Half Gen Basecamp
The Jetboil Wins For Car Camping
Having a kid can change your life, or so i heard. If anything, it will change the way you make gear-buying decisions. This past August Lyn, Ren and I decided to take a road trip out east. Living out of a car for extended periods of time is something neither of us is experienced at doing. Ren was only three months old. A lot of things were new.
Cooking with the HalfGen Basecamp is a breeze.
The first thing we needed was a camp stove. With dizzying numbers of options out there, the best place to start is at the brands you already have. If you don’t have one yet, that is exciting!
Jetboil has a great reputation and Canadian presence in the market. I have owned multiple stove designs from them - the first being the Sumo I purchased from MEC almost seven years ago.
But unless you are going to eat only foods or meals that require boiled water, you’re going to want something a bit more versatile. I personally have loved the Basecamp system. I had the chance to use one a few years ago while working for Paddling Magazine. It's just a lot of stove and BTUs for one or two people on a weekend.
The 1/2Gen Basecamp packs up into a small size for easy packing.
The HalfGen Basecamp came out at a reasonable price point, and as a more versatile option for folks not feeding 12 people.
Some specifics for you on the HalfGen Basecamp:
The 10,000 BTU output is hot! And it will boil two-liters of water in roughly three and a half minutes. On a regular 16-ounce bottle, Jetboil advertises that you can boil over 48 liters of water. At what temperature and altitude that advertisement is good for, I am not sure. Generally they are tested for the market up to 5,000 ft. of elevation.
Dinner is made simple when it's easy to unpack, cook and clean.
It comes with a satellite stove-burner option via the jet link port - Luna satellite burner is an extra purchase but well worth the $60 bucks.
The extended simmer control on the main burner is wonderful. Most outdoor pots and pans heat up very quickly so regardless of the simmer, you will have to watch the food carefully.
The feature I loved most is the packed-up design. The carrying case holds everything nice and neat to fit in your trunk and weighs only three and a half pounds.
Few things are as memorable as great food at great places.
The HalfGen Basecamp includes a 9” frying pan that acts as a cover for when dinner is done. The pan is ceramic coated and non-stick. And yes, after five weeks, we never had anything burn, stick or chip off the surface.
