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1 av 16 about:blank Lightweight Integrated Canister Fuel Cooking Systems State of the Market Report 2011: Part 1 – Overview and Performance Evalua on The Jetboil Personal Cooking System was a major innova on back in 2004. We reviewed it in-depth and reported on its strengths and drawbacks. It’s wonderfully fuel-efficient and wind-resistant, but heavy, a bit slow, and low in cooking capacity. Fast forward to 2011; now we have eight backpackable integrated canister fuel stoves. They are fast, fuel-efficient, wind-resistant, some are cold-resistant, they have a much higher cooking capacity, and some are truly lightweight and can be pared down to as li le as 7.5 ounces (213 g). Got your a en on by Will Rietveld and Janet Reichl | 2011-09-20 00:15:00-06 Overview Canister fuel stoves are the darlings of lightweight backpackers. Their main a ributes are speed, adjustability, and convenience. Lightweight conven onal top-mount and remote canister stoves were just as plen ful ten years ago as they are today. With a lightweight cook pot, a typical two-person cooking system weighs around 9 ounces (255 g). However, the conundrum with conven onal top-mount canister stoves then, as it is today, is that they are inefficient in the wind and not amenable to use with a windscreen. Any amount of wind simply blows the heat away, dras cally reducing their efficiency. The Jetboil Personal Cooking System was introduced back in 2004, and Backpacking Light pronounced it to be “one of the most innova ve products to hit the market” in our Jetboil PCS Review. The original Jetboil PCS integrated canister fuel cooking system (le ), which is s ll available, is very fuel efficient and wind resistant. Key design elements that make it so efficient are its lower BTU/hr burner (right) which is surrounded and protected by a heat exchanger a ached to the bo om of the cook pot (center). The key components of an integrated canister fuel stove that make it more fuel-efficient and wind-resistant compared to a conven onal top-mount canister stove are: A lower BTU/hr burner, which is more fuel efficient. A heat exchanger a ached to the bo om of the cook pot to maximize heat transfer. The heat exchanger surrounds the burner to protect it from the wind. The cook pot is insulated with a cozy and has a ght fi ng lid. Thus, the beauty of the integrated canister fuel stove lies in its convenience, compactness, fuel efficiency, and wind resistance. It is an integrated cooking system, op mized for efficiency. But the original Jetboil PCS has drawbacks too: The unit, excluding the fuel canister, weighs nearly a pound (454 g). The pot capacity is small (a 1 L pot with instruc ons to not fill it more than half full). It’s slow (a claimed boil me of 90 sec/1-pint of water, but it actually took twice that long). Today Jetboil has a whole family of integrated canister fuel stoves, and compe ve products have reached the market from Primus and MSR. Jetboil is introducing four new stoves this spring and Primus is introducing one. 14.12.2011 11:45 2 av 16 about:blank The recent introduc on of the Jetboil Sol Ti Premium Cooking System (le ) and Sol Advanced Cooking System (same burner with an aluminum cup), brings the weight of integrated canister cooking systems down to 9.8 ounces (278 g) and 11.8 ounces (335 g), respec vely. These stoves can be stripped to further reduce their weight by about 2 ounces (57 g), which approaches the weight of a conven onal top-mount canister fuel stove and cook pot. The Sol has a lighter burner (photo 2), smaller/lighter tanium or aluminum cook pot (photo 3), and high wind resistance (like the original Jetboil PCS) because the burner is enclosed by the flux ring on the bo om of the cook pot (right). The current lightest top-mount stove is the Monatauk Gnat at 1.6 ounces (48 g), and an ultralight tanium cook pot with volume equivalent to the Jetboil Sol Ti weighs about 3.1 ounces (88 g), for a total of 4.7 ounces (133 g). Adding a windscreen brings the weight up to around 5.5 ounces (156 g). The integrated system is s ll a bit heavier, but its convenience, fuel efficiency, and wind resistance may make it well worth the extra weight. The key ques ons this state of the market report will a empt to answer are: What is the compara ve performance of the lighter (backpackable) integrated canister stoves in terms of boil me, fuel efficiency, wind-resistance, and cold-resistance? How does their performance compare with a very lightweight top-mount stove and tanium cook pot? How do these integrated stoves perform for different cooking styles, i.e., the boil-and-set method versus mul -step meal prepara on? To address these ques ons, this state of the market report is divided into three parts: Lightweight Integrated Canister Fuel Cooking Systems State of the Market Report 2011 Part 1 – Overview and Stove Performance Evalua on (this part) Provides an overview of the integrated canister fuel stove in rela on to the conven onal top-mount canister stove. Reports the results of our compara ve performance tests (boil me, hea ng rate, fuel consump on, and gas mileage from a single canister of fuel) for four test condi ons (calm, wind, protected from wind, and cold). Lightweight Integrated Canister Fuel Cooking Systems State of the Market Report 2011 Part 2 – Trends, Stove Ra ngs, and Selec ons (coming soon) Highlights new developments in integrated canister fuel stoves. Presents our ideas for achieving weight efficiency and fully u lizing the advantages of integrated stoves for backpacking. Provides compara ve specifica ons for lightweight (backpackable) integrated canister stoves, rates them according to appropriate criteria, and iden fies the standouts for different situa ons and needs. Lightweight Integrated Canister Fuel Cooking Systems State of the Market Report 2011 Part 3 – Wrap Up and Reviews of All Stoves Included (coming soon) Presents our overall conclusions from the project and provides a review of each of the stoves evaluated. Introduc on - Stove Performance Evalua on With Jetboil’s spring 2011 introduc on of several new integrated canister fuel stoves, we finally have enough stoves to jus fy a state of the market report in this category. Our focus in this report is lightweight backpackable stoves that will cook for one to three people. The problem is where to draw the line, because the number of people these stoves will cook for depends on your cooking method. If you enjoy mul -step gourmet meals in the backcountry, the stoves in this report will cook in-pot for one to three people. But if you prefer to keep it simple and only boil water to add to dehydrated meals, and heat water for beverages, these stoves will support a large number of people, which makes them very weight efficient. We report on how to do that in Part 2 of this series. In this part we focus on the compara ve performance of the stoves - how they compare in terms of boil me, fuel efficiency, wind resistance, and cold temperature opera on. Similar to our previous report on Performance Comparison Tes ng of Lightweight Top-Mount Canister Stoves, published back in 2005, we apply the same tests to a group of lightweight integrated canister fuel stoves. Selec on Criteria This is our first state of the market report on integrated canister fuel stoves, so realis cally our selec on criteria cannot be too exclusive. Currently available. Compact and backpackable, less than 17 ounces (482 g). Will cook in-pot for one to three people. Our ini al weight limit for what we consider “backpackable” was 1 pound (454 g). But that would leave out the MSR Reactor which weighs 17 14.12.2011 11:45 3 av 16 about:blank ounces (482 g), and we want to include it, so that bumps our weight limit up a bit. We realize a 17-ounce stove is not very “backpackable” by our lightweight standards, but it is backpackable by conven onal backpacking standards. We draw the line there because we want to focus on lightweight stoves that will cook in-pot for one to three people. Of course that number depends on the people (big or small), and how they cook. One of the more interes ng goals of this project is to determine how many people these stoves will actually cook for. Stoves Included The stoves included in this project are listed in Table 1 along with a basic descrip on. Table 1 – Lightweight integrated canister fuel stoves included in this project. Complete specifica ons are provided in Parts 2 and 3 of this series. Stove Brief Descrip on Jetboil Sol Ti Premium Cooking System Jetboil’s lightest system, consis ng of a lightweight burner with Thermo-Regulate Technology, a tanium 0.8 L cup, and piezo igniter; the burner is rated at 6200 BTU/hr. Jetboil Sol Advanced Cooking System Jetboil’s next lightest system, the main difference from the Ti Premium Cooking System is its aluminum 0.8 L cup. Jetboil Zip Cooking System A Spartan, less expensive version of the original PCS, with a smaller 0.8 L cup; the burner is rated at 5000 BTU/hr. Jetboil Flash Cooking System Basically an updated PCS with more bells and whistles, 1 L cup, and piezo igniter; the burner is rated at 5000 BTU/hr. Jetboil PCS Original Personal Cooking System with 1 L cup and piezo igniter; the burner is rated at 5000 BTU/hr. Primus Eta Solo Similar to the Jetboil PCS and uses a similar burner, 1 L cup, and piezo igniter; the burner is rated at 5400 BTU/hr. Primus Eta Express1 Basically the Primus Micron burner with an a ached windscreen on one side partnered with a heat exchanger 1 L cook pot; burner is rated at 8900 BTU/hr and has a piezo igniter. MSR Reactor Radiant burner enclosed by a heat exchanger 1.7 L pot, integrated pressure regulator provides op mal heat output over the life of a fuel canister; the burner is rated at 9000 BTU/hr. Monatauk Gnat For comparison we include the lightest conven onal top-mount burner currently on the market, rated at 11,000 BTU/hr. The Gnat was tested with a 0.85 L MSR Titan Ke le. 1 The Primus Eta Express is included because it meets our selec on criteria. However, a previous test by Backpacking Light reported that this stove has a serious design flaw, causing it to emit a large amount of carbon monoxide. For that reason, the Eta Express is listed but not tested. Stoves and accessories included in this roundup are (le to right): Jetboil Sol Ti Premium Cooking System, Jetboil Sol Advanced Cooking System (uses the same burner as the Sol Ti), Jetboil Zip Cooking System, Jetboil Flash Cooking System, Jetboil PCS, Primus Eta Solo, MSR Reactor, Monatauk Gnat with MSR Titan Ke le, and Jetboil Sumo 1.8 L Companion Cup. The lightest of the integrated stoves is the Jetboil Sol Ti Premium Cooking System (9.8 oz/278 g) and the heaviest is the MSR Reactor (17 oz/482 g), measured total weight. Tes ng Method and Condi ons We “lab” tested all of the stoves in four condi ons typically encountered in the backcountry: 1. Warm/Calm – 60 °F (15.6 °C) air, 70 °F (21 °C) water, no wind. 2. Warm/Wind – 60 °F (15.6 °C) air, 70 °F (21 °C) water, 5 mph (8 kph) wind using a box fan. 3. Warm/Wind/Windscreen – 60 °F (15.6 °C) air, 70 °F (21 °C) water, 5 mph (8 kph) wind using a box fan, stove protected by an aluminum windscreen. 4. Cold/Calm – 50 °F (10 °C) air, 40 °F (4.4 °C) water, stoves and fuel canisters placed in a freezer at 5 °F (-15 °C) overnight, no wind. Tes ng procedure: Tests were conducted at 6650 feet (2027 m) eleva on where the boiling point is 201 °F (94 °C). 14.12.2011 11:45 4 av 16 about:blank Our tes ng apparatus, shown here doing a wind-with-windscreen test. We boiled 1 pint (approx. 500 ml) of water in each test, and recorded the water temperature at 10 second intervals so we could construct hea ng curves. Fuel consump on was determined by weighing the burner + fuel canister before and a er each boil test. We chose 197 °F (92 °C) as the end point for our tests to avoid the Latent Heat of Vaporiza on which requires extra me and energy to overcome. We prepared water at the defined temperatures before each run, and maintained beginning water temperature within +/- 1 °F (0.6 °C). We used Jetboil Jet Power fuel (a proprietary mixture of iso-butane and propane) for all stoves. We boiled 16 ounces (454 g) of water by weight in each test, which is very close to 0.5 L (1 pint). Water temperature was measured with a signaling digital thermometer. Wind speed was measured with a Kestrel K4000 Pocket Weather Meter. Stoves were lighted with a match to avoid any issues with a piezo igniter. All integrated stoves were tested at full flame; the top-mount stove was tested at either full or moderate flame as appropriate. We med each run with a stopwatch. We recorded water temperature at 10-second intervals. We measured fuel consump on by weighing the burner + fuel canister to the nearest .001 ounce (0.03 g) before and a er each test. We ran two replica ons of each test (two runs) and averaged the results. Two replica ons is sufficient because the results were very consistent for these stoves. Although “boiling” is defined at 212 °F (100 °C) at sea level, it occurs at lower temperatures at higher eleva ons. At the eleva on where our tests were done, the boiling temperature is 201 °F (94 °C), but we did not use that temperature as the end point of our tests because of the complica on introduced by the Latent Heat of Vaporiza on, where the absorp on of 540 calories of heat is required to convert 1 gram of water to vapor (steam). This causes a significant lag me, where the water temperature “hangs” just below that level un l enough heat has been absorbed to achieve boiling. Instead, we chose to use 197 °F (92 °C) as the end point of our tests to avoid the Latent Heat of Vaporiza on stage en rely. This works fine in an experimental procedure because all stove tests were ended at that temperature. Boil Time and Hea ng Rate From the perspec ve of a hiker who is accustomed to an alcohol stove or a white gas stove, the ini al reac on to an integrated canister fuel stove is: “this thing is unbelievably fast!” - and unbelievably convenient too. Under ideal condi ons (warm/calm), these stoves are capable of cranking out a near con nuous supply of boiling water, enough to supply several hikers with minimal delays. However, as the results show below, these stoves are clearly affected by less than ideal condi ons, but not as much as a conven onal top-mount canister stove. Table 2 – Compara ve boil mes for eight canister stoves in four condi ons. The main difference between the Jetboil Sol Cooking Systems is the 14.12.2011 11:45 5 av 16 about:blank Jetboil Sol Ti Premium Cooking System has a tanium cook pot and the Jetboil Sol Advanced Cooking System has an aluminum cook pot; they use the same burner. In our tables and graphs we represent them as “Jetboil Sol (Titanium Cup)” and “Jetboil Sol (Aluminum Cup)”. The Monatauk Gnat top-mount stove was tested with an MSR Titan Ke le at full or moderate flame levels in the tests as appropriate. All results are based on boiling 1 pint (approx. 0.5 L) of water. The numbers in the table are seconds to reach boiling (197 °F/92 °C). Jetboil Sol Jetboil Sol Jetboil (Titanium Cup) (Aluminum Cup) Zip Jetboil Flash Jetboil PCS Primus Eta Solo MSR Reactor Monatauk Gnat Monatauk Gnat (Moderate Flame) (Full Flame) Warm/Calm 122 128 138 133 147 151 103 179 141 Warm/Wind 162 183 203 165 174 180 101 1023 - Warm/Wind /Windscreen 127 132 145 136 154 166 109 306 - Cold/Calm 209 224 375 387 404 419 187 - 323 Figure 1 - Compara ve boil mes for eight canister stoves in four condi ons. Data from Table 1 are shown here graphically for easier interpreta on. The Jetboil Sol Ti Premium Cooking System has a tanium cup and the Jetboil Sol Advanced Cooking System has an aluminum cup. The Monatauk Gnat top-mount stove was tested at full or moderate flame levels in the tests as appropriate. Key points: Under ideal Warm/Calm condi ons (blue bars), all of the stoves boiled the water very quickly. The MSR Reactor was the fastest at 103 seconds (1 minute 43 seconds) and the Jetboil Sol with tanium cup was the next fastest at 122 seconds (2 minutes 2 seconds). The Primus Eta Solo is a bit slower than the Jetboil stoves. All have very fast mes to boil 0.5 L of water! In Warm/Calm condi ons boil mes for all of the integrated stoves at full thro le (which is a moderate flame) are faster than the Gnat at moderate flame. The Jetboil Sol systems and MSR Reactor are faster than the Gnat at full flame, and the Jetboil PCS and Primus Eta Solo were slightly slower. Jetboil Sol boil mes are similar for all condi ons, but the Sol Ti Premium Cooking System (which has a tanium cup) is a bit faster in all condi ons. The Jetboil and Primus integrated stoves were only moderately affected by windy condi ons (red bars), and the MSR Reactor was not affected at all. However, the unprotected Monatauk Gnat stove was dras cally affected by a 5 mph (8 kph) wind, requiring 17 minutes 3 seconds to reach boiling! When protected by a windscreen (yellow bars), the boil mes for the integrated stoves were nearly the same as Warm/Calm condi ons (blue bars). However, the Monatauk Gnat stove was s ll affected by turbulence within the windscreen which nearly doubled its boil me. Finally, boil mes are slower for all of the stoves under cold condi ons (turquoise bars), but the stoves with a pressure regulator (Jetboil Sol and MSR Reactor) were least affected. The Monatauk Gnat was less affected than the unregulated integrated stoves. Overall, the best performing stoves in this test are the two Jetboil Sol systems and MSR Reactor. 14.12.2011 11:45 6 av 16 about:blank Figure 2 - Compara ve hea ng rates for eight integrated canister stoves in Warm/Calm condi ons (60 °F/15.6 °C air 70 °F/21 °C water, no wind). Key points (Warm/Calm condi on): The MSR Reactor (yellow line) is a race horse; it starts out a bit slower than the others then comes from behind to win in record me. The next fastest hea ng rate is the Jetboil Sol Ti, only 13 seconds slower than the Reactor. The slowest hea ng rate is the Monatauk Gnat with a moderate flame, but with a full flame it’s in the middle of the pack. The hea ng rates for the Zip, Flash, PCS, and Eta Solo are similar. 14.12.2011 11:45 7 av 16 about:blank Figure 3 - Compara ve hea ng rates for eight integrated canister stoves in Warm/Wind condi ons (60 °F/15.6 °C air 70 °F/21 °C water, 5 mph/8 kph wind using a box fan. Key points (Warm/Wind condi on): The MSR Reactor (yellow line) was unaffected by a 5 mph wind. The hea ng rate for the other integrated stoves (middle group) was slowed an average of 30% by a 5 mph (8 kph) wind compared to the Warm/Calm test. The hea ng rate for the unprotected Monatauk Gnat (turquoise line) was dras cally affected by the wind, 472% slower compared to the Warm/Calm condi on! 14.12.2011 11:45 8 av 16 about:blank Figure 4 - Compara ve hea ng rates for eight integrated canister stoves in Warm/Wind/Windscreen condi ons (60 °F/15.6 °C air 70 °F/21 °C water, 5 mph/8 kph wind using a box fan, stove protected by an aluminum windscreen. Key points (Warm/Wind/Windscreen condi on): The MSR Reactor (yellow line) is s ll out in front, unaffected by the wind. The hea ng rate of the other integrated stoves is slightly affected by turbulence within the wind screen, an average of 5% slower than the Warm/Calm condi on. Even when protected by a windscreen, the hea ng rate of the Monatauk Gnat (turquoise line) is s ll dras cally affected by turbulence within the windscreen, 71% slower than the Warm/Calm condi on. 14.12.2011 11:45 9 av 16 about:blank Figure 5 - Compara ve hea ng rates for eight canister stoves in Cold/Calm condi ons (50 °F/10 °C air 40 °F/4.4 °C water, stoves and fuel canisters placed in a freezer at 5 °F/-15 °C overnight, no wind. Key points (Cold/Calm condi on): Once again, the MSR Reactor (yellow line) is out in front, but the two Jetboil Sol systems are not far behind. All three stoves have pressure regula on technology. However, the hea ng rate for the Reactor is 81% slower compared to the Warm/Calm condi on, and the Sol systems are 73% slower. The hea ng rate of the Monatauk Gnat (turquoise line) is in the middle, faster than the unregulated integrated stoves to the right, but s ll 129% slower than the Warm/Calm condi on. All of the remaining integrated stoves, without pressure regula on, were significantly slowed by cold temperatures, averaging 146% slower than the Warm/Calm Condi on. Fuel Consump on Our fuel consump on measurements are generally correlated with the boil mes and hea ng rates presented above, but there are a few noteworthy differences. Table 3 – Compara ve fuel consump on for eight canister stoves in four condi ons. The numbers in the table are ounces (grams) of fuel required to heat 16 ounces (454 g) of water to 197 °F (92 °C). Jetboil Sol (Titanium Cup) Jetboil Sol (Aluminum Cup) Jetboil Zip Jetboil Flash Jetboil PCS Warm/Calm 0.14 (4) 0.15 (4.3) 0.15 (4.3) 0.15 (4.3) 0.16 (4.5) 0.17 (4.8) 0.20 (5.7) 0.22 (6.2) Warm/Wind 0.19 (5.4) 0.21 (6.0) 0.21 (6.0) 0.175 (5.0) 0.185 (5.2) 0.20 (5.7) 0.21 (6.0) 0.87 (24.7) Warm/Wind /Windscreen 0.15 (4.3) 0.155 (4.4) 0.16 (4.5) 0.155 (4.4) 0.16 (4.5) 0.185 (5.2) 0.225 (6.4) Cold/Calm 0.165 (4.7) 0.17 (4.8) 0.175 (5.0) 0.17 (4.8) 0.17 (4.8) 0.17 (4.8) 0.205 (5.8) Average Fuel Consump on 0.16 (4.5) 0.17 (4.8) 0.17 (4.8) 0.16 (4.5) 0.17 (4.8) 0.18 (5.1) 0.21 (6) Test Condi on Primus Eta Solo MSR Reactor Monatauk Gnat Monatauk Gnat (Moderate Flame) (Full Flame) 0.345 (9.8) 0.31 (8.8) 0.25 (7.1) 0.47 (13.3) 0.30 (8.5) 14.12.2011 11:45 10 av 16 about:blank Figure 6 - Compara ve fuel consump on for eight integrated canister stoves in four condi ons. Data from Table 3 are shown here graphically here for easier interpreta on. The Jetboil Sol Ti Premium Cooking System has a tanium cup and the Jetboil Sol Advanced Cooking System has an aluminum cup. The Monatauk Gnat was tested at full or moderate flame levels in the tests as appropriate. Key points: Although the MSR Reactor has faster boiling mes and hea ng rates, it also consumes significantly more fuel, 31% more on average than the Jetboil Sol with tanium cup. The Jetboil Sol Ti and Jetboil Flash used the least amount of fuel on average. The Primus Eta Solo uses a bit more fuel on average than the Jetboil stoves. The Jetboil and Primus stoves use significantly more fuel in windy condi ons, so extra wind protec on is worth the effort. All of the integrated stoves used significantly less fuel than the conven onal Monatauk Gnat stove. The most fuel efficient integrated stove, the Jetboil Sol Ti Premium Cooking System, uses 57% less fuel than the Monatauk Gnat using a moderate flame. Gas Mileage Finally, based on the measured fuel consump on in Table 3 we calculate the number of pints (approximately 0.5 L) of water that can be boiled from a single 8-ounce (227-g) canister of fuel. Table 4 – Compara ve gas mileage (number of pints/approx. 0.5 L of water that can be boiled from a single 8-ounce/227-g fuel canister) for eight canister stoves in four condi ons. The numbers below are based on Jetboil Jet Power fuel. Note that canister fuel blends vary, and the weight of fuel per canister varies slightly by manufacturer, so the gas mileage per canister will vary. Test Condi on Jetboil Sol Jetboil Sol Jetboil (Titanium Cup) (Aluminum Cup) Zip Jetboil Flash Jetboil PCS Primus Eta Solo MSR Reactor Monatauk Gnat Monatauk Gnat (Moderate Flame) (Full Flame) Warm/Calm 57.9 54.1 54.1 54.1 50.7 47.7 40.6 36.9 23.5 Warm/Wind 42.7 38.6 38.6 46.3 43.8 40.6 38.6 9.3 Warm/Wind /Windscreen 54.1 52.3 50.7 52.3 50.7 43.8 36.9 26.2 Cold/Calm 49.2 47.7 46.3 47.7 47.7 47.7 39.6 32.4 Averaged Condi ons 51.0 48.2 47.4 50.1 48.2 45.0 38.9 28.0 24.1 14.12.2011 11:45 11 av 16 about:blank Figure 7 - Compara ve gas mileage for eight integrated canister stoves in four condi ons. Number of pints (approx. 0.5 L) of water that can be boiled from one 8-ounce (227-g) fuel canister. Key points: Since ideal condi ons rarely occur in the backcountry, it is probably best to es mate fuel needs by using the average gas mileage of the four test condi ons (bo om row in Table 4). The Jetboil Sol with tanium cup will boil the most water from a single fuel canister. However, all of the Jetboil integrated stoves deliver the best gas mileage. The gas mileage of the Primus Eta Solo lags the Jetboil stoves. Of the integrated canister stoves, the MSR Reactor has the lowest gas mileage. Data for the Monatauk Gnat stove are incomplete since we chose to use the most appropriate flame level for each test, but it clearly has the lowest gas mileage overall. A conven onal top-mount stove is simply not as fuel efficient as an integrated stove. Discussion Choose the Right Fuel – Today’s integrated canister fuel stoves match the best boil mes of other types of backpacking stoves and do so while consuming significantly less fuel. Canister fuels are expensive (we paid US$5.95 for an 8-ounce/227-g canister of Jet Power fuel) but these fuel efficient integrated stoves can boil a lot of water from a single fuel canister. Canister fuels are a mixture of n-butane, iso-butane, and propane, and the fuel blend in canisters from different manufacturers can vary substan ally. N-butane is considered to be a summer fuel because its boiling point is 31.1 F (-0.3 °C). If a canister containing n-butane is used below that temperature, the n-butane simply does not vola lize and stays as a liquid in the canister. Four-season fuels, suitable for colder temperatures consist of iso-butane (boiling point 10.9 °F/-11.7 °C) alone or mixed with propane (boiling point -43.8 °F/-42 °C). Obviously in our cold temperature tests, done a er storing the stoves and fuel canisters in a freezer at 5 °F (-15 °C), the stoves were burning propane to heat the water. For more informa on on this topic, read my previous ar cle: FAQs on Canister Stoves and Fuels. Regulated Burners – Jetboil claims their new Sol systems are a “true four-season upright canister cooking system, with advanced Jetboil ThermoRegulate Burner Technology to deliver consistent heat output down to 20 °F (-6 °C)”. The MSR Reactor has similar technology, claiming “an advanced pressure regulator provides op mal heat output over the life of a fuel canister.” These three systems clearly performed be er in all of our tests, and especially the Cold/Calm test, compared to the other integrated canister fuel stoves. We purposely chose a low test temperature (5 °F/-15 °C) that is representa ve of winter camping condi ons so we could evaluate performance in real world condi ons. Our test temperature is considerably lower than Jetboil’s claim of “consistent heat output down to 20 °F (-6 °C)”, but the stoves s ll performed well in comparison to the non-regulated stoves. Pot Size – A past shortcoming of integrated stoves is their small pot size. Indeed, the Jetboil Sol and Zip stoves have only a 0.8-liter cup, which limits the volume of food that can be cooked in-pot to a hungry one-person por on or modest two-person serving. The heavier 17-ounce (482-g) MSR Reactor comes with a larger 1.7-liter cook pot that MSR claims will cook for three people. Not to be outdone, Jetboil has introduced the 1.8-liter Sumo Companion Cup with a heat exchanger on the bo om, which when combined with the Sol burner creates a larger volume integrated stove weighing 16 ounces (454 g), a li le less than the Reactor but s ll heavy. We ran boil me and fuel consump on tests using the Sumo cup with the Sol burner (data not shown) and found the performance to be exactly the same as with a 0.8-liter cup, so no tradeoffs there. Stripped Down Weight and Performance – Concentra ng on the best performing integrated stoves (Jetboil Sol and MSR Reactor), we addressed the ques ons of: 1) how much can these stoves be stripped down to reduce weight, and 2) what are the consequences on stove performance? The stripped down weights are presented in Table 5 below. 14.12.2011 11:45 12 av 16 about:blank Table 5 – Stripped down weights for the Jetboil Sol and MSR Reactor. We removed the bo om cover, cozy, and top lid on the Jetboil Sol and the top lid on the MSR Reactor. We did not remove the piezo igniter from the Sol burner. System Burner Weight oz (g) Pot Weight oz (g) Minimum Weight oz (g) Jetboil Sol burner and tanium cup 3.54 (100) 3.92 (111) 7.46 (211) Jetboil Sol burner and aluminum cup 3.54 (100) 5.66 (160) 9.2 (261) Jetboil Sol burner and Sumo cup 3.54 (100) 8.31 (236) 11.85 (336) MSR Reactor 6.23 (177) 9.15 (259) 15.48 (437) As shown in Table 5, the Jetboil Sol with Titanium cup can be stripped down to yield a small pot integrated stove weighing just 7.5 ounces (213 g), or the burner can be combined with the stripped down Jetboil Sumo cup to yield a larger volume integrated stove weighing just 11.8 ounces (335 g). Now that gets our a en on when you consider the performance advantages of an integrated stove! The Reactor can only be stripped down (sans top lid) to 15.5 ounces (439 g); it does not come with a cozy or bo om cover. The Jetboil Sol Ti Premium Cooking System stripped of its top lid, bo om cover, and cozy weighs just 7.5 ounces (213 g) without the fuel canister. A small canister containing 4 ounces (113 g) of fuel and the stove’s burner fit inside the cook pot to create a compact unit for packing. A 4-ounce (113-g) fuel canister will boil about 25 pints (12 L) of water with this system. But what are the consequences of using these stoves without a cozy and lid? First of all, Jetboil’s neoprene cozy doubles as a handle for the pot, so elimina ng the cozy means you need to grab the pot using some type of pot holder, which could be a camp towel that you have along. The performance tradeoffs were addressed by Alan Dixon in his Review of the Original Jetboil Personal Cooking System. A er he heated water to boiling in the insulated Jetboil cup and a non-insulated 1.3 liter tanium pot and allowed them stand for 20 minutes in a calm air temperature of 40 °F (-4.4 °C), the water in the Jetboil pot was only 8 °F (4.4 °C) warmer, not a big difference. However, in windy condi ons, he found that the Jetboil’s insulated cup makes a big difference in reducing heat loss by convec on while the water is being heated as well as retaining heat a er the stove is turned off. We tested the Jetboil Sol Ti Premium Cooking System to see if stripping the stove would cause a drop in performance. As seen in Figure 8 below, the boil me increases by 18 seconds in Warm/Calm condi ons and 43 seconds in Warm/Wind condi ons. Fuel consump on, however, was unaffected for the Warm/Calm condi on and increased by 0.015 oz (0.43 g) for the Warm/Wind condi on. Bo om line, our results show that stripping the stove results in a negligible loss of performance in terms of fuel consump on. 14.12.2011 11:45 13 av 16 about:blank Figure 8 - Jetboil Sol Ti Premium Cooking System: boil mes for full system versus stripped in calm and windy condi ons. Hea ng Efficiency – Our tests indicate that the integrated stoves are more efficient in all condi ons compared to a conven onal canister stove and a standard cook pot. You simply can’t beat an integrated canister fuel stove for efficiency. When Jetboil introduced the original Personal Cooking System, they hyped a phenomenal 90-second boil me for 0.5 liter of water. We discredited that. Their claimed boil me for the new Sol Ti Premium Cooking System is 2 minutes 15 seconds, and our test me was only 2 minutes 2 seconds, so bully for them for no longer hyping the boil me. Side view of the protected Jetboil Sol burner (le ) versus the exposed Monatauk Gnat burner (right). Even a small breeze results in substan al heat loss from the exposed burner. The Gnat is a high-tech burner, but the conven onal burner-under-a-pot is an an quated outdoor cooking system compared to an integrated stove. As far as fuel efficiency, an appropriate analogy to compare the integrated stoves with conven onal stoves is like huddling close to a small campfire compared to standing away from a bonfire. The Jetboil Sol design uses a 6200 BTU/hr burner and the Zip, Flash, and PCS use a 5000 BTU/hr burner, each surrounded by the flux-ring on the bo om of the pot. This design maximizes heat transfer to the bo om of the pot. Contrast that to the Monatauk Gnat’s exposed 11,000 BTU/hr burner under a flat bo om cook pot. At full thro le the stove is like a blowtorch; flames wrap around the sides of the pot and it’s dangerous to get near it. Any wind at all results in severe heat loss. And manufacturers of these 14.12.2011 11:45 14 av 16 about:blank stoves strongly discourage the user from using a windscreen, with warnings of the canister exploding. This is obviously over-blown (so to speak), but it does require cau on to use a windscreen with a conven onal canister stove. The MSR Reactor, a Masterpiece of Innova on – Our test results clearly show that the Reactor heats water quickly. It’s remarkable to observe; we include a video of it star ng up in Part 2 of this series. So, what makes the Reactor such a workhorse? Four main innova ons are incorporated in the Reactor: 1. Radiant heat transfer – most stoves heat the cook pot using convec ve heat transfer, meaning the hot exhaust gases flow over the 2. 3. 4. cookware and transfer their heat to it. The Reactor also uses radiant heat transfer, light energy transferring heat like how the sun warms your face on a cold winter day without warming the air around you. Integrated heat exchanger – raised fins on the bo om of the pot provide more surface area and a dark color to absorb more of the convec ve and radiant heat energy. 100% primary air entrainment – most stoves entrain about 60% of the air they need to complete combus on at a mixer tube before the gas flows into the burner head, then they get the remaining 40% through ambient air available at the burner surface. This means the burner head needs to be open to ambient air (and thus wind, etc). By entraining all the air needed for combus on before the burner head surface, the Reactor’s burner head can be totally enclosed in the heat exchanger, so it's much harder to lose any heat to the environment and much easier to protect that area from the wind. Internal pressure regulator – allows the stove to run op mally when the canister is nearly empty, so you get very consistent boil mes throughout the life of the canister. For example, the first liter of water will boil in about 3 minutes, yet by the me you’re boiling your 22nd liter from the same fuel canister, you’ll s ll get a boil me of about 3 minutes and 30 seconds. This technology also allows the Reactor to operate more efficiently in colder temperatures. Backpacking Light loves new technology, and we have followed the development of the Reactor from its beginning. But there’s more to the story as we evaluate other performance aspects of the Reactor in Part 2. Snow Mel ng Capacity – One last test we performed is a comparison of the ability of the two best performing stoves to melt snow. So in early May we headed to the mountains where there was s ll plenty of snow to run some tests. We compared the Jetboil Sol burner and 1.8 L Sumo Companion Cup with the MSR Reactor and its standard 1.7 L pot. Tes ng each stove separately, we placed 8 ounces of cold water in the bo om of the cook pot, added 2 pounds of old granular snow, then started the stove and recorded the me to snowmelt, me to boiling, and fuel consumed. The results are presented in Table 6. Snow mel ng shootout between the Jetboil Sol Ti and MSR Reactor (shown). Table 6: Snow mel ng shootout between the Jetboil Sol burner with Sumo Cup and MSR Reactor. Tes ng was done at 10,000 feet (3048 m) eleva on, 45 °F (7.2 °C) air temperature, and intermi ent 5 mph (8 kph) breeze. The cook pot of each stove was filled with 8 ounces (227 g) of cold water and 32 ounces (907 g) of snow. Stove Jetboil Sol burner + Sumo Cup Time to Snowmelt (seconds) Time to Boil Water (seconds) Fuel Consumed oz (g) 462 646 0.665 (18.9) 14.12.2011 11:45 15 av 16 about:blank MSR Reactor 310 434 0.700 (19.8) As expected, the Reactor was faster, which is no surprise because of its higher BTU ra ng and speedy performance in our other tests. The actual me differences were 2 minutes 32 seconds to melt the snow, and 3 minutes 32 seconds to boil the water, which was about 1.5 L. Both stoves used about the same amount of fuel, which makes sense since the Jetboil Sol burner uses less fuel but took longer to melt the snow and boil the water. Although both stoves are adept at mel ng snow, we need to point out that neither has a liquid fuel feed which is desirable for winter use. They are top-mount stoves, which means that fuel must vaporize in the canister before it is burned. At temperatures lower than 11 °F (-11.7 °C), they are burning Propane, which is less than 30% of the fuel in the canister. Thus, these stoves have limited usefulness for mel ng snow while winter camping at colder temperatures, unless you use some means to warm the fuel canister. Weight Efficiency – Some people claim that an integrated canister stove’s fuel savings offsets the stove’s addi onal weight compared to a lighter weight combina on of a top-mount stove and tanium cook pot. Let’s look at some numbers. The stripped down Jetboil Sol Ti Premium Cooking System weighs 7.5 ounces (213 g); the Monatauk Gnat weighs 1.6 ounces (48 g), and an ultralight tanium cook pot with volume equivalent to the Jetboil Sol Ti weighs 3.1 ounces (88 g), for a total of 4.7 ounces (144 g), a difference of 2.8 ounces (79 g). From our gas mileage calcula ons for Warm/Calm condi ons, we es mate that the Jetboil Sol Ti will boil 29 pints of water from a 4-ounce (113 g) fuel canister, while the Monatauk Gnat will boil only 18.5 pints. If we assume a need for four pints of water boiled per person per day, then a 4-ounce (113 g) fuel canister would support two people for 2.3 cooking days with the Monatauk Gnat versus 3.7 cooking days using the stripped Jetboil Sol Ti. The comparison comes out as a e because of the fuel canister – in both cases you would likely take along a full fuel canister, so there is no savings in weight carried. The only me you could save weight in this comparison is when you can get by with a smaller size canister of fuel or you are using the stove to boil water for a group. Using this reasoning, which we admit is a bit of a ra onaliza on, the integrated stove comes out at least equal, or on top under certain condi ons. If our reasoning is valid, this is the first me it can be successfully argued that an integrated canister fuel stove is a lighter weight op on than a conven onal canister stove plus a cook pot. And the integrated stove offers some serious convenience as well. In any amount of wind, the integrated stove will completely blow away (pun intended) the conven onal stove. It’s worth it for that reason alone. A similar argument might be made between an alcohol stove and the stripped integrated stove because alcohol contains only half as much energy by weight as canister fuel, so you need to carry twice as much alcohol to provide the same amount of heat energy, although you can carry it in a lighter container. However, it would require quite a long trip for the fuel savings of the integrated stove to beat an alcohol stove. Conclusions From our comparison tes ng results of this first-ever state of the market report on integrated canister fuel backpacking stoves, we can make the following conclusions: 1. Boil Time – Forget about integrated canister fuel stoves being slow; these stoves boil water unbelievably fast. Most canister fuel stoves 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. do in calm condi ons. Previous tests have shown that a conven onal canister stove can boil a pint of water in as li le as 93 seconds, but that’s at full thro le, which is very fuel inefficient. The MSR Reactor, the fastest integrated stove in this roundup, boils a pint of water in 103 seconds, which nearly equals that me. The key point here is that integrated canister fuel stoves boil water plenty fast, and they do it efficiently. Fuel Efficiency – Integrated canister fuel stoves are more efficient than a conven onal top-mount canister stove under all condi ons, especially in wind. The most efficient, the Jetboil Sol Ti Premium Cooking System, uses 57% less fuel than a conven onal stove using a moderate flame. Wind Effects – Although integrated stoves are wind-resistant in a light wind, they s ll benefit from wind protec on. Since the boil me is so short, they could be protected with a hand-held sleeping pad. The MSR Reactor is least affected by wind. An unprotected conven onal top-mount stove is severely affected by wind, which is their main weakness, and the problem is exacerbated by the difficulty (and risk) of using a windscreen with a canister stove. Cold Effects – Stoves with pressure regula on technology perform be er at colder temperatures. In this roundup, the two Jetboil Sol systems and MSR Reactor are the cold temperature standouts. However, for winter camping it must be remembered that canisters containing n-butane are not recommended, and iso-butane does not evaporate at temperatures below 11 °F (-11.7 °C), so you need to avoid n-butane and keep the canister above that temperature in order to u lize all of the fuel in the canister. Weight Efficiency – A major drawback with the original Jetboil PCS is its nearly 1-pound (454-g) weight excluding the fuel canister. We like its performance but its weight is a bummer. Things are ge ng much be er; the latest and greatest cooking system from Jetboil, the Sol, can be stripped down to as li le as 7.5 ounces (213 g), plus the fuel canister. For a canister stove user, that definitely competes with a lightweight conven onal canister fuel stove and cook pot combina on, especially when you consider the advantages of an integrated canister fuel stove. Cooking Capacity – Another complaint we had for the original Jetboil PCS is the small usable pot capacity. Now a larger capacity companion pot is available that will fit any Jetboil stove, and a pot support is included that enables the burner to be used with conven onal cook pots or larger pots with heat exchanger fins on the bo om. Today’s integrated stoves will cook in-pot for one to three people, or many people if you use them to boil water to rehydrate meals in other containers. We explore those possibili es in Part 2 of this series. Best Performing Stoves – In terms of boil me and wind-resistance, the MSR Reactor is the clear winner. It’s like a race horse that starts out at the back of the pack, then comes from behind to win by several lengths. The Jetboil Sol systems are a close second, only 19 and 25 seconds behind the Reactor. That’s nothing when you are cooking in camp. In terms of weight and energy efficiency, the Jetboil Sol stoves are the winners because they use significantly less fuel than the Reactor and weigh significantly less, especially when stripped down. Preview of Parts 2 and 3 14.12.2011 11:45 16 av 16 about:blank In Part 2 of this series, we evaluate how the strengths of integrated cooking systems can be more fully u lized by using them to cook for larger groups, thereby making them much more weight efficient. We also discuss the evolu on of the integrated stove from its beginning in 2004 up to the present. Finally, we provide compara ve specifica ons for the stoves included in this roundup, rate them according to eight criteria, then iden fy the standouts for different situa ons and needs. In Part 3 we summarize our overall findings from this project and provide a review of each stove included. Acknowledgements I would like to thank my dear wife Janet Reichl who supports my gear addic on with her pa ent help with stove tests, photography, and photo edi ng. Disclosure: The manufacturer provided this product to the author and/or Backpacking Light at no charge and is owned by the author/BPL. The author/Backpacking Light has no obligaƟon to review this product under the terms of this agreement. 14.12.2011 11:45 1 av 12 about:blank Overview -- Lightweight Integrated Canister Fuel Stoves State of the Market Report 2011 The original Jetboil Personal Cooking System, introduced back in 2004, was the first integrated canister fuel cooking system. Our in-depth Review of the Jetboil Personal Cooking System reported on its strengths and drawbacks. It’s innova ve and wonderfully fuel efficient and wind-resistant, but heavy and low in cooking capacity. It has become a hit with conven onal backpackers, but its 15 ounce (425 g) weight is simply too heavy for lightweight backpacking, especially for solo use. In 2009 Roger Caffin published his Evalua on of Heat Exchanger Stoves. He found that fuel savings doesn’t come close to offse ng the weight of the heavy integrated stoves he tested, which included the MSR Reactor and Primus Eta Express in this roundup. Examples of the diversity of integrated canister fuel cooking systems available today: (le to right) the original Jetboil PCS, Jetboil Sol Advanced Cooking System, Primus Eta Solo, and MSR Reactor. Now we have eight integrated canister fuel stoves, and there are notable advancements in hea ng rate, fuel-efficiency, wind-resistance, cold-resistance, cooking capacity, and weight reduc on (read Part 1 for the details of our performance measurements). With Jetboil’s spring 2011 introduc on of several new integrated canister fuel stoves, plus the recent introduc on of the Primus Eta Solo and MSR Reactor, we finally have enough stoves (eight to be exact) to jus fy a state of the market report in this category. Some of the stoves are quite lightweight, and definitely worth considering for lightweight backpacking and for solo use. This state of the market report is divided into three parts: Lightweight Integrated Canister Fuel Cooking Systems State of the Market Report 2011: Part 1 - Overview and Stove Performance Evalua on Provides an overview of the integrated canister fuel stove in rela on to the conven onal top-mount canister stove. Reports the results of our compara ve performance tests (boil me, hea ng rate, fuel consump on, and gas mileage from a single canister of fuel) for four test condi ons (calm, wind, protected from wind, and cold). Lightweight Integrated Canister Fuel Cooking Systems State of the Market Report 2011: Part 2 – Trends, Stove Ra ngs, and Selec ons (this part) Highlights new developments in integrated canister fuel stoves. Presents our ideas for achieving weight efficiency and fully u lizing the advantages of integrated stoves for backpacking. Provides compara ve specifica ons for lightweight (backpackable) integrated canister stoves, rates them according to appropriate criteria, and iden fies the standouts for different situa ons and needs. Lightweight Integrated Canister Fuel Cooking Systems State of the Market Report 2011: Part 3 – Wrap Up and Reviews of All Stoves Included (coming soon) Presents our overall conclusions from the project and provides a review of each of the stoves evaluated. Introduc on to Part 2 - Trends, Stove Ra ngs, and Selec ons In Part 1 we provided an overview of integrated canister fuel stove technology and evaluated the compara ve performance of lightweight integrated canister fuel stoves. We will u lize that informa on in this ar cle to rate the stoves and iden fy the standouts. Key findings from our tes ng in Part 1: Integrated cooking systems are very fuel efficient, significantly more so than a conven onal canister fuel stove and cook pot; a canister of fuel goes a lot farther. They boil water very quickly, nearly as fast as the best conven onal canister fuel stoves. They are quite wind-resistant, much more so than a conven onal stove. Wind is the nemesis of a conven onal canister stove, and it’s not easy or safe to use a windscreen. Some stoves have pressure regula on technology, so they perform be er in all condi ons, especially at colder temperatures. The lightest integrated stoves are approaching the weight of an ultralight conven onal burner and Titanium cook pot, and clearly surpass it in performance. With the availability of larger pots and other accessories, integrated cooking systems are becoming much more versa le. 14.12.2011 11:43 2 av 12 about:blank The new Jetboil Sol cooking systems (Jetboil Sol Advanced Cooking System shown at le ) set a new standard for lightness and efficiency, as documented in our performance tes ng in Part 1. The Sol has a lighter weight burner (photo 2) with pressure regula on technology, a smaller/lighter Titanium or Aluminum cookpot (photo 3), and is very wind and cold resistant (right). As men oned, some of the newest integrated stoves are quite lightweight, so we can finally take them seriously for lightweight backpacking. Others are s ll on the heavy side. While only the lightest integrated stoves might be considered for personal use by a lightweight backpacker, one of our objec ves in this state of the market report is to explore their poten al for group use. All of these stoves easily crank out copious amounts of boiling water, and some have a pot support adapter that allows cooking with conven onal campware, so we explore how the weight efficiency of these stoves could be improved by cooking for a larger group. Specifically, our objec ves in Part 2 are to: Highlight new developments in integrated stoves. Explore possibili es for u lizing the strengths of integrated stoves for group cooking, thereby making them much more weight efficient. Compare stove weight, features, performance, and u lity. Rate the stoves according to appropriate criteria. Iden fy the standouts for different situa ons and needs. Selec on Criteria This is our first state of the market report on integrated canister fuel stoves, so realis cally our selec on criteria cannot be too exclusive. Currently available. Compact and backpackable, less than 17 ounces (482 g). Will cook in-pot for one to three people. Our weight limit for what we consider “backpackable” was ini ally 1 pound (454 g), but that would leave out the MSR Reactor, which weighs 17 ounces (482 g). We wanted to include the Reactor, so that bumps our weight limit up a bit. We realize a 17-ounce stove is not very “backpackable” by our lightweight standards, but it is backpackable by conven onal backpacking standards. We draw the line there because we want to focus on lightweight stoves that will cook in-pot for one to three people. Stoves Included Eight lightweight integrated cooking systems meet our selec on criteria. Compara ve specifica ons for the stoves are given in Table 1. Table 1 – Compara ve specifica ons for eight integrated canister fuel stoves that meet our selec on criteria. Specs for the Jetboil Sumo Companion Cup are included, because it is frequently men oned in this ar cle. Manufacturer and Model Manufacturer Total Weight oz (g) BPL Measured Total Weight oz (g) Measured Minimum Weight oz (g) Pot Size (L) Burner BTU/hr Piezo Igni on MSRP (US$) Jetboil Sol Ti Premium Cooking System 8.5 (240) 9.8 (278) 7.5 (213) 0.8 6200 Yes 150 Jetboil Sol Advanced Cooking System 10.5 (300) 11.8 (335) 9.2 (261) 0.8 6200 Yes 120 Jetboil Zip Cooking System 12.0 (345) 12.2 (346) 9.5 (269) 0.8 5000 No 70 Jetboil Flash Cooking System 14.0 (397) 14.7 (417) 11.0 (312) 1.0 5000 Yes 100 Jetboil PCS 15.0 (425) 14.9 (422) 11.9 (337) 1.0 5000 Yes 100 Primus Eta Solo 12.9 (365) 13.7 (388) 11.4 (323) 0.9 5400 Yes 120 Primus Eta Express1 14.7 (418) na na 1.0 8900 Yes 89 MSR Reactor 18.8 (532) 17.0 (482) 15.4 (437) 1.7 9000 No 160 14.12.2011 11:43 3 av 12 about:blank Jetboil Sumo Companion Cup 12.5 (354) 12.5 (354) 8.3 (235) 1.8 50 1 The Primus Eta Express is included because it meets our selec on criteria. However, a previous test by Backpacking Light reported that this stove has a serious design flaw causing it to emit a large amount of carbon monoxide. For that reason, the Eta Express is listed but not tested or evaluated. Stoves included in this roundup are (le to right): Jetboil Sol Ti Premium Cooking System, Jetboil Sol Advanced Cooking System (uses the same burner as the Sol Ti), Jetboil Zip Cooking System, Jetboil Flash Cooking System, Jetboil PCS, Primus Eta Solo, and MSR Reactor. Trends As of spring 2011 we have eight backpackable integrated canister fuel stoves, enough to make some meaningful comparisons, and there are some that we are genuinely interested in. With the introduc on of the Jetboil Personal Cooking System back in 2004, we recognized that the technology is very innova ve and has some clear benefits, but the PCS is simply too heavy to interest lightweight backpackers. A er many delays, the MSR Reactor finally appeared. Again, we found it very innova ve but too heavy. Suddenly in late 2010 Primus introduced the Eta Solo and for spring 2011 Jetboil is introducing four new integrated stoves that definitely catch our interest. In this sec on, we summarize the developments that have made integrated canister fuel stoves much more appealing for lightweight backpacking. Jetboil S ll Dominates – The integrated stove market, at least the ones that are backpackable, is s ll dominated by Jetboil, the originator of the integrated stove. Jetboil is introducing four new integrated stoves for spring 2011, and three of them are quite lightweight. Of the eight stoves that meet our selec on criteria (Table 1), five of them are Jetboil stoves. However, that number will be reduced to four as the new Flash eventually replaces the old PCS. Primus has introduced six integrated stoves that incorporate a heat exchanger on the bo om of the cook pot, but they are all on the heavy side. Only the Primus Eta Solo and Eta Express meet our selec on criteria. Thus, this state of the market report is mainly a Jetboil show. Lightweight Integrated Stoves Have Finally Arrived – It took them seven years, but Jetboil finally gave us a truly lightweight integrated canister fuel stove, the Sol. The lightest is the Sol Ti Premium Cooking System, with a measured total weight of 9.8 ounces (278 g) and a minimum weight of just 7.5 ounces (213 g). As the name implies, the stove has a Titanium pot, which is the reason for the US$150 cost. The same stove with an Aluminum pot has a minimum weight of 9.2 ounces (261 g) and costs US$120. And the new Jetboil Zip is a low-cost version with a minimum weight of 9.5 ounces (269 g) and US$70 cost. The new Jetboil Flash has more features and will eventually replace the original Jetboil PCS. The Jetboil Sol Ti Premium Cooking System (far le ) has a Titanium cook pot while the Sol Advanced Cooking System (center) has an Aluminum cook pot and a heat indicator, otherwise they are iden cal. Stove weight can be easily reduced by removing non-essen al parts, for example The Jetboil Sol Ti Premium Cooking System (right) stripped of its top lid, bo om cover, and cozy weighs just 7.5 ounces (213 g) without the fuel canister. The really exci ng stoves in this roundup are the two Jetboil Sol stoves and the Zip because of their light weight. The stoves’ minimum weights, listed in Table 1, are the stripped down weights of the stoves, sans bo om cover, cozy, and top lid. We included minimum weights for a reason - we wanted to get them as light as possible and reiterate the point that that there is very li le loss of performance of the stripped stove. We 14.12.2011 11:43 4 av 12 about:blank also make the point that we would like to see these stoves made even lighter; we don’t really need all the bells and whistles, just give us an ultralight version. Pot Supports Accommodate Conven onal Campware – Jetboil and Primus include a pot support with their integrated stoves, which means you can use the integrated stove to crank out loads of boiling water and you can use the pot support to cook meals for a larger group in an appropriate sized conven onal pot. This simple feature can poten ally make these stoves much more weight efficient by enabling them to cook for a larger group. Jetboil has also come out with larger volume companion cups that will cook for two to three people, a tall 1.8 L Sumo Cup and wider 1.5 L Cooking Pot; both have heat exchanger fins on the bo om to increase their efficiency. Primus also offers larger volume cook pots with a heat exchanger on the bo om, but they are on the heavy side. The MSR Reactor does not have this capability. The Jetboil Sol and Zip stoves include a pot support (le ) so the burner can be used with a conven onal cook pot. It’s an available accessory for the Flash and PCS. Primus also includes a pot support for the Eta Solo (right). The MSR Reactor does not allow for the use of other cook pots. Pressure Regulated Burners – Pressure regula on technology was first introduced in the Soto conven onal top-mount canister stoves. It maintains burner output and hea ng rate as the fuel in the canister diminishes, and also improves cold temperature performance. Jetboil’s new Sol systems and the MSR Reactor incorporate this technology, and our performance tests in Part 1 clearly show its advantages: the stoves have a faster hea ng rate, consume less fuel, and are more cold-resistant. Fast Hea ng Rates – The original Jetboil PCS, with its lower BTU/hr burner, was a bit on the slow side, but not bad. Conven onal top-mount canister stoves are faster, but waste a lot of energy at full thro le. Now the best integrated stoves (Jetboil Sol and MSR Reactor) are just as fast, or faster, than any conven onal stove, and they do the job while burning less fuel. The MSR Reactor is amazing; in our tests it boiled a pint of water in just 1.75 minutes! The radiant burner on the MSR Reactor is an amazing innova on for a backpacking stove. Watch the video to see it work. Unlike most other stoves which have conven onal flames, the MSR Reactor relies on a large-area infra-red radia ng surface. Note the MSR logo on the glowing burner in the right photo. Wind Resistance – Although the wind-resistance of the Jetboil and Primus integrated stoves has not changed, it is appropriate to re-emphasize that this is a major strength of the integrated stove design. While wind is the nemesis of a conven onal top-mount canister stove – any amount of wind simply blows the heat away – an integrated stove maintains most of its hea ng efficiency in a light wind. However, they s ll 14.12.2011 11:43 5 av 12 about:blank benefit from wind protec on. The MSR Reactor is especially wind-resistant; our tes ng found a 5 mph (8 kph) wind has a negligible effect. Heat exchangers by three manufacturers: (le to right) Jetboil Sol, Primus Eta Solo, and MSR Reactor. In each case, the fins on the bo om of the pot enclose the burner to maximize heat transfer and minimize wind effects. The Reactor is the most wind-resistant of the three stoves. Overall, integrated stoves have major advantages over tradi onal top-mount canister stoves, there are some significant improvements in the newest models, and their weight is finally ge ng down to where lightweight backpackers need to give these stoves serious considera on. Cooking Capacity - How Many People Will These Stoves Cook For? Our focus in this state of the market report is lightweight backpackable integrated stoves that will cook for one to three people. However, it is difficult to define the cooking capacity of these stoves because the number of people these stoves will cook for depends on the cooking method. There are basically three approaches (described below), but a key point we want to make is this: if you are willing to keep it simple and use the stove to boil water to hydrate meals and make hot beverages, a single integrated stove can easily and efficiently support a group of people. Honest! See op on 3 below. The following scenarios illustrate the alterna ves. 14.12.2011 11:43 6 av 12 about:blank On an early spring 4-day backpacking trip in Utah’s canyon country, I told my two hiking companions (BPL Senior Editor Mike Mar n in the foreground) that I would bring a stove and enough fuel to provide boiling water for all of our cooking and beverage needs. I brought the burner from the new Jetboil Sol Ti Premium Cooking System, the Sumo 1.8 liter pot, and a 16-ounce (454 g) canister of fuel (to make sure I had plenty). In typical ultralight backpacking style, we carried light packs, and brought meals that only required boiling water. The comments I heard were: “I can’t believe how fast that thing is!”, and “You brought enough fuel for a month!” As it turned out, I could have brought the 0.8 liter standard size pot, a 4-ounce (113 g) canister of fuel, and easily kept up with our needs for boiling water. 14.12.2011 11:43 7 av 12 about:blank On another spring 6-day backpacking trip in Utah’s canyon country, we divided our group of seven into two cooking groups. I provided the MSR Reactor stove and a 16-ounce (454 g) canister of fuel for the group of 4 people, and carried the Jetboil Sol Ti burner, Sumo 1.8 liter pot, and a 16-ounce (454 g) canister of fuel for our group of three people. Our friends using the Reactor employed more conven onal cooking methods and they had big appe tes, so they found it necessary to use a set of cook pots in addi on to the Reactor (right photo). Our group simply boiled water in the Jetboil system, hydrated our food in a separate cook pot, and ate/drank from lightweight cups (foreground, le photo). The number of people that can share one stove depends on cooking method and logis cs: 1. If you cook your meals in-pot, a smaller 0.8 L pot will cook for one person, or two people if you prepare smaller por ons or mul ple 2. 3. courses; a medium-sized 1 L pot will cook for two people; and a larger 1.7 L (MSR Reactor) or 1.8 L (Jetboil Sumo) pot will cook for three people. All of the pots are tall so they require a long-handled spoon to s r the food, and you need to carefully adjust the flame to avoid burning or boilovers. If the food boils over, it can get behind the pot cozy (Jetboil and Primus stoves) and create a mess to clean up. Cooking in-pot requires the pot to be cleaned before it can be used to boil water for beverages. Another way to cook your meals in-pot is to bring a Jetboil or Primus system plus their pot support and a larger volume conven onal cook pot. The integrated stove can be used to provide copious quan es of boiling water for beverages, and the burner plus pot support can be used to cook a large pot of food matched to the size of the group. The MSR Reactor does not offer this op on. Finally, if you use the stove to only boil water for beverages and rehydra ng food, you can get by with a smaller cook pot to con nuously meet several people’s needs for boiling water. Each person would need to bring a separate cup (a lightweight plas c deli cup will do) to hydrate their individual meals and drink beverages out of. The approach you choose comes down to 1) your personal cooking style, and 2) how many people you will be cooking for. Method 2 above can cook for a sizeable group, but there is a limit to how large a pot can be used on the burner’s pot supports, and the lower BTU output of the burner. Method 3 is the simplest and accommodates a larger number of campers. The number of people sharing one stove would depend on how long you are willing to wait for your turn to get boiling water. Perhaps a group of ten people would want to bring two stoves to lessen the wait and to provide a backup should one stove fail. Cooking capacity is no longer an issue with the availability of Jetboil’s 1.8 L Sumo Companion Cup (le ) and the Jetboil pot support accessory (right, shown on the Jetboil Flash burner) that allows the use of large capacity cook pots. Primus also includes a pot support and has larger volume heat exchanger pots available (not shown), which are claimed to increase hea ng efficiency by 30 to 50 percent. Evalua on Criteria Following is an explana on of criteria used to rate integrated canister fuel stoves. Light Weight – Weight is definitely an issue with these stoves. Lightweight backpackers are reluctant to carry the heavier ones, but would be 14.12.2011 11:43 8 av 12 about:blank much more amenable to a lighter version. Lightweight models score the highest, while the heavier ones get lower marks. Hea ng Rate – Stoves that quickly boil water for morning coffee are rated higher. None of the stoves are slow (especially when you compare them to an alcohol stove ☺), but some are faster than others. From our tests in Part 1, we used boil me data for the Warm/Calm condi on to rate the stoves. Fuel Efficiency – All of the stoves are fuel efficient, but some are more so than others and are rated higher. We used fuel consump on data from Part 1, averaged over the four condi ons tested, to rate the stoves. Wind Resistance – All of the stoves are wind-resistant, but some more so than others, so they score higher. To rate the stoves we evaluated the difference in boil me between the Wind/Calm and Warm/Calm condi ons in our Part 1 stove tests. Cold-Resistance –We found that some stoves perform be er when cold, and they are scored higher. To rate the stoves we evaluated the difference in boil me between the Cold/Calm and Warm/Calm condi ons in our Part 1 stove tests. Versa lity – This criterion evaluates stove design and the availability of accessories that allow them to be used for a wider range of cooking styles and needs. Included would be the availability of larger pot sizes, a pot stand that allows the burner to be used with conven onal pots or a fry pan, and the ability of the stove to accommodate the needs of a group of campers. Burner Control – Most canister stoves have the ability to adjust from a low simmer to full thro le, but some are more adept than others. Value – Stoves that perform well at most of the other criteria, or at least the most important ones, and are also low priced receive a higher ra ng. Ra ngs for Lightweight Integrated Canister Fuel Stoves Table 2 – Ra ngs for Lightweight Integrated Canister Fuel Stoves according to eight criteria. Stoves are rated on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = worst of the lot, 5 = best of the lot). The average ra ng is the numerical average across all of the evalua on criteria. Light Weight Hea ng Rate Fuel Efficiency Wind Resistance Cold Resistance Versa lity Burner Control Value Average Ra ng Jetboil Sol Ti Premium Cooking System 5 4 5 3 5 5 5 3 4.4 Jetboil Sol Advanced Cooking System 4 3 5 3 5 5 5 5 4.4 Jetboil Zip Cooking System 4 2 5 1 1 5 3 4 3.1 Jetboil Flash Cooking System 2 2 5 3 1 5 3 2.5 2.9 Jetboil PCS 2 1 5 3 1 5 5 2.5 3.1 Primus Eta Solo 3 1 4 3 1 3 5 2.5 2.8 1 5 1 5 5 2 1 2 2.8 Manufacturer and Model Primus Eta Express1 MSR Reactor 1 The Primus Eta Express was not tested and is not rated. In his carbon monoxide tes ng BPL Senior Editor Dr. Roger Caffin found the emissions of this stove to be completely unacceptable. Standouts The two Jetboil Sol stoves with a ra ng of 4.4 stand out above the rest. They perform well in every category. These stoves do many things well, and deserve our highest ra ng. The next best performing stoves are the Jetboil Zip and PCS. It’s interes ng to note that the Jetboil Flash, which will eventually replace the PCS, did not rate as high as the PCS. The main difference is burner control, where the Flash did not perform as well. The PCS I used for this test is an older one. Noteworthy though is the PCS burner and Primus Eta Solo burners are very similar; this is because Primus furnished the burners for the original PCS. However, note that certain stoves stand out within each of the ra ng factors (columns), but some of those stoves (rows) did not get an outstanding overall ra ng. Standouts within each evalua on criterion are: The lightest stoves are the two Jetboil Sol models and the Zip. Stoves with the fastest hea ng rate are the MSR Reactor and Jetboil Sol Ti. Highest fuel efficiency honors goes to all of the Jetboil stoves. The MSR Reactor is clearly the most wind resistant. The most cold-resistant stoves are the two Jetboil Sol models and MSR Reactor. 14.12.2011 11:43 9 av 12 about:blank Most versa le honor goes to all of the Jetboil stoves. Stoves with the best burner control are the two Jetboil Sol models, Jetboil PCS, and Primus Eta Solo. The best values are the Jetboil Sol Advanced Cooking System (its aluminum pot reduces the cost and performance is similar to the Sol Ti), and the minimalist/low cost Jetboil Zip. Standouts Based on Different Situa ons and Needs Choosing the “best” integrated stove depends on who will use it and how it will be used. Our readers and their needs are very diverse, so we will make our stove selec ons based on several different perspec ves. Lightest – The Jetboil Sol Ti Premium Cooking System is the standout. It can be stripped down to just 7.5 ounces (213 g) with minimal loss of convenience or stove performance. When stripped, the Jetboil Zip weighs 2 ounces more, but it costs less than half as much as the Sol Ti. These stoves are light enough to be weight compe ve with any conven onal canister stove system, their performance is much be er, and one stove can easily be shared by several people. Best for Solo Use – Again the Jetboil Sol models and the Jetboil Zip are the standouts. Their 0.8 L cup has sufficient volume for one person. Best for Group Use – I recommend the Jetboil Sol burner in combina on with the Sumo Companion Cup. Depending on your preferred cooking method, the stove will cook in-pot for three people, and with the pot support and a large pot it will cook for up to five people, or provide boiling water for up to 10 people to hydrate meals in their personal cup or bowl. Best for Four-Season Use – This would include cold weather opera on, windy condi ons, and mel ng snow. I recommend the Jetboil Sol stoves with the Sumo companion cup because of their great performance and versa lity. If mel ng snow in poten ally windy condi ons is a likely scenario, then the MSR Reactor is up to the job. It’s excep onally wind-resistant, has more BTU’s, and boils water incredibly fast, but it’s heavy. Note that these stoves rely on vaporiza on of fuel in the canister, so they will not perform well in frigid temperatures, unless some method is used to warm the canister. What’s Good and What’s Not So Good In this sec on we highlight key features and a ributes that we like or dislike. The key technology - an a ached heat exchanger on the bo om of the cookpot that surrounds the burner - is what makes these stoves so fuel efficient and wind resistant. 14.12.2011 11:43 10 av 12 about:blank With the introduc on of the Jetboil Sol stoves (le ), the integrated canister fuel stove finally breaks into the lightweight backpacking category. The Sol Ti Premium Cooking System (far le ) has a Titanium cup while the Sol Advanced Cooking System has an aluminum cup, otherwise they are the same. Jetboil wins the versa lity award. Several heat exchanger pot sizes are offered, and their companion cups fit all Jetboil stoves (except the Helios Group Cooking System). They even offer a French press and a hanging kit. Primus and MSR do not have larger heat exchanger pot sizes that a ach to the burner base, but Primus does have heat exchanger pots that fit on the burner and included pot support. 14.12.2011 11:43 11 av 12 about:blank The Jetboil stoves (le ) and Primus Eta Solo (right) include a pot support that allows the burner to be used with conven onal cook pots or available heat exchanger pots. This accessory really expands the stove’s versa lity; the stove with its heat exchanger pot will deliver loads of hot water or cook a meal for one or two people, and the pot stand plus a larger pot will cook for a larger group. You cannot use a conven onal cook pot on the Reactor burner. The Jetboil locking mechanism to a ach the pot to the burner (le ) is awkward to use and doesn’t work smoothly. It could easily come loose while using their hanging accessory. The Primus design (right) is much more secure. 14.12.2011 11:43 12 av 12 about:blank Although the Reactor is a workhorse for boiling water and resis ng wind, it does not simmer very well. Watch this video to see what we mean. The Reactor has two speeds: medium and high. Preview of Part 3 Having tested the stoves in Part 1 and rated them in Part 2, we assemble the informa on in Part 3 where we summarize our findings from this project and provide a separate review of each stove covered in this state of the market report. Disclosure: The manufacturer provided this product to the author and/or Backpacking Light at no charge and is owned by the author/BPL. The author/Backpacking Light has no obligaƟon to the manufacturer to review this product under the terms of this agreement. CitaƟon "Lightweight Integrated Canister Fuel Cooking Systems State of the Market Report 2011: Part 2 – Trends, Stove Ra ngs, and Selec ons," by Will Rietveld .BackpackingLight.com (ISSN 1537-0364). h p://backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/2011_sotmr_integrated_canister_stoves_part2.html, 2011-10-04 00:20:00-06. 14.12.2011 11:43