User Review: Jetboil Flash Cooking System

Summary

Be clear, if you are a gourmet camp cook, this is probably not the item for you. If however, like my husband and I, you have found that you can live quite well on dehydrated food cooked in the bag when you are camping, you will love this little stove.

It all fits together neatly, there is no soot or ashes or smoke. There is no messing around with liquid fuel or trying to light an esbit cube in the wind, etc. You just quickly assemble the stove with a few twists, put some water in the pot, turn on the fuel and click the ignitor switch.

One pot of water for a bagged meal split between us and another quick pot for a cup of hot tea or coffee or broth while we're waiting for the bagged meal to "cook". There is no pan to wash. Just twist the components apart and put them back in the pot and be on your way.

A small fuel canister lasted 5 days/night for us in the Glacier backcountry and that was heating at least two pots of water at each meal of the day. You can make real coffee with the cup and a press, but that is too messy for us in a leave no trace world.

Also you can't really "cook" in the pot as it gets too hot. There is no way to regulate the heat so you need to be thoughtful about meal selection. Meals that require you to cook them in the pot will probably not do well and may burn or stick to your pot.

I'm considering getting the titanium version for future trips and leaving the old Flash for the car. I've looked at other stoves and usually carry a tiny esbit stove for emergencies or day trips, but I really like the convenience and reliability of the Jetboil Flash.