Jetboil Minimo vs Jetboil Flash – Backpacking Stove showdown

Lightweight backpacking stoves are vital especially when there is a need to boil water or cook a meal when you are on your trip. There are many factors in considering which stove you want to get including how light you want the backpacking stove to be and how versatile it should be. How many people you are cooking for is a factor too.

Choosing the best stove isn’t that easy. There are several considerations you need to take into account including what is your budget, whether you want a windproof burner or how much do you value a push button igniter. If you like to learn more about the best backpacking stoves in the market, check out the post I have written!

This comparison would be mainly for stoves that is meant for 1-2 person. To better compare the significant aspects of the stoves, I thought that it is important to have an in-depth look into each of the stove and then make a head-on comparison, i.e. jetboil minimo vs flash.

Comparison Table

History of Jetboil

Jetboil was founded in 2001 by Dwight Aspinwall and Perry Dowst. The company manufactures and sells lightweight gas-fueled stoves which are mainly used for backpacking. It was in 2001 that the founders revolutionized outdoor cooking by creating a stove that is compact and efficient. In 2001, the first Jetboil was manufactured.

Later in 2012, the company was bought over by Johnson Outdoors. The engineers of the company has continued to perfect their products.

As of now, Jetboil has sold a variety of stoves that are made with different materials and contains differing features. The more expensive stoves are lighter in weight and they have a short span of cooking time. Amongst one of the better stoves in the Jetboil range of products includes both stoves which I am about to introduce to you.

Jetboil MiniMo Camping Stove Review

The Jetboil MiniMo Camping Stove is one of the top stoves for outdoorsmen. The stove is both highly versatile and efficient, making it really convenient for you to cook your favorite meal on the go.

This camping stove was built for backpackers, especially when we consider this stove’s cooking system which combines both Jetboil’s well-known efficiency in cooking and versatility  of the stove.

Characteristics of the Jetboil MiniMo Camping Stove

Product Dimension – The stove has a dimension of 5 inches x 5 inches x 5.5 inches.

Volume – The FluxRing Cooking Cup can contain food up to 1 liter.

Weight – The backpack stove weighs 14.6 ounces or 415 grams.

Handles – This camping stove comes with Metal Handles and a redesigned FluxRing cooking cup. The Metal handles are optimized for low spoon angles, which makes the MiniMo itself suitable for you to eat out of it.

Pushbutton igniter – The stove can start heating instantly just by a push of a button, using the reliable pushbutton igniter. This makes igniting the stove really convenient too.

Group Size – This stove is suitable to cook for 1 – 2 people at a time.

FluxRing Cooking Cup – The 1-liter FluxRing cooking cup is made with proper insulation and is attached with metal handles. This allows you to easily cook and eat your meals. The insulation will help keep your food warm too.

The bottom cover also acts as a measuring cup and a bowl which helps you to cook and prepare hot meals and drinks.

Lid – The strainer lid on the top is useful for controlling the flow of water when you are pouring the water into another can. It’s great for cooking pasta too!

Fuel Consumption – With 100 grams of Jetpower can, you should be able to boil 12 liters of water.

Features of the Jetboil MiniMo Camping Stove

FluxRing Technology – This stove is powered by FluxRing Technology, which helps the MiniMo to reach a rolling boil (liquid is boiled rapidly with many bubbles) in around 2 minutes. This Technology helps the MiniMo reach that point with half the fuel consumption as compared to traditional systems.

This is done by increasing the surface area of the bottom of the pot. The FluxRing Technology renders it possible for the stove to heat up with high efficiency.

Also, this technology helps to filter out the wind and this helps guard the flame. This helps in the heating too.

Jetboil’s Proprietary Regulator Technology – The Stove is light and stowable in your backpack, but it can do many things especially with the proprietary regulator technology.

As the can sits on top of the valve, the fuel regulator controls the pressure and fluid that flows through the system. What that does is that it creates a consistent flame, a consistent boil efficiency and consistent burning. So, if you have a wide variety of temperatures or if you have a can that is emptying, it will always burn the same.

The liquid can boil fast or simmer slowly, depending on your personal preference. The fuel regulator allows you to have incremental heat adjustments from light simmer to full boil. This makes cooking much more versatile. This unparalleled simmer control is one of the main features which Jetboil has a lot of pride in.

The regulated canister stoves allows 4 full turns of the spindle which allows incremental adjustment of the fuel to flow that is proportionate to the amount of heat output. If you don’t want your vegetables to get burnt, remember to fully utilize this function.

Also, the fact that you can carefully tweak the heat helps with fuel efficiency. With this technology, you don’t need to spend more fuel than you need to (which is the very definition of fuel efficiency).

Sideways Burner Storage Design – The sideways burner storage design can help you to save some packing space. This makes the backpacking stove really easy to pack, especially when it weighs only 14.6 ounces.

Expandable and Versatile – On the outset, I thought it is important to highly that you can add other types of pots, but they are sold separately.

According to your personal needs, you can add a Pot Support, a 1.5-liter FluxRing Pot (note that the set only comes with a 1-liter FluxRing Pot) or even a Summit Skillet which you can learn more by watching the video below.

If you are interested in the Jetboil Summit Skillet, you can get them separately here. You can learn more about the Summit Skillet by watching the video below.

If you are cooking for a larger crowd, you may want to consider buying the Jetboil 1.5-Liter FluxRing Camping Cooking Pot too.​

As for the Jetboil Pot Support for Jetboil camping Stove, you can check it out here.

Warnings

Bad Performance in Colder Temperature – This stove would be able to consistently perform at least down to 20 degrees Fahrenheit (which is -6.67 degree Celsius). Do take note of the limits.

Fuel Canister sold separately – The fuel canister has to be purchased separately from the stove, which you can purchase here. The Jetboil Jetpower Fuel is sold in 3 types: 100 Grams, 230 Grams and 450 Grams. 

Faulty Pushbutton Ignition – It is common that stoves with pushbutton ignitions tend to be faulty. You may need to use some pliers to bend the ignition wire to be a little bit closer to the metal grate. You can learn more about how you can fix the ignition by watching the video below.

Jetboil Warranty

This stove comes with a 1-year limited warranty. Since it is a limited warranty, I would urge you to read the terms and conditions of the warranty before purchase because they will only replace or repair the stove in limited circumstances.

Excellent Customer Support – The customer support are really responsive. If you have any questions in your mind, they will definitely help you out. Don’t worry if you can’t get them on your first attempt, they will follow-up with their customers too.  

My Thoughts

Suitable for a variety of meal options – The MiniMo is suitable for a variety of meal options even when you are on the trail mainly because it comes with a fuel canister stabilizer and a pot support.

Backpacking Stove that can be used for any adventure – This stove is highly versatile and it can function efficiently in various weather conditions. Even if you are on an alpine-style mountaineering which takes longer periods of time or you are on a weekend trek, this camping stove will be able to meet your needs.

Even if you are exploring the rural areas or the wilderness, the stove is compact enough for you to carry and efficient enough to cook any type of food.

Also, this stove is suitable for camping in reasonably cold weather. You can boil water or cook your favorite pasta.

Jetboil Flash Camping Stove Review

This camping stove is optimized to heat up efficiently. It can boil water in a matter of 100 seconds, which makes it the fastest Jetboil to-date.

Characteristics of the Jetboil Flash Camping Stove

Product Dimension – The product dimension is 4.1 inches x 4.1 inches x 7.1 inches.

Weight – The weight of the camping stove is 1.2 pounds.

FluxRing Cooking Cup – The stove comes with Jetboil’s 1-liter FluxRing cooking cup. The cooking cup is well-insulated, which makes it really cozy and it helps keep things warm.

Pushbutton Ignitor – This backpacking stove similarly comes with a convenient and reliable pushbutton ignitor. This makes igniting the stove a breeze.

Compact – This camping stove is made to be really compact. It is quick to set-up, really easy to pack and there would not be any loose parts flinging around. This backpacking stove will not take much space in your backpack and it makes carrying it around a breeze.

Features of the Jetboil Flash Camping Stove

Thermochromatic Color-Change Heat Indicator – The stove comes with a heat indicator that helps you verify whether the water is ready.

Compatible with other Jetboil Accessories – You can fix-up this stove with other accessories such as the Jetboil coffee press, a hanging kit, the pot support, a skillet, FluxRing cooking pot (either 1.5 liters or the 5-liter FluxRing Cooking Pot) and even utensils (Jetboil Utensil Set) to help make your next outdoor adventure a memorable one.

Fuel Canister Stabilizer – This stove comes with a fuel canister stabilizer which helps by providing steadiness when used on uneven surfaces.

Easy to pack – The camping stove is really easy to pack and portable too. Plus, it only weighs 13.1 ounces.  

FluxRing Technology – Like most Jetboil stoves, this stove similarly uses FluxRing technology to increase the surface area at the bottom of the pot while making it burn with high efficiency. This leads me to the next feature.

Boils Water in just 100 seconds – This feature is highlighted on its own because it’s the fastest boiling time to-date for a camping stove. With this blistering boil time, you won’t need to wait long before your next meal gets cooked.

This was done by modeling the combustion and through careful material selection to optimize burning efficiency. The Jetboil Flash is THE fastest Jetboil ever, cutting 1-minute from the previous best boil time.

Warning

This stove comes with a 1-year limited warranty as well.

My Thoughts

Suitable for Exploring the Outdoors – This stove is an excellent companion if you like to go for an outdoor adventure. Be it an expedition or a hike, this stove should be able to keep you company.

Excellent if you want things FAST – This stove is lightweight, quick to set-up and hits the boiling time in 100 seconds. If you like things to be fast on-the-go, this stove is definitely suitable for you.

Backpacking Stove Showdown

Fuel Efficiency

The Jetboil Minimo wins the Jetboil Flash in this one.

For the Jetboil Minimo, it has a gas consumption is 6,000 BTU/hr [British Thermal Unit/ Hour], while the Jetboil Flash is  9,000 BTU/hr.

This means that for every 100g Jetpower canister, you will be able to boil 12 liters of water with the Jetboil Minimo, but only 10 liters of water with the Jetboil Flash.

The fact that the Minimo comes equipped with a fuel regulator makes a huge difference.

Therefore, the Jetboil Minimo is more fuel efficient.

Why?

The FluxRing equipped in both the Jetboil Minimo and Jetboil Flash is different. This gap get even more stark when both stoves are put in windy conditions.

It is mainly because the Jetboil Flash is taller and narrower, which decreases its efficiency in burning.

Boiling Speed

The answer is obvious for this one: the Jetboil Flash wins hands down.

The Jetboil Flash can boil 0.5 liters of water in 100 seconds, as compared to the Jetboil Minimo that boils 0.5 literes of water in 135 seconds.

This aspect is especially significant if you hike in cold weather. During the winter, the extreme environmental conditions may render the boiling speed to be even more stark. The Jetboil Flash can boil water more rigorously, which is an added advantage if you would like the heat to be kept and used efficiently.

Regulating the Heat – Simmering

The Jetboil Minimo wins at this one because it is equipped with the Jetboil’s Proprietary Regulator Technology. This makes it much better for simmering .

The Jetboil Flash is not even equipped with a fuel regulator. This makes it difficult to do precision cooking on the Jetboil Flash, which is something that you can do with the Jetboil Minimo.

Do note that this is important for controlling gas consumption too. The less heat is released, the less gas will be consumed.

Compactness and Portability

Both stoves are lightweight. To me, the small difference in weight does not make one more compact and portable than the other.

The Jetboil Flash is 13.1 pound, while the Jetboil Minimo is 14.6 pounds. The difference in weight is pretty insignificant, but if we were to pick a winner, the Jetboil Flash will be the champion.

Ignition Type

Both the MiniMo and Flash uses the push button ignition. There would be no need for comparison on this aspect. However, I do want to highlight that the push ignition may give some problems. Make sure to check out the video I posted above on how to fix such problems.

Meal Versatility

The Jetboil MiniMo allows you to cook your meals with greater versatility since it is equipped with a the Proprietary Regulator Technology. 

For the Jetboil Flash, I would recommend using it for boiling water. The way the Jetboil Flash is built is that it is high and narrow. It will be difficult to slowly cook or fry your meals. 

The Jetboil Minimo makes it much easier to cook your meals. The way the cooking cup is shaped and the simmer control allows you to have control over the fire, which is important for cooking.  

FluxRing Cooking Cup

The FluxRing Cooking Cup for both stoves are Different.

Although both Cooking Cup can hold up to 1 liter of liquid, the Cooking Cup that comes with the MiniMo is shorter but has a wider diameter. 

This means that the cup that comes with the MiniMo is made with better spoon angle. It would be much easier to eat out of the Cooking cup by the MiniMo than the Jetboil Flash. 

Purpose of the Stove

After going through all the features, it would be pretty clear that the Jetboil Flash is made for Fast Boil. Meanwhile, the Jetboil MiniMo is made for Precision Cooking. 

In fact, there is a difference between simmering and a rolling boil. There are 5 different levels between a simmer and boiling liquid which you can read more about here.

Concluding Thoughts

The Jetboil MiniMo is made for people who want versatility and control over their stove. The Proprietory Regulatory Technology plays a huge role in ensuring that the fire gets controlled into the way you want it to be.

For people who want to cook their food and water fast, the Jetboil Flash is definitely the pick for them. It would be more suitable for cooking in cold climates too.