The days of pumping, priming and praying are gone.
We got our hands on a Jetboil Flash Cooking System ($99) intended for backpacking trips, but found it perfect for sharing soup on a hike or coffee at the crags.
Contained and snug in its own cup, the entire cooking system weighs less than a pound and is not much bigger than a fat water bottle.
Screw on an isobutane propane gas canister to the stove and mount the cup on the burner. Done. There’s even a quick stand to prevent accidents.
Just turn on the gas, push the igniter seated in the stove body, and you’re on.
The insulated temperature gauge on the outside of the cup turns bright yellow when water is boiling – two cups are ready in about 2 minutes.
The FluxRing cooking cup that comes with the system is an aluminum cup with a ring that creates a highly ef cient heat transfer property. The stainless steel burner heats it up lightning fast.
The sipper lid works as a strainer (plus there’s a really nice aftermarket French coffee press available). You’d think it would melt, but it doesn’t. An additional cup fits over the bottom of the system and doubles as a measuring cup.
We’ve used this thing everywhere. While the igniter can be fussy, it always ends up working. It’s easy to clean, can take a good beating and for the money, it’s paid of itself tenfold with fast hot water. The Jetfoil Flash lives in our camp kit.
