JetBoil
Ultra efficient stove system
It’s the quickest, handiest, most efficient hot water maker yet. It takes the piezo-ignited butane trail stove to maybe a 50% overall improvement—worth converting for many.
The main tricks are: fin-like heat exchanger (“FluxRing”) where the flame meets the pot; pot attaches to stove (vastly less fiddly); pot has a cozy on it to hold heat and make gripping the pot easy; the plastic lid of the pot doubles as a cup lid for sipping direct from the pot; and the stove stows inside the pot. The weight is 12 ounces, the same or less than other light butane stove systems, but you save on weight of fuel, small pack volume, and overall convenience.
The heat exchanger means you can heat 2 cups of water in about 2 minutes, with significantly little fuel expended. So little heat escapes that you can hold the whole thing in your hand while it cooks, and the cozy never burns. The pot works better for eating from than for drinking from—I still prefer an insulated Alladdin cup (with the meaningless handle sawed off), but it’s manageable for drinking if you want one less implement.
It’s fine for dinner for two, or an instant cup of coffee or tea under way. You could use it riding in a car (open a window). Danny Hillis plans to use one on his desk for tea making. Alexander Rose wants it for melting snow to drink while dangling on belay.
04/6/04JetBoil $99
