this initial report.

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Backpacking Background

 

I grew up on a farm and have enjoyed the outdoors for 25 years. In the past 11 years, I've been on several multi-night backpack expeditions. In 2002, I spent 7.5 months hiking roughly 2 thousand miles of the Appalachian Trail (AT). In 2003 I hiked 350 miles on the North Country Trail (NCT) through Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Other outdoor activities within the last 20 years have included rock-climbing, mountain biking, cross-country skiing, ice fishing and cycling. Although I have a paralyzed hand which limits my ability to paddle, I've ridden inside a canoe on the Green River through Canyon Lands National Park in Utah.

 

My hiking style is lightweight but I carry the gear needed to be comfortable. Currently my base pack weight ranges near 20 lb. (9 kg). On the AT, I carried only a sylnylon poncho tarp that measured 3 x 8 feet (0.91 x 2.44 m). On the North Country Trail I used an 8 x 10 foot (2.44 x 3.05 m) sylnylon tarp, with 1 hiking staff, an alcohol stove and a titanium pot. My synthetic sleeping bag continues to be the heaviest item in my pack. One day I will purchase a down sleeping bag.