JetBoil Flash

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caseyc

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<div>I recently bought this JetBoil Flash cooking system at REI Sports. &nbsp;This clever and compact design can boil water in 3 to 4 minutes. &nbsp;Amazing! &nbsp;Even got the pot accessory to make soup. &nbsp;Also got the coffee press accessory too. &nbsp;REI had this on sale for $75 a couple weeks ago.</div><div><br></div><div>Here's a link below. &nbsp;By the way, I don't work for REI sports, haha!</div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.rei.com/product/791308/jetboil-flash-cooking-system" target="_blank">http://www.rei.com/product/791308/jetboil-flash-cooking-system</a> </div><div><br></div><div>-Casey</div><div><br></div>
 
I've got one of these too. I've had mine for over a year now and it's excellent alone or as an additional kitchen appliance. It really would've come in handy when I was homeless a few years back.<div><br></div>
 
Yep.&nbsp; I got on about four years ago and love it.&nbsp; Got it for backpacking and kayak camping but it comes in handy in many other applications, as well.&nbsp; <br><br>Do you know how long the little fuel canisters are good for?&nbsp; I've got some I've had for several years and wonder if they're they are still reliable.<br><br>
 
I read that they recommend you recycle them. The thing that kind of irks me is the Jetboil people charge $6 for a recycling tool. It empties the canister and then punctures a hole in it to make it safe for recycling.<div><div><div><br></div></div></div>
 
Steve, do you mean recycle them cause the fuel is no longer good? Do they have a shelf life? Or am I missing her whole question?<div><br></div><div>I have resisted the jetfoil because i need to keep my copper canoe pot which doubles as my 18th century gear, and because of the lack of places to get the fuel. Too hard to find the little isobutane canniest era except in specialty stores. What do you guys do?</div><div><br></div><div><br></div>
 
I'm talking about the spent fuel canisters and recycling tools.<div><br></div><div>The friend who turned me onto them has had hers since they first hit the market. She told me the cans have a pretty good shelf life given that she uses hers only a couple of times a year. They sell two size fuel cans, but the larger one is always the more economical way to go. Small 3.5 ounces, Large 6.5 ounces.&nbsp;<br><br>When I got mine I wanted to see how long they lasted and gave it a test. I went thru a small can in about a month making tea every morning. In this test I had inadvertently wasted a lot of fuel because I was lighting it with a match before I realized there was a built in ignition button on the side. Boy did I feel stupid when I realized it&nbsp;<img border="0" align="absmiddle" src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/rolleyes.gif"><br><br>Basspro, Cabelas, REI, &amp; a lot of other camping stores carry them. My plan is to carry 3 cans at all times. I figure I'll make it into a store that carries them at least once every few months to replenish.</div><div><br></div>
 
What I meant was shelf life.&nbsp; How long are the filled canisters good for? <br>
 
Be very very careful in the way you use these, they are unstable and should never be used inside... one can see that the height is higher than the base, add a cooking pot of soup and you now can see where the danger comes in... these are used by backpackers and do a great job, but the stove is on the ground and they usually counter weight the base with rocks etc.<br><br>I suggest that when/if you are determined to use the stove in the van that you some how mount the base to a surface some how... just think if boiling soup and the stove became unstable towards you, you are basically static with now means of getting out of the way of the tumbling pot of boiling soup coming at you... ouch<br>
 
mockturtle said:
What I meant was shelf life.&nbsp; How long are the filled canisters good for?
<div><br></div><div>No more than 3 years according to what I've found on the internet, but this is strictly for the jetboil brand fuel canisters. &nbsp;I'll contact the mfg on Monday and find out for sure.</div><div><br></div><div>Edited to add this: I'm sorry, there are actually three sizes. Small 3.53 oz, Medium 8.11 oz, and Large 22.7 oz.</div><div><br></div>
 
The JetBoil is a truly outstanding system for backpackers, but I agree with SoulRaven that they are a poor choice if you are going to cook in a van. To my mind propane stoves beat it in every way. <br><ul><li>Propane is cheaply and easily available everywhere, much more so than butane.</li><li>Connect your propane appliance to a bulk bottle and it is extremely cheap to operate. You can cook a meal a day for less than $1 a month</li><li>Propane works great to minus 30 below zero and above 10,000 feet in my direct experience.&nbsp; Butane works poorly below freezing.</li><li>The form factor of a Coleman 1 or 2 burner stoves is very safe and stable.</li></ul><br>To be fair I know people who love their butane stoves, the kind that is flat and has a bottle that goes inside the stove. They are very compact and easy to carry. The bottles are fairly expensive and can be hard to find, although you can buy them from amazon.com in a 12 pack for a good price. &nbsp; Stove here:<br>http://www.amazon.com/Deluxe-Butane...=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1339351472&amp;sr=8-3<br>12 pack bottle here:<br>http://www.amazon.com/Butane-GasOne-Canisters-Portable-Camping/dp/B001D7FYCI/ref=pd_sim_sg_4<br><br>
 
By the way, for adding stability to the device while cooking, my JetBoil has an orange color tripod type legs that spread out which is connected under the round propane can. &nbsp;The "tripod" leg can accommodate 2 different size propane cans, either the small can or larger size. &nbsp;The one cool thing about using the small(est) size propane can is that it fits right inside the JetBoil unit, along with the stove part too, so cool! &nbsp;I now have a portable backpack that contains my JetBoil Flash unit, along with the optional JetBoil pot, plus holds a few propane cans. &nbsp;I will use this for cooking while backpacking. &nbsp;For one of the propane cans, it cost extra few dollars for a small device that is designed to release the gas if you want to safely dispose of it. &nbsp;The REI Sports rep person told me that the store will accept the empty propane cans for recycling. &nbsp;By the way, the 3 strips along the JetBoil unit really does change colors to easily let you know the water is at a full boil, plus you can see the steam coming out of the top lid too. &nbsp;Here's a tip for those using the JetBoil pot for cooking stew/soups. &nbsp;I found it's better to cook soup/stew at a lower heat in order to make it more evenly cooked. &nbsp;Otherwise, if cooking at high flame, you will quickly see bubbles boiling up from the soup/stew, but if you try to eat it, parts of the soup/stew will be undercooked and cold. &nbsp;Hopefully this makes sense what I just described. &nbsp;Just to be on the safe side, I bought black heavy plastic containers that hold my propane cans for my JetBoil unit, and for a combination Coleman stove/grill. &nbsp;The inside of my van can get over 100 degrees on sunny days, so I'm a little worried that high interior heat might cause the propane cans to explode. &nbsp;I don't know if this is a possibility, anyone know? &nbsp;I'd rather play it safe. &nbsp;Also, the same REI Sports rep who owns a VW Vanagon told me he regularly uses his JetBoil inside his van, he simply opens some windows and has had no problems. &nbsp;According to this REI guy, he says because the JetBoil can boil water in literally a few minutes, there is minimal chance of carbon monoxide poisoning, just as long as you only cook for a brief time with some windows open. &nbsp;I tend to believe the rep, as I can attest the JetBoil really can boil water in literally 3 to 4 minutes flat. &nbsp;Pretty amazing actually.<div><br><div><br></div><div>Cheers, Casey</div><div><br><div><br></div></div></div>
 
<p style="margin: 0px;">Definately need safety precautions with stoves like Jetboils.&nbsp; A transient living in a tent this winter just outside Soldotna park was found burned to death in the ashes of his tent.&nbsp; Sad...</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">Rae</p>
 
Precautions need to be taken with anything that uses an open flame, and never cavalierly disregard safety under any circumstances.&nbsp;<div><br></div><div>Was the transient killed from using a jetboil stove? Or something like it. I searched for a news story but wasn't able to find one.</div><div><br></div>
 
<p>Not sure what he was using for heat but it was very cold the day they found him.&nbsp;Anything with an open flame&nbsp;in a compact tent is always a risk.&nbsp;Might have been winter before last.&nbsp; Seems like it was this past winter though.&nbsp; Its not uncommon&nbsp;for winter campers to heat their tents while&nbsp;boiling water&nbsp;for their morning coffee before getting out of their sleeping bags.&nbsp;&nbsp; The article&nbsp;should be in the "Clarion".&nbsp; </p>
 

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