Jet Boil

The Jet Boil is an essential tool to any backcountry experience. It is highly useful when it comes to car camping and spending a few nights out in the woods. 

It excels at keeping all of your camp stove elements together. The Flash, which is Jet Boil's 1 liter vessel, will hold the click-start ignitor, tripod stability base, adapter for skillet-cooking and a 4 oz. fuel canister. There is a plastic measuring cup connected to the bottom of the unit that becomes very useful. It also comes with a lid that is compatible with a french press and the insulating koozie with handle is nice to use when the water is freshly boiled and the container is hot. The vessel also locks into the burner. This safety feature prevents any accidental spills and the tripod base provides extra stability.

skillet adapter

The company claims that their patented FluxRing™ technology yields fuel efficiencies of over 80% compared to 30%-40% of other cooking stoves. It's a big claim to make, however, when I was at Black Rock Mountain State Park outside Clayton, Georgia at an elevation of 3,000ft I was able to boil 8 oz of water in one minute twelve seconds. Here in Asheville, North Carolina at 2,300ft elevation I did an experiment and boiled a full liter of water, 33.8 fluid oz, in four minutes five seconds. It seems the amount of time it takes to the volume of water boiled is proportional to the claims on their website. 

My main use for the Jet Boil in the back country is when I need to rehydrate freeze dried food and for making coffee in the morning. It can withstand wind up to a certain limit but I have yet had any problems. Its lightweight (14 oz.), compact and an all-in-one system that can add convenience to those wandering through the wild. 

For those wanting to take their expeditions to extreme altitudes where pressure difference and wind can effect cook time and efficiency I would recommend the MSR Reactor stove. From my research this innovative piece of equipment can handle any environmental condition with great efficiency but may be more that what you need and a little expensive for the average weekend backpacker/car camper.