[at-l] "Stoves" and thruhiking --- briefer

[mfuller@somtel.com (Malcolm Fuller)]

The titanium version strikes me as pointless for the price.
The only real weight in the Zip is the steel in the fire
box; the rest of the stove being aluminum. Even by swapping
out the steel for titanium, it looks like they still had to
cut down the size of the fire box by a third to reduce the
weight enough to make it worthwhile. Why not simply truncate
the steel version and save a few ounces that way?

I also have to wonder about the burning characteristics of a
shortened fire box. It puts your stove about an inch closer
to the fire and the air inlets. I suspect the height of the
original stove's fire box was chosen for a reason.

On the other hand, a titanium fire box would cool quicker.

> Also available http://zzstove.com/mcart/ is a spark 
> arrestor which I might consider. There are many times I'd
> take the zip but for the fear of an un-noticed spark. 
> Cheaper than I could build it...whaaduya think, Zippers?
> Have you seen the sparks fly?

It'd prevent feeding the stove through the gap between it
and the pot. I suppose one could cut a small space out of
the screen for that purpose. I'm not too keen on repeatedly
lifting a repositioning a loaded pot every couple of minutes.

I wouldn't worry too much over the tiny, high-flying sparks
setting the woods on fire. Small embers which occasionally
pop out are another matter, but I keep a square of aluminum
foil under the stove if that becomes a concern. A spark
arrestor would give me greater piece of mind around the tent,
however. It's presence may also be more meaningful with the
titanium version.

I may just have to get me one of those.

-MF