[at-l] Zip stove - questions

[kborski@yahoo.com (Karen Borski)]

"Jim and/or Ginny Owen" wrote:
 "How many of those on the list have actually
completed a thruhike with a Zip stove?  Second
question - of those who have completed a thruhike and
then converted to a Zip stove, how many would do their
next thruhike with a Zip?"


I'm not a zipper and have no interest in defending any
stove, but just in discussing....I have some input
into the question posed.  This isn't exactly
firsthand, but close to it and observations from a
thru-hike. 

I thru-hiked continuously around and partnered on and
off with a good friend, also a thru-hiker, who did use
the zip from Springer to New England, at which point
it's battery wiring failed.  She sent it home and
built 
a Shaffer Stove herself (that's what we called the
aluminum can stove in '98) and bought some alchohol
and was very content with it.  However, her dad
repaired her zip and she got it back in Maine,
happily.  I haven't 
asked her recently, but I know that she would probably
take the Zip on another thru-hike, though the alcohol
stove seemed equally satisfactory to her.  

Now, I like my Whisperlite.  Mainly because I bought
it, didn't want to spend money on anything else, like
the firepower, know it's inner workings and have never
had a major problem with it.  However, I often saw my
Zipping friend cook her dinners via alcohol faster
than I could on my Whisperlite.  The Zip, however,
took longer to cook dinner than my stove...how long I
don't know since she always cooked on the backside of
the shelter so as not to smoke us all out.  Rain,
snow, mud, bugs...whatever the conditions, she never
cooked in the shelter with it if others were there,
too.  Something I wouldn't want to do, but she adapted
to it and seemed to enjoy going off by herself to
cook.  And others considering the zip, should take
note.  Her pot was very sooty.  Her batteries lasted
about 2 weeks, and, if they ran out, she could
eventually make the zip boil water without the
battery-powered fan.

She never carried a saw, axe or any such implement,
being that sawing living wood is illegal most places
and there is an abundance of downed wood in all sizes
not needing any sawing.  She simply collected downed
twigs, duff, grass, pine needles and carried a little
bit of it (guessing 2 oz. tops) with her in case of
extremely wet conditions.  The stove never failed her
in the rain.

I used the Whisperlite all the way through, used it on
the PCT, but am seriously considering Esbit or alchol
for my next thru-hike.  You can't beat the weight
savings....I mean, 1.5 lbs saved???  Wow.  

An interesting factoid:  my Evernew titanium .9L
cookpot ($38) with stuff sack and lid weighs 5.3
ounces.  My MSR stainless steel cookpot ($29) with
sack and lid weighs 16 ounces.  

And another:  my Evernew titanium spoon ($15) weighs
0.8 oz.  My regular joe kitchen stainless steel spoon
($0 extra) weighs 0.9 oz.  A Lexan spoon ($1?) weighs
0.2 oz.  It appears that some titanium products are
worth the extra cost if you are wanting to save weight
and others are not.

Still interested in anyone who has weighed the Esbit.

Nocona
AT98



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