Jetboil Helios Cooking System

I just got my new Helios this week, actually two days ago. I am a very, very picky consumer in that I research a lot, look for great quality and value...then I buy. I didn't do quite enough research when buying the Helios. On the positive end of things...it is AWESOME for cooking on not only the pot that comes with it, but also with my MSR Blacklite Gourmet set of pans. I did a couple of test runs with it using both pans and cooked some great scrambled eggs using fairly low heat. You can control the flame pretty well although it seems to fluctuate a bit on low settings to the point you can't hear it at all and wonder if it is even on. It is super easy to use.

Here are my exceptions: new out of the box, the built in igniter that is supposed to spark works about one out of 20 tries. That is a bit ridiculous. It does not have any way to my knowledge of accepting the PCS pot, cup whatever you call it. So...if you want to cook just for large crowds of 4-5 people...it is great. Otherwise, it is overkill...in size and weight, especially for backpacking.

The best of both worlds would be to have a PCS and Helios. It doesn't make any sense to my why the highest priced jetboil system would also be the least versatile. I'm thinking I should have purchased the GCS. It won awards for good reason!

The eggs I cooked on my MSR (non-stick aluminum) were perfect...super easy clean-up. The eggs in the jetboil pan were much more difficult to keep from burning in the center of the pot...so I had to do some super-scrubbing to get the pot clean again. That is no fun on the trail. Guess I'll be packing more than one pot.

Great stove! After I bought it I got a “you should have bought a (blank) stove they’re better” I wilderness camp and fish out of a boat so the larger MORE STABLE design and the 1.5 Ltr pot of the Helios works for me. I’ve camped with a little stove owner and watched his dinner go to the ground because of the design. If you want a stove that doesn’t take up a lot of room but works like a big one consider it. It does boil water in the specified time so it’s great when you can’t wait for coffee in the AM. I used it for 4 days, pasta, soup, eggs, oatmeal the only thing that you need to do is pay attention to what’s going on in the pot, it does produce heat fast.

This stove is the best! I upgraded from the Jetboil PCS after deciding I wanted a little more cooking ability and options. I have never had any problems at all with this stove when I take it out backpacking, and it has always performed over 100%. I love the way that everything (fuel stand, stove, windscreen) minus fuel fits inside these pots. I find the 1 1/2 liter pot to be the perfect size for personal outings, and even cooking for a friend or two. Everyone always enjoys seeing the windscreen just snap on to the stove base, and then seeing how effective it really is at keeping the flame up and running. The stove base is very very stable, and the flux-ring pots make it near impossible to knock the pot off... Also the lids for the pans double as plates. This stove is a total breeze to set up, it boils water like no tommorow with the flux-ring pans, and it is worth every cent! Love it.

This pot can boil! No doubt about it! Less than three minutes and it's even fast if you put some salt in the water! And I love how it all fits inside itself. One downsides I found, are it's a bit big for long backpacking trips, a bit heavy and no simmering. So don't try to make pancakes or anything that involves more than boiling some water.

Good experience to date - will wait to next year to see it in the real cold.
Easy set up and packs nicely in pot. Hot and fast.

The heavy duty model works like a charm. It is big enough to cook for a few different folks. It is a bit bigger than the other jetboil systems, but works much better. This is a great piece of equipment to have handy in the wilderness. Definitely a great addition to the jetboil family.