FOR SUMMER, ULTRA RACES, DAYS ICE CLIMBING AND TAILGATE COFFEE BEFORE DAWN, JETBOILS ARE GREAT. SAFE, CONVENIENT, EASY AND QUICK. THE LOCK-TOGETHER DESIGN IS A GREAT THING THAT REVOLUTIONIZED STOVES AND THE EXCHANGER IS SO EFFICIENT THERE’S LITTLE CHANCE OF BURNING YOURSELF OR THE MASS OF NYLON GEAR THAT GOES WITH CLIMBING, AND WHAT THEY WEIGH IS PRETTY FAVOURABLE RELATIVE TO THEIR FUNCTION, MAKING THEM GOOD CHOICES FOR ANYTHING FAST, LIGHT, AND ABOVE FREEZING.
FOR SERIOUS USE IN REMOTE PLACES THOUGH, THEY ARE PROBLEMS WAITING TO HAPPEN.
AFTER FISHING FOR FREE INFORMATION, DEALS ON TENTS AND QUESTIONS ABOUT K2, THE MOST COMMON ENQUIRY WE GET IS ABOUT STOVES, ALMOST ALWAYS STARTING WITH “WHAT DO YOU RECCOMEND AND WILL MY JETBOIL DO?”, SO HERE IS THE REPLY SO EVERYONE CAN SEE IT.
WE ACTUALLY DO RECCOMEND A JETBOIL – TO KEEP IN YOUR TENT AND WITH YOUR PERSONAL GEAR SO YOU MAKE QUICK COFFEE OR SOUP WHENEVER YOU FEEL LIKE IT WITHOUT HAVING TO GO TO THE MESS TENT. FOR QUICK USE THEY CAN’T BE BETTERED, AND THEY GIVE A DEGREE OF AUTONOMY IN WHAT CAN OTHERWISE BE AN EXERCISE IN ISOLATION, GROUP COMPRESSION AND ROUTINE, PLUS AS CONTINGENCY IT’S GOOD TO HAVE A DOZEN JETBOILS FLOATING AROUND INCASE ALL OTHER STOVES WE USE FAIL.
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WHERE JETBOILS FAIL THE EXPEDITION CRITERIA IS A SUBSTANTIAL LIST, BOTH WITH INHERENT PROBLEMS AND SIMPLY BY BEING EXCEEDED BY OTHER STOVES THAT DO WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE MORE EFFICIENTLY.
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THEY ARE WEAK
JETBOILS BREAK EASILY. THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE GAS CANISTER AND BURNERHEAD EASILY BREAKS, AND THE LOCKING JOINTS ARE EASILY DAMAGED SO IT DOESN’T FIT TOGETHER ANYMORE RENDERING IT DANGEROUS AND HARD TO USE. ON TOP OF THIS THE POTS ARE FLIMSY SO DON’T DO WELL DIGGING SNOW, AND CAN OVERHEAT WHEN MELTING SNOW AND BUCKLE THE FLUX RING.
THESE THINGS ARE ALL INHERENT TO THE DESIGN, WHERE THEY HAVE PRIORITIZED WEIGHT OVER ALL ELSE, AND NOTHING CAN BE DONE TO UPGRADE OR JURY RIG AROUND IT. EACH GENERATION HAS BEEN WORSE AS JETBOIL PLAYS THE GRAM GAME, GETTING FLIMSIER AS THEY ‘EVOLVE’.
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THEY DON’T ADAPT WELL
JETBOILS DON’T INTEGRATE WELL WITH ANY OTHER SYSTEM OR PRODUCTS, PARTLY BY DESIGN AS A MARKET TACTIC, BUT ALSO DUE TO HAVING UNIQUE CONSTRUCTIONS WHERE EVEN THE POTS DON’T WORK WELL ON OTHER STOVES. EVEN AMONG OTHER JETBOILS THINGS DON’T ALWAYS FIT.
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THEY ARE UNSTABLE
THE ‘ON TOP’ STYLE WHERE THE BURNER AND POT STACKS TOGETHER UPWARDS IS GOOD IN SOME PLACES, BUT NOT WITH LARGER POTS ON AN ICY LEDGE OR UNEVEN BIVY. COMPARED TO ‘REMOTE CANISTER’ STOVES, JETBOILS NEED CONSTANT ATTENTION WITH THEIR AWKWARD BALANCE, AND ARE LIMITED TO A CERTAIN POT DIMENSION WHICH IS THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT YOU WANT FOR MELTING SNOW.
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THEY LACK REAL OUTPUT
JETBOILS PUT OUT ABOUT 1400kcal PER HOUR WHICH IS NOT EVEN HALF OF OF WHAT THE LATEST CANISTER STOVES DO, LET ALONE SOME FUEL STOVES. FOR MAKING A CUP OF COFFEE WITH 300ml OF WATER THAT’S FINE, FOR REDUCING BLOCKS OF ICE TO DRINKING WATER AT 0300 FOR THE DAY THAT IS INFURIATING, DEPRESSING, AND INEFFICIENT. IT DOESN’T TAKE LONG TO REALIZE THAT ANY EXTRA GAS USED BY A BETTER STOVE IS EASILY MATCHED BY BETTER POTS, QUICKER TIMES AND MORE AMBIENT HEAT RELEASED TO MAKE THE CANISTER WORK BETTER.
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THEY ARE HARD TO MANAGE WITH THE COLD AND ALTITUDE
JETBOILS DON’T DO WELL WHEN THE PRESSURE DIFFERENTIAL SKEWS, AND THE COMMON TRICKS FOR BOOTING UP PERFORMANCE ARE INEFFICIENT OR IMPOSSIBLE TO FIX THAT. YES, THE CANISTER CAN BE LOWERED INTO THE WATER, BUT IT NEEDS DISCONNECTING FIRST, AND NONE OF THE METHODS THAT CAN BE USED BEFORE THAT OPTION ARE POSSIBLE.
IN THE END, EVEN WITH FULL REJUVENATION, YOU ARE STILL ONLY GETTING A PIDDLING 1400kcals/h, SO THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE THAT IS THE MAIN WAY TO BEAT THE PRESSURE DIFF WILL NEVER BE CLOSE TO WHAT SOMETHING LIKE THE ULTRA SPIDER WILL ACHEIVE.
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THEY BOIL OVER EASILY
JETBOILS NOTORIOUS PROBLEM. DUE TO THEIR EFFICIENCY THEY CONCENTRATE ALMOST HEAT GENERATED STRAIGHT INTO THE POTS CONTENTS, WHICH WITH A HIGHLY STACKED POT MAKES THEM VOLATILE ONCE BOIL IS REACHED. WITH A SMALL SURFACE AREA TO RELEASE HEAT FROM IT IS FORCED OUT OF WHAT’S AVAILBLE, SPILLING OVER RIGHT WHERE THE HANDLE AND KNOB IS. THIS IS A DESIGN FAILURE, COMPLETELY AVOIDED BY REMOTE STOVES, LEADING TO WET GLOVES, SCALDED HANDS, BILLOWING STEAM, AND MAYHEM. IT IS A DOWNRIGHT SAFETY ISSUE THAT SHOULD NOT BE ACCEPTED FOR ANY USE IN A SMALL TENT OR WHERE THE THING MUST BE HELD.
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THE POTS ARE MEDIOCRE
HALF OF YOUR STOVE IS THE POT, AND JETBOIL RATES POORLY HERE FOR THE RIGORS AND DEMANDS OF SERIOUS MOUNTAIN USE, BUT THE FACT IS SO DO MOST OTHER POTS, SO THEY ARE NOT ALONE.
THE FLUX RINGS ARE FRAGILE, THE NEOPRENE COSY DOES NOTHING, THE HANDLES ARE WEAK, AND THE THING METALS DON’T STAND UP TO BEING USED TO DIG, CHIP AND LADLE. ONCE DAMAGED THEY NO LONGER FIT THE REST OF THE STOVE, MAKING THEM A GLARING HOLE IN A PRIMARY CLIMBING IMPLEMENT THAT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE FOR CONTINGENCY.
GOOD POTS LAST YEARS AND HAPPILY WITHSTAND ABUSE, HAVING METALS THAT COPE AND HANDLES THAT DON’T FALL OFF. ANY EXTRA WEIGHT IS SIMPLY WITH DURABILITY TO REDUCE THE CHANCE OF BEING WATERLESS HIGH ON A ROUTE.
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ADD IT ALL UP AND THE JETBOIL COMES OUT AS UNSUITABLE FOR SERIOUS ASCENTS TO ALTITUDE, BUT THEN AGAIN SO DOES MOST GEAR UNTIL IT IS REWORKED AND STREAMLINED. SIMPLY DON’T EXPECT A JETBOIL TO STAND UP TO MUCH ABOVE 5000m AND HAVE A STOVE THAT DOES, AND KEEP THEM FOR AROUND LOWER CAMPS.
