Jetboil, is it really that much better?

[Lawnboi]

Iv got a pocket rocket right now, and with a 4oz pot it runs pretty light. But yesterday i had a couple hours to kill so i was poking around a local sporting goods store and noticed that according to the stats on the box, the Jetboil absolutly kills the pocket rocket as far as efficiency goes.
Is it really that much more efficient?

According to the boxes the jetboil was 2x what the Pocket rocket was with fuel economy.

That would save me more weight then the pocket rocket on fuel alone.

Also how do these run in colder temps? talking 10-20 degree range. My pocket rocket dosnt work for squat at these temps.

How about the wind, how well does the jetboil work in the wind?

I like how it all nests together, just trying to justify picking one up if i have the money to spare. If it works in the cold, then itl save me a lb plus over my dragonfly.

 

[Battle]

I have used the pocket rocket the last 5 years or so and my brother and hunting partners have jet boils. I would say they jet boils are at least twice as efficient; they really don't go through the fuel. Those efficiency gains will be even greater in the wind. I can't comment on the cold weather performance as I can't say I've seen either operated below 15°. I guess for my hunts I have never had to take more than one canister so I wouldn't see any weight savings there. Still, I might have to make the switch one of these days.

 

[Lawnboi]

Im a two meal a day kind of guy. The fuel efficiency would really be nice.

With my pocket rocket I usually take the bigger 8oz canister. Ill burn through almost all of that in a week.

If i could get away with the 100g jetboil canister and get the same amount of boils as the PR that would be great.

Not to mention the pocket rocket sucks gas when its windy unless you have a really good wind break.

 

[Foldem]

Last season was my first with a jetboil and I love it. I changed from a snopeak giga. In my opinion it is definitely worth the weight, it boils extremely fast and sips fuel. I have never had to use my second fuel canister, although I alway bring one just incase.

 

[Lawnboi]

Of you guys that are using them are you taking the 100g canister? Or the bigger one.

 

[Matt Cashell]

I have a pocket rocket and a jetboil sol ti. The Jetboil is much more fuel efficient. I take the little cannister with the jetboil.

 

[Kevin Root]

JetBoil for me works in wind fine for me and elevation and cold below freezing. I've heard keeping a fuel canister warm can help combustion when it gets difficult but I've not had that issue yet. I like my JetBoil TI.

I'm with you on the stove price Lawnboi. The Jetboils are a bit up there in price. MSR makes some awesome stoves. The MSR Pocket Rocket you have is a good stove and gets great reviews. At $40 the MSR Pocket Rocket is a good price. I've upgraded from two MSR Whisperlite stove versions in my time, and they still get Backpacker Editor choice awards in 2012. MSR has never failed me.

When I was up for a stove upgrade, the last one being 10 years ago, I looked at the fuel cost savings I'd have over time, stove weight and fuel weight savings. A 12 pack of 100 g fuel is hitting $54 of the isobutane propane blend now out my way. These gas prices both for my vehicle and now for stoves seem to be going through the roof. I typically hold on to a stove for 10 years on average so I'll probably save some money in gas over that time was my thought or perhaps was it just the added incentive to entice me to hit the buy button. I do also get some fuel weight savings on my trips into the backcountry burning more efficient now on the Jetboil though.

MSR pocket rocket, water boiled per 100 g fuel 6.6 liters
Jetboil, water boiled per 100 g fuel 10.0 liters
Depending on your menu depends on how much fuel you will burn. I've made a week on a small but that was a stretch.

Over the years I've upgraded a few stoves that I still have going back to the 70's and 80's when I had white gas stoves. I had propane in the 90's to 2000's to the isobutane propane blend of the Jetboil today. If I look at all the stoves I have upgraded over the years, I'm surely not saving a lot of money buying new stoves every ten years. Each time I've upgraded, either for ease of use or for weight for me it has been worth the money though.

If I can get another 10 years out of my Jetboil, I'll be on target for the next upgrade which seems to be my going trend in stove upgrades. Who knows, in 10 years some brilliant inventor will invent some kind of lightweight solar stove that's lighter than what I have today. It will have $0 in fuel cost, zero fuel weight and boil water faster than my Jetboil. If and when that day comes they will probably entice me to upgrade again. What can I say. I'm also a sucker for the technology innovation rages.

 

[T43]

I use the jetboil Sol it is very efficient and 1 fuel can is all I need for a 5 day pack trip.

 

[JG358]

Jetboil, is it really that much better?

In a word..... Yes

 

[AK Troutbum]

In a word..... Yes

What he said. Since I got my jet boil two years ago, my MSR has become obsolete.

 

[Chesapeake]

I had the original jetboil for years, and now I have the SOL Ti version.

1 of the little canisters is enough. The Snow peaks say they are 110 gram and the Jetboils say they are 100 gram. I often use the Snowpeak ones. They are cheaper and say they have more fuel. But I havent tested to see if they burn longer.

For us, 2 guys on a 5 day hunt, we take 1 stove and 2 fuel canisters. We most often dont need the second one, but take it just in case.

1 thing about the jetboils. They have plastic shrouding around the burner. This stuff can melt if you decide to try and use your stove to try and get a wood fire burning. Something to think about.....

They also have a pretty concentrated flame that doesnt do well at all for cooking stuff in pans and pots.

On the older version the igniter stuck up above the burner and would break easily. Replacement was cheap though. On the SOL they fixed that. The only issue I've had with wind, was getting them lit with the cup off. With cup on they light fine in the wind. Never operated below 15 or so. I just warm the canister in my hands a bit if it seems anemic.

I guess the only issue with the SOL Ti is spoon storage. On the original you could just slide the spoon up under the neoprene. The SOL Ti is a bit short for that, and none of the folding spoons fit well inside. Minor stuff.........I still havent settled on.

 

[GRAYLIGHT]

I'm another fan of the jetboil... They came out with a smaller canister it's a 0.8 litre companion cup that I use on all of my hunts, it is smaller and shorter/lighter made of titanium and VERY efficient... We used it to make oatmeal last year one morning at 8 degrees at 7400 ft. cold did not effect it at all. Also used it on the last 4 pack trips above timber for 7 to 11 days on one cannister... It is light, compact and comes as a system versus the other platforms which require you to set up windbreaks and worrying about it falling over... NO THANKS! Jet boil for me all the way...

 

[DEW]

Can you store the canister and burner inside of the sol. Thanks DEW

 

[Matt Cashell]

Can you store the canister and burner inside of the sol. Thanks DEW

Yes but unfortunately you do have to unscrew the stove from the canister to get them to fit.

 

[Mike7]

I'm still waiting for MSR to come out with a MSR Reactor stove/pot combo that is titanium and a little smaller than their current version. That would be the best of all worlds I think for me (i.e. better/regulated stove with an approx 1 Liter lightweight titanium pot)?

I'm currently using the Pocket Rocket with a 1.2 L Snow Peak Ti pot and foil lid. With the very lightweight larger pot, it is easier to melt snow and easier to cook meals for more than one person than with the smaller/heavier Jetboils I think...although more inefficient from a fuel standpoint ov course. I'm still able to boil water for meals for two people for about a week though (as long as not melting snow) with the larger 8 oz fuel canister, which doesn't weigh much more overall than the smaller 4 oz fuel canister.

 

[Matt Cashell]

The Jetboil Sol/Sol Ti has a regulator, and the sol Ti is like 9 ounces with the fuel.

 

[littlebrotherC]

One thing people always seem to overlook when comparing the Jetboil is the fact that it comes with a pot and you don't need a tool to lift the pot. This contributes to the weight argument, but more importantly it makes more sense cost wise not buying an addition pot set. I grew up with the wisper lite and I always seemed to light everything on fire with it. I love how idiot proof the Jetboil is. I'm not sure what that says about me since I'm the one using it.

 

[Mike7]

Thanks a lot Bitterroot, now I'm going to have to be tortured with wanting the Jetboil Sol Ti.

Perhaps the two stoves are closer in performance now, but 1-2 yrs ago I talked to a few of our local climbers in the climbing club and they all seemed to be significantly more impressed with the boiling ability and trustworthiness of the MSR Reactor with its regulator over the Jetboil with increasing altitude and wind. Maybe not a big deal for me though as I won't be mountain climbing much, and the hunting around here is all pretty much below 8,000 ft.

 

[Aron Snyder]

The 2011-2012 Jetboil has been re designed and is much better than the older version. I was very open about my disliking of the older model, but JB listened to everyone I guess and I doubt I'll be changing for a while.

I did swap out my SOL TI with the standard SOL because the TI version does not do well if you cook in it (everything sticks to titanium).

The SOL is cheaper too, but slightly heavier.

 

[Lawnboi]

Wow, from the looks of it, your missing out if you dont have a jetboil. Ill have to pick one up if i can.

Now TI sol or the regular one.