Customer Reviews

Jetboil Personal Cooking System (Black)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have had this little stove for eight months, and I love it.
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The first thing to realize is that this uses butane/propane cylinders. The nature of this fuel is that it might not work at very high altitudes (sorry, Everest climbers) and also might not work well when it is below freezing. If this is your situation, go directly to a "white gas" stove. I have used this thing at 8,000 feet and 50 degrees F, and it worked fine.
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As an engineer, I appreciate a clever design, and this stove has impressed me. The fuel and the stove itself can be stored in the cook pot, which saves space. If you get the java kit, that fits in there as well, along with the pot support fuel stand (more on those later).
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This thing is meant to do one job, and to do it well: boil water. This means that it is great for things like cous-cous, coffee, soup, tea, hot dogs, oatmeal, etc. I thought that using one of the larger fuel cylinders would save money. The advantage of the larger fuel cylinder is that they are more economical (buy in bulk and save). However, the JetBoil positively sips fuel. My one large cylinder has been on a few campling trips, and several picnics. It has cooked soup, cous-cous, and probably a gallon of coffee and hot chocolate, and there is still some fuel left. Since the large cylinders do not fit in the cook pot, you have to carry them separately. This thing uses so little fuel that I am just going to stick with the smaller fuel cylinders, just to make it easier to carry.
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You have a couple of other options with this stove. First, you can get the "pot support kit" which consists of a ring which goes on the top of the stove that makes it look more like a traditional backpacking stove, so that you can use a small frying pan or any other small pot that you want to use. The other part is a clamp-on support that goes under the fuel cylinder (it fits both large and small cylinders). Note that both of these can also be stored in the cook pot itself. Once you have the pot support kit, you can also get the "group cooking system" pot, and then you will have the option to cook for more people. The java kit will also turn your small JetBoil into a french press, and all parts can store in the cook pot itself.
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In short, if this fits your type of cooking, this is an awesome little product.

Bought this for backcountry camping where fires were prohibited and it has been a jewel. It packs small and does a lot. It's also a big hit with other campers. Boiling water for dehydrated meals, coffee, hot chocolate, etc has all gone well. Cooking mac and cheese (i.e., boiling pasta) required some finesse with setting the flame height to avoid a frothing boil over, but practice should help (the sippy-cup lid makes a fair strainer for pasta). I also bought the base stabilizer kit and adapter for cooking with a pot so I could use my little coffee percolator, fry pan, etc. All the Jetboil parts fit very neatly inside the cup and the lid fits tight. The small compact and solid/rugged shape makes it very easy to pack. The Jetboil PCS worked great even while the wind was blowing down some of the other tents, but I'm going to buy the coffee press to save the space and optimize fuel use. I'd also recommend buying a second cooking cup since I find myself wanting to drink my large cup of coffee while making the rest of breakfast. A second cup would also make nice storage for coffee, sugar, etc. Definitely recommended.

This product works very well.It boils water fast and I like the cup that attches to the bottom when I make instant oatmeal.The cup is a little tough to get off of the bottom but at least it doesn't fall off.It worked good the first 2 times I used it but on the 3rd time the igniter was shorting out against the frame and would not light the flame.I had to use a lighter for the rest of the trip to get it lit.I was able to exchange it at a store that sells them and as of yet have not had any problems with the new one.I would recomend this product for ccompactability,size and ease of use.It is a well designed product.I would use a bigger diameter peice of silicone tubing to insulate the igniter.

Out did all conventional backpacking stoves. Amazing, this is all I needed. Jetboil was all in one. Other hikers carried a lot of extra equipment for the same effect. They had fuel,stoves,cups,bowls and pot to boil in. I did fine with just my jetboil.Would reccommend to anyone. My sons are switching over. I found Amazon's price was $32.00 cheaper than REI.

Boiling 2 cups of water done in 4 minutes and found it extremely efficient in comparison to old tech PocketRocket MSR. MSR fuel works with Jetboil when I don't have JetBoil fuel canisters. On first boil, stove removed easily. On 2nd boil, metal expanded from heat and it was difficult to remove cup from stove. So unless it's necessary to avoid accidental tipover, I don't think I'll lock the cup in place. I want to be able to remove the cup easily and it's not a good idea to be pouring liquid with the stove attached to the cup.
On opening unit, bottom of cup has halo. It's not the imprint of a fuel can or the 4 legs of the stove. However, it won't scrub out. It's been useful to use dehydrated food (Mountain House) and pack less for camping.

My son, a boy scout is just getting into the backpacking events. I wanted to get him a stove that was convient to use and one that I wouldn't worry so much about him spilling fuel or burning himself with. The Jetboil works very easily. The fuel comes in containers that you just screw into the bottom of the stove, no measuring or priming. It lights with the push of a button. I've also tried the coffee accessory that lets you make french press coffee. It too works very easily and fast. For food we've only tried a few of the instant type that we found in the grocery store and found them to be fast to make and actually quite good. I've since bought my own Jetboil pcs and I pack it with me when I'm kayaking. Taking a break from paddling and stopping to have a cup of hot cocoa is wonderful vs stopping and opening a container that's cooled down and drinking luke warm cocoa. I can see us using this stove while backpacking, kayaking, and biking. Oh, it also all packs up into the main cup. In my kayak, I do put the whole thing into a waterproof bag and stuff it down into a hatch. I havn't tried anything but food that requires boiling water so I don't know (yet) how this stove will do for foods like fried eggs in a frying pan??? But for freezedried or dehydrated or instant foods, this stove works fantasticly.

I use the jetboil while I'm fishing. It works great to cook up a hot meal while I'm down by the river. I also use it to cook up some lunch for the kids when they're with me. I splurged a bit and bought the coffee press, it works very well and very fast but does take some getting used to. If you buy one make sure you pay attention to when it starts boiling, it will boil over if left unattended.

Perfect accessory for motorcycle camping! Packs small, ultra efficient, rock solid. I can only recommend it. In fact I bought 2! It impressed a lot of bikers along my last trip.

I love my Jetboil. I love it so much that I sometimes use it in the house, or at work, to boil water for a quick cup of coffee or a packet of noodles. I think it would be helpful if some observations were listed for folks considering a Jetboil purchase, to clarify what the PCS is, rather than criticizing it for all the things it isn't.

1. The Jetboil PCS is extremely good for boiling up to 16 oz. of water quickly and efficiently.

2. The Jetboil PCS is a smallish, fairly lightweight unit that stows itself neatly within its own mug.

3. The igniter is rather fragile, and often breaks when the stove is mishandled.

There you go. Jetboil PCS boiled (ha!) down to its essence.

I'll elaborate, if you care to read further.


Perhaps it should be called the Personal Boiling System. Note that the product is called a JetBoil, and not a JetSaute or a JetSimmer. While the PCS is super-awesome for boiling up to a pint of water very rapidly and with minimal fuel consumption, it is rather less good for simmering stews and sauces, and it just plain sucks for baking. Seriously, the big cup with the neoprene wrapper is for boiling water, not for cooking, per se. If you try to cook actual food in a jetboil mug, you will probably be disappointed. You will likely wind up with a partially scorched, partially cold meal. Jetboil sells frying pans and stewpots that claim to be useful for actual cooking; I have no experience with these, and no opinion. If your culinary needs in the field involve the boiling of water (with which you would then reconstitute dehydrated food or beverages), then the Jetboil PCS would be a good choice. Cleanup is very easy if you've only had water in the mug, less so if you've introduced food. I reconstitute my food either in pouches or an external mug rather than try to scrub out the Jetboil mug.

When stowed, the PCS is a chunky little bugger, all squat and self-contained and whatnot. Assembled, (deployed?) it is pretty tall, with a narrow base. Add about a pound of water roughly halfway up, and things can get downright topheavy. The PCS works very well on flat level surfaces, and is not so stable on rough, uneven ones. Common sense would suggest that the flattest, most level surface available in a given location would be the best spot to operate a Jetboil. Setting up a PCS on uneven roots and rocks is inadvisable, particularly if a brisk wind is observed. A flattish stone, shimmed level, preferably in the lee of a larger stone, would be a great choice of venue. Lacking such a platform, one could perhaps hold or steady the PCS for the two to three minutes it requires to boil a pint of water.

The ceramic-insulated piezo igniter is a weak spot. The porcelain will crack if the unit is handled carelessly, and the spark will short to the base of the burner. Igniter repair kits are $7.23 from Amazon at this time, so I keep a spare handy. In a pinch, a match or butane lighter will easily ignite the very flammable gas. I often carry both matches AND a butane lighter when camping.

Folks, I love outdoor cooking- I have a bunch of old Coleman stoves, both propane and liquid fuel, and I enjoy campfire cuisine as well. When we're camping close to the car, or tailgating, it's camping stove and pots and pans all the way. When the power goes out at home, I've got the cooking covered. When I've got my whole world on my back- it's the Jetboil and dehydrated meals. Instant coffee, instant oatmeal, ramen noodles and cocoa too. Water is plentiful around here, even in summer, and the Jetboil is my primary means of purifying drinking water. I rely on it, because it's excellent, for its intended purpose.

Purchased for my husband who loves his coffee. Great for travel, camping and hunting trips for instant coffee and quick meals!