Morning, Arch, Zed, and all, What Arch has said, makes a ton of sense, and in truth, I feel the same as does he. And likewise, as much as a Jetboil stove doesn't rate my "consideration", when thinking of buying a new stove, I would snap one up in a heartbeat, if I found one for, say, $20 at a garage sale, "just because"!! MSR also made a hanging setup for their wonderful Firefly stove. I have one of those setups, but have never used it. Looks "fiddley", to me, but also neat. The fuel bottle is affixed, horizontally, under the burner, which is interesting and novel. But, like the Bibler system, this is a very specific setup, marketed, as Arch has so wisely noted, to a very narrow and very specific crowd. Back when MSR offered their hanging Firefly setup, that crowd was MUCH smaller than the Gram Weenie crowd, today. So, the FF was not a hit, and ended up being replaced by a much less capable stove, the Whisperlite series, for which, regular members will already know, I have very little love, like, or respect. That stove was a "solution" to a non-existant problem, IMHO! Oh, well.... Back to the Jetboil: I'd buy one, just for grins, if I could find it for pennies! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
I always take a Jetboil on my hill-walking (= hiking) trips, complete with a minibrew kit for making soup, tea, coffee etc. Absoutely briliant - lightweight, uses very little gas, boils water fast, not seriously affected by wind. Excellent. As many hot drinks as you want on a long walk. However for proper back-packing cookery I would take a modern lightweight multifuel stove and for Rolls Royce camping it would be an Optimus 111 or 22
Primus also make a hanging system for the Omnifuel etc, interesting idea I'd not thought about much, but could be useful in woodland camps if you have no table, just stand and cook http://www.needlesports.com/acatalog/Primus.html scroll down the page I do like the look of the Primus ETA pots
Hey, Richard, I agree with you about the Primus ETA setup. I "almost" bought one last November. While we were getting gasoline for the Jeep, up in Utah, on our way home from an event, I perused the offerings in a local camping store. The owner was offering that setup on sale, and that "almost" made me spring for it. Looks MUCH more versatile than the Jetboil, whilst offering all the benefits, and none of the shortcomings of that system. Hummmm..... Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
The Eta system has its appeal, doesn't it? I bet some of us end up with one. Could be me, one of these days.
Some reviewers complained that Primus Eta stove has a small burner that focuses its flame on a small spot, so that the food tends to burn in the center, while the rest of the area may need longer cooking. While the design of the pot size is versatile, the burner size is rather too small for the wide-bottomed pot. I think I will hold off until Primus installs a larger burner head. Although a few folks here pointed out the potential problems with the new MSR Reactor for the possible debris being stuck in the hot air channel, it is a versatile design for one or two people--if you are willing to ignore that point. It can handle variety of cooking situations. And any foreign object can be dislodged with a piece of wire.
As Paul pointed out, Primus have launched a liquid fuel version, but you can use the pots with any stove really, so I'll get two of the bigger pots to use with one of my Omnifuels and a Nova. I've got some cash coming my way later this year (sooner the better) and the pots are on my new kit list. I'm going to buy new important kit that will HAVE to last me several years, this will be a one off event really so I have to pick with care, this chance to have a major kit upgrade won't happen again for a very long time
Back on topic, I have heard good and bad about these stoves, but then there are mixed opinions about some of the classic collectibles. Do you think the Jetboil will be a collectible classic of the future or will it be consigned to the trash can of history?
What is a classic stove? For me, a 1960's Primus Grasshopper gas canister stove is now a classic, not hard to find, but they are 40+ years old, how many Jetboils will be around in 2050? only time will tell I guess, but I would think not many. The reason many of the classic brass stoves have survived and still function is their design, simple and easy to maintain and have a very good build quality. Look at a modern multifuel stove like a Nova, Omnifuel, MSR, cracking bits of kit, but the maintenance packs run to about 15 pieces, you need maybe a third of that to get a classic up and running happily. The other good thing about classic brass stoves is the common components used, you may have 30 different models of stove, but the basics like pump leathers, jet nipples ect are often interchangeable amongst many different stoves. While many members here will meet up, light up many different stoves etc, the guys who go camping would maybe only pick from a handful if they were just off for a weekend under canvas, stoves like the Primus 96, 210, 5, the Svea 123, or the Optimus 8, 45, 00, or 111. My last camp 1st of February, I used a 111 kero stove, I keep going back to that one all the time, it just after all these years, that makes it a classic
Any canister stove design can become unusable (well, much harder to use, anyway) by a manufacturing decision to stop producing that design of canister. This, regardless of how popular that stove is with a group of users. ....Arch
The jetboil is compatible with all the different lindhal valve gas cartridges isn't it? I bet you'd see that coming.(if they all decided to switch)
Morning, Zed, This is a good question, really, and deserves some consideration. I do not believe that the Jetboil will achieve "Classic" status, and can illustrate my point with the following thought: Consider the stoves that were manufactured between, say, 1899 and 1989. We all know most of them, and tons of them were manufactured, for use all over the world. The range of years in which all these models of stoves were made, is long. They had what I call "staying power", because of their design, their function, their reliability, and their simplicity. Fast forward to the end of the '80's, and the beginning of the 1990's. Look how many stoves have been designed, made, sold, and discontinued in that very short period of time!! TONS!! Seems everyone wanted to jump on the backpacking stove wagon back then, and many companies offered many models during that time. However, many of them were poor designs, poorly functioniing, or poorly made, and so they quickly faded from view and were discontinued. Though many of us have stoves from this period, I do not believe that many of those stoves will ever achieve "Classic" status. They cannot ever complete with the track record of the older, real Classic Campstoves, and therefore, will just be relegated to the scrap bin of history, whilst the Classics will just keep on functioning, and stay in demand for those that love such things, far into the future!! I believe that the Jetboil, and most other stoves of it's ilk, are headed to the bin, Zed! I will illustrate my comment by asking you one question, which I know you will answer in a completely honest manner: If given the choice to own either an original, and complete, Nansen Cooker, or a Jetboil, which one would you choose? I rest my case!! 8) To me, the Classic Campstove line, pretty much ended with the last good stoves that Optimus and Primus made, back in the late 1970's, and early 1980's. Barring a few newer, and wonderful designs, like the MSR X-GK, the Primus Omni-fuel, the Optimus Nova, and a few others, most of today's stoves are going to end up in the landfill of stove history, in my opinion!! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
You raise many good points Doc et al. I apologise if I appear to debate the wise sages of the forum, but in my naivety, I lack preconceptions and need to think things through. ArchMc, I understand the concern about those new-fangled cylinder things! This is the first thing I checked. There's no point my buying it off ebay only to discover I can't get cylinders locally and USPS won't ship them by airmail. I was reassured that they are compatible with standard cannisters available everywhere. Even if these widely used cannisters are abandoned, adapters exist to convert other standard cannisters. If the worst comes to the worst, I can always refill an old cylinder. Butane will be with us at least as long as fossil fuels as it can probably be synthesised from methane bio-gas. It is even easier to get these days than kerosene, around here anyway. For sure, I would have the Nansen. It's rare as hen's teeth and a part of camping history, but it wasn't particularly commercially successful or continually manufactured for many decades. If it had not received so much press, it would probably have been forgotten many decades ago. If some modern explorer or famous personality popularises the Jetboil, it may too attain legendary status. The Nansen and the Jetboil share many similarities: both explore new ideas in efficiency and both have their unique applications. The Nansen was (and maybe still is) the best snow melter available and the Jetboil offers functionality in windy conditions and in difficult circumstances, such as under a poncho, or on a rocking sailing boat. These traits may mean it finds its place in history in the hands of a modern Fridtjof Nansen. Does that mean I'll be buying one as an investment? Surely not. Only time will tell.
Hey, Zed, No need to apologize for anything, my Friend, we're just having a fun discussion, here! My opinions are just that: "opinions", and not worth a bucket of warm spit, in reality! For myself, I don't consider myself to be a "expert" at much of anything, but do like to dabble in lots of interesting things, many of which we all share here at CCS. Most certainly, my thoughts and comments on the Jetboil may well prove to be absolutely wrong, in the passage of time, so please take that into consideration when reading whatever tripe I have to offer on the subject!! 8) I have gotten the strong feeling that you really would love to give one of these little guys a try, so I'd recommend that you go ahead and do so. I'd very much be interested in your own comments, once you have given that stove some good field testing. As has been said many times, we all have different requirements for our stoves, and for the adventures we choose to undertake. What's good for one, most certainly might not be good for all others, or even ANYONE else! As I've also mentioned, as much as the JB is not my cup of "stove", so to speak, I will more than likely end up with one, one of these days, just for grins!! 8) 8) Thanks for all the discussion here, Zed! You are already a good, participating member here at CCS, and your thoughts and comments are much appreciated!! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc P.S. My old Grandma used to say this about opinions, and please pardon the off-color lean of this comment, but it's what she used to say: "Opinions are like arseholes: we all have them, and most of them stink"!!! I sure miss her, now that she's passed away!! She had tons of fun sayings like that, and I loved every single one of them!!!
Well, if I bump into one here in Hong Kong, I might be tempted, but to be honest, I have been successfully un-sold (if such a term exists) on the JB. I really like the idea of the Snowpeak setup, will look into Richard's Chinese knock off of a Kovea multi-fuel, and will try to make something myself on similar principles based around this burner, which I bought for next to nothing:
Hi Try one of those "kovea" knock offs, I've found mine to be a waxer (North East England term for good). I've also bought an adapter so I can use those cheap butane cylinders that lie down and have a sort of bayonet fitting (don't know what they are called ) on anything that uses a lindhal style cartridge. This will save ?2 a cartridge for me and more than pay for it's self within two cartridges and if that style disapears I've lost nowt. I'll post photos when I get sorted.
What follows, might just be a classic example of quoting out of context ... which might just mean I have a bright future in politics ... or in Newspapers! Ah yes, the Optimus #9 ! sorry Doc, just having a bit of Friday evening divilment Enjoy the Flame.
Hey, Spudz, You Rascal, you!!! Great point, and well taken!! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Many knockoffs from Asia are now pretty much acceptable in quality, as their technology improves gradually. The butane cylinders are very much popular in Asia, and they are going to last as long as there is butane available. The only thing that would set you back is that those butane cylinders are useless when the temperature is below 65F or so. They are limited to warm weather use.
