Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting For Those Wanting Jetboil Results Without Buying Jetboil...

Here's a good little innovation worth a look... I think I'll pick one up, just because.

The Olicamp XTS pot is a bargain price-wise and those I've corresponded with say it gives an approx 40% fuel savings over regular pots with conventional stoves (think Pocket Rocket, Snow Peak Giga, MSR, etc).

That's very close to what the Jetboil delivers, but lets one upgrade an existing stove without the expense of jumping up to a Sol or Sol Ti. Likely not as good in wind as the full-on Jetboil, but darn close.

Just a head's up:

http://www.wildernessexchangeunlimi...D=1&gclid=CNa7ssb327wCFQNqfgod7EcACw

http://www.opticsplanet.com/olicamp-xts-pot.html

Good find. May have to get one to try this fall with my Pocket Rocket. I'm all for a faster cup O' Joe.

At 6.7 ounces, plus what a stove weighs, you're damn near to a Jetboil.

Primus also makes a couple of pots with a heat exchanger little heavy though. http://www.primus.eu/templates/pages/product.aspx?ItemId=66905

A pocket rocket weighs a hair over 3 oz. which means a pretty lightweight package overall. But for me, weight isn't the issue here. Since I already have a pocket rocket, adding this is an economical alternative to buying a whole new setup with the Jetboil.

If it gets me better gas mileage from a canister it would be worth it on longer trips IMO.

Right now I can get about 4 days from an 8oz canister of Isobutane with the PR, which allows for some simmering and some continuous burn like when making pancakes one at a time. That's without wind to contend with.

Just heating water for Mountain House or coffee isn't a big deal, especially for overnighters. I'd stick to the PR and my Snowpeak titanium cup. But for multi day trips, it could mean the difference of a cold meal being out of gas, and a hot one! Or having to take an extra canister just in case.

$26.95 on Amazon with free shipping if you're an Amazon Prime member (which I am!)
It did add some tax strangely so I assume there is a NC affiliation of some type. Still under $29 total.

I have one on the way. I'll do a "test boil" with the Pocket Rocket with a regular titanium pot and this one and I'll post the results.
Thanks Brad.

Snubbie, looking forward to your results.

Cool schit.


Travis

But if you already have a standard stove, this allows you to experience more faster boil times without the expense of an entire Jetboil.


Travis

That's what I'm thinking.

That's a lot of money to save 30 sec boiling a cup of water. You're camping, right? What's the rush?

It's not about rushing. It's about consuming less fuel.

And I'd say 30 seconds is cutting the JB way short.



Travis

All of the above.

But what if you already have an MSR Titan Kettle, and a Soto Micro Regulator that goes 7.4 ounces, and you're smart enough to run it out of the wind?



I agree, the Jetboil is more efficient in the wind. I use one often in the summer because of the french press (I am a coffee snob)

I wonder if one could fit that pot on a Jetboil?

The point of this pot is that coupled with a light stove one may already have, it will give Jetboil-esque performance without breaking the bank.

Where it makes sense is coupled with something like a Snowpeak Litemax Ti:

http://www.campsaver.com/litemax-titanium-stove

$59 and 1.9 oz's plus $29 and 6.7 oz's for the Olicamp pot and you're at 8.6 oz's and $88... that's 0.1 oz's more than the Jetboil Sol Ti, but $61 less for very close to the same performance.

If I didn't already have the Sol Ti I'd do the above.

That setup is as fast as a Jetboil?


Travis

A Titan Kettle? Absolutely.

But it won't boil as fast as the Jetboil pot that has the accordion metal looking schit on the bottom.




Travis

I've got the standard Jetboil, and have NO complaints, but I'm still a sucker stoves and related shiny things, so thanks to Snubby and Amazon, I've got a pot en route for $27 shipped free.

MY plan is to test various alchy stoves under the pot. I'm thinking maybe a Trangia's flame pattern will make sweet music with the pot's heat exchanger ring and I'll yield a silent and simple (no moving parts) stove with reasonable efficiency. If not the Trangia, maybe a catfood stove, which is even lighter.

Regardless, I'll have fun screwing around with alcohol stoves.

I'd bet it is...after he builds a fort like windscreen with the axe he packs. Think a smaller version of this...

Like a team of [bleep]' vikings out there!



Travis

Okay, what service. Ordered Friday, received today, woohoo, woohoo!

So I decide to do a comparison, fist inside. I used a Titanium Snow peak cup with 24 oz of cool tap water.

Boil time took 5:14


So then I use the Olicamp with 24 oz of cool tap water.
Boil time was 4:12 or about 1 minute time savings.

Then I went outside. I put the stove on a non-solid table, no wind screen, and cold water. There was a small breeze that would occasionally "gust" enough to blow out a bic lighter. I used 20 oz of water.
The Snow Peak boil time was 5:45
The Olicamp boil time was 4:15 or about 1:30 time savings.

At this point I'm thinking these times are unusually long. I'm on the tail end of a tank of the Coleman propane mix you can find at Wally World. I believe I wasn't getting quite as an intense flame because of dropping pressure. I wonder if the MSR IsoButane mix burns hotter? So I head back downstairs and find a new canister of MSR ISoButane.
I refill the Olicamp with 20 oz of cold water and fire it up. I hear the familiar Pocket ROCKET sound. Obviously more pressure.
The Olicamp boil time was 1:19 !


The Snow Peak pot boil time was 3:15 or almost 2 minutes more time.
So the Olicamp reduces boil time for an average pot (20 oz.) as much as 1-2 minutes faster. So in my post-op, narcotic influenced brain, I figure I can get 12-20 minutes more boil time per 8 oz canister, based on the number of "boils" I typically get out of a canister. I realize none of this is scientific by any means, but this pot will give CONSIDERABLE more mileage out of each canister.
I also believe the MSR IsoButane burns hotter than the Coleman Butane/propane blend, which is something I've suspected for some time.

Of course, shorten boil time means getting more boils per canister. Getting 15 more minutes of boil time from a canister could mean an extra day or two on a multi-day backpack trip...which in my mind is huge!

The Olicamp also has silicon handles which don't get hot like the Snow Peak or a stainless or aluminum pot.




Also a silicon lid, and a canister, lighter and a few doo-dads will fit inside the pot. The mesh bag is big enough to fit the Pocket Rocket and a spoon or two. I suspect a smaller stove would fit inside the pot along with a canister but the PR is a little too big to fit.

Cool i have one on the way.Can you fit the stove and canister in the pot?

Nice. Will those handles come off easily?

A smaller stove than the Pocket Rocket would fit inside with a canister. The PR is a hair too large, even out of its little plastic case. Maybe a MicroRocket, or another stove.

Those handles fold over to the side, like a lot of backpack pots including the Snow Peak Titanium I have. They are coated in silicon and apparently stay cool enough to handle. The will remove though I cannot imagine why one would want to remove them. The lid is a soft silicon rubber with a vent that actually snaps on.

Sbubbie, thanks for taking time to do a review... beats sitting around the house recovering!

Your results are right in line with those I've been told.

Bwah never saw the stored picture before my post.Well the mesh bag will make it work

This is one of those amazingly rare campfire threads that is useful. Thanks Brad and Snubbie, and pointer for the picture of Dan's windscreen.

Don't thank me, thank Brad. I had never heard of this until Brad posted it yesterday. And it is one of those pieces of gear that actually works and apparently well. One "weakness" I have is a fear of running out of fuel with one canister. So far, I've slipped by on one...barely at times. This will get me at least an extra day on one.

Now if I could something to do the same thing on my Tundra!

Snub love your enthusiasm! For me and my needs my Stoic Mug and Lite Max(SP) come in at 4.8oz....

The oilcamp's come in at 7.4oz.

I'm totally set the way I am but, I really like the weight and surface area of the oilcamp stove. I might buy one to see "if" it fits in my Stoic mug and compare burn times for the oilcamp with the SP.

Your Pocket Rocket is a solid stove and given conditions I'd take it anyday over the JB.

So if you get rid of your pocket rocket container will your stove fit inside your mug/pot?

My lighter,stove,Ti spork and canister all fit inside my Stoic Mug...

I know alot of guys dig the Jetboil but It's far from bomb proof and takes up twice the space for my needs.. So I tend to bash it. Especially at its price..

I have been using the "jetboilette" like alaska lanche made in this post, along with the Soto stove.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth..._Holy_stove_efficiency_batma#Post4120028

I agree....that setup works great. Though since I'm usually with my wife we use the Sumo now as its faster over all and we make two dinners at the same time and 230 gram canisters fit inside.

However when going solo or want a back up stove on a fly out the Soto/jetboilette still comes along.

But if you don't already have a jetboil PCS pot then this $30 pot could be a great option as well.

Lanche, too bad the photos are gone from your thread... I think it would be a good addition to this thread w/ pics.

I still have them Brad, jsut moved them in my photobucket account which broke the links:

Standard jetboil PCS next to the cut down jetboilette:



Jetboilette/Soto combo, next to Standard jetboil cup and stove:



Jetboilette with Soto stove, 100 gram canister, and support legs inside:


Jetboil setup with Jetboil stove and 100 gram canister and support legs inside:



I think a SOL TI with 3 notches to accept a Jetboil could be a really sweet option!

Nice. Obviously you'd have to have a way to roll the cut top, yes?

For reference, the Sol Ti with full canister is 16.8 oz's.

Yeah it was on a lathe here at work

The main savings with the Sol TI would be cutting out the notches on it so you can run the lighter Soto Stove over the jetboil one. Likely talking 2 oz at best though.

If I were doing this to the SOL Ti obviously I wouldn't worry about cutting it shorter and just have the notches cut out 120 degrees apart.

Looking at your photos, without being shortened I'd think the Sol pot (Ti/Al) would get pretty top-heavy/tippy?

Hasn't been my experience even when using my buddies standard PCS pot with just the notches cut in it with it.

Good to know. Thanks for the addition to this thread.

For $27 I will give it a shot. Thanks Brad.

You bet MT... I'm going to get one "just because."

Anything to help at anytime!

Now if I could just spend more time where ounces mattered...

Agreed. How about a lightweight custom-fit hiking boot thread? My VanGorkums weigh 6.5lbs! Great fit, and great construction, but those extra ounces-------or pounds in this case------------take their toll by day's end.

VanGorkums! Unless something's changed, if I could afford a pair of those I could afford more plane tickets to places where ounces matter. I'd love a pair of custom boots someday, just haven't been able to justify the cost. Someday though...

You think a 600 Ti mug will fit in it? I've been looking at a Snopeak 900 set, but that Olicamp is slick.

I bought 'em before the prices and wait times went completely insane. I'd DEARLY LOVE to have normal feet that allowed me to walk into a good shop and find boots that fit. It's just never going to happen.

I had to order one also.



Travis

[quote=snubbie] One "weakness" I have is a fear of running out of fuel [quote]

I learned the hard way that after a canister has been used, even once, it can leak and go empty. I always take an extra now, either full or partially used, depending on how many days I'll be out.

I just ordered the cup and off board stove combo and will post a review. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007S..._=pe_385040_30332190_TE_3p_M3T1_ST1_dp_1

http://www.olicamp.com/products-stoves/xcelerator Better photos of stove setup.

I just started weighing my gas canisters and writing the weight on the can so I know how much is left. As soon as I have an empty one I'll have a good base # to know how many oz. are left in a tank.

I've had one of those Olicamp pots for a while. You'll want a stove with a fairly small diameter burner so the flame goes inside the base of the heat transfer ring. My old stoves flame hit the bottom of the outer ring of the base and a lot of the flame went outside it and up the side of the pot If I cranked it too high.

That's exactly how I keep track of my gas canisters (I use Snowpeak Giga brand ProIso).

Weight Full: 7.4 oz's
Weignt Empty: 2.9 oz's

I keep the two above no's written on the bottom in sharpie, and weigh and date the canister at the end of every trip.

I've always floated them in water to see how much is left. Now they print the process on the MSR cans (what I use)

I never take a half gone can on a trip unless it's an overnighter. I use my partials in the Jetboil to make coffee in the truck. I also have a lantern that burns them. It comes in real handy at bow shoots, and fishing trips around camp.

Like somebody else said, I always burn a new canister at least once.


I like the weight idea though, I'll give it a shot.

I'm wondering how much it would decrease the time with my alchy stove?

Good idea Brad

Hmm. An Olicamp XTS pot mysteriously showed up at my door today, so I decided to test it out:

Vs. my current Snow Peak 900 Ti:


With the Snow Peak fuel canister upside down, the Giga Stove nests pretty nicely in the pot:


The lid snaps on, but the stove case protrudes a little, and it would probably need a rubber band to stay on:


Next, the boil tests. First, .5L of garage temperature water in the Snow Peak:



Then the Olicamp:
[img]http://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/t458/Finner60/762f5d3f4b4ad25d26885ab9fc395c4f.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/t458/Finner60/fefe0a9b348ce95c42b2f64ad4811989.jpg[/img]

Not what I had expected or hoped for....

I noticed the fuel canister was cold to the touch after the two boils. Just to be fair, I waited an hour to let things cool, then repeated the test. This time Olicamp first:



Then with the Snow Peak:



If nothing else, it seems like these canisters lose oomph the longer you burn.

This test was done inside the garage, so there was no wind.

The flame from the Giga Stove shoots almost entirely up inside the little hole in the base of the Olicamp, but doesn't seem to really spread out amongst the Fins of Fury like I thought would happen.

As of now, best time vs best time, I don't see enough fuel savings to justify the weight penalty, at least not with my current stove. I may need to test it some more with different canisters...

And a third time...using an almost new fuel canister. First, the Olicamp:



And the Snow Peak:



Much bigger flame this time around with the new canister. The flame was hitting the flat ring at the base of the fins on the Oli, and was rolling up the sides of the the Snow Peak about 3/4" all the way around. (I also gave the tank a rest in between boils. )

Not much difference in boil time for me. Maybe it's the cool black stuff on the Snow Peak pot that keeps it close?

I do like the handles on the XTS, though.

Walker6, that's really strange. When I tested I got as much as 2 minutes faster boil time with the Olicamp with a fresh MSR canister over a SnowPeak Ti pot. Using a Coleman WallyWorld canister that was more than half empty, I got 1 minute faster boil times with the Olicamp over the SnowPeak. The flame was obviously less intense with the Coleman canister than the fresh MSR canister.

I was using an MSR Pocket Rocket that quite frankly, sounds like a rocket used on high with a fresh canister. I mean it really pours out an intense hot flame.

I don't know the BTU output between the Pocket Rocket and your Snow Peak stove. I suppose that could make a difference. Like a canister that loses "oomph" the longer you burn, maybe a stove with less "oomph" would also equal out boil times. But I don't know of the "oomph" difference between the Snow Peak stove and the Pocket Rocket, or even if their is one. Maybe the Olicamp needs a stove that will really crank it out to realize the potential.
Dunno.

Just scratching my head here.

I know, I was expecting results like yours. I wonder if the breeze when you did your test made the difference? Like maybe the fins helped? Also, on your last boil, did you do the Snow Peak right after you did the XTS?

Yes. That was the only time I did the XTS first. Every other time I did the XTS last...with a cold canister.

I'm going to do some more experimenting this weekend.

I think the biggest tip in all these test is the grey Coleman canisters are not nearly as good as the MSR ones. Something I've noticed for years without actually putting a stop watch to them.

Curious stuff... I'll be interested to see more testing.

This is one of the cool threads.

Thanks, Brad.

IB, it definitely is a good thread.

Wondering out loud... I wonder if Snubbies Pocket Rocket isn't a better stove for the Olicamp Pot... looking at Walker's Giga pics makes me wonder whether the burner is too far from the base of the pot. Hit Ti pot is right up against the burner. The Rocket's folding arms can be fitted to the Olicamp's inner ring... again, just wondering out loud.

Using rigorous methods, it would be great info and publishable, IMO.

Snubbie?

Hang on, give me two more minutes...

Ain't surgery great?!

Okay, I realized I have to go to Raleigh this weekend so decided I needed to do my test tonight to satisfy my curiosity.
So I found a new Coleman Canister and the MSR IsoPro I used for two boils.



What I found was there is no difference in boil times between the two fuels. I've wondered for some time if the butane-propane blend (Coleman) burned as hot as the Iso/Butane-Propane blend (MSR) and thus burn hotter. The answer is no, not according to the test tonight.

I used 20oz of cold tap water in each test.

I started with a Snow Peak 900 Ti pot. Each time I dumped water, changed canister and boiled again with everything cooled down. Then used the Olicamp XTS after allowing both canisters to warm back to room temp.
SP Ti w/Coleman = 2:46
SP Ti w/ MSR = 2:48
XTS w/Coleman = 1:34
XTS w/MSR = 1:41

The few seconds of difference between the fuels tells me the type canister is irrelevant. However, both times I got over 1 minute faster boil times with the XTS.
So as far as I'm concerned, the XTS is a big score for me.

Now, Brad mentioned above the Pocket Rocket. It has a very intense flame and it funnels it right up into the "sweet spot" of the XTS. Brad, if you fold the PR pot supports inward to fit inside the ring, they actually will raise the pot slightly higher. It also decreases stability obviously, so their is no gain in doing that. In this photo, you can see the flame is totally utilized, nothing even showing coming outside of the convection fins, or up the sides. Walker6's similar photo shows a flame that is a little more spread, and perhaps a little farther from the bottom of the pot.

I thought the same thing but not according to this test. However....

The pressure seems to really drop in the Coleman canisters after a few uses. I've never noticed the MSR pressure dropping noticeably until it was almost empty (of course, taking out cold temperature issues). THAT could be why it seems the Coleman doesn't seem as fast or hot. It could be the pressure drops and you actually have a smaller flame but you don't really notice that the flame is smaller.

Just a hunch.

But I would have bet the farm a Coleman just doesn't give the same performance of an MSR canister, and if the pressure drops as it approaches half empty, then I guess it doesn't.

Looks like you've got a good combo there, Snubbie. It seems the burners with the holes facing up work better with the Olicamp than my side hole Giga stove burner does. (Makes sense if you look at the burner on a Jet Boil).

Just for kicks, I tested some MSR fuel against the Giga fuel. Same-same, in the 4oz size (new cans), and they each used about .4oz of fuel per burn.

Darn I missed the obvious. Those ARE side burner holes on your stove rather than top.

I still don't understand why it wouldn't boil faster with the XTS unless it just doesn't use the flame any more efficiently for some reason...but that's a "duh". Obviously there is no gain for you...I'm still scratching my head on that one.

I think you've got the answer! Good stuff.

This is actually what I've noticed to a T.

I thought your first test was done on used containers?

It just seems the PR doesn't roar on the Coleman older canisters, even though they still have fuel in them.

Yeah, we're on the same page here. The first test was done on used Coleman canisters. I wrongly assumed the extended boil times was because of IsoPro burning hotter than the Coleman canister. But with a new canister, the boil times were the same. So the pressure drop of the Coleman is the reason for the extended boil times. I have not noticed that pressure drop in the MSR IsoPro canisters.

Some of you other guys that have ordered one of these XTS pots, I'll be curious to see what results you get with it.

IIRC, those I corresponded with regarding the XTS pot and its excellent results were all using Pocket Rockets... makes sense in light of this thread.

Maybe I'm having a brainfart, but what is the reason for butane or isobutane mixed with propane?

Does it produce a hotter flame?

Propane boils at a colder temp than isobutane or butane.

Never mind.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/canister_stove_faq#.UxDlsoUXdRI

This could also be what I've noticed:

Another tip is to choose the right canister fuel blend for cold weather. Fuel that is a mix of iso-butane (boiling point 12 �F) and propane, works better in below freezing temperatures than fuel containing butane (boiling point 31 �F), because the fuel in the canister will continue to vaporize (albeit more sluggishly) at cold temperatures. For cold temperature performance (below freezing), the propane is the basic driving force (because of its low boiling point) that makes the stove work; iso-butane will volatilize and burn along with the propane (but in decreasing amounts) down to its boiling point of 12 �F, while the n-butane will just sit there. Warming the canister will enable it to perform at even lower temperatures. Examples of cold weather fuels are: MSR IsoPro fuel - 80% iso-butane and 20% propane; Snow Peak GigaPower fuel - 85% iso-butane and 15% propane; and Jetboil JetPower fuel which is 20-30% propane with the remainder iso-butane.

Coleman label says butane

Iso-butane is an isomer, it has a side chain, therefore is a larger molecule and has more bonds to break when it burns, so yes, in theory it should burn hotter.

My reason for posting is that for a solo hunter whom boils only a dinner a day(2 cups) depending on elevation a person can do it for nearly half the weight and less space. If that matter's than I hope I've helped.

My SP Litemax and stoic pot get me 9 dinners(2cups)or more boiled on one 110gm SP canister no problem if i'm alone Elev from 3800ft to 6500ft.

I do it at near half the weight and less cubic inches burned up.

Aside from hot handles I see no advantage in my case. Now if I decide to up my boils to say 4 cups a day I'll be all over it as I have both the Oilcamp stove and pot on Order. As i hope my son will go with me.

I am a believer.

Weather is crappy this weekend, so I am close to home and decided to test out the new pot.

Two brand new MSR IsoPros, two MSR Micro Rockets and 16 oz of tap water.



Off and running. All equipment and materials were only outside for a few minutes before the test started.



We have winner.



Just starting to boil.



Lovely conditions for the test.

Awesome test Craig... PR and the Olicamp are a winner to me.

Gonna order one.

Super cold here today too... we were -10F this morning, heavy winds and 79% humidity. Snowing like a sun-of-a-gun...

Perhaps, even better is the Olicamp pot and Vector Stove... pretty good deal for $49.00!

The Vector stove is absolutely a PR knock-off, but looks like it folds a bit smaller on the OAL:

http://www.libertymountain.com/products/5145/NTN12991

http://beforeitsnews.com/survival/2013/06/olicamp-xts-and-vector-stove-2478606.html

Looks good miller! Now we just need a statistically valid sample size of trials. Then you have to swap the stove pot combos to make sure that's not a cause for the difference... Did GuNR help?

Before that, you need a big-ass fan.

MT, you wouldn't by chance have a alky stove to try and see how much time is saves?

No. Only other stove is an MSR WindPro. I picked up a Micro Rocket on a whim to fill an order. I was pleasantly surprised and ended up picking up a couple more. I have one in my pickup and one in my work truck for cooking and emergency fire starter.

Maybe the local expert can chime in.

A Caldera Cone does something quite similar, at less weight, and if you make it from titanium, you can allay your fears of running out of alcohol

Good test mtmiller!

My pot should be here next week. I was gonna test with the alcohol stove for schits and gigs.



Travis

Thanks Sir, i am hoping it will speed it up as well.