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Reviews > Cook Gear > Stoves > Vargo Titanium Jet-ti stove > Ralph Ditton > Field ReportField Report: Vargo 'Jet-ti' Titanium StoveDate: 9th August, 2005 Reviewer Information: Name: Ralph Ditton Age: 53 Height: 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) Weight: 79 kg (174 lb) Email: rdassetts@optusnet.com.au City: Perth, Western Australia Product information: Manufacturer: Vargo Outdoors, LLC Year of Manufacture: 2004 to 2005 Made in: Korea Website: http://www.vargooutdoors.com Listed Weight: 76 g (2.7 oz) Model: Titanium "Jet-ti" iso-butane stove Output: 9,000 BTU/hr Ignition: Manual Size: 70 mm (2 3/4 in) high 89 mm (3 1/2 in) top leg support diameter MSRP: US$64.95 My Measurements: Dimensions when packed: Length from top of support legs to base: 78 mm (3.07 in) Height of support legs: 33 mm (1.3 in) Width: 68 mm (2.68 in) Diameter of top leg supports: 104 mm (4.09 in) Nylon Carry Case: 100 mm x 80 mm x 40 mm (3.94 in x 3.15 in x 1.57 in) Weight of stove: 79 g (2.79 oz) Weight of Nylon Carry Case: 21 g (0.74 oz) Diameter of ported burner head: 32 mm (1.26 in) at base 20 mm (0.79 in) at top Height of ported burner head: 11 mm (0.43 in) Distance between top of Burner Head and base of pot: 15 mm (0.59 in) Field Test Locations: Bibbulmun Track- White Horse Hills Campsite from 25.06.05 to 26.06.05 Elevation: 460 m (1,509 ft) Temperature Range: 5 C to 16 C (41 F to 61 F) Weather Conditions: Wet all day on the first day. : Foggy in the morning followed by sunny periods. Coastal Plain Walk Trail: Prickly Bark Campsite from 06.07.05 to 09.07.05 Elevation: 200 m (656 ft) Temperature Range: Wednesday: -5 C to 14.3 C (23 F to 58 F) Wind 15 knots from the North East. : Thursday: -2.2 C to 15.2 C (28.04 F to 59 F) Wind 16 knots from the North East. : Friday: -1.4 C to 14.3 C (29.5 F to 58 F) Wind 20 knots from the North East. : Saturday 5 C to 18 C (41 F to 64 F) Wind 13 knots from the North East. Weather Conditions: Fine clear days with cool temperatures and at night clear skies with below freezing temperatures.  stove with radiation shield as a lid with windshield Field Test: First Hike At the White Horse Campsite I cooked two batches of six sausages with chopped onions on a Kookaburra non-stick skillet with a folding handle, measuring 185 mm (7 1/4 in) across the base diameter. A radiation shield was used to protect the gas canister. The simmer control was turned approximately 110 degrees of revolution anti-clockwise so that the flames from the ported burner head spread out to the end tips of the leg supports, giving an even heat on the skillet and the sausages cooked evenly. I had to hold onto the handle of the skillet all of the time as the frequent turning of the sausages and onions did disrupt the balance of the skillet on the leg supports of the stove as the diameter of the stove is a small 104 mm (4.09 in). It took around 25 minutes each time to cook the sausages and onions. After the meal, I boiled 0.75 l (25.4 fl oz) of water to make a cup of tea for two. The time taken to bring the water to a rolling boil was 18 minutes and a lid was used. In the morning I boiled another 0.75 l (25.4 fl oz) of water using a lid, and it took another 18 minutes to boil the water. When cooking with the radiation shield on, the area between the base of the skillet and top of the radiation shield was very warm, but I was able to operate the simmer control comfortably with my bare fingers. Below the radiation shield it was very cold and the gas canister had condensation on it due to the expanding gas which chills the canister, and the gas canister was very cold to the touch. Number of lightings of the stove: 4 Gas used : 80 g (2.82 oz). Total burn time approximately : 86 minutes. Average gas consumption per minute: 0.93 g (0.03 oz). Average gas used per burn: 20 g (0.71 oz). Average cook time: 22 minutes. To ascertain the gas usage, I weighed the gas canister at home before departure and then again upon my return. Second Hike I had planned to walk the length of the Coastal Plains Walk Trail over four days with a friend, however, we were thwarted by burnt out bushland and missing trail markers, so my friend and I ensconced ourselves at Prickly Bark Campsite for the duration of our break. On the Wednesday night of the 6th July, 2005 it was the fourth coldest July night on record for the region we were in. I started to cook six big Breakfast sausages with onions for our evening meal in the above-mentioned skillet (see first hike). I used a radiation shield and a wind shield due to the constant wind. In addition, I had to hold onto the skillet's handle to keep the skillet balanced on top of the stove whilst turning the sausages and onions. I became aware of the skillet wanting to tip off the stove whenever I loosely held the handle, so I looked under the skillet and saw that the leg support which has to travel the furtherest to get into its correct operation position has cribbed closer to the second moveable support arm. The third support arm does not move as it is fixed. This necessitated me lifting the skillet off and push the support arm back into place with the cooking tongs I was using to turn the sausages over. I am of the opinion that the support arm was moving due to a combination of the weight of the skillet with the meal and the constant turning over of the sausages and onions. Towards the end of the cooking, my mate took over the cooking whilst I attend to other food preparation duties, and I warned him about the tendency of the support arm to go walkabout as it had happened four times to me. My mate forgot all about the warning because he released his grip on the handle and the skillet tipped over to one side spilling some of the sausages onto the table and lots of sausage fat, some of which splashed onto his trouser leg. Fortunately, he was not burnt. After that meal the skillet was retired from any further cooking duties. It was just too big for the small diameter of the stove, 185 mm (7 1/4 in) versus 89 mm (3 1/2 in). The support arms do not lock into position. Cooking time was about 35 minutes. Later that night I removed the radiation shield and used it as a lid to boil two pots of water of 1.75 l (59 fl oz) for soup and tea. To keep the lid in place I placed the spondonical on top and I knew where to find it when I wanted to lift the pot off the stove when the water was boiled. The pot has a base diameter of 145 mm (5 3/4 in) and a top diameter of 180 mm (7 1/8 in). On all operations, the simmer control was turned to approximately 110 degrees, giving a gentle flame without any undue noise. When I turned it up by another 10 degrees I was greeted with a loud unpleasant noise from the stove, which probably was just the propane burning as it makes a harsh noise compared to butane, so for the majority of my stove operations, the simmer control was operating between 80 to 110 degrees. There was one exception which will be explained later. Spondonical is also known as billy-grips or pot-holder. They are one and the same. In the morning with the temperature around 3 C (37.4 F) I fitted a full Kovea gas canister (70% Iso-butane 30% Propane) to the stove and when I turned it on, gas was hissing out but it would not ignite. In fact, it blew the match out. Same result for the second match. On the third try, the 1/3 of the ported burner head ignited between the two closest support arms to me where I put the match. The flame did not jump across to the other sections, so I gently blew on the flame to encourage it to jump across. All I succeeded in doing was to blow it out. On the fourth attempt I had lift off, success on all three sections. This same phenomena happened on the Saturday morning with the temperature around 5 C (41 F) when I fitted the second new Kovea gas canister, the only difference being that when the gas did catch alight, it all caught and not just a 1/3rd. On the Thursday morning I cooked bacon on the Trangia lid that I normally used as a lid when boiling water. This took around 30 minutes to cook Thereafter, the only operations of the stove was to boil water for use in our freeze dry foods, tea and soups. This was done on thirteen occasions and on each occasion I used the radiation shield as a lid held down with the spondonical resting on top and a wind shield. When I used up the remains of two gas canisters, 60 g (2.12 oz) and 30 g (1.06 oz) respectively, the water would not come to a rolling boil. The outside air temperature was approximately -3 C (26.6 F). The bubbles would only form on the bottom of the pot and not rise, so it would appear that the water was absorbing latent heat. I even turned the simmer control fully open and the flame just stayed the same, forming a tight cone of flame, and there was no increase in noise either. I suspect this is because of the extremely low pressure in the gas canister combined with the cold conditions. On the Saturday morning when I had separated the stove from the gas canister and was about to put the stove away in its carry case, the second support arm would not move to the closed position and I examined the areas where the support arm pivoted but could not see what the problem was. I had another go at closing up the support arms and used a bit of pressure on the second support arm to overcome the resistance with success. I immediately tested the support arms by opening and closing them a number of times to see if the problem reoccurred, but it did not. Altogether on this trip I used four gas canisters with various amounts of gas in them and they are set out below:
Number of lightings of the stove: 17 Total burn time for 365 g (12.88 oz): 6.5 hours. over four days. Average gas consumption per minute: 0.94 g (0.03 oz). Average gas used per burn: 21.47 g (0.76 oz) Average cook time: 23 minutes. The figures were arrived at by weighing the gas canisters at home before the hike, and upon my return home, and calculating the difference in weight. How has the Stove performed against my test plan: * I propose to cook the first evening meal on each of my trips, of steak/sausages for two, on a Kookaburra non-stick skillet, with a folding handle, measuring 185 mm (7 1/4 in) across the base diameter. Findings: After the accident of the spilt meal and sausage fat and the walkabout habit of the first support arm when cooking with the skillet of the above size, I have decided not to proceed with the use of the skillet any more as it is unwieldy and could lead to an even more serious accident. At a pinch, the stove will cook a meal in this size pan, and I have now done it on three occasions, once at home as a test, and twice out in the field. * I will examine how the 90 mm (3 1/2 in) top diameter of the stove distributes the heat on the skillet, and whether it cooks evenly. Findings: The stove distributed the heat reasonably well, although I had to rotate the outermost sausages into the centre to cook them a bit quicker. * I will boil water in a Trangia 1.75 l (59 fl oz) saucepan with a base diameter of 145 mm (5 3/4 in) and a top diameter of 180 mm (7 1/8 in). The saucepan will have a lid on whilst being heated, and I will time how long it takes to boil 1 l (33.81 fl oz) of water, to test it against the manufacturer's claim of "approximately four minutes", and 1.75 l (59 fl oz). Findings: It takes a good 12 to 15 minutes to boil 1 l (33.81 fl oz ) and 18 to 25 minutes to boil 1.75 l (59 fl oz) of water without any undue gas burning noise, and a good simmer flame. I always allow plenty of time for my food preparation to boil water between meal courses. The "approximately four minutes" claim by the manufacturer is way off the mark. * Whilst cooking the meals, I will see if I can achieve a precise flame adjustment and test the ease of operating the simmer control. Findings: The stove is excellent for a precision flame control and the simmer control is a delight to operate. It turns very easily and there is no initial sticking point to overcome. * I will check to see if the simmer control becomes hot when cooking/boiling, and if I need to protect my fingers to operate the simmer control. Findings: No, the simmer control does not become hot, and I did not need to protect my fingers to operate the simmer control. The simmer control only got slightly warm when using the large skillet from the reflected heat. * How sturdy is the simmer control? Will it bend out of shape when being used? Findings: I found the simmer control to be very robust and shows no sign of bending out of shape. This is probably due to its offset nature where it is coupled to the valve spindle, giving it added strength. * Is the simmer control easy to turn to start the gas flow, or is there an initial resistance that requires extra pressure to 'switch on'? Findings: I found the simmer control extremely easy to turn on, and there is no discernible initial resistance. * Where is the best position to place my fingers on the simmer control to operate, or is there no discernible difference? Findings: The most comfortable position I found was for me to place my right hand thumb horizontal to the left hand side of the simmer control, covering about 3/4 of the length of the simmer control, and my index finger, on the right hand side of the simmer control, angled towards the ground. This gives me complete control in operating the simmer control. * After being used a few times, I wanted to see if any tarnishing/rust appears on the stove. Findings: No rust is present, but the support arms and ported burner head has a mottled burnished appearance, ranging in colours from violet, deep blue, bronze and to grey.  * At the elevations and temperatures I will be using the stove, I want to see how long I can use a 227 g (8 fl oz) gas canister. It is stated on the canister that burn time is between 1 to 2 hours. Findings: The Kovea Iso-butane and Propane gas canister was the only one I completely used up on the second hike and I used it for 7 burns, cooking the meal of bacon, eggs and tomato without a lid and boiling water for the remainder. Approximate burn time for the canister was 175 minutes, ie. about 3 hours. So I exceeded the stated maximum burn time by nearly 1 hour. This was achieved by using a windshield, lid when boiling, and a good simmer control during the cooking/boiling process.  .* Is the stove easy to light with a match, and does it flare at ignition? Findings: The vast majority of time, yes, I did find it easy to light the gas, except when the Kovea gas canisters were newly fitted for the initial burn. See comments in second hike. There was no flaring at any of my ignitions of the stove. * Will I be able to fit the stove inside my cup and/or bowl when packing my backpack? Findings: Yes and yes with space to spare. * As the stove does not have a windshield under the gas outlet holes, is the flame adversely affected by the wind? Findings: Yes, the wind does affect the flame, not blowing it out, but bending it away from the base of the pot being heated, so I now always use a wind shield that wraps around the stove, with a gap to operate the simmer control and use the spondonical to lift the pot off when the water has boiled. *Does the gas canister get hot from the flame above it as there is no radiation shield? Findings: Yes, when using the skillet, the large base did reflect heat downwards, so I took the precaution of using a radiation shield made from a disposable aluminium sandwich tray. When boiling water, I took the radiation shield off and used it as a lid and the gas canister did not get warm or hot. * I want to see how stable the whole arrangement is when using my two cooking utensils, as the bases are larger than the stove's 89 mm (3 1/2 in) diameter. Do I have to hold onto the handle of the skillet and spondonical on the Trangia saucepan? Findings: The skillet was not very stable as I had to hold onto the skillet's handle during every cooking operation as I was constantly turning the food over to achieve an even cook, and one of the support arms moved around causing an unequal support underneath the skillet. The Trangia saucepan did not need to be held when boiling water. It sat happily on the support arms. * Do the Titanium leg supports lock into position when in use, or do they free-swing which can upset the stability of the pots/skillet, especially whilst turning food over and stirring? Findings: The Titanium leg supports do not lock into position and the leg support that has the furtherest to travel to get into position has a tendency to go walkabout when stirring and turning food over, and this caused a spill of a meal together with the skillet. * Do the serrations on the Titanium leg supports actually prevent the pots from sliding off and do they badly scratch the base of the pots? Findings: To date there is no hard evidence that the serrations prevent the pots from sliding off, as I make sure that the base of the gas canister sits on a level surface. The pots used for boiling water sit happily on the serrated support arms without moving, especially when reaching boiling point where there can be a bit of agitation taking place. There is no apparent scratchings on the base of the cooking utensils. * With my current gas stove, I find it easier to attach the gas canister by turning the stove upside down. Will I have to do this to this stove and is there any danger of turning the gas on accidentally by bumping the simmer control? Findings: I find it easier to attach the gas canister by turning the stove upside down and letting the weight of the gas canister engage the stove connection. That way, I avoid the wobbling in trying to attach the stove when trying it in an upright position. The best method is to have the stove completely folded up when attaching it, as I then have more control over the connecting of the two objects. Once, I had the simmer control folded out, and during the connecting process it was accidentally turned to an "on" position and some gas did escape. Things I Like:
Overall, the stove is not really designed for any major cooking exercise for two or more people due to its very tiny pot support of 89 mm (3 1/2 in), but at a pinch I was able to cook substantial meals on it. The primary purpose of the stove, as I see it, is to boil water for meals and/or dehydrated food in a small pot. The stove is ideally a one person stove. Backpacking Background: I only took up backpacking
seriously some four years ago. I have
been walking the Bibbulmun Track in sections. My goal is to complete
the 964 km (603 mi) and become an End to End walker. So far I have
completed approximately two-thirds of the Track from North to South,
and a quarter in the opposite direction. I have evolved from carrying a very heavyweight load—approximately 28 kg (62 lb) including food and water, to being a midweight backpacker, averaging 18 kg (38 lb) at the start of a trip. I am hoping to purchase gear that's lighter still. My trips are usually between three to five days duration. I appreciate the opportunity to participate in this stove test. Thank you. Read more reviews of Vargo Outdoors gear Read more gear reviews by Ralph Ditton Reviews > Cook Gear > Stoves > Vargo Titanium Jet-ti stove > Ralph Ditton > Field Report | |||