Integrated "All-in-One" Systems
So, as we have already figured out, there is nothing super new or mega-technological in these little tricks, but they really work, saving our fuel and our time. Nevertheless, in the minds of tourist revolutionaries, the idea was persistently brewing to combine all these possibilities (and ideally add some unique feature) into one device. Thus, a new product can be obtained — an integrated "all-in-one" system that would combine cookware with a heat exchanger of optimal volume for a given burner, a lid-strainer, a measuring cup (in most products), a convenient handle, the ability to work suspended (in some models for extreme use), integrated wind protection, and finally, the burner itself with a gas canister and a stand for it (for the stability of the entire system).
If we take everything separately — there is no revolution, but the revolutionary aspect is the very idea of combining all this into a system. Few conspiracy theorists would be surprised by the fact that this idea was first brought to the mass consumer by an American company with the unassuming name JETBOIL in 2001-2002. I will not claim here that their success is due to extraterrestrial technologies, but I simply state this very success. The product quickly (unlike, for example, telescopic poles) found its market niche and its customer and over time became mass-produced.
It is not surprising that before the emergence of other strong players in the market (and this segment is now a coveted piece), all similar devices were firmly referred to as jetboil, just as it once happened with the Swedish company PRIMUS. The products of other companies for a long time were as original in relation to their predecessors as the Korean and Chinese automotive industries "a dozen" years ago.
Such a cooking system design still remains classic.
One can notice a number of characteristic features — the burner is attached to the canister (compactness, easy to implement suspension or "cooking on the go"), the cookware is secured with a quick-release attachment, the container is narrow and tall, enclosed in a neoprene sleeve that allows you to handle the hot pot and reduces heat transfer. In some higher-end systems, the sleeve has special inserts that change color depending on the temperature, thus signaling heating (sometimes only warm water is needed) or boiling. This way, fuel is additionally saved. The container is closed with a plastic lid with holes for possible draining of liquid without solid contents (strainer).
The manufacturer claims not only high energy efficiency of the system (up to 50% gas savings) but also its convenience — you can boil water anywhere: in the bed of a moving truck, walking through the forest (although this is hard to imagine, but anything is possible), on a platform suspended over a chasm. In my opinion, this is a significant advantage for mobile tourism.
But as they say, there is a time to create stereotypes and a time to break them. Over time, manufacturers with their own concepts of cooking systems appeared on the market. And it is unlikely that their opinions could be ignored, as their names in the outdoor world enjoy unwavering authority. First and foremost, I mean the American company MSR and the famous Swedes PRIMUS, known since 1892.
After waiting a few years, they were able to avoid the "growing pains" of pioneers and create their models "from a clean slate," but taking into account the existing experience.
Author of the article: Sergey Lahotsky.
Integrated Cooking Systems for Hiking