I tried the Jetboil and, for the additional weight over the Pocket Rocket and Titan kettle, the Jetboil just isn't worth it. I boil water and add freeze-dried food. If a 3-ounce stove and 4 ounce pot will boil water in two or three minutes, why carry an extra half pound or so to use a Jetboil that will save me, oh, about 30 seconds. I've got nowhere to go. Carrying that extra weight, especially when you purposely added weight for your tent, makes no sense.

It's also hard to keep crud (like food that dribbles down the side when you pour) from soaking into that pot cozy - and makes it real hard to keep clean.

Sorry, but I think the Jetboil and Reactor are both overrated. I'll take lighter weight.

Subsequent edit: a post by Jasonlivy reminded me that I should have said, "the Jetboil and Reactor are both overrated for my needs." I eat a cold breakfast and lunch, and only prepare a freeze-dried supper. I drink water, not hot beverages. Therefore, I can't justify the weight of either the Jetboil or Reactor for the minimal use I need. However, if I were cooking for several people, or cooking several times a day, and beverages were involved, I might very well choose the Reactor. I generally prefer MSR gear, and I think the Jetboil's pot cozy is overly fussy and the utensils a little flimsy; the angles and sliding feature of the utensils and absorbent cozy material made it a little too hard to keep clean for me. Also, the Jetboil was pretty tipsy unless I used the pot stand; the Reactor uses an MSR cartridge with a wider-based canister that makes it more stable.


Edited by Glenn (11/08/08 10:55 AM)