[at-l] Gear Rant: Zip Stoves

[daveh at psknet.com (David Hicks)]

I used a Zip for a while but found it a bit of a hassle.

I have been a confirmed alcohol stove / pot cozy user for a few yaers now.

My stove, cozy, fuel bottle, and enough fuel for 10 days to two week weighs 
only 13.2 oz.  I have never had problems finding fuel.

The outside of my cooking pot has turned black over the years, however for a 
meal-to-meal clean-up there is no black soot to rub off onto everything.  When 
I used a ZIP the soot was a hassle.  In fact, some of the permanent black may 
be left over from those days.  Better yet, using a cozy I never have any food 
cooked on, scorched, burned, etc to clean out of the inside of the pot, 
either.  Nor am I limited to soupy concoctions to avoid burning with limited 
simmer control.  Cooking "in" a shelter (crowded or otherwise) is a bad 
practice which I avoid most of the time.  Cook at a shelter with alcohol has 
never been dicey -- no smoke to bother others.  After use, my stove is 
packable before my meal is finished cooking in the cozy.  And I never have to 
stock up on twigs, pine cones, bark, or whatever. No extra steps in getting 
ready to cook.  No back-up battery to carry.  Nor do I have to carry a back-up 
stash of dry  fuel as I see many Zip users do.

I just go back from a five day outing where it rained every day, one day all 
day, otherwise mostly at meal times.  Clean, easy cooking of real rice, beans, 
pasta, etc was one of the brighter spots.

As always YMMV.

Chainsaw


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Raphael Bustin" <rafeb@speakeasy.net>
To: <at-l@backcountry.net>
Sent: Sunday, June 12, 2005 8:07 PM
Subject: [at-l] Gear Rant: Zip Stoves


>>
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 stove and I love it.
Here's a link: <http://www.zzstove.com/>
SNIP
<<