Winter is coming! With all my winter gear such as a new sleeping quilt, extra hand warmers, additional clothing, waterproof socks and a whole list of other winter essentials, I needed to lighten my load. The first thing I did was swap my Osprey pack for a Salomon Outweek, which saved me around 3lbs in weight, but now I had another problem, not everything fitted into my pack! The Salomon was fabulous for summer hikes and worked a treat on the Jurassic Way, but when I added the new Thermarest quilt and essential clothing I was struggling to fit everything. Something had to change!
The Jetboil had to go!
I love my Jetboil and I thought this would be one of the last things I would ditch, but after extensive research online it just had to go.
For winter trails and longer backpacking trips, I am swapping over to the Soto Amicus Stove and River Pot Combo Set.
What I love about the Soto Amicus Stove
- Love the height of the packed combo set, it is much smaller than the Jetboil.
- The River Pot fits a Sea to Summitt larger mug (The Jetboil can only fit the smaller cup).
- The Soto 1litre pot can house adventure foods – unlike the Jetboil where you have to empty the contents into the pot, which makes more washing up.
- It has a little lip to help prevent the wind from getting to the flame (although it is no way near as efficient as the Jetboil wind prevention system).
- The silicone handles on the pot are a nice addition, which means I won’t burn my fingers.
- The stove has a flame adjuster so you can simmer food if need be and control the amount of gas that you use.
- The 100g gas canister fits inside the pot easily with plenty of room to spare.
- The weight of the combo, including pot stand, gas, lighter etc is around 400g, whereas the Jetboil came in at 542g (see video below for full review).
- I also like the price. At just £41 for the complete set it is a bargain compared to the £100 I spent on the Jetboil.
What I don’t like about this combo
- I don’t like the lid and wish it fitted better onto the pot.
- The mesh bag that it comes with is rather pathetic (I need to get a new bag)
- I will need an elastic band to keep everything together.
- It’s not as fast to boil water and it is not as efficient with gas consumption as the Jetboil.
Summary
I will stay with the Soto stove combo for all long-distance hikes and multi-day trips as the weight and size are worth the sacrifice of the negative issues listed above. However, for Camino trips and day hikes where I won’t be taking a tent or any camping gear, then the Jetboil wins hands down.
Pot stand £9.23 – https://amzn.to/3evMzDK
Sea to Summit Cup £10.97 – https://amzn.to/3l3B7Sk
Sea to Summit Mug £12.99 – https://amzn.to/3l7i0qx
Soto Stove with Pot Combo – £41.13 – https://amzn.to/2U3RRwM
Jetboil Flash £99.65 – https://amzn.to/2IbbVuN