Price:
$299
Our Rating:
Jetboil was among the first stove brands to introduce a personal cooking system and the MiniMo (425g) is the smallest unit yet.
Despite its size though, the MiniMo packs a punch and is able to boil 12-litres of water on a single 100g canister. That’s enough juice for most multiday trips.
With a reliable piezo ignition, the stove is simple to use. Its small height makes it difficult to store the burner and gas cartridge inside the pot – it can be done by turning both on their side, but it’s a tight squeeze and might damage the burner head if you’re not careful.
Compared to other personal cooking systems, the price of the MinoMo is acceptable – but those used to simple gas burners in the sub-$50 range may find it excessive.
I used the stove in Tongariro National Park in some pretty icy conditions and in terms of boiling performance, I can’t fault it.
I first used it in the evening in Mangatepopo Hut at 1190m elevation, when the temperature was about 13ºC inside. It took 2min25sec to boil 500ml of water – very close to the advertised boil time of 2min15sec. Next morning, I boiled water from snow – this time outside and at an altitude of around 1250m while it was raining and snowing. Packed to the brim with snow, it took 7min40sec to achieve a rolling boil – and there was around 800ml of water in the pot at the end. After several more uses, I tested the stove at sea level with a now nearly empty canister and achieved a boil time of 2min13sec for 500ml of water – proving the worth of Jetboil’s regulator technology that offers consistent performance through the life of the canister.
One drawback: the pot twists onto the stove head with a small turn, but I found removing it after boiling water to be tricky. It didn’t undo freely and with many components hot and steam billowing through the lid, I often poured the water while the pot was still attached to the burner.