Nobody knows stoves better than TGO’s Gear Editor Chris Townsend. Here’s his lowdown on the latest models. On test Jetboil Joule Stove
This big powerful stove is designed for group cooking in all conditions. Most unusually it’s a cartridge top stove that uses an inverted cartridge – the only one there is as far as I know. The ingenious design means that the fuel tube runs up the side of the cartridge and through the flame making this a liquid fuel stove and one that works well in the cold (Jetboil says down to -12°C).
The Joule pot has a capacity of 2.5 litres and a transparent lid with strainer holes. The fold-out handle is quite rigid, as it needs to be as the pot is heavy when full. There’s a pot cosy to keep the contents warm and speed up boiling times. The unit is quite tall but also quite wide so stability is fine.
With a 10,000 BTU output the Joule is very powerful, as shown by the boiling time (of course it’s designed for far more than 500 ml of water) but at the same time simmering is possible.
The Joule works fine in light breezes but above that it needs sheltering from the wind as the burner isn’t fully protected. Given the height a pretty big windscreen is needed. As the cartridge is below the burner any windshield shouldn’t fully encircle the stove so the cartridge doesn’t get too hot.
Bulky and heavy, the Joule isn’t for solo or duo use. However for three or more it’s a good choice if you’ll be brewing up and cooking together.
Reviewed in June 2015 Issue
