From brewing the perfect cup of coffee at the campground to rehydrating the best backpacking meals in an instant, having a reliable cooking system to boil water makes all the difference when camping. Instead of lugging around a heavy camp stove, dealing with a finicky cook system or laboring over a hot and smoky open flame, why not opt for a super-efficient and lightweight way to boil water outdoors?
Enter the Jetboil Flash Cooking System. This personal cooking system makes heating up water at the campground a complete breeze. It weighs less than 1 pound and includes everything you need to boil water, minus the H20 and fuel canister of your choice. Jetboil, known for its compact and portable cook systems for the outdoors, is a top dog when it comes to designing camping stoves and cookware meant to perform and last years on adventures near and far.
Quick to set up, easy to light and rapid to boil, it’s been my go-to cooking system now for my decade-plus-long career adventuring in the outdoors. It’s a super-dependable backpacking stove that campers can use regardless if they’re at a state park campground, dispersed campsite or even on a nearby hiking or biking adventure. For me, there’s no better way to boil water outdoors than the Jetboil Flash. Here’s why.
The Jetboil Flash Cooking System was made for campers who want a super-quick and efficient way to boil water at the campground, backcountry or even the backyard. Use this compact and portable cooking system to boil water in under two minutes. The Flash weighs less than 1 pound, is intuitive to use and simple to set up. It’s a must-have piece of outdoor kitchen gear for heating water outdoors — from rehydrating backpacking meals to making the perfect cup of camp coffee.
What we liked about it
With the Jetboil Flash, you can boil water in under two minutes with the push of a button. This compact cook system is a total game changer for the backcountry, backyard and campground when you need hot water fast. Best used for boiling water for rehydrating backpacking meals, making water for hot drinks like coffee and cocoa or reheating other precooked meals like soup, the Flash was designed to make it convenient, reliable and efficient to eat and drink outdoors. No matter if my travels take me on a day hike, bikepacking over long distances or camping at my favorite state park, I always bring my Jetboil Flash along on the adventure.
Lightweight and easy to use
It’s no wonder why the Flash is one of Jetboil’s bestselling and most beloved products. At less than 1 pound (13.1 ounces) and made of components that pack into one tidy and convenient canister, the Flash is super portable, secure and easy to carry on any kind of adventure. It’s made up of three main parts: an anodized aluminum canister, a push button igniter and a fuel canister stabilizer. Everything fits easily and conveniently in the main canister, and setup takes only 30 seconds.
With a sleek and simple-to-use design, even beginner campers won’t have a problem figuring out how to set up and light this personal cooking system. The Jetboil Flash features a reliable and convenient push-button igniter that starts heating the canister instantly: Simply attach the igniter (via the easy screw-on connector) to the top of the fuel canister of your choice, turn the gas valve counterclockwise to begin releasing the fuel and push the igniter button to ignite the stove instantly.
The main canister also comes wrapped in a heat-insulated koozie with a built-in thermochromatic color-changing heat indicator. Not only does this koozie keep your water warmer longer, but it also lets you know when your water’s piping hot. The color of the indicator grows in height and intensity as the water boils, coming to a bright red once the water is at a rolling boil. This handy feature means no more burnt fingers trying to remove a pot’s lid to see if your water is ready yet.
Boils in a flash
Rapid boil is an understatement. The Flash is the fastest boiling stove Jetboil sells, which means you’ll have boiling water in under 100 seconds. This small stove works wonders for when you don’t want the hassle of making a fire to heat up water or if you’d prefer not to fire up a full stove while car camping. It’s also a perfect all-in-one stove system for backpacking that doesn’t require waiting a long time for water to heat. When your stomach is growling after a long day on the trail or when you want to have water fast at the campsite for your morning coffee, the Flash gives you easy, convenient and quick access to hot water. Another bonus of the rapid boil using the Jetboil Flash is that it also uses less fuel in the process. That means less money spent on fuel canisters (which at $6 to $7 per canister can add up on a long-distance hike or multi-day camping trip).
Like those color cups or ice cream spoons you might’ve used as a kid that changes color when touching cold food, the thermochromatic heat indicator lets you know when your water is at a boil. It’s important to note that once lit, the heat indicator starts to change color around the 30-second mark and turns completely red at peak boil between 90 and 100 seconds (or under two minutes). Always keep a close eye on your Flash once you turn it on; this thing boils beyond quickly.
The main canister fits up to 1 liter of water, but Jetboil recommends boiling only 2 cups of water at a time, noted by a “Max Safe Fill” line inside the canister. And since the Flash comes with a plastic bottom cup (which protects the underside of the FluxRing canister when fully packed) that doubles as a measuring cup, you don’t have to worry about bringing measuring cups in the backcountry either. The bottom cup fits up to 1 cup of water and also doubles as a bowl so you can even eat your meals without any extra gear.
The Jetboil Flash is compatible with most standard propane/isobutane fuel canisters. Jetboil makes and sells its own Jetpower Fuel that comes in various sizes ranging from 100 grams (for short trips) to 450 grams (for extra-long trips). You can also fit other brands like the Snow Peak GigaPower 250 Gold Fuel Canister ($7) or GSI Outdoors Isobutane Fuel Canister ($11) on the Flash, if you’re loyal to other brands on the market.
Long-lasting
While the Flash can boil water wildly fast, my favorite feature might just be the stove’s durability. I’ve owned my original Jetboil Flash since 2014, and it’s still going strong. It’s traveled with me on several backpacking adventures, numerous car camping trips and countless daylong adventures in and around Chicago. From the push-button igniter to color-changing indicator, my OG Flash still works like a charm with minimal signs of wear and tear. And in a world full of products designed to fail after a few years, I really appreciate how trustworthy the Jetboil Flash has been.
What we didn’t like about it
It’s hard to diss the Flash with such a simple and foolproof design. However, if I had to choose, there are a few features that make the Jetboil less desirable than other competing camp cooking systems out there.
Best for just heating liquids
With the Jetboil Flash, you really are limited to liquids — mainly water — for cooking. The pot itself has a small bottom, which helps boil water in an instant, but it’s far from ideal for sautéing vegetables or meats. Sure, you can throw some canned soup into the main canister, or pour in instant mashed potatoes or a packet of ramen like my partner and I sometimes do on backpacking trips, but that makes the Flash dirty, meaning you’ll have to clean it before you boil your next batch of water.
If you want to use the Flash for more than just heating up water and other liquids, you can invest in compatible Jetboil accessories like the coffee press ($19), which turns the Flash into a French press coffee maker, or the FluxRing cooking pot, which has a larger surface area for cooking in.
A bit bulky
For a backpacking-branded cooking system, I do find the Flash to be a bit bulky. Other stoves and cook systems out there (which I dive into below) are designed with a more minimalist approach and can pack down to seriously small sizes. While the Flash is super lightweight (less than 1 pound), its dimensions are 4.1 inches by 7.1 inches, or about the size of a Nalgene. You could sacrifice less space with a smaller stove if you’re concerned about what’s in your pack on the trail, especially on long backpacking trips where space and weight are at a premium.
How it compares
Camp chefs have a lot of cooking systems and camping stoves to choose from, each boasting its own lineup of unique features. But which of them reigns supreme? In our opinion, the better (and key) question instead is: How do you plan to use your stove? Considerations like what type of food (or liquid) you plan to cook with, the ideal weight and packability, and desired price point all come into play.
The Jetboil Flash is definitely a go-to if you mostly plan to boil water or other liquids only. It also works really well in controlled environments, like car camping or backpacking during traditional seasons like summer, spring and fall. When camping in cold weather or extreme environments like high mountain peaks known for windy conditions, you might consider instead investing in the pricier MSR WindBurner ($190). It looks and performs similar to the Flash but features a wind screen that protects the stove’s flame from the wind, thanks to the burner’s enclosed design and an internal pressure regulator. According to the Switchback Travel blog, the MSR WindBurner does take a bit longer to boil water than the Jetboil Flash, but the fact that its design helps protect the flame in blustery weather might be worth the investment.
If weight is a concern, a more minimalist cooking system like the MSR PocketRocket 2 Stove ($60) might be your best bet. This simple backpacking stove attaches to the top of your fuel canister, and you can set any camping pot or skillet on top. It also isn’t great for doing much more than boiling water since the burner itself is so small, but you can at least place a skillet on top and cook more than you could with the Flash. I also love using the PocketRocket with the MSR Pika Teapot ($40) or the MSR Trail Lite Camping Cook Pot ($40).
If you want an experience closer to cooking on your stove at home but still need a lightweight, packable option, check out backpacking stoves with larger burners, such as the GSI Outdoors Glacier Camp Stove ($30), the MSR WhisperLite ($160) or the Jetboil MightyMo ($60). MSR also makes a more robust stove set, the MSR WindBurner Combo Stove System ($300), which comes with the whole nine yards: burner, pots and skillet included. It can also handle the wind, which makes it great for car camping no matter what type of conditions show up at the campground.
Bottom line
It’s no wonder the folks at Jetboil are bona fide experts when it comes to cooking in the outdoors. The brand’s bestselling Jetboil Flash Cooking System is a cult-classic outdoor kitchen accessory among backpackers and car campers alike (myself included). Unlike other camp stoves that weigh upward of 10 pounds, are finicky to set up and tricky to learn how to use, this simple and compact stove makes the perfect companion for all kinds of adventure.
Jetboil’s 1-liter FluxRing cooking cup and efficient burner heats water in 100 seconds and uses less fuel in the process too. It’s compact, portable and durable, and it features an insulating koozie that tells you when your water’s boiling and keeps your liquids hotter longer too.
If you’re not planning on cooking an elaborate meal and just want to boil water for drinks and dehydrated food, add the Jetboil to your camping checklist. It’s the fastest way to boil water we’ve ever used, and will get the job done for years to come. Here’s to making the perfect cup of coffee at the campground to rehydrating backpacking food in a flash.