Jet Boil Flash Stove review
I have been toying with the idea of purchasing this stove for some time now, and I sure am glad I finally did – I absolutely love it and use it for almost everything.
I spent a lot of time in the backcountry and in terms of versatility there is nothing quite else like it. In terms of boiling up some water in the mountains (where is where I spend most of my time) it cannot be beat. Jet Boil Flash Stove
is lightweight, simple to use, and boils water quickly thanks to an insulating heat exchanger on the unit (called then“FluxRing.”)
This stove was designed to boil water quickly and for this function it performs outstandingly. This stove has a capacity of less than a liter (0.8 liter) so the boil time of just over 5 minutes is given as time to cook two 0.5 liter cups of water. Therefore, in this time you will be able to prepare a liter of hot water. Weighing it at a total of 15 ounces, or around 400 grams (just under half a kilogram) it weighs much less than a liter of water itself.
I have heard of people carrying these up mountains on big mountaineering days – you can do this when you want to have the luxury of some hot water on the mountain. Other climbers and skiers will envy you! The cup in the system has orange indicator stripes to show you when the water is getting close to boiling. This is a handy feature so you don’t have to go looking into the pot to test the temperature, and hence releasing heat and waiting longer for your water to boil.
The system comes with a cup that is covered in a heat-conserving neoprene sleeve. This sleeve also has a little sleeve pocket on it for a spoon or utensil. It is quite handy that you can put it on the mug instead of putting it on the ground or on the snow, and keeps me from misplacing it. I don’t know how many times I’ve misplaced and lost my backcountry spoon (these are not cheap to replace).
This system, because it’s a compressed canister system, has positive and negative features from this. First of all, negatively, these canisters loose efficiency, as it gets colder because they rely on ambient heat to create a chemical reaction inside the canister to burn. I found it to be a problem in the cold temperatures I often use it for, so I’ve learned to store it in my jacket and sleeping bag to make sure it’s warm before I use it.
On the positive side, it is great for travel. Airlines don’t like passengers taking liquid fuel canisters onboard because there is often residual gas in these units. While leaving for an extended backpacking trip I lost one of my fuel bottles at the airport this way, the airline would not let me fly with the bottle so I had to leave it behind and purchase a new one at my destination – which of course I had to leave there as well. In addition to this, the stove I had operated on a specific type of white gas which I had a hard time locating where I was traveling. With the canisters, there is only one fuel source.
Using this system it is very difficult to simmer food – it works really well at high power settings but as soon as you decrease the flame it does not reliably stay lit.
Overall – I suggest buying it – it is highly recommended.
Pros
- Lightweight, weighs in at just over 400 g (15 oz)
- Fuel efficient – the fuel canister is light and lasts a long time
- Boils water fast
- Fast and compact storage, no messy assembly like with conventional gas backcountry stoves. Just attach the cylinder and use.
- There is a fabric strap handle on the cup which allows for easy pouring
- The cup has a see through lid (BPA free) with a spout, turns it into a mug.
- Neoprene cozy is great – keeps liquids hot and is very convenient as it won’t burn your hands
- Good for travel!
Cons
- I find the auto lighter very fickle and occasionally cannot get it to light, particularly when it is very cold. I suggest always to bring matches or a lighter just in case.
- Not the greatest temperature control – a little bit is hard to regulate, however, most backcountry stoves suffer from this
- The cup is a bit hard to clean
- Like all compressed cartridge stoves, looses efficiency in cold temperatures. For max efficiency I suggest warming it up in your jacket or sleeping bag prior to use. This is only an issue when dealing with very cold temperatures
Overall this is a great stove. Most of the negatives have to do with the fact that it is a backcountry stove – with most of these stoves it is hard to regulate temperature, and keep lit at low (simmer) settings. All canisters all have issues in extreme cold – however this can be fixed by warming it up in your jacket. Given the low weight of the unit, convenience of the insulated cup, efficiency of fuel and quickness of boil, this stove is an excellent product and highly recommended.
Where to buy
Which stove do you use?
Would love to see your comments below.
Also, take a look at my MSR Whisperlite stove review
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