Jetboil Flash | Win This!
A Watched Pot Does Boil
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At Gear Patrol, we look for excuses to be outdoors. Any weekend we can steal away from the comforts of home are welcomed and testing gear is always a bonus.
On our weekend adventures, hot water is an absolute necessity. With a splash of hot water, coffee and food can be conceived in no time. Heating said water can sometimes present a challenge; large Coleman-esque stoves are great for a weekend-long car camping trip, but equally a pain in the ass for setting up and boiling a small amount of water on a more minimalist excursion. Smaller alcohol or tablet-based stoves work, but not without quirks and sometimes take forever to boil.
Is there a simple solution to these problems? Well, yes, and we’ve found it: the Jetboil Flash. The good people at Jetboil have developed some fantastic technology to create nearly-instant boiling water. One of the more unique features of the Flash is that the heating mechanism is self-contained within the boiling cup. This is great for backpacking (or general space savings) in that a few pieces are assembled quickly from a compact package. The Flash runs off of fuel canisters and delivers the flame directly to the flux ring which efficiently distributes the heat. An electronic igniter gets the flames rolling quickly and easily, and in our tests, 2 cups of boiling water was produced in less than 2 minutes (I’ve spent longer trying to cook a microwave burrito).
What sets the Flash apart from previous Jetboil models is the integrated coozy. The coozy (yes, similar to those that insulate your beer can) is equipped with a heat indicator that turns orange when the boiling point is reached. This is a huge bonus, if you’ve ever peeked under the lid of a not quite yet boiling container of water and lost a ton of heat to the elements. Since pot holders seem to continually be forgotten on our outdoors trips, the coozy will keep your hands from being burned.
If you are an avid backpacker or weekend car camper, you need a Jetboil Flash. Boiling water at the touch of finger is a must have tool for any adventure.
Cost: $99
Want to win your very own Jetboil Flash? Well, we’d like to give you one! Leave a comment below indicating the brand of your current/favorite camping stove, or your most creative ideas for boiling water in the wild (sky’s the limit). If you don’t have one or know of one, just tell us your favorite piece of camping gear. We’ll pick a winner at random this Friday and announce the lucky chap (or chappette) here at Gear Patrol. Best of boiling luck to ya!
You must be 18+ to enter. All North America residents valid. Allow 4 weeks for delivery.
Jetboil Flash Video
pretty amazing! i could definitely use on these when trekking!
Back when i was in the Marines, my set up was a can of sterno with the canteen cup and canteen cup stove. Admittedly ghetto, but worked well enough and was easy to pack.
cool giveaway! i use the Snow Peak Giga Power stove. it's easy to use and packs into a tight package. this jetboil would be nice on top of it.
Nice. Wish I had this when it was raining. I usually boil water with a bit of tinfoil and a campfire to make tea.
I haven't camped or backpacked in a few years unfortunately, and even living in southern california has still not afforded me any time to do so. Anyway, I've typically used Coleman camping goods. The jetboil is sweet though!
Come on Daniel… SoCal'ers have some great camping don't they? If memory serves me correctly, there's places like: Angeles National Forest, Anza-Borrego Desert, Catalina Island, Joshua Tree National Park (though it's eerily creepy up there at night), San Bernardino Mountains, Santa Ana Mountains. I've only camped at one of those locations so I can't attest to the rest.
Right now boiling is either done on the open fire, or this frighteningly sketchy arrangement (with no identifiable markings) that uses the heat from the burner to pressurize the fuel tank. It remains one of my favorite pieces of camp gear, for as deadly as it might be, produces incredible reactions once people figure out how it works.
I currently use a low tech swedish trangia stove. It's cheep and light, takes awhile to boil but when your camping there's usually no rush to speed things up. To win a Jetboil would be cool since I just love gear in general. Keep up the great work Gear Patrol!
Jetboil definitely has a good product. I'd be curious to compare it side by side with what I use now, which is a Brunton Raptor. I use it with MSR nonstick pots. I think the winning combination for the Jetboil is the insulated coozy and the temp indicator. I hate having to peak into pots to see if it's boiling yet.
The best camp stove that I have ever used is a MSR Dragonfly. This stove saw me through over 300 miles of backpacking trips. It has been used to cook everything from Ramen Noodles to a successful attempt at Chicken Cordon Bleu on the trail. After sliding off the road in the middle of winter, a friend and I used this stove to keep warm and cook some rations found in the trunk. In a pinch, this stove was used to light a cigar and warm some brandy on the best Bachelor's Party Weekend of all time. In one of the saddest moments of my life, this stove was stolen by an ex girlfriend with a grudge. She returned my movies and my laptop, but all I really wanted was my trusty Dragonfly back. This camp stove was like my best lighter; always in my car and ready when I needed it. My camp stoves see a lot of use and a lot of love. If you feel this stove can handle it, I would like to be considered for its new owner.
My favorite camp stove has always been the one burner Coleman propane stove. When I was first backpacking my source of gear was Walmart (i was a 12 year old boy scout then) and this was the only stove available. Since then I have owned two other white gas backpacking stoves but I always went back to the trusty Coleman one-burner after a trip or two
My favorite stove: beer can alcohol stove :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverage-can_stove
As lightweight as you can get, cheap as dirt fuel, works with almost any flammable liquid, and works better than a MSR WhisperLite. If made well enough, they can easily support a 2-qt pot full of water. Add about 2 rocks to support the pot, then there is no weight limit. They're even environmentally friendly!
Honestly, even if you prefer another stove, knowing how to build one of these simple stoves is a must-have piece of survival knowledge. If you got beer, you got a stove. Got any hard liquor? Now you got fuel too…
Here's an interesting way I've boiled water. A high pressure steam trap on a fast attack submarine. When absolutely have to have coffee nothing beats a fast attack tough submariner at finding a way.
I've boiled water in my klean kanteen while it was perched between my headers. While camping, again in the klean kanteen, perched on rocks on the outskirts of the flame. But on a usual trip it would have to be on my MSR pocket rocket.
MSR Whisperlite International - hands down. If it's flammable, it'll boil water with it. Forgot to get White gas before you left for the trip? Fill it with gasoline, kerosene, even Grain alcohol if you've got it. It's not the best in terms of wind protection, so I built a little shield out of heavy duty foil and cardboard that served me well throughout the Rockies, Southeast, and even Kilimanjaro. My motto with it: "Has fuel, will boil."
Well, I usually just gather tinder, make a campfire, and boil water over it with an old aluminum camping pot. Simple enough, right?
The MSR pocket rocket is my favorite. Compact, efficient, great burn time, boils up a quart in no time especially with a windscreen. Great for solo weekends in the High Chisos or on the AT.
By far the best way I’ve seen to boil water is in an old surplus canvas water bucket. We used to do this at camp until we replaced it with a galzanized bucket. It takes forever and you have to constantly adjust it to keep it in the heat and away from the flames, but it works. Just don’t touch the sides or the canvas will start to leak.
MSR reactor is my current setup. In a pinch I used to use a pot over open fire & used a vice-grip as my handle.
Over the years I have used a number of different camp stoves, but the one I used most often was my MSR Whisperlite. It’s compact and reliable, if a bit of a handful to get set up. I say WAS because I have replaced it with a JetBoil PCS. By comparison, NOTHING gets water hotter faster than my JetBoil, it’s dirt-simple to set up, and since I don’t need to pack anything else to cook IN, it’s even better yet…though I am planning on adding another JetBoil cup, or maybe even another whole PCS (or maybe a free Flash? ~_^ ).
I do most of my camping off the back of my motorcycle now, but as with backpacking, every ounce counts. So the JetBoil is my portable kitchen of choice!
I'm still using an MSR Whisperlite that i've had for years. The thing I like most about it is that it always works, no matter how long between uses. I call it old trusty and boils water pretty fast but faster is always better when it comes to boiling water in the great outdoors.
Great Review!
My favorite piece of gear is my Kelty 40th Anniversary pack. Looks like it was built out of ww2 leftover canvas and tank parts. A classic that will never outlive it's usefulness!
My favorite (and current) way to boil water is using my little esbit stove with hexamine or trioxane tabs. It's lightweight and fairly efficient. The only real downsides is that you can only boil small amounts of water (in a reasonable amount of time), poor temp control, and the fact that trioxane is toxic (which is why I usually use hexamine).
I don't have crazy ways to boil water but I would like to say that my favorite piece of camping equipment is my K-Bar Becker TacTool. In fact I saw the review here went out and bought one and it's served me well. It's a useful tool for salvaging from junk yards, splitting wood, and also self defense (saved me the hassle of being mugged one night).
I must openly admit, this is a pretty damn cool way to boil water.
Well not necessarily my favorite but what I have is a good old Coleman single fuel white backpacking stove. Never understood why they called it a backpacking stove because it weighs a ton and the fuel bottles add so much weight too. And after a day of hiking with 60 pounds of gear on your back who wants to pump up a stove to fix dinner.
One of my wildest adventures was when I was fifteen years old learning to backpack in the freezing cold. After using all my fuel for heat instead of cooking i was left without a heating source. let it not be said that Ramen noodles will not cook on Sterno. 52 minutes later after lighting the jelly, I was enjoying somewhat still firm noodles.
haven't tried it yet but i'm planning on making one of those DIY alcohol stoves.
I use an old Coleman stove that my dad has had so long he forgot when and where he got it. The thing is beat beyond belief but never fails to work like a champ.
I find nothing's quite as refreshingly cool as using a hobo stove to boil your water. It's old school, it's eco-friendly, and it's cheap. -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobo_stove One of these!
If you want to be really original, you need a number 10 tin can, but the big metal coffee canisters work great too. Remove both ends, and punch a few holes around the circumference at the top and bottom to support air flow, and use some tin snips to cut out a big rectangle at the bottom of the stove. This will be your damper and convenient to constantly feed wood into your little stove.
You can get some pretty intense heat out of these things, not to mention flames several feet in the air and that wonderful jet noise as it sucks in air. It's also a great afternoon project for kids, with plenty of adult supervision.
Frankly boiling water has never been a problem for me but with a Jet Boil it's now a no brainer. That said, with Mountain House Pro Paks I now look for an opportunity to boil water to make a nice hot lunch or dinner. Mountain House Pro Paks are the perfect freeze dried food package to compliment the JetBoil system (or visa versa). Check them out.
The worst method for trying to boil water was placing hot rocks from the fire in my mug. I was afraid the fire would melt the plastic cover, it has stainless steel inside. I suppose it would have worked if I had used smaller rocks. It just got ash in the water, I needed some coffee.
I have an MSR Whisperlite Internationale that works pretty well, but has only 1 setting: super hot. That's great, but it loses a lot of heat unless you use the foil shields included with the stove. It's kind of bulky too, with all the parts. I've been intrigued by the JetBoil. Might be good to ahve.
I have an MSR Whisperlite Internationale that works pretty well, but has only 1 setting: super hot. That's great, but it loses a lot of heat unless you use the foil shields included with the stove. It's kind of bulky too, with all the parts. I've been intrigued by the JetBoil. Might be good to ahve.
After unsuccessfully trying endlessly to make my own penny stove (AKA soda can stove), I settled for
using the coleman single burner butane stove. You just connect it to the small butane cylinder. It's not fast, but it works. You need a separate pan/pot.
Ah boiling water in the wild. I try and I try and am most times unsuccsessful. Whether it be forgetting the tin foil, pots & pans, and even water, utilizing the jetboil would prove beneficial. Especiallyin curing the morning-after-camping hangover.
I still use the good 'ole Coleman propane stove (a burner screwed onto a propane tank) or the 2 burner unit (mine is about 20 years old). Not great for saving space, but still gets the water hot. Maybe it's time to upgrade with great gear like this out there
I put my water in a vacuum and let it boil at room temperature. Sure, it doesn't cook things very well, but my nerdy know-how impresses the ladies. At which point we order Chinese and check out the Netflix instant queue.
Love my Optimus Nova Multi-Fuel, which always lights and even cooked dinner for 4 during a blackout at home. Boils enough water for coffee in less than 5 minutes. But if I want to show off, my fave way to boil water outside is in a paper cup suspended on a stick or rod over flames. Always amazes people that the water will actually boil without the cup burning! Ah, physics and thermodynamics at work…
Right now I have an old Coleman stove too heavy and uses liquid fuel. I'd love to have one of these JetBoils.
Very cool contest, thanks!!!
usually we boil water using a coleman stove and big pot,,, i usually only go camping in groups
I use a MSR pocket rocket right now, because it's so small and light. But I'll have to agree with some of the other posters, the hobo beer can stoves are awesome, if really hard to get right. And the fuel is pretty unstable (denatured alcohol usually). But there's nothing like cooking a meal on a stove you made. But I could do without the burns.
BTW, if anyone wants to make one of those stoves, the instructions can be found with a quick google. The one I used disappeared when geocities went down.
My fave stove is the jetboil personal stove. For any kind of outdoor adventure I find that this stove is top of the line.
I was put hiking a few weeks ago and got caught out in the rain. I was soaked to the bone and getting chilled pretty good. The White Mountains in the Fall can be a deadly place so I knew I had to get thawed out. After walking around for what seemed like hours in a downpour I found a suitable place to make my camp. The first thing I needed to do was get my tent up right quick which I did at once. I stowed my gear inside and climbed into my sleeping bag looking forward to that nice hot coffee ! I pulled out my jetboil to get things moving only to find that being the lunkhead that I am I left the fuel in the car which was about 7 miles away. I was like oh man now what do I do?
I could have warmed up by just staying in my bag but that coffee was just calling out to me. Here I was wet, cold and tired but somehow I had to have that coffee. I threw on my rain gear and back out into the cold I went. Using some quick thinking I figured the only way I could boil water was in the jetboil cup. Off I went in search of dry timber on;y to find most everything soaked. Just my luck I figured until I ran into a birch tree that was dead and laying on the ground. As most of us know birch will light even when wet. I grabbed some bark and some twigs that were as dry as I could find and went to find a somewhat sheltered place out of the rain so I could give this idea a try.
I had some dry toilet paper in my pack and I had grabbed some of this when I left my tent. I put the toilet paper down and some strips of bark and filled up my jetboil cup with water. I lit up the toilet paper and got things going quite nicely. I had to keep the fire pretty low to do it but in about 10 min I had my boiling water. I was pleased as punch after I went back to my tent and had that hot cup of coffee. Without that jetboil cup I would have had nothing to boil water in at all.
When I woke up in the morning to a light snow I repeated the same thing and I was so grateful to jetboil for this cup!
Hey maybe I was a bonehead and forgot the fuel but I was out for 2 nights using only the method I mentioned above and it was one of the best trips of my life! In the right spot a jetboil can save YOUR bacon just like it did mine fuel or not.
Will I forget the fuel again? Who knows but at least if do forget I have a surefire way to get hot water and how many stoves can say that?