Review: JetBoil Stash Camping Stove

When the world starts to weigh me down, sneaking off on an overnighter in the nearby Lake District fells is a real tonic. Signing off from my online life for 24 hours and stomping away from civilisation, seeking out a secluded spot to camp; I want to warm up something simple to eat before wriggling into my sleeping bag for the night. Oh, and perhaps even more importantly, I want a nice, hot coffee in the morning.

Often these trips are spontaneous, fitted in between work commitments and need to be quick, which means packing light. I want faff-free, minimalist, easy-clean, lightweight and compact for these kinds of trips – stoves included.

Of course, the Stash’s suggested 2.5 minute boil time is going to be affected by a number of elements. For example, if you’re melting down snow it’s going to take significantly longer to reach boiling point than room temperature water. Another factor is the wind, the FluxRing system on the Stash pot offers a degree of shielding, but strong gusts are certain to slow down the boil time too. Under various circumstances, I tested the Stash for boiling water for dehydrated meals and hot drinks using the FluxRing pot, as well as some simple meals with both the FluxRing and other pots that I already owned.

The Stash was first put through its paces on the aforementioned overnight escape into the local Lakeland fells. My partner and I tested the Stash’s ability to cater for two using only the components it came with (plus gas) with a dehydrated meal each followed by a cup of tea, and coffee and instant oats in the morning. With a nearby water source we didn’t have to be frugal, and did six boils in total. This trip was in warm, mid-July conditions with very little wind and the boil time was impressively just shy of 2.5 minutes.

The Stash accompanied me on a five day van trip to the French bouldering mecca of Fontainebleau in early September, where I tested its compatibility with my trusty mocha pot (well, you’ve got have something wash down all that Pâtisserie), as well as cooking simple pasta and sauce meals for myself and a friend. It was warm and lightly breezy for most of the trip. I took the remains of the previous 100g canister plus a backup 230g and only just broke into the larger canister. This is testament to the fuel efficiency of the stove in good conditions.

Finally the Stash embarked on the UK Fjällraven Classic with me, catering for myself and my hill companion on a three day loop of the Lairig Ghru in the Cairngorms. For this particular trip we took two 230g canisters as we anticipated consuming two or three ration packs a day, as well as large quantities of tea and coffee to sustain us as we walked through every kind of weather Scotland can throw at you! The conditions were unsurprisingly damp and blustery, and we had one particularly chilly evening when sleet was threatening which stretched the boil time out to just under three minutes. We used 1.5-ish of our two canisters in total.

When it comes to super-lightweight gear, there’s always going to be a trade-off on something; comfort, features, cost, etc. With the Stash, you might be compromising on features that would otherwise make this stove an excellent option in all-weathers, but in my opinion, the price is pretty reasonable if it fits your needs.

A comparable model at a similar price for example, would be the Primus Lite Plus, which weighs a little more, is a bit bulkier and has a smaller capacity pot, but includes features such as Piezo ignition (although some might argue that this is less of a perk, owing to how easily integrated igniters can break). Again, trade-offs. But if you want THE lightest on the market, for fast-packing competitors and FKT wannabes, streamlined bikepacking or lightweight rafting, it seems that you can’t really beat the Stash. I’d say it’s worth its weight in gold, but…