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Jetboil Sol ?'s

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Date/Time: 05/24/2013 09:26PM

Subject: Jetboil Sol ?'s

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Previous Messages:
Author	Message Text
boonie	07/21/2012 01:19PM I have a few Coleman's, PK, so that's good to hear. I use a mug like that one that I got as freebie.
boonie	07/20/2012 09:15PM quote kanoes: "a tip kurps gave me for cold weather canister stove operation... set the canister in a pan of lake water because that will always warm the canister way above the air temp." Never heard that one before. Maybe I'll just stick a "toe-warmer heat pack" under it.
PortageKeeper	07/20/2012 09:14PM I most always use Coleman 230's from walmart, just to get by as cheaply as possible. On short trips, I do have a stash of Snow Peak 110's that I use. I do not believe that there is any difference in brands, other than the price. I use an Alladin mug like this. Two Via's in there will keep my teeth grinding for a while. Then a use an insulated 16 oz. Nalgene 'jar' for my food as it keeps warm for quite a while in that.
kanoes	07/20/2012 08:52PM a tip kurps gave me for cold weather canister stove operation... set the canister in a pan of lake water because that will always warm the canister way above the air temp.
boonie	07/20/2012 08:18PM Thanks, Ragged, that's what I wanted to know. The average lows for late Sept/early Oct (for Ely) are close to freezing (mid-30's) and record lows are 20 degrees colder, but I don't think I'm likely to experience much below 20. If it gets too cold, I'll warm it up in my sleeping bag. One reviewer said he made a "cozy" for his, which is something I thought about doing for my Coleman canister with some reflectix. I work at maximizing my canisters now by getting everything ready beforehand, then lighting it. I take it off wll before it reaches boiling for coffee and as soon as it does for meals, which I then keep in a cozy while they rehydrate. Things can cool off pretty quick on cool Sept. evening. I usually set mine up on the firegrate and it's usually somewhat protected from wind by the rocks, depending on wind direction. I try to set my tarp up as a windbreak also, so could use that for protection too. Now to see if I can squeeze out the money for one. Oh, and a couple more questions- Do you guys always use the jetboil canisters or have you used other ones? If so, did you notice any difference in performance? And, do you just drink coffee out of the cup? If so, how long does it stay hot in cool weather. I take a plastic insulated mug with a cover which really retains heat, but I'm wondering if I could also leave it home and cut my load a little. I saw a JetBoil Flash the other day at Dick's and it was so small, I started looking into them. Thanks again, boonie
Ragged	07/20/2012 04:17PM Bonnie - I have used mine in 20-25 degree weather a few times, no issues, I wasn't thinking that qualified as cold, must be the Minnesotan in me : ) It was 20-25 every morning of my April Solo this spring and it was 20 the few times I used it hunting, worked fine, but keep in mind the tank was in a larger pack and the 20 degree temps were only a small fraction of the morning, but this is likely closer to your Sept trips than a tank sitting out on a table in 20 degree weather for hours on end. I would have to think it would work plenty fine for anything Sept will dish out, inverted setups tend to weigh more and pack larger and are really useful when it’s very cold, like 0, would be way overkill for most Sept trips, at least in my humble opinion. I have not ran mine dry in the colder weather, but in normal 50-80 degree days it sure seems to get that tank bone dry, I always crush and recycle my empties and there isn’t so much as a hiss when I bust them up, nut sure if it would work as good when really cold, could go either way, but at that point its purely a function of the canister and not so much the stove. While the burn time may be similar you should be looking at the time to boil. The little insulating neoprene cozy, heat exchange fins and temp indicator (so you don’t have to open the lid) all add in maximizing the efficiency. It puts out a lot of BTU’s and I myself see no need for a wind screen with this stove, the time to boil is so fast that if standing in front of it didn’t work you could just cup your hands around it. While agree with PK’s comment that you can hear an audible change with the wind I just haven’t seen boiling times increase substantial, at least to the point where I would be worried. Simply put, there is no “wind problem” .
boonie	07/20/2012 02:55PM Thanks, guys. I generally go for 7-10 days solo at the end of September, so performance in wind and possible colder temps is a concern. I just boil water. This year's entry date is 9/25. So let's see - I might get through a 7 1/2 - 8 day trip with 2 100g canisters if I'm careful and if it's not too affected by wind and cold, but to be sure or for a longer trip, I'd need a 100g and a 230g, or three 100g canisters. I could dispense with the weight of an additional windscreen (maybe) at a small loss in efficiency...? And I would assume that Beemer used it at below freezing temps...? Not much out there in the reviews about cold-weather performance, at least not anything very specific that I've found, although most comments in that regard seem favorable. The "thermo-regulate burner" is supposed to provide consistent heat output down to 20 degrees. Does it maintain pressure and burn strong right up to the end of the canister? Thermo-regulate sounds very similar to Soto's "micro-regulator", which is supposed to provide the same benfits. And there are quite a few reviews attesting to the fact that it does. I've been using a Coleman canister stove and with a 220g canister (60-minute burn time), I'm good for about 6 days if I'm careful and use a windscreen, which enhances efficiency. It has strong btu output and boils 8-16 oz. of water pretty quickly. Performance is problematic at lower temps and fuel levels, though and the whole bundle is heavier and bulkier than I'd like. Tere is also the instability problem with the stove and pot. But it is solid and dependable except for the mentioned shortcomings. So, what to do...? That is the question. The new MSR Windpro II, which allows canister inversion, might (or might not) perform better at 25 degrees, but at the cost of weight and bulk. The Caldera Cone alcohol stove system might solve the wind problem, but probably not perform better at 25 degrees, and would be bulkier and "fussier". In which case I could just take the old Coleman Feather 400 white gas at the expense of weight/bulk. I'd probably go with the Jetboil Sol if I could determine that it had solid performance in 25 degree temps and moderate winds. It sounds like it might, but so far I can't find a definitive answer.
Ragged	07/20/2012 12:22PM quote PortageKeeper: "Ditto to all that Ragged said. I do try to block the wind if it's an option. You can actually hear the difference. Only dislike is the lid. Use the stove a couple times and it shrinks making it mostly useless. I plan to push Jetboil on this for alternatives. On my Sumo, I found an aluminum lid that fit so I use that. Otherwise, there is no better option for a boiler." PK- My SOL and Sumo lid both sucked, they wouldn’t "snap down" after a few uses. I got in touch with Jetboil and they told me they did change it a little and promptly sent me new lids for both, seem to work much better. My guess there is a fine line between too tight and too loose, we know how too loose works, but on the flip side having it too night and having to muscle it off with boiling water could be a safety issue.
PortageKeeper	07/20/2012 12:13PM Ditto to all that Ragged said. I do try to block the wind if it's an option. You can actually hear the difference. Only dislike is the lid. Use the stove a couple times and it shrinks making it mostly useless. I plan to push Jetboil on this for alternatives. On my Sumo, I found an aluminum lid that fit so I use that. Otherwise, there is no better option for a boiler.
Beemer01	07/20/2012 08:36AM Used on a frozen lake with a light breeze. 'Maybe added 30 seconds to the rolling boil time.
Ragged	07/19/2012 10:21PM I have owned one since they came out but I have not used it in cold so I can not comment on that. With that said I would not expect ANY canister stove to work really well in real cold weather unless it has an inverted canister. Tanks need the liquid to gas transformation to take place and that simply doesn’t work well when cold, that’s why the real four season canister stoves invert the tank letting liquid fuel flow up to the flame where there is often a tube that gets heated and in that area is where the transition from liquid to gas takes place. As for the 230 fitting, nope, the SOL is their lightest smallest unit, the 100G and stove fit in the cup with just a tiny bit to spare, the 230g tank is larger diameter than the 100g tank. They do make a larger Sumo cup that is compatible with the SOL stove, connects to it the same as the SOL cup, but the Sumo is large enough to hold a 230g tank and the SOL stove (without the SOL cup) As far as cook time on full blast you get a little more than 30 min of run time/100g fuel. It takes 2-3 min to boil 2 cups of water depending on wind, water temp and outside temp, indoors 70 degree it will boil 2 cups in 2 mins or a little under. So You could count on making 9-10 meals on good weather, subtract from that for coffee use. 2 meals a day, 4 cups of coffee, I’d say 3.5 days per canister. You could even milk it for more if you wanted, I’ve found the water doesn’t have to be boiling hard, I’ll catch it just before boil (the temp indicator on the cup is great for this) then dump it in the pouch and let it sit a few mins longer than directed, this tactic can stretch the fuel further and with most foil lined bags the meal is piping hot even if its sits longer than needed. Wind doesn’t seem to be an issue with these stoves, they do a real good job blocking most of it with the cup design, I’ve never had a blow out or even had a modest wind visibly impact boil time. I love my SOL, its one of my favorite pieces of gear and would miss it immensely if I ever was left without it. For me there isn’t a better choice when it comes to ease of use, weight and packability.
boonie	07/19/2012 07:53PM How much does the thermo-regulator improve cold weather performance? I'm looking for actual experience here, i.e. what's the lowest temp you have used it in and how well did it perform. Ever use it in below freezing temps? Likewise, what's your experience with it in windy conditions typical of late fall for instance? Any problem with the flame blowing out? Will one of the larger 230 gram canisters fit inside? Maybe if you leave out the pot adapter? How many uses do you get out of a canister? Let's say I make 2 boil and dump meals a day and 4 cuops coffee - how many days for a 100g canister? What do you dislike about it? Thanks.

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