As someone who spends many nights in the backcountry every year, I have become all too familiar with firing up backpacking stoves and eating out of bags. It’s part of the gig if you want a hot meal at night or coffee in the morning.
The truth is, though, not all stoves are created equal. Jetboil has always stood on the upper end of things in terms of efficiency and reliability for me, but their system fell short on bulk. So, when I saw the Stash, the smallest, most lightweight stove they offer, I had to get my hands on it to test it out.
In short: If you are a backpack hunter looking to cut weight from your system but worried about losing efficiency, the Jetboil Stash will fit your needs. Just be mindful not to knock it over while using it.
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Lightweight -
Fast boil time at 2.5 min. for 16 oz. of water -
Grooves in stove legs keep pot from sliding off
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Even with grooves in the stove legs, there is still the potential for this to be knocked over due to the pot not being secured to the stove like other Jetboil models
Jetboil Stash Stove Review
The Stash is what I’d call an open-flame-designed stove. This means that the flame is exposed on the sides to things like wind, unlike other Jetboil models. A small, collapsible stove screws into a fuel canister, and your pot sits on top. There is a small flip-out dial to control fuel output as well. Pretty simple.
Everything for the Stash rides right in the 0.8L pot, much like other Jetboil stoves. Inside, you’ll find a fuel canister stabilizer, the stove, and a mock fuel canister to show you where it goes, which is unique. It attaches to the bottom side of the lid. When all it’s packed up, the handle of the pot flips up and rides on top of the lid.
All said and done, the whole system comes in at 7.1 ounces, which is 40% lighter than other 0.8L systems. Not too shabby, especially because it boils water in 2.5 minutes. Well, at least that’s what they advertise. I did some testing of my own.
Features
FluxRing Technology
A known key feature in Jetboil stoves, but still very relevant and worth mentioning, is their FluxRing Technology. You’ll notice on the bottom of Jetboil pots that there is almost a vented-looking ring that lines the bottom of it. This stove is no exception here and is equipped with the FluxRing.
This ring has a greater surface area than the bottom of the pot itself, thus heating up your water in an extremely efficient way, resulting in 2.5-minute boil times for 16 ounces of water.
No Slippage
Something else that really stood out to me was the no-slip design of the burner legs. Traditional stoves of a comparable style often leave the pot open to slipping off the stove if you’re not careful. The Stash, on the other hand, has grooves that the pot sits in, which eliminates slippage.
Of course, you could still knock it over entirely, but this is a much-appreciated small feature of the stove that will not only save time but could save your dinner, too.
Nesting Design
When it comes to backpack hunting, packability is huge, and the nesting design of the Jetboil Stash falls right in line with that. Everything that you need conveniently fits right in the pot, ready for when you need it and stashed for when you don’t. The stove, fuel canister, and fuel stabilizer will all fit in the pot with the lid on. I even throw a small piezo ignitor in mine.
My Experience
I’ve got a lot of history using Jetboil stoves. It was the very first stove I ever purchased for my backpack hunting adventures.
Since then, I’ve used quite a few different stoves but seem to always gravitate right back to Jetboil. It’s because of the efficiency they provide. I was elated to test the Stash, as it is a slightly different style than I’m used to from Jetboil.
Lightweight and Easy Packing
Upon receiving this cooking stove, the very first thing I noticed was how incredibly lightweight the entire system was compared to other Jetboil stoves. It was a fraction of the weight, shorter in height, and didn’t seem to lack durability.
Something else that I really liked was how Jetboil stuck to their style of being able to keep everything inside the cup packed away in one system. The shorter cup height required some thinking, and they landed on attaching the fuel canister to the underside of the lid. This is an innovative twist on what I’ve come to know so well about these stoves.
Before heading into the field with the Stash, I wanted to test it out, not only to familiarize myself with this slightly new system but also to test the boil time. I boiled 16 ounces of water in my backyard. The wind was very minimal. And wouldn’t ya know, the boil time that Jetboil advertises here was spot on to the second at 2.5 minutes.
Can It Hold Its Own in the Wind?
A concern I had walking into my first backpack hunt with the stove was the wind. These more open-flame-type designs tend to suffer when the wind blows because the flame is completely exposed. This is unlike how other Jetboil stoves are designed. The flame is somewhat protected, and they are extremely efficient even in the wind.
After 6 days of hunting with the Stash in tow, I was really impressed. The boil time did increase a little bit in high winds, but I wasn’t waiting 10 minutes for water to boil like I have with other similarly designed stoves. I’m guessing I waited another minute or two, which does equal more fuel use, so take that into consideration.
In moderate winds, the stove did surprisingly fine. All that is to say, whatever Jetboil has going on here is working. I’m not sure if it’s the FluxRing, the power of the stove, or maybe both. Whatever it is, the Stash didn’t leave me hungry and frustrated on the mountain.
What’s Wrong
The real con here with the Stash is the fact that even though the cup sits in grooves on the stove legs, you can absolutely still knock the stove over. Using the fuel canister support will help, but I opted not to take those with me on my trip.
The cup is not secured to the stove like on other Jetboil models, so keep this in mind. To be fair, I didn’t knock my cup over once, but while using the stove, I could see how one might do this by accident.
Closing Thoughts
When the water comes to a boil, I’m overall really happy with the Jetboil Stash stove. It’s a fantastic ultralight option for the backpack hunter looking to cut some weight and open up a bit more space in their backpack. I’m not sure if I will take it on every single trip I have.
On longer 8-9-day trips, I might still bring my Jetboil Zip, just because I know I can trust the fuel efficiency in the wind and be fine with a small canister. For the 5-6-day hunts, though, the Stash will likely be in my pack.
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