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Vargo Jet-Ti Titanium Stove
Long Term Report
January 10, 2006
Tester Bio
Name: Anthony (TJ) Smith
Age: 31 years old
Gender: Male
Height: 5’10” (1.78 m)
Weight: 155 lbs (73 kg)
Email address: tjsmith1946@gmail.com
City, State, Country: Pensacola, Florida USA
Backpacking Background:
I have been camping for a little over 5 years now, mostly car camping. I have
recently begun backpacking, and I am constantly adding new gear to my “collection”
in an effort to get my gear list tailored more towards backpacking. Most of
my backpacking trips are short duration, not more than one or two nights. I
am planning some longer trips in the near future.
My current pack weight is around 15-20 lb (7-9 kg) without food and water, depending
on if I'm solo camping or taking my son along, as I have to carry some of his
gear. I am a dedicated hammock camper and have tailored my personal gear to
that aspect of camping.
Product Information
Year of Manufacture – 2005
Manufacturer URL – www.vargooutdoors.com
MSRP - $64.95 USD
Stated Weight – 2.7 oz (76 g)
Stated Size - 2.75 in (7 cm) high, 3.5 in (8.9 cm) top diameter
Weight as Delivered – Stove 2.9 oz (82 g) Pouch 0.75 oz (22 g) Total Pack
Weight 3.65 oz (104 g)
Size as Delivered – Stove 3 in (7.6 cm) high, 4 in (10.2 cm) top diameter,
Pouch 3.75x3x1.5 inches (9.5x7.6x3.8 cm)
Initial Information/Observations
Please see my Initial
Report and Field
Report for more information.
Testing and Impressions
Date: August 24, 2005
Location: Jackson Red Ground Trail, Baker, Florida
Weather Conditions: Temperature range 85 F (29 C) to 94 F (34 C). Sunny throughout
the day, with no precipitation. I did not experience any wind stronger than
a very slight breeze during this trip. The humidity level was above 80% the
entire trip.
The Jet-Ti was utilized on this day trip to boil water for lunch. The stove
was able to bring 1 C (0.24 L) water to a full boil in less than 3 minutes,
using an MSR
Titan Titanium Kettle. The stove was very stable using an 8 oz (227 g) fuel
canister sitting on sandy ground. By the time I was finished eating (approximately
15 minutes), the stove had fully cooled and could be handled without a problem.
Date: September 4-5, 2005
Location: Jackson Red Ground Trail, Baker, Florida
Weather: Temperature 92 F (33 C) to 71 F (22 C), sunny, humidity 70%, wind was
less than 1 MPH (1.6 KPH) during the trip.
During this trip, the Jet-Ti was the primary means of cooking for 3 adults and
1 child. The stove was used for three meals, cooked at staggered times for each
individual. Two different pots were used with the stove, an MSR Titan Titanium
Kettle and a Walmart Grease Pot. The stove was used a total of six times for
the three meals, and used less than half an 8 oz (227 g) can of fuel (estimated.)
Five of the six meals were simply boiling water, but one was simmering of the
main course. The stove was very easy to adjust to a level that allowed for simmering,
and on the lower setting heated the pot evenly enough to not cause scorching
of the food.
Date: September 17, 2005
Location: Jackson Red Ground Trail, Baker, Florida
Weather: Temperature 82 F (28 C) to 94 F (34 C), sunny, humidity 30%, wind was
from calm to about 5 MPH (8 KPH) during the trip.
This trip was a day hike with a stop for lunch. The Jet-Ti was used to both
boil water and simmer diced chicken in my Titan Kettle. The stove continued
to function well for boiling the water. However, on this use, I did experience
some scorching in my pot while simmering the chicken. This may have been avoided
with a bit more care on my part in keeping the chicken stirred constantly. However,
in my previous use this was not necessary to cook without scorching. The stove
continues to light easily and function as well as when I first received it.
I will definitely look for a smaller fuel can, as the 8 oz (227 g) can is a
bit large for day hikes.
Date: October 1-2, 2005
Location: Jackson Red Ground Trail and Wiregrass Trail, Blackwater State Forest,
Florida
Weather: Temperature ranged from a high of 89 F (31 C) to a low of 70 F (21
C), humidity ranged from 55% to 95%. Skies ranged from full sun to overcast.
Winds ranged from calm to 10 MPH (16 KPH).
The Jet-Ti saw use on this trip for preparing two meals, dinner and breakfast.
Meals were prepared with my Titan Kettle and with a Evernew Ultra-Light Titanium
pot. For the dinner, the Jet-Ti was used on low heat to cook some packaged chicken
for chicken tacos. This was accomplished quite well with no burning or scorching
of the food. The stove was also used to boil water for a couscous dish, and
continued to boil at an impressive rate of speed. Breakfast was another simple
meal requiring only boiled water. The stove continues to run off my initial
purchases of fuel canisters, and I am rather impressed how long the two canisters
I have are lasting for the test. I will definitely have to look for smaller
canisters to help reduce my pack weight some. A lightweight stove, with heavy
fuel canisters just doesn't add up for me. I also continue to be impressed with
how quickly the stove cools off after use, and is cold to the touch before I
am finished with my meal regardless of how simple a meal I prepare.
Date: October 14-16, 2005
Location: Munson, Florida
Weather: Temperature ranged from a high of 85 F (29 C) to a low of 59 F (15
C), humidity ranged from 55% to 95%. Skies remained clear and winds remained
calm throughout the weekend.
This trip was for the regional conference for the Florida Trail Association.
The main conference was held at an organized campground, and I stayed in a primitive
camping area.
During this trip, the Jet-Ti was used for both simmering and boiling with my
Titan Kettle and with a Evernew Ultra-Light Titanium pot. Breakfast both days
was instant oatmeal, which required simply adding boiling water to the packaged
food product. Not too complicated, and the Jet-Ti continued to boil water easily
and rapidly. Dinner the two nights out was a bit more involved, with simmering
of a rice dish the first night and a noodle dish the second night required.
As I gain more use with the Jet-Ti, I am able to almost base flame adjustments
on the sound the stove makes while cooking as I am with looking at the flame
itself.
I did notice on this trip that as the fuel bottle approaches empty, the stove
does require the adjustment knob to be turned to a higher level for what appears
to be the same flame output as a new bottle provides. I don't have the equipment
to scientifically test this observation, but for me this was an expected result.
At lower fuel levels, I expected the bottle to have less pressure, and thus
would require the knob to be turned further to allow the same amount of fuel to
flow since the bottle doesn't have the same pressure to force the fuel through
the orifice.
Date: November 9-11, 2005
Location: Wiregrass Trail and Karick Lake Campground, Baker, Florida
Weather: Clear skies; daytime highs of 87 F (30 C), 72 F (22 C) and 58 F (14
C) with overnight lows of 52 F (11 C) and 32 F (0 C). We did not encounter any
precipitation on this trip, and humidity levels stayed below 75%.
On this trip, the Jet-Ti was used to both boil and simmer. Again, I experienced no issues using the stove for either function. The stove was used with my Titanium Kettle, the Evernew pot, and a Walmart grease pot on this trip. I did not experience any scorching or burning of food either while boiling (as long as I kept a constant watch on the food) or while simmering.
Date: December 3-4, 2005
Location: Karick Lake Campground, Baker, Florida
Weather: Overcast skies with some precipitation, temperatures ranged from 76
F (24 C) to 55 F (13 C). We experienced about 20 minutes of heavy rainfall,
and about 2 hours of condensation dripping from the trees after that.
On this trip, the Jet-Ti was used exclusively for boiling water. It continues
to function well for me in this capacity, having a pot of water brought to a
full boil by the time I am done prepping whatever meal I happen to be having
at that time. On this trip, I did experience a slight bit of wind, no more than
15 MPH (24 KPH). This was not significant enough to blow out the flame on the
stove, but it did cause me to have to reposition the handle on my Kettle so
it did not get so hot I couldn't hold it.
My Overall Opinion
At the beginning of this test, I was a dedicated homemade alcohol stove user.
The Jet-Ti has changed my mind. This is a lightweight stove, and in my opinion
the added cooking flexibility is well worth the additional weight in fuel. The
Jet-Ti is very intuitive to use, with few parts for me to worry about failing.
The Jet-Ti is flexible enough to rapidly boil water and with a small adjustment
to the fuel flow will simmer a meal as well. The stove fits inside my snow peak
cup, and the fuel cylinder fits inside the MSR Titanium Kettle I carry for my
cook kit, so it doesn't take up additional room in my pack. I have found the
stove to be stable on a variety of surfaces, whether it be a solid table or
sandy ground. I have not in my use found the Jet-Ti to be adversely affected
by wind or weather, which is a strong point given the weather conditions I encounter
in the areas I hike.
I have used the Jet-Ti with both MSR and Coleman Iso-Butane fuel and have not
had any noticeable difference in performance with the two fuels. I did not have
access to other fuels to test them for additional comparisons.
Pros
1. Range of cooking options
2. Small size and light weight
3. Stability
Cons
1. Weight of fuel cylinders
2. Fragile appearance (more a perception issue)
My thanks to Vargo and BackpackGearTest for allowing me to test this item.
Read more reviews of Vargo Outdoors gear
Read more gear reviews by Anthony Smith
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