Son is working through the Cooking Merit Badge and asking for this for the upcoming backpacking trip instead of my cheap-ass, heavy $25 Coleman add on.

Would I be buying the equivalent of a Yeti backpacking stove or is this worth the additional money? Looks cool and very light and functional and it is not a major price point but I am cheap by nature.

Any commentary appreciated.

I use the jetboil when elk hunting and camping. Very durable and reliable. I have no experience with the mighty mo, but if it performs as well as my OG JetBoil, I would get it. One of those items in an arsenal that will last a long time.

Can it simmer? My only experience with jet boils is that they heat water very quickly and very efficiently, but the only think they are good for cooking is stuff that requires you to add boiled water. Maybe they've advanced since then. I'm an msr dragonfly man. Simmer down to nothing, melt snow/boil water like a champ on full blast, and uses white gas or just about anything else you feed it

I am curious. It has a adjuster that in theory should do that but I have know idea if this is marketing fluff.

"The four-turn regulator offers incremental heat adjustments from light simmer to full boil, perfect for sauting greens, simmering sauces, and more. "

i have a jetboil "knock-off." 100000% worth the purchase, but as mentioned, its essentially for boiling water. if you want to cook something that has to simmer or something, i'll opt for either a single burner stove or my ultralight burner and a pot.

Sorry, i replied without looking at the exact model. There are a ton of knockoffs of that style burner on Amazon for like $15, there's really not much to the design, I'd be tempted to try one of those first with good canisters and see if you feel like you're missing out

I've done a lot of backpacking and backcountry hunting. Have used or been with someone who is using just about every stove on the market.

Many are great, and sometimes the difference is splitting hairs.

But- I LOVE my MSR Windburner Personal system.

It really does a great job, and boils fast. I've used it as high as 13+K feet, in pretty stiff wind.
I love that it is self contained. Everything fits inside the canister- fuel, stand, stove. Then the canister is what you use to heat & eat. I also have the small frying pan that can attach, which makes it super versatile if I want to bring it along.
The Windburner is perfect for 1-2 people. Although, I've used it (and nothing else) for 5 people before. Everyone just had to wait a few minutes, and not eat at the exact same time. No biggie.

The MSR Reactor system is also very good, and has a variety of sized pots you can attach. If you are using 1 stove for multiple people, the Reactor or Windburner Duo is the way to go.

The MSR Pocket Rocket is more comparable to the JetBoil MightyMo. Both super lightweight. But I prefer the systems that are all-in-one, like the Flash/MicroMo/MiniMo and Windburner.

Having done the JetBoils and MSR's side by side numerous times- the MSR's are a touch faster, and the pot is better designed (much better handle/insulation that makes handling without burning yourself easier- though I think JerBoil has improved their pots since I last used one). The MSR also handles winds much better in my experience. Much better.

So, when I hit the backcountry, or do anything other than car camping- I have my MSR Windburner.

Just my .02.

And since you also asked for commentary, when i was in scouts, cooking merit badge was about 3 course dutch oven feasts

Quote:

---

And since you also asked for commentary, when i was in scouts, cooking merit badge was about 3 course dutch oven feasts

---

Yeah, the boy is 15, Life Rank, and has just a handful of merit badges left before Eagle. This has been a good lesson in reading fine print as he assumed he was done with camping at this point and could instead focus on high school sports, women, and hanging out with his buddies on Friday night.

The current cooking badge has both regular camping and backpacking requirements, so out into the field he goes once more. I am glad he has a few friends his age in the same situation. I don't know how many campouts I oversaw as an ASM when some surly 17 year old would roll in, avoid everyone, anger cook their last meals, and pack up and blow out at 5 AM the next day.

Man that's a tough stage. We had a venture crew that helped with the situation, where we were all friends and did bigger stuff (scuba, caving, etc) but understood that staying active in the regular troop stuff was a prerequisite. Hope he sticks with it!

He is set on it and the saving grace is that he has 6 pretty close school friends that are all in the same stage. They support each other through the process.

It also helped that some of the "Cool kids" in the high school just Eagled in his troop. These are sharp kids . . . great grades, captains of varsity football and basketball, etc and he looks up to them so that is fuel for the final stretch.

I do here plenty of grumbling now whereas he never really said much through last year.

And to answer your question - no, a backcountry stove is not the equivalent of buying a Yeti. You would be miserable trying to lug a Coleman on a backpacking tip. This is what JetBoils and MSR's are made for. They are worth the price to save the oz, and be able to quickly heat water for drinks/meals. They are SO NICE for anything serious in the backcountry.

Wasnt proposing the kid lug my camp grill.

Coleman makes a propane top model for backpacking but it is cheaply priced and cheaply made IMO.

https://www.coleman.com/grills-stoves/camping-stoves/single-burner/bottle-top-propane-stove/SAP_2000038235.html

I was asking if the more expensive models are indeed worth it. Sounds like they are.

Windy City Ag said:

---

Wasnt proposing the kid lug my camp grill.

Coleman makes a propane top model for backpacking but it is cheaply priced and cheaply made IMO.

https://www.coleman.com/grills-stoves/camping-stoves/single-burner/bottle-top-propane-stove/SAP_2000038235.html

I was asking if the more expensive models are indeed worth it. Sounds like they are.

---

When your up above 8,000ft of elevation on the side of a snow covered mountain and the stove is your only opportunity for a hot meal after a frustrating day of chasing elk, it's definitely worth it. Altitude and cold are hell on stoves. I've only gone Jetboil and seen some MSRs struggle in the wind while I'm already boiling water. But they are both good options and it looks like the MSR model he posted was a their copy of Jetboil, so it will probably be fine.

Camping at a campground out of your car, definitely not unless it's your preferred method for quick coffee. And there's definitely better options for that.

Sold me here. I get frustrated enough lighting a charcoal grill in the backyard of a Taos VRBO.

Jetboil and WSR Windburner system are legit and convenient. I definitely recommend either

I also have MSR stove. I like the Jet boil and MSR Windburner systems because they also takes the place of your boil pot for freeze dried meals. I choose this type of systems 9 times out of 10.

if you want functional/extremely lightweight/ and reliable I have the MSR PocketRocket. Its no frills but I have found the more frills you have in the backcountry the more that can break and leave you up a creek without a paddle.

Windy City Ag said:

---

Sold me here. I get frustrated enough lighting a charcoal grill in the backyard of a Taos VRBO.

---

My wife looks at my elk gear like I do her purses or shoes. The difference being when the powers been off for a couple days and I have things like water purifiers, jetboils, lightweight wood stoves, -10deg quilts, etc. in my gear closet. Suddenly my gear purchases that I research the hell out of and save up for don't seem so dumb.

It's handy to have and fuel is cheap and everywhere. Keeping it in my truck with some emergency water and some mountain houses along with the rest of my emergency gear is cheap peace of mind for traveling with the family.

You guys cooking out in the wind are suckers. If you have 2 or more guys at camp, bring a cooking tarp and set it up as a lean-to. A light tarp is like 4 ounces and worth it. Edit: 20oz. Still worth it

Pocket Rocket always works for me. Fits inside Coleman boil cup. Extra :30 to boil but fits pack much smaller.

I'd go for any of the jetboils or MSR winderburner/reactor over the MSR pocket rocket. The improved performance in the wind of a dedicated pot designed for better heat transfer and a flame more shielded from the wind is worth it.

This is my experience using both the pocket rocket and a jetboil sol (discontinued model, similar to the current flash).

Another option to look at it the Soto windmaster. I have been very impressed with mine.

Note that all canister stoves struggle with extreme cold and altitude. If a winter mountain trip is on the horizon, the MSR whisperlite is hard to beat

Optics Planet runs a discount website called DVOR.com. They currently have the MSR Windburner Duo for $165. That's about 25% off MSRP. You gotta sign up for a membership. I've never bought anything from them and Optics Planet sometimes gets bad reviews. YMMV.

https://www.dvor.com/msr-windburner-duo-system.html

Also have the Jetboil Zip for $72.

https://www.dvor.com/jetboil-zip.html

I've bought several high end optics from Optics Planet with no problems .