Jetboil Helios Backpacking Stove

We used two of these stoves for a Philmont expedition of 12 Scouts / adults and were pleased with the light weight, sturdiness and rapid ability to boil. Use at altitudes up to 8500ft (the highest we camped) was simple and reliable. Overall much better than our previous MSR white gas stoves which frankly are horribly difficult to use in the dirt and grime of Southwest camping. After 2 weeks in the dirt they worked perfectly every time, last time our MSR stoves all had issues and needed repairs during and after the expedition.The Good1. Easy to pack, clean, care for....no problems with dirt or failures on an extremely dusty trek.2. Quick to boil, reliable with a very stable base support.3. Easy to handle, lightweight and insulation combined with built in handles makes it cool to the touch and Scout-proof.4. Surprisingly economical on fuel....do some experiments with boil times, you won't need nearly as much fuel as you think. It was way more convenient than white gas stoves.The Not so Good1. Fuel canister when low sometimes "burped" resulting in small fireballs that remove arm hair. Didn't happen every time but did occur twice....livens up meal times a bit.2. Not good if you want to do back country gourmet cooking...temp control is difficult, goes from hot to too hot in about 1/8 of a turn of the throttle.3. The lid is stupid...deforms under heat but can be reformed and fitted. Why not just make it a stable high temp material? We used the lid upside down to keep the dirt and junk out during cooking so it warps and deforms.4. Wind shield is fairly cheesy....we didn't always set it up and that does reduce the boiling time slightly. On the plus side I thought the boys would destroy the wind shield within a week but they held up.Overall a good product with great value for group expeditions.

This product works as expected, maybe even better, I've never owned any other, but the one thing that I noticed and I used it on a five week wilderness excursion was the pilot flame was easily blown out and difficult to control when you want to lower the flame. It required constant attention. It packs up neatly although not quickly. You have to remember how to fold up legs and a plastic shield. Also, the plastic covers can melt easily.

If you're doing serious solo backpacking, get the single cup Jetboil. If there will be more than one of you, get the Helios. ONLY boil water and pour that for reconstitution, tea or coffee. This thing is fast, fast FAST! It's not for frying - not for simmering. The very intense flame is off or on. A one trick pony, but terrific at it's intended purpose.

Great backpacking stove for a group of 4+. I would not recommend for a single person or 2. Weight to person ratio only makes sense with 4 or more people. Even makes a solid car camping stove!Burner works very well, boils water quickly. Cozy and lid keep water warm. Pot works great to cook down vegetables, etc. Just don't forget to remove the orange bottom lid before placing on burner (totally NOT speaking from experience)!

First of all, let me say, I don't work for amazon. So this review isn't biased. This is based on years of outdoor experience's of survival in:hiking, backpacking & camping. I've used every known camp-stove out there, this includes car-camping. I prefer backpacking-solo. I've always kept every piece of backpacking equipment small and light:backpack, cooking, food,tents ecto... I've cooked over wood fires to minimize weight and storage...same with food and equipment and the rest. When I do pack a cooking system in my pack I make DAM! SURE! That it matches my time & calculations of necessity out in the wilderness for duration and environment(s) Utilizing micro-stoves with isobutane/propane is good for higher elevations & cold weather. I don't go to higher elevations, I stay mainstream. When I first looked at the jetboil Helios cooking system back in 04', I scoffed at the size and weight. I couldn't see how this cooking system could be any better than, let's say, the MSR pocket rocket, or the optimus crux stove. I was most concerned with organization & space saving that actual weight. To be honest, I really liked the looks and style of the jetboil Helios cook system. But wasn't sold on the size/pack space. Sure, it stored neatly inside itself for travel, but it wasn't practical for cooking cause it was designed to cook for 3-4 persons. Well, fast forward to December 2013, I bought the jetboil Helios. Cooking system, against my best. Judgment after reading reviews here on amazon. I spent 2 months reading reviews on backpacker magazine, individual reviews from experienced campers & hikers of whom are light backpackers. Some had difficulties with gases (cause they were in higher elevations) and used butane/propane mixes instead of the isobutane/propane mix. A lot of the negative reviews were from inexperienced individuals of whom didn't understand the inner workings of the jetboil Helios cooking system. I read and read and read. Some of the negative reviews here on amazon and other websites were the ignition feature. I understand that not all ignitions systems were perfectly. When the other was boil time. Some reviews, here on amazon and other websites, said throttle control couldn't be adjusted to a working cooking heat. Yes I agree, however, I also found that if the feature of the inverted gas set-up is used, two things happend. 1) the gas is moving through the line a bit faster due to the inverted/per-heat copper tube. 2) the flame takes 15-22 seconds to cease. I just reversed that option and there was longer the extended flame-run (for the flame run just turn off the stove and let the gas just disapate while boiling the water so you dont waste gas) For regulated heat-control its a crap shoot, but not a major problem...nothing is perfect!!! Overall, the jetboil Helios system works GREAT!!! Fired up the first time right out of the box!!! It's normally $150. I got mine here on amazon for the asking price of $108+$20 for a can of 8oz of gas. Not bad!!! Let's say the ignition doesn't work. Not a problem with me, cause I always carry matches with me. I hope this review helps some of you. One more thing about jetboil Helios cooking system. The 2 liter pot that comes with system is certainly BIG enough for one-person. While testing the unit I boil top ramen noodles, 4-packages in the two liter-pot, worked like a charm!!! I noticed the neoprene cozy burned on one side, don't care at all, I'm rugged!!! Only cared about filling my gut!!! Lol!

Boils 1 liter in 1 min 7 sec? Love how it packs down into the pot. Only negative is the handles are a tad flimsy. But should last for many excursions. Loved the price as well for $100 was a good deal.

Purchased system for use to boil enough water quickly to feed 20 people at the end of a sunrise hike with breakfast hiking meals ( like mre's but better). Had the job done in fifteen minutes boiling 3 pots full of water. What a find! And so compact to carry.

We bought this for our 11 year old Boy Scout who has years of camping to enjoy. We felt this was the only one that has very little chance of tipping over and the fuel is away from the stove. We also like the small fuel canister that he can carry for back pack trips. The entire thing goes into the pot and easy to carry safely. Safety was our first concern. We feel this will do it for him!!!

its lovely stuff, I really recomendet......really do!!!!! I will use in the mountains, thanks.I am really happy, good quality