Gear Review

Jetboil PCS Stove

1. efficiency!
2. speed
3. wind-resistant
4. 15 ounces

Rarely does gear prove to be such a complete home run as Jetboil's Personal Cooking System (PCS) canister stove.

The only conceivable knock on the Jetboil is its potentially-alarming 15-ounce weight, which may look a bit startling if you're used to the 2.5 ounce posted weights of stoves like Snow Peak's GigaPower or my Coleman F1. That weight discrepancy is a bit misleading, however.

Unlike your standard canister stove, which is really just a burner head, the Jetboil PCS gives you everything you need to cook and eat your meal (except a spork).

The Jetboil includes an integrated cook pot with lid which doubles as an insulated mug, as well as a measuring cup.

Factor in the weight of a cook pot and mug, and the Jetboil suddenly compares quite nicely to an ultralight stove.

The big difference, however, is performance. I don't know that I can adequately convey how fast and how efficiently the Jetboil PCS boils water.

Put a cup of water in the pot, hit the auto-igniter button, and get ready: you've won't have long to wait until you've got boiling water.

Cooking in-the-field at dinner time, my hiking partner was repeatedly amazed how much faster my Jetboil delivered boiling water than his stove. Heck, I was amazed as well.

Speed in this case translates directly into fuel efficiency. Jetboil says the PCS stove will boil twelve liters of water on one Jetboil microcanister. My experience absolutely bore this claim out—I used less than one 100 gram fuel can (the small size) on my five day Pacific Crest Trail hike. That included cooking breakfast and dinner, plus a lot of tea.

Speaking of tea and hot drinks, the Jetboil's snap-off mug really shines. First of all, it saves you the bother of bringing along a separate, heavy mug. Because it is insulated, it keeps your drink warm and your hands from getting burned (just be sure to snap on the measuring cup/end cap to cover the heat sink fins). The size and including webbing handle fit comfortably in-hand.

The Jetboil's sheltered design mitigates the usual annoyances when it comes to cooking outdoors with a canister stove. A little breeze won't bother the stove at all, and even a modestly sheltered area is all you need to cook in windy conditions—if that. Once again, this translates directly into improved fuel efficiency.

So, add in the cost and weight of extra fuel cans when totaling up the Jetboil's ounces. If you partner up and share a stove, the Jetboil is a no-brainer compared to a traditional canister stove. Weight-wise, you'll only enjoy an advantage with compact canister stoves on very short trips in good weather. For anything else, I suspect you'll come out ahead with the Jetboil.

As for cooking performance, the Jetboil PCS is best suited to boiling water and perhaps cooking a little pasta in its basic version, compared to cooking complex meals (a fry-pan adapter is now available — you'll have to explore that option on your own). Simmer performance is adequate. The stove's primary business is boiling water, which is does with a vengeance.

I've heard that the Jetboil's performance in cold, wintry weather is good. While I did cook with the PCS at freezing temperatures on a few mornings (the stove performed flawlessly), I haven't put it through a full winter workout, including snow-melt duties.

Based on the Jetboil's performance thus far, I'm confident the stove will be a good winter choice (though perhaps not as robust as MSR's new Reactor stove). A clear lid would be a nice option for melting snow.

When you're done, the Jetboil plus one can of fuel folds up into itself, creating a tidy package about the size of a 1-liter water bottle. This fits nicely in your backpack, unlike the usual assortment of cookware. Like most people, I'd heard stories about the fantastic performance of the Jetboil system, but I wasn't moved to try one myself until I saw it in action (my guide brought one along on our North Palisade climb). I'm sorry I waited so long. This is one fantastic little stove.

*note: certain models of the Jetboil stove sold after July 10, 2008 are subject to a recall due to a potentially faulty valve. As of Jan 09, retailers should not be selling any of the old stoves, but beware deep discount shops who may be unloading the old stoves. For more info on the recall, see Jetboil.com

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