GEAR WISHLIST POST #1

Ummm how COOL are these stronger-than-Kevlar reinforced socks?!  Good Bye Camp Shoes.


Can't wait to see these on the market. Hoping they review well.
Thanks to Techly.com for the post.

JETBOIL vs. PRIMUS, What difference does it make?

Hi Friends! This is my first blog post ever, welcome to my page. Today I am here to review COOKING gear for BACKPACKING!! Yay. A few weeks ago, I went backpacking with my buddies from Team Xtreme (more on that later). Our leader secured us permits for a 30-ish mile weekend trip through Desolation Wilderness (which I would like to rename Population Wilderness).  My friend Sandeep and I were getting ready to cook dinner, when the idea came to me to start this blog. So much gear to talk about, why not share the information with everyone?

Many of my backpacking buddies have a JETBOIL for cooking. People seem to love them.

 I bought a $20 PRIMUS backpacking single burner about 3 years ago, and from what I can tell, it works just FINE. But I still feel compelled to upgrade, so I thought I'd run a comparison. My set up includes a $12 OPTIMUS windshield, and a GSI Stainless Bottle Cup which I got for $12 on Amazon. 

 

We started our water boiling at the same time. No surprise, the JetBoil won, and boiled the water first. How much faster? ONE MINUTE!! Not so bad. So for $46 vs $99 I think I can wait one minute.

I checked in with Sandeep to see what she really loves about her Jetboil to make sure I know what I am missing.  Here's what she has to say about her JetBoil:

"I have the jetboil flash, I bought it from REI FOR $99.95 6/2013 for my first backpacking trip with the adventure scouts in big pine.

I love that it's compact, the smaller fuel fits inside the jetboil along with its fuel stand and a small stand for any other type of stove other than the jetboil to be put on top of.The advantages are its speed and compact size

I would say that the jetboil pot itself must be unique although I may be guessing--but I feel like it somehow speeds up the boiling process. I also like that when the water is ready, the side of the jetboil has a flame that changes colors to let you know 

I don't know if I'd necessarily recommend the jetboil--there are cheaper options like the MSR. I bought the jetboil off the recommendation of my brother, I was a novice and trusted him. I feel like if you're on a budget, don't go with the jetboil. "

Thanks Sandeep!

Here is a weight comparison to finalize the comparison: Jetboil Flash 15.25 oz

GSI Bottle Cup: 5oz + Primus 8oz + Optimus Windshield 3oz = 16 oz 

In summary, the JetBoil has some realy cool features. If money was no object, I would definitely upgrade.  But, as a novice backpacker, prioritizing some bigger budget items like my sleep system took priority over the cooking setup. I am glad I only had to spend $46 to get set up, but for $99 the jetboil is a welcome upgrade.