Why I still Use a Jetboil After 2000 Miles (video included!)
I have two other backpacking stoves, yet I continue to grab my Jetboil Flash time and time again. It’s reliable, efficient, and just works. Sure it’s not the lightest or most compact, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worthy of getting packed up. It’s time I tell you why I still choose to use my Jetboil after all this time.
CONTENTS
My Jetboil Flash Use Case
Because we all have different backpacking styles, let me just quickly touch on the kind of backpacking I do. I'm a backpack hunter, I've thru-hiked the PCT, and I do regular old weekend trips throughout the summer. I'd say the majority of my backpacking is done during the summer, but since I also hunt, that brings me down into October and November. Outside of my time thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, I spend most of my time backpacking around the Pacific Northwest. I don't consider myself to be "ultralight" but I am very aware of my pack weight and do my best to have the lightest pack I can for what I'm doing at the time.
Why I still use my jetboil flash after 2000 miles
Why I Have the Jetboil Flash
First things first, I didn't buy this stove. It was given to me prior to me hiking the PCT in 2017. My primary stove leading up to that hike was my MSR Reactor, which I loved and had zero issues with that I can recall. Believe it or not, I had a bad attitude toward Jetboil for a long time for a couple of reasons.
First, they seem like a brand that was making products for the outdoors but not really super dedicated to it. They just don't seem very personal so it rubbed me the wrong way and still does a little to this day.
Secondly, the design of the Jetboil is such that you're not supposed to melt snow in them. It's a whole thing that I don't fully understand, but apparently, you can damage the coils under the pot by melting snow. That to me is odd but I’ve also heard that in later versions of the stove this is no longer an issue, but it most certainly WAS an issue a few years back to the point where they wouldn’t replace your broken stove if you broke it while boiling snow. This also gave me a bad attitude toward Jetboil, but I've since gotten over it.
There was also some weird rumor about Jetboil being "anti-hunting" which has never been proven, but for some reason, I believed it. So yeah, I had a bad attitude toward Jetboil early on having never even used one, which is ridiculous looking back on it.
So, fast forward a few years and I'm given this Jetboil Flash for the PCT and end up falling in love with it. It never failed me, never gave me trouble, and after over 2000 miles, it's still going strong like it always has. I’m to the point now where I’ve realized it's just a solid product. I apparently bonded to it over my time on the trail, and now when I go to use a different stove, I find myself missing my Flash.
How I’ve Used the Jetboil Flash
I’ve hiked over 2000 miles of the PCT with this stove and I continue to use it to this day on all my trips. But why? Why not revert back to my other stoves? Why not try something new? Why not go lighter?
Well, here's why...because the design of the Jetboil is really awesome.
It has an insulated sleeve so that when it's hot, you're not burning your hands.
It has a badass feature of telling you when it's about to boil.
It's fairly compact.
Efficient with fuel - I think I only swapped out my small canister maybe every month and a half on the PCT and I was boiling every night and sometimes having coffee in the morning.
It has a built-in lighter which is amazing.
It's an “integrated system” which makes it stable because it clicks together to become one unit. This is probably the ONE thing that makes me take this stove out each time I go. The base/burner and the pot click together to form one unit when you're boiling water which means you're not risking it tipping over or falling off the burner. It ALSO means that if you need to move the stove while you're boiling water, you can do so with no problem at all. It never fails that I find myself moving it around to either get it out of the way of something or just to find a flatter space to set it. The insulated sleeve allows you to pick it up without burning yourself and because it's one unit, everything stays together while you move it. The flame keeps going and you don't have to worry about fumbling with it.
For all the reasons I just listed out, that's why I continue to use the Jetboil flash over and over again and why I'll probably replace it if or when mine ever dies. But since no product is perfect, let's chat about the stuff I'm not a fan of
Jetboil Flash Dislikes
I think if there's a downside to this stove is that there is an open flame that can be exposed to wind. This version seems fairly protected and there are things you can do to mitigate wind impacting the efficiency of the flame such as bring a windscreen or just put it behind something. I suppose there could be situations where this "exposed" flame could be an issue, but honestly, I think they're pretty rare.
Maybe you're hunting and you're on the top of a ridge heating up water while you're getting battered by the wind or maybe you decided to take a break from hiking to make some coffee and it's super windy out. In both scenarios, it COULD be an issue, but I think you'd be able to problem solve pretty easily by tucking behind a ridge or taking a break in a more protected area. Either way, it's not like your stove won't work at all. It would have to be blowing pretty hard for that and I'd argue if that's what you're up against, you have bigger issues to worry about...like finding shelter.
For 99.9999% of backpacking, it won't be an issue.
Another downside could be how it performs at altitude or in extreme cold. The ONLY time I ever had my stove take longer to boil was when I was around 10k on the PCT. I've operated the stove in freezing temps with no issue, but the altitude will make for some slow boils. If you're always backpacking at altitude, I'd say you'd want to consider liquid fuel, but that's for a different video. Again, for the majority of backpacking gas works just fine and so will the Jetboil.
And finally, the no melting of snow thing. I thought this would be a deal-breaker for me, but it's not. If I need to rely on melting snow for water then I'll just use my MSR Reactor because it's good at that. But again, for 99.999% of backpacking, I don't "need" to melt snow if I know where to get water from.
Final Thoughts - Would I Buy a Jetboil Flash?
After all my thousands of miles using this stove, would I buy one for myself if this one were to die on me? Yes, 100% yes because it just works.
It's not the lightest or the most compact, but I personally care more about performance and efficiency than having the lightest of the light. The less I have to think about when I'm backpacking, the better. I can set it and forget it until it's ready without worrying about how to grab it, if it'll fall, or whatever else. I'll cut weight somewhere else in my pack if I feel I need to make up for it. A few ounces isn't going to break the bank and if it means I have a reliable, sturdy, and easy-to-use stove then I'll carry it.
If I ever do some big thru-hike again and I'm feeling frisky, then maybe I'll try going with a tiny burner and pot, but I just think they're more hassle and I'd rather not have to dance with that when I'm tired at the end of the day.
Emory, By Land
Questions?
If you have any questions at all about the Jetboil Flash, don’t hesitate to reach out! You can email me at emory@byland.co.
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