Finally grabbing a jetboil.

[NaturalHiker]

gonna trade in my pocketrocket for a jetboil, always liked the all in 1 jetboil system.

looking at the Jetboil Flash, Jetboil Sol, and Jetboil Zip, here are my thoughts on each.

*The Jetboil flash seem's a bit bulky for what i need, a 1L cup is just a little bit rediculous, and it weighs 15.25oz's compared to the lighter Sol and Zip models.

*I like the Sol but just been reading about how crappy the Sol cup and sleeve are, but i like the fact you can regulate the fuel output, compared to the Flash and Zip.

*The Zip supposedly has the original handle and sleeve that the Flash uses and its lightweight, but you cant regulate the heat output as with the Sol.

What are your guy's experiences with these stoves?
Is the heat regulator really all that important?
Im mostly just going to be boiling water, not cooking in the cup.

[NaturalHiker]

... sorta leaning towards the Zip.

[yellowsirocco]

So 1L is ridiculous, but 0.8L is good? LOL.

[NaturalHiker]

It does stand taller than i'd need it to.

[Cro-Mag]

I own the Sol and really like it. The sleeve is a little thin, but its not untouchable once the water has heated up (I usually don't take it all the way to a boil though).
I mainly use the FBC method, but I have cooked food in the cup. You just need to keep stirring, or whatever you're making will burn really fast.

[Karma13]

I have the Flash and the Sol Ti, and I love them both -- but I love the Sol Ti more! . I wouldn't take the Flash on a backpacking trip. Too heavy. (I can regulate the heat on both, though. Or is it just getting louder when I turn it up?)

As far as the handle issue on the Sol Ti goes, it's only a strip of cloth for both models, and both do the job just fine. The Sol Ti uses a lighter weight material to save some grams. But I can also just grip the pot. It's not a deal-breaker at all. In other words... I wouldn't base the choice on that.

The one thing I miss on the Sol Ti is the orange strips that tell you when the water's boiling. But the steam coming out the top is a fair indicator.

[G.G.]

Gotta Sol. Love it. No real issue with the sleeve or cup.

[liberty lover]

I agree 100% with G.G.I have a Sol and totally love it.Everything you need,including the fuel canister,fits neatly inside it.It also comes with that neat attachment that you can put a small pot on.I also like the ounce lines on the inside of the cup,but their probably on all the jetboil types.Happy trails,NaturalHiker.

[Blissful]

Well I would never trade my pocket rocket but that's me

[UofWHusky]

Instead of replacing your stove, just get a different pot and use your current stove. The Olicamp XTS pot has a finned heat exchanger similar to the Jet Boil system and works on any stove. The pot has a 1 liter capacity and holds an 8 oz fuel canister and stove inside the pot.

[canoe]

I have the sumo. A bit large but its for me and my wife. Will probably get a small system. This is the first stove I ever owned. I like it very much. Its a nice system.

[zac39452]

I love my zip. The only thing I wish it had was a push ignition so I didn't have to worry about having a lighter ( I use it all the time, I always have a lighter and matches on backpacking trips haha )

[colorado_rob]

I have the Flash and the Sol Ti, and I love them both -- but I love the Sol Ti more! . I wouldn't take the Flash on a backpacking trip. Too heavy. (I can regulate the heat on both, though. Or is it just getting louder when I turn it up?)

As far as the handle issue on the Sol Ti goes, it's only a strip of cloth for both models, and both do the job just fine. The Sol Ti uses a lighter weight material to save some grams. But I can also just grip the pot. It's not a deal-breaker at all. In other words... I wouldn't base the choice on that.

Yep, +1 on all of these points. The SOL Ti works perfectly, no worries about the thin sleeve, and the weight savings is worth it. Lose the little base cup and canister stabilizer, (2.1 oz, don't really need those). Incredibly efficient stove. My wife and I get by with one small canister (4 oz fuel, 7 oz total), 4-5 boils a day (total for the two of us), for 4-5 days. Solo, good for 7-8 days at 2-3 boils a day.

[Statue]

I have the sol and love it, the other models are to bulky for my needs. If I was cooking for more then one person on a consistent basis I might reconsider. Here is a cool video that compares the fuel efficiency of the jetboil sol and the msr reactor in cold weather.

[dornstar]

I have the Sol Ti and I absolutely love it. Such a great purchase. Light, fast and no fuss.

[Starchild]

IMHO you will have no regrets with the Sol Ti - that is until they come up with a revised lighter one. Yes the sleeve is thin, and really the handle is almost useless but the Sol Ti certainly is totally functional. There is a Sol (Al) model as well which is slightly heaver then the Sol Ti model, about half of that weight difference is the Sol (Al) uses a thicker more sturdy sleeve. You may be able to use the Al sleeve bought separately on the Ti pot, though I'm not sure. That would not be anything I would consider the Ti sleeve is enough and I welcome the weight savings.

I would also go for autoignition as part of the benefit of a jetboil is convenience, it also saves me weight of a stove lighter and I can and do consider the jetboil as one source of fire in a emergency.

As for the regulator, I would only consider the Sol models for a single hiker, so those models only come with the advanced regulator, so for me it's a non-issus. But yes I think you should get the advanced one as cold temps are the achilles heal of a canister stove so you would want to mitigate that as much as possible.

All models can be adjusted for output, the advanced regulator just works better and more consistently at low fuel pressure and temps (when the canisters run low).

Peace

[G-FOURce]

i have a flash and i am happy with it. i'm still on the fence about backpacking with it (i use it for coffee and hot chocolate on car camping trips), but overall its a great system.

[ATMountainTime]

Have a Sol myself, it's WONDERFUL, but dont attempt coffee in it, it will over flow and make a terrible mess.

[NaturalHiker]

Grabbed the Sol. Thanks guys.