The latest backpacking stove in the Jetboil lineup is the MiniMo . Touted as the “same size but smaller” than the Flash , the new stove moves beyond just boiling water and into real cooking. With a similar regulator system to the Joule but with even more flame control, the MiniMo can simmer. Really.
Similar to the Joule , the MiniMo features a fuel regulator but without the inverted canister. The regulator delivers the same output regardless of the amount of liquid gas left in the fuel canister, while a brand new valve on the MiniMo gives you even more control over the flame.
On the Sol, you have around 1/3 of a turn range on the valve. This basically enables you to switch the flame on full or off. By contrast, on the MiniMo you get 2 1/2 turns of control on the valve. Jetboil Brand Manager, Ken Avery, demonstrated the flame control at the OutDoor show for me and I was impressed with how low it gets before going out. No more burnt food at the bottom of the cup.
The FluxRing cooking cup delivers 1L of capacity, but is wider instead of tall. The wider cup gives you a better spoon angle, meaning you don’t have to stick your whole hand inside to get to your Annie’s Mac and Cheese at the bottom. The fuel canister and burner fit sideways into the pot for storage, while the stabilizer snaps into a slot on the underside of the lid. The lid features the same drink and strainer ports you have come to know and love on your Jetboil cooking systems.
On the 14 oz. MiniMo, Jetboil added metal (heat safe) handles for easier cooking. For all you ounce counters, these handles can be removed even though they don’t add much weight (for comparison, the Sol is 10.5 oz. with a 0.8L cup).
For the MiniMo, Jetboil designed a bunch of cool insulating cozies, including the Yama Girl inspired purple plaid, tree camo, various line art sketches, and one of my favorites—the buffalo red plaid. You can mix and match cozies, as they are sold as an accessory ($9.99). The MiniMo also works with the Grande Coffee Press accessory.
The Jetboil MiniMo retails for $129 and will be exclusive to REI starting September 1st. The backpacking stove will be available everywhere else starting January 1, 2015.
