WINTER WARMERS.

Byline: Mike Stahlberg The Register-Guard

Being "in hot water," is normally not desirable.

Except, of course, while camping, hunting or fishing - especially during frosty fall and winter months. Then, being awash in a ready supply of hot water can make outdoor enthusiasts shiver with joy.

Hot water for campers and backpackers is now available faster and more conveniently than ever, thanks to a pair of new propane-powered items on the shelves of outdoor speciality stores. Placed under the Christmas tree, either is likely to warm the heart of a dedicated outdoors enthusiast.

Capable of producing the largest quantity of hot water in the shortest amount of time is the Hot Water on Demand Portable Water Heater, by Coleman, one of the country's largest makers of outdoor recreation equipment.

Coleman's new unit converts cold water into 100-degree water suitable for washing hands or dishes a mere 5 seconds after being turned on. Steaming hot (160-degree) water suitable for tea, coffee or cooking instant oatmeal can be flowing from its full-sized faucet a few seconds later. The portable water heater, which comes with a collapsible 5-gallon water carrier, is fueled by a standard disposable 1-pound propane cylinder.

Creating the biggest buzz among outdoor gearheads, however, is the Jetboil, a "Personal Cooking System" developed by a pair of New Hampshire outdoor enthusiasts who felt traditional portable stoves were cumbersome and inefficient.

The national outdoor media fell in love with the lightweight (15-ounce), ultra-efficient portable cooker that inventors Jerry Aspinwall and Perry Dowst introduced to the market late last year.

Outside magazine, for example, described Jetboil as a "snazzy, all-in-one portable kitchen that - in 11 months on the market - has revolutionized backcountry cooking ... it boils a cup of water in 60 seconds and uses 50 percent less fuel than a traditional camp stove to do it."

Backpacker magazine gave the $80 Jetboil a "Best Buy" designation - as well as its 2004 "Editor's Choice Award." The editors said Jetboil "cranked out hot drinks faster than we could down them" during a testing trip on Mount Hood while "our other cannister stove ... sputtered to a halt."

Even the mainstream media has taken notice - Time magazine's recent cover story on the "Most Amazing Inventions of 2004" listed Jetboil among the year's "Coolest Inventions."

The key to Jetboil's innovative design is found at the bottom of the one-liter anodized aluminum cooking cup. A wavy, half-inch ruffle of aluminum called the "Flux Ring" acts as a combination windscreen and heat sink. Those fins on the Flux Ring dramatically increase the amount of surface area exposed to the flame, and that heat is transferred into the cup and its contents.

The design does such an effective job of keeping the heat focused on the bottom of the cup that a neoprene "cozy" is wrapped around the side of the cup to increase heat retention and cooking efficiency.

On any other stove, the neoprene would be in danger of melting as heat from the burner flowed across the flat bottom of the cooking vessel and up its sides.

"One of the greatest things about it is being able to grab the pot" without risking burned fingers, said Eric Severson, a supervisor at Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) in Eugene.

At its highest setting, Jetboil heats water more quickly than other cannister stoves, Severson said, "but the real advantage is you can have it at lower settings so it doesn't use as much fuel." For backcountry users, that means lugging around smaller (or fewer) fuel cannisters.

The manufacturer's specifications state that 10 to 12 liters of water can be brought to a boil with a single 110-gram cannister (which is small enough to be stored, along with the burner, inside the cooking cup during transport).

Assembling and starting the Jetboil takes less than a minute. Simply screw the burner onto the fuel cannister, open the gas control valve and push the Piezo ignitor button. The bottom of the cooking cup snaps on to the top of the burner for added stability.

"It's very, very cool and gadgety, and it works well," Severson said. "You can use your cooking pot as your eating bowl."

Jetboil works best with water and water-based foods, such as freeze dried meals. Because the bottom of the cooking cup gets so hot, care has to be taken when heating more viscous foods, such as canned beans or stew. But you can avoid burning the beans by using a low flame setting and stirring frequently.

The unit also shares a disadvantage inherent to all devices powered by fuel cannisters - reduced performance in cold weather.

"That is pretty basic physics," Severson said. "Take gas and cool it down and it wants to become a liquid, and if it begins to liquefy it doesn't want to come out (of the can). ... The colder it gets, the more pressure you lose."

However, the small cannister required by the Jetboil cooker can easily be made to work by carrying it inside your clothing so it is kept warm by body heat.

For additional information, including a list of area stores carrying the personal cooking system, see www.jetboil.com on the Internet.

Meanwhile, the Hot Water On Demand Portable Water Heater is not nearly as "hot" a market item, but then again, it's hasn't received the same publicity as the Jetboil. And, at street price of about $170, it's considerably more expensive.

But "there's a definite need" that the device fills, said Clarence Dean, a manager of G.I. Joe's in Eugene.

"We haven't sold that many, but the people who have bought it love it," Dean said.

Hot Water on Demand uses a rechargeable 6-volt battery to pump water at a rate of up to one gallon per minute on the "warm" setting (which heats water to 50 degrees above its starting temperature). That's enough to power a shower, using the optional accessory spray hose ($10).

At the "hot" setting (100 degrees above starting temperature), the flow is restricted to one quart per minute.

The unit operates with a single control knob, which ignites the burner, turns the unit on and off, and regulates the water temperature. A warning light indicates if the water has gotten too hot (more than 160 degrees).

Copper heating coils inside the unit warm the water, using energy provided by a 30,000 BTU burner. It's all encased inside a protective housing that does not get hot to the touch. Built-in safety features include automatic shut-offs should the unit tip over or the water temperature get too hot.

The manufacturer says one propane cylinder will heat 40 gallons of water.

Hot Water on Demand weighs in at 22 pounds, so it's obviously designed for car camping or other outings on which its weight is not an issue.

The G.I. Joe's and BiMart chains are among the Oregon outlets for the portable water heat. Additional details and a complete dealer listing are available at: www.coleman.com.

CAPTION(S):

The portable water heater by Coleman heats water to 100 degrees in 5 seconds. and this is light text and this is more light text The Jetboil has received rave reviews and become one of the trendy outdoors products, thanks to articles in the national media. The manufacturer says the system can boil two cups of water in 90 seconds.