Jetboil Stash Cooking System
The Stash is Jetboil’s smallest and lightest cooking setup, making it a serious option for ultralight backpackers.
Jetboil Stash Specs
MSRP: $149.99
Weight: 7.1 ounces for the stove and pot; add 0.9 ounces for the stabilizer legs that attach to the bottom of the fuel canister
Boil Time: 2 minutes, 30 seconds for 16 ounces of water
Ignition: Lighter or match; no integral ignition
About the Jetboil Stash Cooking System
The Stash is a lightweight, easy-to-pack cooking system for one to two people. The collapsible stove, stabilizer legs, and a 100-gram fuel canister fit inside the 0.8 liter pot, held in place by a snap-on plastic cover. All but the fuel canister come with the Stash. The Stash’s light weight and fuel efficiency make it a strong competitor among ultralight canister stoves.
Cooking With the Stash
Strengths, and Weaknesses: The Stash’s strength is boiling water for coffee and dehydrated meals; its weakness is simmering food.
Boil Time: I recorded boil times of about 2.5 minutes for two cups of water, which is excellent for a cup of coffee and water for dehydrated meals.
Simmering: Getting the Stash to simmer is tricky, and there’s a lot of heat even at the lowest fuel output. The flame requires watching and continual adjustment to keep it going, and the slightest breeze can put out a simmering flame. Using a 100-gram fuel container, I boiled two cups of water 11 times, and simmered one meal at higher-than-optimal heat for 10 minutes, adding a little extra water to avoid burning the food in the pot.
Meals for Two: The 0.8-liter pot is big enough for boiling water for drinks and cooking meals for two.
Lighting the Stove: The Stash does not have a built-in fuel igniter, which saves weight. There is room to pack a cigarette-type lighter or matches inside the pot.
The Setup
Weight: Eight ounces; 7.1 ounces for the burner, storage sack, pot, and plastic pot cover, and 0.9 ounces for the stabilizer legs that attach to the bottom of the fuel canister. Add 7 ounces for a 100-gram fuel canister.
Burner: Titanium, with three arms that collapse flat, making the burner easy to pack. The arms are notched and keep the bottom lip of the pot centered and snugly in place. Although the burner is designed to hold the Stash’s pot, other pots can be used.
Pot: The aluminum 0.8-liter pot has Jetboil’s patented FluxRing heat exchanger, which directs heat from the flame to the bottom of the pot, rather than letting the heat flow up the sides of the pot. The result, says Jetboil, is more heat with less fuel. Indented markings on the pot designate cup, cup and a half, and two-cup levels.
Stabilizer Legs: Cooking with a canister stove requires setting up on an almost-perfectly flat surface. While that’s still true with the Stash, the stabilizer legs keep the stove balanced on rough surfaces. And the pot is top heavy when using a 100-gram fuel canister, making the stabilizer legs even more important.
Pot Handle: The rubber grip lets me grab the pot handle without burning my fingers on hot metal.
Plastic Cover: The cover snaps onto the pot, and has a center hole for letting steam escape when the water boils and a side pour spot. The spout can also act as a strainer for larger food such as noodles.
Fuel Canister: 7 ounces for a 100-gram canister, which is the size that fits inside the Stash’s pot and is good for about five days. The Stash can use a 230-gram canister, making the stove suitable for longer backcountry trips, but the larger canister does not fit into the pot.
Fuel Type: Jet Boil recommends its JetPower brand of fuel, and says that in a pinch MSR, Primus, and Snowpeak canisters have the same fuel mixture as JetPower and can be used. I found that MSR fuel worked fine for the Stash.
Packing the Stash
Easy to Pack: Illustrated instructions on fitting the burner, legs, canister, and lighter inside the pot, and snapping on the cover are printed on the side of the pot.
But Pay Attention: I tinkered with packing everything into the pot before getting it right, and advise paying careful attention to how the stove unpacks from the pot so that unlike me you remember how to put it together.
- Fold up the orange plastic legs and put them at the bottom of the pot.
- Put the burner in the stuff sack and stand it upright in the pot, on the opposite side of the handle.
- Turn the canister upside down, nest a lighter or matches in the concave bottom, snap the pot cover onto the top rim of the pot, and fold the handle over the cover to hold it in place.
Jetboil Extras
Grande Coffee Press: Works with Jetboil Stash, MiniMo, SUMO, and SUMO TI cooking systems, along with 1-liter short and 1.8-liter spare cups.
JetGauge: Determine how much fuel is in your canister with the JetGauge’s digital display.
Stash Pros
Compact and Light: The Stash packs compactly into the included 0.8 liter pot, for a total weight of 8 ounces. Add 7 ounces for a 100-gram canister, which also fits inside the stove, and I have a complete cooking system for less than a pound.
Fast Boil Times: The Stash boils 2 cups of water in 2 and a half minutes, although boil times approached 3 minutes as the fuel canister neared empty.
Easy to Use: Attach the stabilizer legs to the fuel canister, thread the burner onto the canister, and light the stove. I’ve always been able to light the burner with one match, and the pot’s bottom lip fit snugly onto the notched arms so I’m always ensured that the pot is centered on the burner and won’t slide off.
Stash Cons
Hard to Simmer: The burner creates so much heat that it’s difficult to get the flame small enough to simmer while cooking. I add extra water to prevent food from burning to the bottom of the pot, although that makes for a soupy meal.
Susceptible to Wind: The flame burns strong when on full, but a slight wind can put out a simmering flame.
Small Fuel Canister: The 100-gram canister is good for a five-day trip that involves mostly boiling water for meals. Cooking meals that require simmering means packing a 230-gram canister, which does not fit inside the Stash’s pot.
Overall Value
The Stash comes as a package: burner, pot, pot cover, and stabilizing legs, at a price of $149.99. That might seem like a lot for a stove and accessories, but consider this: I put together my own stove setup with an ultralight burner and titanium pot that together weigh 6.8 ounces, for a cost of about $119. But my current stove setup doesn’t have the good-to-have features of the Stash: stabilizer legs that to me are essential when using the smaller 100-gram canister, a fuel-saving design, a pot that nestles firmly on the burner arms, and a setup that packs small and light. Those features make the well-designed Stash a solid choice at its price.
Similar Cooking Systems
MSRP: $109.95
Weight: 12 ounces
Included: Burner and igniter that pack into a 0.5 liter aluminum pot.
MSR Windburner Personal Stove System
MSRP: $189.95
Weight: 16 ounces
Included: Burner, fuel canister stabilizer legs, and 4-ounce fuel canister fit inside the 1-liter pot. A plastic cover snaps onto the top and a plastic bowl covers the bottom of the pot.
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This product was donated for purpose of review.
