GEAR | Jetboil Zip, The Portable & Compact Cooking System – Review

October 2, 2020 Benjamin Cannon

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Jetboil are market leaders in the backpacking stove market for a reason, and the Jetboil Zip proves that you don’t need to compromise when it comes to light and portable cooking systems.

Jetboil Zip The Portable, Compact Camping Stove

What is it?

Jetboil Zip Cooking System £90.00

Overall Rating (4.5 / 5)

Stockists

Features

Highly portable, the whole stove packs down inside pot (excluding gas canister)
0.8 litre capacity pot- designed with one person in mind
Rapid heating system, boiling water 0.5 litres of water in 2 minutes 30 seconds
Fuel canister stabilizer and drink-through lid with pour spout and strainer included; easy to pack and carry at only 12 ounces
Strainer and pour lid

What We Thought

In the midst of a Pandemic, opportunities to gather in large groups at the crag for a climb or camp with friends have been few and far between. As a result, I’ve found myself out on more solo hikes and wild camping trips, giving me the perfect opportunity to put the Jetboil Zip through its paces.

The Jetboil Zip is a no-frills compact stove option for backpackers and whilst it’s towards the bottom of the Jetboil range, it’s still a decent bit of kit.

The stove is incredibly light and provides good functionality in a compact form factor. Upon reaching your destination after a long day’s hiking, you can immediately see why Jetboil has been the market leader in this industry for so long.

Some of the features I liked during use include a reinforced grab handle, which doubles as a great way to hang your Jetboil from your backpack, a lid that can be used as a strainer and legs that stabilise the stove more effectively – a problem I have found with similar, cheaper stoves in
the past!

The Jetboil Zip is such a joy to use that I’ve even found myself reaching for the Jetboil instead of using the gas stove in my camper van, just because it’s so quick and easy to use and all credit to Jetboil for making something
that is so easy to clean too!

If you are a family camper, this isn’t the stove for you and it’s clearly aimed at solo backpacker. If you often head outdoors on your own, or even if you are hiking or wild camping with friends, this is the ideal stove to take along, as it’s just as capable of making a quick brew for 2 as it is heating up food for 1.

Pros

Compact and highly portable, in fact you might occasionally worry you’ve forgotten to pack it!
Fits in large water bottle holder pockets on your backpack or hangs off a bag brilliantly
Plenty of features
0.8 litre capacity is a perfect size for a solo camper or making coffee for two
Fires up incredibly easily and has water boiling in just a matter of minutes with a clever insulated design that leads to a roaring stove, even when windy
Locking mechanism means nothing is loose while cooking, reduces fire risk and ensures usability even in windier conditions
Very easy to clean after use

Cons

The fuel canister remains separate and doesn’t pack down inside the stove
No in-built ignition (don’t forget matches or a lighter!)
Control knob is not the most accessible or biggest, when your pan is about to overflow which can cause a bit of a panic!

The Verdict

Our Rating

Quality 4.5/5

Practicality 4/5

Cooking Ability4/5

Value 4/5

Overall Rating (4.5 / 5)

After having used numerous different compact camping stoves in the past, both on wild camping trips and at campsites I thought lightweight stove systems were all designed to be fiddly and to topple over at the first gust of wind. How wrong I was!

The Jetboil Zip is definitely head and shoulders above anything I’ve used in the past. It has never once toppled over thanks to the stabilising legs and it has remained lit even in pretty stiff winds. In fact, I’d go as far as saying that it’s been a delight to use at every opportunity, with just a few minor niggles.

The small form factor cannot be complimented enough either, as it makes it so easy to pack and means you can head out and you don’t need to take bulky extras with you like pans or a kettle.

Quality camping stoves are often not the cheapest of purchases but for anyone who’s backpacking, wild camping or spending time in the mountains, I can’t recommend the Jetboil Zip enough.

My experience of cheaper stove systems is that they are usually a compromise, generally offering poorer stability and fewer features than the Jetboil Zip system. It’s available for £90 at Cotswold Outdoor, and whilst it’s still a considerable investment for a stove, it’s a price that you certainly won’t regret paying for such a great piece of equipment.

DISCLOSURE | Thank you to Cotswold Outdoor who supplied the featured product for us to test. We were not paid to write this review.

Benjamin Cannon

Attempting to encapsulate my surroundings through the eye of a lens is something I love to do”

Ben is keen on all things outdoors, from rock climbing and fell running, to kayaking. He truly does it all. With a camera in tow, he attempts to spend all his free time training at the local climbing wall in order to take his abilities into the mountains and put the latest gear to the test in his favourite national park, the Lake District

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