GREAT GEAR RECOMMENDATION - Jetboil Sol Ti Canister Stove
For those of you that think I am too stuck in my ways and not open enough to new products please pay particular attention to this post and know that there is a method to my madness.
I have been recommending three stoves for some time now. One. The XGK EX from MSR for international travel, all temperatures, and extreme situations where bombproof reliability is a bigger priority than weight. Two. The Snow Peak Litemax Titanium canister stove and MSR Titan .85 liter Kettle combination for lightweight, trips of three days or less in temps above 25 degrees. Third. The Jetboil Flash system for trips of more than three days in temperatures over 25 degrees. Why the distinction between the two water boiling canister setups? The Jetboil system while larger and heavier is more efficient so it becomes a better deal on longer trips. Greater efficiency or more boils per fuel canister means you don't have to carry as many fuel cans on longer outings, saves weight.
Now, I will admit that I was slow to warm (pun intended) up to Jetboil. I thought the early models were gimmicky, and much bigger, bulkier, heavier and slower than what I was using so I didn't jump on the band wagon with everybody else. I wasn't shy about making my opinion known either. However, their products, over time have gotten smaller, lighter and faster and as a result I added a Jetboil stove to my on gear list last year, the Flash as described above.
Things changed again with the latest and indeed greatest from Jetboil. The new Sol Ti is the smallest, lightest, and fastest canister stove system from Jetboil and it has one more new feature going for it that has drove me to revise my stove recommendations from three to two. The Sol Ti has an integral fuel regulator that maintains a constant flow so the stove works at lower temperatures (the achilles heel of all canister style stoves), down to 20 degrees in fact. That is a big deal in my book.
So, the new Ti system is compact, light, fast, efficient and now enhanced to perform better in colder temps. It is still heavier than the Snow Peak slash MSR Titan Kettle combo (14 ounces complete with a small can of fuel) but now the difference is just .2 ounces when it is stripped down to its essential components (14.2 ounces). The integral heat exchanger design also helps the Ti mitigate the wind. After summing it all up, it became obvious to me that I no longer needed the Snow Peak and MSR Titan Kettle which leaves just two stoves in my always ready to go gear boxes. The MSR XGK EX and the Jetboil Sol Ti. In this case, two is better than three.
The new Jetboil Sol Ti as it comes out of the package with all the extraneous accoutrements and a full (small) fuel canister nestled neatly inside weighs in at a portly one pound two point two ounces. Too much in my opinion but it can be trimmed down and still be perfectly usable for boiling water.
Is the Ti perfect? No, in a word, it isn't. I am a little concerned about the long term durability of the components, it doesn't feel quite sturdy enough for me. It also has too many accessories included with it but that is easily remedied by pitching what isn't absolutely necessary for heating water. I don't need a pot holder adaptor because I am using the attached cup as the system was designed. And I don't need a little plastic cup or fuel can stand thank you very much. The neoprene cup cozy and strap is useless if not a hazard. Lastly, the built in Piezo style push button igniter should be dumped because they break often, don't work all that well even when they aren't broke and they add weight. Besides you should be carrying a couple of Bics with you anyway, right grasshopper? Right!
Get rid of all that extra garbage and you are left with a pretty svelte little heating rig that weighs 14.2 ounces complete with fuel. It works.
As it should be. Get rid of the extras shown at left and you have a leaner, meaner Jetboil Sol Ti that tips the scales at a respectable fourteen point two ounces.
Drum roll please. Ta da! A better high tech canister stove folks. Proof that constructive criticism from expert user groups, not gushing butt kissing parade joining platitudes from wannabes and magazine desk jockeys, yields improved products for the field. Now I am on the bad wagon.
There you have it boys and girl. The Sol Ti, a Jetboil stove worthy of a Hardcore Outdoor GREAT GEAR RECOMMENDATION. It deserves it and I am pleased to give it. Well done Jetboil but don't sit around basking in the glow for too long. The competition is stiff and you can do better. Make it lighter but stronger and you will own the niche.
Thanks.
Wade Nelson
Editor
Sorting through the fads and fashion of the outdoor equipment industry to identify and promote the very best wilderness gear for high end recreational users, backcountry professionals and government agencies.
We can be educated and persuaded but not bought, bullied or bs'd. Hardcore Outdoor is dedicated to those who can't or won't turn back.
I have been recommending three stoves for some time now. One. The XGK EX from MSR for international travel, all temperatures, and extreme situations where bombproof reliability is a bigger priority than weight. Two. The Snow Peak Litemax Titanium canister stove and MSR Titan .85 liter Kettle combination for lightweight, trips of three days or less in temps above 25 degrees. Third. The Jetboil Flash system for trips of more than three days in temperatures over 25 degrees. Why the distinction between the two water boiling canister setups? The Jetboil system while larger and heavier is more efficient so it becomes a better deal on longer trips. Greater efficiency or more boils per fuel canister means you don't have to carry as many fuel cans on longer outings, saves weight.
Now, I will admit that I was slow to warm (pun intended) up to Jetboil. I thought the early models were gimmicky, and much bigger, bulkier, heavier and slower than what I was using so I didn't jump on the band wagon with everybody else. I wasn't shy about making my opinion known either. However, their products, over time have gotten smaller, lighter and faster and as a result I added a Jetboil stove to my on gear list last year, the Flash as described above.
Things changed again with the latest and indeed greatest from Jetboil. The new Sol Ti is the smallest, lightest, and fastest canister stove system from Jetboil and it has one more new feature going for it that has drove me to revise my stove recommendations from three to two. The Sol Ti has an integral fuel regulator that maintains a constant flow so the stove works at lower temperatures (the achilles heel of all canister style stoves), down to 20 degrees in fact. That is a big deal in my book.
So, the new Ti system is compact, light, fast, efficient and now enhanced to perform better in colder temps. It is still heavier than the Snow Peak slash MSR Titan Kettle combo (14 ounces complete with a small can of fuel) but now the difference is just .2 ounces when it is stripped down to its essential components (14.2 ounces). The integral heat exchanger design also helps the Ti mitigate the wind. After summing it all up, it became obvious to me that I no longer needed the Snow Peak and MSR Titan Kettle which leaves just two stoves in my always ready to go gear boxes. The MSR XGK EX and the Jetboil Sol Ti. In this case, two is better than three.
The new Jetboil Sol Ti as it comes out of the package with all the extraneous accoutrements and a full (small) fuel canister nestled neatly inside weighs in at a portly one pound two point two ounces. Too much in my opinion but it can be trimmed down and still be perfectly usable for boiling water.
Is the Ti perfect? No, in a word, it isn't. I am a little concerned about the long term durability of the components, it doesn't feel quite sturdy enough for me. It also has too many accessories included with it but that is easily remedied by pitching what isn't absolutely necessary for heating water. I don't need a pot holder adaptor because I am using the attached cup as the system was designed. And I don't need a little plastic cup or fuel can stand thank you very much. The neoprene cup cozy and strap is useless if not a hazard. Lastly, the built in Piezo style push button igniter should be dumped because they break often, don't work all that well even when they aren't broke and they add weight. Besides you should be carrying a couple of Bics with you anyway, right grasshopper? Right!
Get rid of all that extra garbage and you are left with a pretty svelte little heating rig that weighs 14.2 ounces complete with fuel. It works.
As it should be. Get rid of the extras shown at left and you have a leaner, meaner Jetboil Sol Ti that tips the scales at a respectable fourteen point two ounces.
Drum roll please. Ta da! A better high tech canister stove folks. Proof that constructive criticism from expert user groups, not gushing butt kissing parade joining platitudes from wannabes and magazine desk jockeys, yields improved products for the field. Now I am on the bad wagon.
There you have it boys and girl. The Sol Ti, a Jetboil stove worthy of a Hardcore Outdoor GREAT GEAR RECOMMENDATION. It deserves it and I am pleased to give it. Well done Jetboil but don't sit around basking in the glow for too long. The competition is stiff and you can do better. Make it lighter but stronger and you will own the niche.
Thanks.
Wade Nelson
Editor
Sorting through the fads and fashion of the outdoor equipment industry to identify and promote the very best wilderness gear for high end recreational users, backcountry professionals and government agencies.
We can be educated and persuaded but not bought, bullied or bs'd. Hardcore Outdoor is dedicated to those who can't or won't turn back.
Posted by Wade Nelson at Wednesday, July 27. 2011 
Categories: Food-Water-Cooking, GREAT GEAR RECOMMENDATIONS
Tags: best canister stove lightweight backpacking stove
Categories: Food-Water-Cooking, GREAT GEAR RECOMMENDATIONS
Tags: best canister stove lightweight backpacking stove
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