Backpacker Magazine – Online Exclusive - Mother's Day Gift Guide

Mother's Day Gift Guide: Jetboil Sol Advanced Cooking System

Smaller, lighter, and even better performing than the original

by: Joel Nyquist

Tags:
• Gear
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• Stoves
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If you’re into quick meals that don’t require a lot of preparation or toil, try out this sleek new upgraded Jetboil. The pot size is .8 liter instead of the standard 1 liter (max fill line is unchanged at .5L), which saves a little over half an inch from the already compact all-in-one setup. The weight also drops nearly 5 ounces from the popular PCS version, which won our Editor’s Choice Award back in 2004.

Like any canister stove it won’t work well in truly Arctic conditions, but you get enhanced cold weather performance since the burner keeps the fuel canister’s internal pressure equalized down to around 20&Deg;F before the performance starts to drop off, which is much better than many canister stoves. The Sol also features easy push button lighting, an insulated neoprene cozy for faster heating and painless handling, plus a stabilizer tripod to minimize tipping and a pot support so you can use any pot you want.

That flexibility let our testers cook up pancakes, scrambled eggs, chili, burritos, and even scones over the burner. As with all Jetboil systems, the integrated.8L pot/cup has a heat exchanger to speed up boil times, and it is pure magic (an average of just over 2 minutes to reach a full boil) for boiling water for hot drinks or simple dehydrated meals, while the sip-through lid is perfect for savoring evening tea. $120; 13.5 oz.; jetboil.com

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