Andrew Skurka, pro backpacking guide, author, distance runner, possible FKT holder of impossibly long trails (honestly don’t know if he holds the FKT for anything, but he almost holds the Only Known Time for plenty of routes) said something very smart about backpacking styles once, and it went something like this: There are two kinds of backpackers—hikers and campers.
Hikers are backpacking specifically to hike a whole bunch really really fast, with the hiking and the ground covering being the crucial elements of the trip. Campers are backpacking to camp in beautiful places away from other people, and while the hiking can be fun-ish, it’s mostly a means to get to the awesomeness.
These approaches usually mean totally different approaches to gear. Extreme lightness with the barest functionality for the fast hikers and convenience and luxury for the camp-focused, though without being too heavy.
The new Jetboil Stash ($130) though can split that difference, at least, to some degree.
If you’re a dedicated cat can stove user, may as well quit reading here, ’cause nothing this stove does will wow you to the point of carting around 6 extra ounces of cookset, plus a canister of iso-butane fuel.
But if you’re an ultralight enthusiast who nevertheless values the sake of cooking ease enough to carry a few more ounces, or a convenience backpacker who is looking to shed weight without resorting to slow-boiling, dirtbag-engineered pet food stoves, or taking the time to research cottage brand options, and putting together a piecemeal setup, the Jetboil Stash might be for you.
Unlike the rest of Jetboil’s lineup, the Stash is not an insulated, wind protected setup with the pot nestling into the heating surface. This is a traditional camp stove setup with a pocket rocket type burner and an aluminum pot that sits on the burner. The aluminum pot has a heat exchanger at the bottom (Jetboil’s marketing team calls it the FluxRing), but that’s about it for anything that can enhance boil time.
Unlike the Jetboil Flash, or something like the MSR Windburner, which features a burner with a much wider area and very little loss of heat because the pot is insulated and the flame in entirely contained within the bottom of the pot, this pot boils water quickly, but not eye-poppingly so. For instance, the Jetboil Flash can boil a pot of water in a minute and half. It’s been awhile since I timed my MSR Windburner, but it can’t be that far behind.
The Stash boils its pot (0.8L) in about 2.5 minutes. Because of that heat exchanger, it’s definitely faster than a pot with a flat bottom, but not nearly as fast as the standard Jetboil if that’s what you’re used to. You will absolutely notice a difference.
But, it’s pretty light for an all-in-one system that you don’t have to think much about.
The titanium burner and aluminum pot combo (barely) tip the scales at 7.1 ounces. That includes the lid and the little triangle dealie to hold the fuel canister, though I’ve never in my life actually used one of those things. Everything nests tightly together in the pot, as it should, and they’ve even included little tabs on the bottom of the lid that can secure a small canister of fuel, so you can lock it in place, which is kinda cool, if the clanking of a metal fuel can against a metal pot in your pack bothers you.
If you’ve ever used a backpacking stove, you’ve basically used the Jetboil Stash. Standard heat control wand, standard leg extensions to prop up a pot. The flame is nice, wide, and the wand does a very good job of adjusting the boil. It’s a nice, premium feeling burner that works great, though if you’re not used to titanium burners, it may feel a little slight in your hand — but that’s good!
So, who’s this setup for?
I’d say the beginning-ish backpacker who knows they want to keep weight down, but doesn’t want to fuss with putting together their own kit yet. They know the time will come when they’ll have opinions about types of stoves, flame size, the hot point of pots, titanium versus aluminum, but that time is not yet. For now, they want to get out there, with a quality kit that will allow them to think more about the scenery and where they’re camping than their gear. The system nestles down nice and compact and doesn’t weigh very much and that’s pretty much the two most important parts of a piece of backpacking kit.
If you even know what a cat can stove is, this probably isn’t for you. But if you’re starting to lean a little more toward convenience than gram counting, or if you’re using older, heavier kit and want to lighten your game, AND aren’t interested in researching how to put together your own system, this is a solid choice. You can easily find a titanium pot that weighs less than the 5 ounce Stash pot, and a lightweight titanium burner that together will cost and weigh less than the Jetboil Stash. But that takes a little time, and for lots of people, they’d rather just buy something they know will work, rather than spend time geeking out on the little details of assembling a kit. Plop down your money, get a super light cookset that all nest together into something smaller than the cappuccino mug from So I Married an Axe Murderer? That holds plenty of appeal for lots of backpackers.
But the camping ones, not the hiking ones.
If you already have a good working setup, you won’t notice an upgrade with this unit. If you’re just getting into backpacking, or for some other reason need a high quality, lightweight cook system that you know will work, work great, and you won’t have to think about it, boom, this is a solid choice. For many, that’s plenty.
You can order here, they start shipping next month.
If they’d just do something else instead of the one time use fuel canisters, I’d consider it.
Amazon sells a refillable connector to combine all those anoying half empty cannisters…
Google exploding refilled Canisters for why that is really not a good idea.
What one time canisters? All fat camping butane/propane are refillable.
Not according to MSR’s website
Are camping fuel canisters refillable? No, backpacking fuel canisters, such as MSR’s IsoPro canisters, are not refillable. When buying fuel in a foreign country, ensure that the canisters you’re purchasing have not been used and refilled, as this practice can create a dangerous situation.
MSR® IsoPro™ Fuel
I prefer my twig stove. I admit that I do have the luxury of hiking places with plenty of twigs, and very rare burning bans. I like that I don’t have to carry fuel. I also like that I don’t feel like I have to ration my stove time. Finally, I do enjoy the putziness of building a little fire.
Dude you just convinced me to try cooking this way
I use a twig stove too. If you are in a hurry it slows down the beginning of the day but otherwise it’s easy and super light.
Once thing you forgot to mention is how efficient the Stash is compared to other systems. You will save fuel costs over the lifetime of this Jetboil.
Perhaps – efficiency is super hard to determine with these kinds of stoves though. So many variables to control.
Except any HX pot is just as efficient. Even without a HX pot, it would take 1000s of boils before you breakeven. Just run the basic calculations…
I’m interested as the pot would work great with center burning alcohol stoves (not cat can stoves) and substantialy lighter than other options. Could also pair with a gas stove for versatility.
I’m not a gram counter but the Jetboil video on their product page the first thing the guy says is it’s only 7.1 oz “it’s like a pair of socks”.
Seriously?! That’s sounds like some mighty heavy socks.
I can confirm the Jetboil weighs more than a normal pair of socks, yes.
Thank goodness we’ve got lawyers to protect us…
RE: “tip the scales at 7.1 ounces. That includes the lid and the little triangle dealie to hold the fuel canister”
Actually, the “little triangle dealie” (0.7 oz) is NOT included in that 7.1 oz total weight. The stove’s stuff sack is also not included in the 7.1 oz total
Huh, well, that’s too bad. Add another ounce or so for the fuel stabilizer (triangle dealie) though I never use or pack those normally.
And me with my clunky but well-beloved Optimus remote and 14-ounce propane canister to run it on…
Cat cans are not necessarily the best thing for gram counters, they’re the lightest but gas is more efficient than liquid fuel so if you are going many days between shops you end up going through more fuel, which is heavier per cup of coffee than gas. Since this is a compromise between their hyper efficient stoves which are very really worth the extra weight and one of those tiny gas stoves which are not very efficient but still more than a cat stove this looks to be a good stove for treking off grid and where you can’t get twigs or can’t burn them legally(or sensibly).
Ps you can refill but on your head be it(use a set of scales as well as an adapter never overfill cuz it will explode. Gas is more efficient cuz it releases more engenergyery per gram, unfortunately it also releases a lot more energy per gram
And if refilling, pressure increase from heat expansion in use and possible environment change definitely needs to be considered as well as the appropriate gas mixture for that canister. Really you need a pressure regulator with accurate gauge AND accurate scale to do it safely. Better off getting a new canister to be safe. Nothing like using it to heat something and have it explode in your face, or a friends face because you thought you could save a couple dollars….