[at-l] Gear Rant: Zip Stoves

[rafeb at speakeasy.net (Raphael Bustin)]

Jim B. wants us to talk about gear, so I'll
oblige.

I know that alcohol stoves are all the rage
these days.  What I don't know is how much
the fuel weighs, how hard it is to replenish,
or how long one can cook per ounce of fuel.

In any case, for the last few years I've been
hiking with a Sierra Zip stove and I love it.
Here's a link: <http://www.zzstove.com/>

The stove weighs 18 oz with its single AA
battery, but the beauty is that you don't need
to carry any fuel at all.  It burns twigs, pine
cones, bark, whatever.  Sierra claims six
hours of cooking per AA battery.  I think
that's very conservative.  There's a titanium
model that weighs 10 oz.

If you haven't seen one or used one, check
it out.  You'll never spend another minute
searching for alcohol or white gas in trail
towns.  And on a cold wet day, you can have
your own private mini-campfire, and never
worry about running out of fuel. 18000 BTU
feels nice, coming in out of a cold rain.

Downsides?  The outside of your cooking pot
will be covered in black.  Using it in a crowded
shelter could get dicey.  You need minimal
fire-starting skill.  After use, the stove will need
about 20 minutes to cool before it's packable.


rafe b.
aka terrapin


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