Jetboil Stash – new review and efficiency tests for 2021

I got my Jetboil stash right at the start of March 2021. Unfortunately, a few things got in the way of taking it on trail for a test. However, I did manage to take it out for a test drive in my kitchen and gather some stats to compare it to my older cook system options. Here’s an initial review.

Introduction

The JetBoil Stash is the new product from Jetboil to target a lighter weight cook system. Coming in at 7.1oz it’s about half the weight of its sibling, the JetBoil Flash yes has the promise of the quick boil times and efficient fuel usage that Jetboil is known for, The Stash is positioned as a quick water boil solution rather than for cooking as there is no regulator for finer simmer control.

Review

The key to the Stash is the pot. This has the flux ring on the bottom that allows for the efficient heating that is typical with Jetboil systems. However, what is different is that the burner and the pot are not integrated. This in theory brings a new level of flexibility where I can pick and mix components. I could use the pot with a different burner and the burner with different pots. Not that Jetboil recommends this – but I like this flexibility.

Pot

The pot is 0.8L and has stamped graduation markings. It does not have a cozy, this is something I am likely to make, as I like being able to hold the pot as a hand warmer in the morning. I don’t see any reason why my welder’s carbon cozy won’t work on the Stash.

The Stash pot comes with a lid. Here I might have a bit of a problem. The lid does not seem to be very secure, especially after boiling water and I’m pretty sure would not stay on while pouring water. I’m going to have to see if this is a defective lid or I’m just not putting it on tight enough. I’ve reached out to the manufacturer for their opinion on this.

Burner

The burner is heavier than the BRS 3000 but feels sturdier. The legs ‘swing out’ and provide a large base for the Stash pot, or any other pot. As with other Jetboils, there is a stabilizer for the canister.

There is no igniter on the Stash – not sure this is a pro or a con – as I find these often fail and so having a lighter is not really an issue.

The Stash packs up nicely. With space for a 100g gas canister, burner, stabilizer, lighter and other items (hotlips and spices) This makes the final product pretty easy to pack and complete as a cook system.

Weights

One of the huge advantages of my BRS system is its weight. However, the Stash is definitely moving in the right direction for an overnight stove. Here are the weights of the different components of my systems.

Pot – for the BRS setup my pot is a Toaks 750.
Other – includes cozy, windshield, etc.

Performance

With my 2 cup boil test, the Stash boiled 2 cups in 2 minutes and 4 seconds and used 4 grams of fuel. This is at 500 feet under ideal conditions. For 2 cups of water; the JetBoil Flash rook 2mins and 10secs, using 4g of fuel, and the BRS took 5 mins and 51 secs, using 7g of fuel. I’m pretty impressed with these results – the Stash is very close to the Flash, but is closer in weight and versatility to the BRS setup.

I am astounded by the performance results of the Stash – it’s considerably better than the 2.5mins that they advertise.

Summary

I like the Stash. It’s going to get a place in my backpacking arsenal. As a first step, it will replace my Jetboil Flash, which will now be consigned to my son’s SAR pack. I’m still likely to alternate between the Stash and the BRS3000 setups depending on the hikes. We’ll definitely be taking the Stash on our JMT hike this year along with the BRS3000.

I should probably mention the cost. The Stash retails at $130, the Flash $110, and the basic BRS + Toaks $50