Mountain Stove: Soto Windmaster vs Jetboil

[AK Wonderer]

I've been mulling over grabbing a new stove before sheep season. I currently run either my MSR Whisperlite or Snowpeak Giga with a titanium pot and wind screen. I like my titanium pot because I can boil enough water for two Mtn. House meal at once but I don't know that either of my stoves are the most efficient. I've seen a few different reviews for the Soto stoves used with the Jetboil cups.

Do the Jetboil cups offer greater benefit than a pot with windscreen?

Can you actually boil 1 liter of water in a Jetboil 1 liter cup? Or are you maxed out and boiling over?

Any benefits in the Soto setup over just buying a Jetboil?

I'd probably be boiling a liter of water twice a day. How much fuel are you guys burning with your Soto or Jetboil on a week long hunt? Does one burn less fuel than the other?

[Longbow6360]

I used a MSR WhisperLite for 20+ years. It's a great stove but I got tired of having to clear out the orifice at the most inopportune times. If your jet cleaning wire breaks or you lose it you're sunk. I finally bought a JetBoil. I'm not familiar with the Soto but I can't imagine having a better backpacking stove than the JetBoil. I'm not sure how much water I can boil but it seems like a lot more than my tanks of white gas in my MSR. I can boil a full liter if I don't let it come to a rolling boil. Hope that helps. Chuck.

[FL2AK-Old Town]

Funny this would come up. I JUST, in the last 5 minutes, got done playing around with my giga stove in the kitchen.

I have had the Snow Peak Giga stove since 2006, and I just can't see any reason whatsoever to own anything else. (Well, okay, if you're flying in and the pilot won't let you carry the compressed fuel cylinders, then my next choice is the whisperlite, but I digress.)

I wanted to see just how much use I would get out of my giga stove. I took it to Denali last week and cooked for 4 people. I brought it home, and just burned off the last drop of fuel in an 8 oz MSR IsoPur (or whatever it's called) red fuel can. Turns out, I can boil 23 pints of water. Working off the 1 pint per Mountain House meal (2 serving meal) formula, that's about 23 meals or, boiling 1 pint 3 times a day (instant oatmeal plus hot choc or coffee for breakfast, ramen for lunch, and Mountiain House meal for dinner), that's seven days of cooking in one fuel can.

I've heard the folks over at REI say if all you are doing is boiling water (i.e. not trying to simmer say canned chili or something), then the Jetboil is the absolute best way to go in regards to water boil time and fuel consumption. Even if that is true, I don't see enough of an advantage there to go spend some more money on some more gear that I already have and don't need. If I was starting out, maybe...MAYBE I would buy a Jetboil, but I'm sticking with my Snowpeak Giga Stove. I have other gear needs to spend that money on.

[Duckhunter01]

Jetboil hands down...

[AKHUNTINFOOL]

I loved both my Jetboil stoves until last year when they stopped working on a goat hunt. One just needed a new igniter but the other experienced a valve failure. When I contacted Jetboil they told me they cannot replace the valve since they don't make it anymore. Basically they told me my stove was not repairable. I know MSR would never hang a customer out to dry like that. My Whisperlite stoves with the shaker jet have been very reliable.

[FL2AK-Old Town]

I loved both my Jetboil stoves until last year when they stopped working on a goat hunt. One just needed a new igniter...

And that's why I don't buy stuff with those pizeo ignition systems. You just know they are going to break one day, no matter what. I saved $10 on my giga stove by skipping the pizeo igniter. I just use a flint and steel. Works every time, all the time. No matter what. (Although, I'm working on a 9 volt battery igniter for it currently.)

[AKChester]

Switched from Whisperlight to Jetboil many many years ago. Most useful camping tool I own. I like the integrated cup and stove. It all packs together with a small fuel can conveniently. The Soto and SnowPeak stoves require a separate pot, so the windproofness and sleek packing takes extra gear and care. With the Jetboil I can hold it while cooking; can't do that with the others.
I've had the pizeo lighter go out too, but a replacement is only $5 and I carry a lighter anyway.
Love my Jetboil, but if I already had a Giga, I'd stick with it.


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[snowcamoman]

I have a couple Jetboil setups and this is what I'm taking to the mountains. Lighter and faster boil times using less fuel. It's a Ti Jetboil cup that I modified pared up with a Soto Windmaster. The Soto fits up inside the Jetboil flux ring ("fins") perfectly and hardly and heat goes up the sides on full power. I'm boiling a 12 oz cup of 38ºF water for coffee in 1 minute 5 seconds. The Jetboil Sol Ti burner takes me 1 minute 34 seconds to boil the same amount of water and uses more fuel doing it.

[Alaska_Lanche]

I have a couple Jetboil setups and this is what I'm taking to the mountains. Lighter and faster boil times using less fuel. It's a Ti Jetboil cup that I modified pared up with a Soto Windmaster. The Soto fits up inside the Jetboil flux ring ("fins") perfectly and hardly and heat goes up the sides on full power. I'm boiling a 12 oz cup of 38ºF water for coffee in 1 minute 5 seconds. The Jetboil Sol Ti burner takes me 1 minute 34 seconds to boil the same amount of water and uses more fuel doing it.

I like the Soto stoves more than the jetboil ones myself. Have used both a lot. I prefer the Jetboil Sumo cup when not going solo so I can boil water for two dinners at the same time and the larger vessel is also better for melting snow to make water.

I have used a jetboil cup cut down and notched out to accept a Soto stove for years (modded it out in 2010 I believe). Since then after using the jetboil sumo cup with the standard jetboil stove it came with all of 2013 I modded out the Sumo cup to accept a wind pro and found it faster and more fuel efficient than the standard jetboil cup with jetboil stove. The flux ring on a jetboil cup really does speed up boil times IMO and worth using. Their stove while easily connects to the cup isn't as good as a SOTO in my experience.

Snowcamoman still love the looks of your mod there!!! Well done sir!

[GrassLakeRon]

My brother uses a jetboil and I use a hobo made from an exhaust pipe connector and a steel plate. When we were up over 10,000 feet and his jetboil didn't light, a vaseline cotton ball was priceless. 3 charcoal brickettes and I had lunch. I had enough heat for his two.

[Erik in AK]

I know i'm a dinosaur on this topic but they can have my WhisperLite when they pry it from my cold dead hands.

Not the lightest thing out there by a long shot but in 20+ years it's never failed me. White gas/fuel bottle can have issues (replace the O-rings annually--they're cheap!) and the entire system must be maintained and cleaned but I'm 100% confident I'll have a quart of hot water in 5-6 minutes no matter what the temp is outside. Besides, all that soot makes for easy face camo...

[GrassLakeRon]

I know i'm a dinosaur on this topic but they can have my WhisperLite when they pry it from my cold dead hands.

Not the lightest thing out there by a long shot but in 20+ years it's never failed me. White gas/fuel bottle can have issues (replace the O-rings annually--they're cheap!) and the entire system must be maintained and cleaned but I'm 100% confident I'll have a quart of hot water in 5-6 minutes no matter what the temp is outside. Besides, all that soot makes for easy face camo...

If you are a dinosaur, then I'm a trilobite[emoji13]

[Bullelkklr]

I have a whisperlite, but I am taking my Pocket Rocket with me and a piece of tinfoil with me this year. I plan to take two 8 oz bottles with me for 12 days.

[Bullelkklr]

Also - if you are trying to conserve fuel - you don't have to boil water to make coffee or even most things. Get the water up close to boiling is good-nuff.

[Abel]

Loved my Reactor, but it was to large for my solo trips. Now I'm running a Whisperlite and love it. For quick trips I run a Pocket Rocket and love it too.