Backpacker Magazine – March 2006

Stove Review: Jetboil GCS

A revolutionary stove-and-pot set that'll cramp your prep time with super-fast boils.

by: Kristin Hostetter and Jonathan Dorn, BACKPACKER Editor-in-Chief

Like its Editors' Choice-winning older sibling, this revolutionary stove-and-pot combo is really screwing up our cooking habits. Pre-Jetboil, hikers could expect their stoves to boil a quart of water in about 5 or 6 minutes, which left a bit of time to slice the garlic. But the GCS (short for Group Cooking System) is cramping our prep time with its preposterous 3-minute boils. Credit the same heat-exchanging technology Jetboil introduced with the PCS, a technology that allows it to capture so much heat that fuel efficiency is doubled. This time, though, you get a modular system: a stand-alone canister stove that can be used for sautéing and baking, and a removable 1.6-liter pot. We're hoping the production models have stronger swing handles and a tougher, better-fitting lid (we used a prototype), but this stove appears to be a must-have for anyone looking to eat faster and carry less fuel.

Price: $110

Weight: 1 lb. 3 oz