There is certainly room in your survival pack, vehicle or in with your camping supplies for this compact and extremely efficient personal cooking system. A possible life-saving system because it can boil water and cook food all in its compact cooking cup, which sits right on top of its fuel canister. Once your water is boiled or food heated/cooked simply remove the cup and eat or drink right from it.
We like to see survival or hiking, camping, and hunting gear that is compact, rugged, and easy to use and can perform multiple tasks. One thing to keep in mind, however, this unit does require a match or lighter to ignite the burner because it does not have a built-in sparking device.
It does come with a bottom cover that can be used to serve food in, or to measure ingredients, or to drink from for that matter if needed.
It cannot be stressed enough the need for clean drinking water in a survival situation. If there is a surface water source and you have the means to boil that water to purify it, then you have dramatically increased your chances of survival. Let’s put it another way, if you cannot make water safe to drink and are stranded in warm or even cold weather and cannot rehydrate at the required levels, you are almost certain to succumb to dehydration if you are not rescued within days.
One, 100g Jetpower canister will boil 12 liters of water, which is slightly over 12 quarts of water. The recommended hydration level for a healthy adult is a minimum of two quarts of water daily.
Manufacturers’ Specifications
- 0.8 Liter FluxRing® cooking cup with insulating cozy
- Adjustable burner
- Match ignition
- Drink-through lid with pour spout & strainer
- Bottom cover doubles as a measuring cup and bowl
- Compatible with all Jetboil accessories
- Able to store a 100g Jetpower fuel can
- Fuel Canister Stabilizer included
- Pot Support and Jetpower fuel sold separately
- Item Weight is 12 oz (345 g) Does Not Include The Weight Of The Fuel
- Volume is 27 oz (0.8 Liter)
- Boil 12 Liters of Water per 100g Jetpower Can
- Boil Time is 2 minutes 30 sec. per 16 oz (1/2 Liter)
- Dimensions are 4.1” x 6.5” (104 mm x 165 mm)
Have one around the house for power outages, keep one in your vehicle, and always carry one while hiking, and hunting and on camping trips. The fuel canister and cooking cup nestle together. Have extra fuel with you as well, so you are always prepared.
Remember, when you boil water you reduce its volume, so be careful when purifying water that you do not let the container boil dry. One minute of rapid boil is normally enough at sea level. Higher elevations require three minutes unless at extreme heights and then 10 minutes may be needed. The temperature required to boil water is reduced by one degree for every 500 feet above sea level, thus, you will have to boil water longer at the reduced temperature to achieve purification.
The Zip Cooking System by JetBoil is not something that will fall apart on you after some rough handling. You will get years of service out of this system. It can take the rigors of camp life, however, the fuel canisters do need to be protected somewhat to avoid punctures.
This unit can boil 16 ounces of water in 2.5 minutes, so short breaks on the trail are not taken up by waiting for your pot of water to boil for coffee, tea, or for your freeze dried meals.
It would be difficult to find a reason not to carry this system whenever out in the wilds. As we stated in the opening, it can be a lifesaver, and knowing you have the means to heat food and boil water is a tremendous psychological boost that may very well mean the difference between surviving and not.