Clarification on a Zip Stove

[Ladytrekker]

I have been reading the Barefoot Sisters Walking Home their book about their nobo journey.

They use a zip stove but reference gathering twigs for the zip stove. I googled zip stoves and found a sierra zip stove that uses fuel does anyone know what they used to cook on and how it was used.

Thanks.

[mweinstone]

the searra zip stove is the original and burns twigs.

[Ranc0r]

The Zip Stove typically uses a battery (9v?) to power a small fan, which blows air and increases draft through the stove. Yes, it burns twigs, small sticks, pine cones, etc. Might also look for Bush Buddy stove. Nimblewill Nomad also made stove, no power source required, that comes apart and folds flat. There are several wood burning options out there.

Ranc0r
.

[Ladytrekker]

the searra zip stove is the original and burns twigs.

So (trying hard to not sound totally daft) you tear up twigs instead of using any alcohol or fuel that seems really cost effective and you would not have to worry about carrying something extra.

Does it get really hot and boil quickly or is it much slower?

I was really curious about this stove I mean they used it for a year on the trail.

[weary]

The Zip Stove typically uses a battery (9v?) to power a small fan, which blows air and increases draft through the stove. Yes, it burns twigs, small sticks, pine cones, etc. Might also look for Bush Buddy stove. Nimblewill Nomad also made stove, no power source required, that comes apart and folds flat. There are several wood burning options out there.

Ranc0r
.
The battery for the Zip is a single double AA. It lasts a week or so depending on useage.

[mkmangold]

So (trying hard to not sound totally daft) you tear up twigs instead of using any alcohol or fuel that seems really cost effective and you would not have to worry about carrying something extra.

Does it get really hot and boil quickly or is it much slower?

I was really curious about this stove I mean they used it for a year on the trail.

The Sierra Zipstove is pretty much as described here. Its advantage is that fuel is plentiful and you collect fuel either on-site or as you hike. It will burn twigs (your most common combustible), pine cones, etc. There are three disadvantages that I found: it's relatively heavy; you need a power source (you can change the type of battery if you're so inclined); and it's messy. It gets hot enough to cook well and mine boiled 2 cups of water in under 10 minutes (there is a comparison chart between types of stoves somewhere on this site). I have a solar charger for 9-volt batteries which works well enough in direct sunlight but I'm unfamiliar with whether you would get enough sunlight on the AT. If not, you'd have to carry spares.

[max patch]

I have one of the early versions of the Zip; it uses a 9 volt battery, current versions as Weary mentioned now use a AA.

You can burn twigs that you collect as you go. Sometimes I bring charcoal from home.

Most people use a Zip like any gas stove - to boil water. I have a grill attachment which allows me to cook meat (the reason I take charcoal).

I think its a neat stove for a weekend trip. I wouldn't use it on a long distance hike because of the hassle factor of gathering wood. Gathering wood does not bother some other hikers.

[Mrs Baggins]

My husband has the titanium Sierra Zip Stove. It's light even with the fan and battery. He used twigs to boil our water for dinner and it was fast and easy to use. He absolutely loves it. I think you can also use esbit tabs in them, but I could be wrong.

[mweinstone]

a littium aa battery lasts alot longer than a week.it gets much hotter than most stove. it is not dirty if you allow it to get going before placeing a pot on. you dont gather twigs. you set up the stove, run your hand along the ground in front of you and gather the chip sized peices that are everywhere. it only uses the fan for a moment then you need to shut it off and on once in a while during cooking just to increase heat, not to sustaine it. it simmers great and its only concern is smoke and noise witch arent a problem if you cook about 50 feet away from folks. without a battery it still works perfectly fine when needed.it leaves you with a more campfirelike trail exsperience as aposed to the rocket science of a pocket rocket . its an old school way that gets alot of compliments and it shows the ladys your a real man who burns wood,...or that your a weenie that goes green. witchever you prefer. lol.its the single safest and funest way to introduce a child to camp cooking without the fear of pressurized fuels and liquid flamables that kids can be intimidated by. high fun factor. my sons first stove....sorry max, i sold it for food!lol.

[fiddlehead]

I did an AT hike with one.
Glad I learned how to build fires with wet wood back in the Boyscouts.
It came in handy a lot.
I also learned to pick up a good stick to break up with rocks into the right size pieces while walking close to where i planned to sleep that night (overused campsites and shelters are often bare of good wood)
I did carry a little firestarter material and made a lot of hot water for many hikers.
I also carried it on my "around the world without flying" trip in '91/92 and again, i made a lot of friends with that great stove.
I found a double A battery would last me a month or even more. (don't always need full power)
Black unburned coals (cold) out of a firepit make excellent fuel also.

[Helios]

Nimblewill's stove doesn't use batteries. You blow through a plastic tube attached to a copper tube to increase oxygen for the fire.

http://www.thru-hiker.com.ws015.alentus.com/workshop.asp?subcat=2&cid=9

[max patch]

Good firstarters Ive used are 1. cotton balls saturated with vaseline and 2. dryer lint.

[mweinstone]

fiddlehead is correct. the coals from firepits are gold. and i forgot the amounts of water you can boil for folks saveing them lots of fuel and allowing folks to eat all together by reason of making water for them while you eat.great friendmaker. it simply dosnt alow for a cold supper where running out of fuel can.and yeah, i didnt want to sound weird, but fiddlehead knows, the battery lasts forever and the low setting is really all you need unless your in a hurry or the fuel is damp. it burns paper trash keeping your trashbag lighter and smaller and also it makes good warming fires without risking cooking fuels.simply put, we all should use them.anything else is simply for speed cooking by virtue of moments saved setting up when useing gas or alc.a fire takes 5 minutes. if your in a super rush to get away from the hiking exsperience this stoves not for you.

[jlb2012]

another nice thing about a woodburner like the zip is that the smoke keeps the bugs away while you eat

I used one for a while when I was first beginning backpacking - the original zip was about 16 ounces and after a bit I decided to switch to alcohol for a lighter system

with respect to burning left over (cold) coals - that can be a bit of a problem if it has rained lately - that charcoal really sucks up the water and can be very difficult to get going

[mweinstone]

but when its dry its gold. also , if your headlamp or other devices use aa batts, you only need to use the used batts from a headlamp, thereby keeping it brighter more of the time.

[weary]

The only fire starter I used on my thru hike were scraps of paper found in shelters and birch bark from blowdowns and broken limbs.

I early lost track of battery use, I switched batteries between my zip and my flashlight so many times. I know I always seemed to have a battery with enough power to keep my fire going.

There's a definite learning curve to the Zip. But I doubt if anything else is really lighter weight. The zip weighs around 17 ounces, but generates 10 times the fire of an alcolhol stove. My zip purified water, cooked real meals, requiring far more than boiling water, and cut food costs and weights in the process.

I sometimes carry a cheap cannister stove on short overnights. On a long trip nothing works better, and allows greater time between resupply than a Zip. Nor is anything kinder to the environment..

[Slo-go'en]

I have one of the early versions of the Zip; it uses a 9 volt battery, current versions as Weary mentioned now use a AA

I have a very early Zip stove and it uses a "C" cell which will last nearly forever. Okay, maybe not forever, but a really long time. The new AA versions should also last a reasonably long time. Once it gets spinning, the little toy fan motor doesn't take much juice to run. I don't think they ever used a 9V battery.

As already mensioned, the down side is it's size, weight and the way it turns your pots black from the soot. However, if your going on a long trip where finding liquid fuel is a problem but finding combustables like wood isn't, then it is well worth it. I did a 4 week trip into the Canadian Rockies with the zip stove and it was ideal there.

[Tinker]

I have been reading the Barefoot Sisters Walking Home their book about their nobo journey.

They use a zip stove but reference gathering twigs for the zip stove. I googled zip stoves and found a sierra zip stove that uses fuel does anyone know what they used to cook on and how it was used.

Thanks.

I just finished Walking Home. It's a great read.
I also bought and used a Zzip stove in the late 1990s, though never on a long hike. I had just started to go "ultralight" when I bought it, and now use alcohol as my primary fuel.
Inspired by the book, I took my Zzip out of storage, changed the battery (expiration date 2006 :D), and fired it up to heat up some soup in the back yard. Once you get the fire going well it will match or better any stove on the market as far as boiling speed. Simmering is much easier than on my Supercat stove (though I have made a simmer ring for the al stove which works pretty well).
If you put the stove in a sack before putting it into your pack the soot isn't a problem. It's bulky, though, and the best way to pack it is to buy a pot into which you can fit the stove.

[YohonPetro]

I've used the Sierra on a few wilderness canoe trips in Canada. The advantages of not carrying fuel are clear. However from usage, personally, I find the disadvantages outweighing that advantage.

Disadvantages: Noisy, smoky, slow boil, difficult to light in certain circumstances, another chore after a long day, sooty pots, heavy, and top heavy, as the battery starts to die the fan begins to lose power a bit at a time making the fire weaker as it drains. Oh, and, at least with my model, if you put the battery in the wrong way the fan turns the wrong way! The first time that happened I didn't figure out why the heck it wouldn't light for a long infuriating couple minutes.

[max patch]

I have one of the early versions of the Zip; it uses a 9 volt battery, current versions as Weary mentioned now use a AA.




I have a very early Zip stove and it uses a "C" cell which will last nearly forever. I don't think they ever used a 9V battery.



I checked my Zip and you are correct it uses a C. Don't know where I got 9 volt from.

[mkmangold]

I checked my Zip and you are correct it uses a C. Don't know where I got 9 volt from.

I converted mine to 9-volt using a Radio Shack adapter. It's smaller, lighter, and I happen to have a solar recharger for it. I also use the battery for a Pak-Lite: http://9voltlight.com/.

[Grinder]

Wood burning stoves are very doable. fire starters of some kind are a near must. I use toilet paper and vaseline myself, I carry both anyway, so it's dual use.

The down side is that it takes time and effort, which you may not feel like exerting at the end of the day. And, most camping areas are close to picked clean of first class twigs. Some pick up fuel along the trail during the day. That would work well.

Another down side is the dirty pot bottom. You have to plan on something to carry you pot in.

If you want experience without spending the front money, make a hobo stove. A 28 oz tomato or tomato sauce can is big enough. A rip roaring twig fire will boil water in less than 10 minutes.

I use an alcohol stove most of the time, but carry a hobo stove as backup and use it when I want to "play with fire"

[weary]

Wood burning stoves are very doable. fire starters of some kind are a near must. I use toilet paper and vaseline myself, I carry both anyway, so it's dual use.

The down side is that it takes time and effort, which you may not feel like exerting at the end of the day. And, most camping areas are close to picked clean of first class twigs. Some pick up fuel along the trail during the day. That would work well.

Another down side is the dirty pot bottom. You have to plan on something to carry you pot in.

If you want experience without spending the front money, make a hobo stove. A 28 oz tomato or tomato sauce can is big enough. A rip roaring twig fire will boil water in less than 10 minutes.

I use an alcohol stove most of the time, but carry a hobo stove as backup and use it when I want to "play with fire"
I've found that my zip takes very little time and effort. Just some expereince. Wood fires require a brief learning curve, and a bit of planning -- like pausing from time to time while walking to pick up scraps of birch bark (free fire starter available everywhere north of Georgia), and hunks of fuel broken by hiker boots, or plucked from the dead under branches of trees.

I've never found a dirty pot bottom to be a problem. Every resupply stop provides multiple containers for dirty-bottomed pots. They are those ultrathin, ultralight plastic bags stores use for every candy bar they sell.

You only need one a week and I suspect 20 of them won't weigh an ounce.

The benefit is a real fire for cooking real food, rather than tasteless dried out parboiled rice and pasta, that costs three to five times more than real food. And yes, a zip keeps bugs at bay, provides the comfort of a fire, and a cheap and sure way to sterilize suspect water.

[jlb2012]

.. And yes, a zip keeps bugs at bay, provides the comfort of a fire, and a cheap and sure way to sterilize suspect water.

wrt water - iff you are going to do this make sure you have a pot with a tight fitting lid - otherwise you end up with smoky tasting water - the 1 time I tried it the water was almost undrinkable due to the taste

[Rocketman]

Tang or True Orange or True Lemon powder will give you flavored smoked water that could be considered gourmet.

[weary]

wrt water - iff you are going to do this make sure you have a pot with a tight fitting lid - otherwise you end up with smoky tasting water - the 1 time I tried it the water was almost undrinkable due to the taste
Some people probably have sensitive taste buds. But I've boiled many gallons of water on my Zip Stove in a two quart aluminum pot with a loose=fitting lid. It all tasted fine. Well a great deal better than water treated with iodine or chlorine, at least.

[jlb2012]

I was using a foil lid that probably caught the smoke easier than a regular lid

[Iceaxe]

I use my zip stove on trout killing expeditions. I like the way it allows me to cook up my catch on the spot without needing a fire ring. I just wrap the trout in tin foil and broil it over the coals in the zip stove with the fan turned off. Occasionally I add twigs and fire up the fan then switch it off and continue broiling. Anyhow it saves me from having to find a fire ring so i can circle the lake, slaughter trout, and eat them on the spot. The method works with the fan off. If you leave the fan on you might burn clean through the tin foil! It takes longer than over the coals of a real fire but it's portable and I can be on my way to the next fishing hole in 10 minutes. (I hope the pictures come out.)
http://image57.webshots.com/757/7/59/77/2414759770044072753qErNSz_fs.jpg
http://image69.webshots.com/569/5/12/15/2459512150044072753yPhsRj_fs.jpg

[Iceaxe]

Sorry this is the picture with the zip stove. I actually don't hole the fish while it's cooking though! Usually i just lay it in tin foil on top of the stove with the fan off for a few minutes at a time. Then I stoke the stove with the fan on and repeat a few times for each side of the fish.
http://image69.webshots.com/569/5/12/15/2459512150044072753yPhsRj_fs.jpg

[Tinker]

One aspect which hasn't been mentioned yet is that the type of wood used greatly affects the burn time and heat output. Softwoods generally catch very well but don't burn very hot (I believe that the Barefoot sisters gave up on their Zipp on a very cold day while trying to use pine or balsam while they were high up a mountain). If you are camping up high you might want to carry some oak up with you for the better heat output. I know that maple doesn't burn as hot as oak, but it burns better than softwoods.

[4eyedbuzzard]

I've got an older zip that is lost somewhere in my basement I modified it by removing the damper and installing a potentiometer to control the fan speed / airflow.

I used it for several years, mostly on weekend trips. I loved the unlimited fuel aspect, but here are the drawbacks IMO:

In some areas, their use can be restricted during a fire ban. I experienced this once in NJ, and I do know that Michigan specifically stated they couldn't be used during a fire ban a few years back. Some will argue this, but when the NJ ranger said to finish cooking and not use it again, well, it's difficult to argue a legal point with LEO's in the field. That badge and gun thing gets in the way of a fair debate.

If there isn't a fire ban, cooking on an open fire accomplishes the same thing without the added weight of the stove.

Grilling, baking on coals, etc is easer on an open fire.

Some have issues with pot soot. Add that it tends to retain that wet fire pit aroma. It can make everything near it stink.

I came to the conclusion that carrying a stove of some sort, be it Esbit, alcohol, or canister to supplement cooking on wood fires whenever possible is probably the most efficient compromise. A one ounce Esbit stove with a few tabs is probably the lightest for just being able to cook without an open fire in a pinch. An alky would be next, weight wise, but they aren't a easy as a canister. It all boils down to choosing which and what compromise you are willing to live with. When I find the zip, I think I'll put it up for sale.

[SassyWindsor]

I travel a good bit by air, no hassles with TSA/customs over fuel carry. My brothers got me started on a zip, I have a titanium. Can boil a half liter of water with 4 or 5 pine cones in minutes. I carry it in a small stuff bag, and place it inside of a pot. I also keep lighter, starter, candle etc inside the fire chamber of the zip. I have recently started using a titanium pot/kettle to save weight, just can't stick the zip inside. I can use a alcohol stove, brother made it for me, inside the unit if needed. also have used Sterno and esbit with the unit when there is no wood around, which is not too often.

[SassyWindsor]

Clarification of "lighter" in my last post. I DO NOT carry a fuel containing lighter, you don't know the problems with airport security if caught with one. A Swedish Fire Steel is my lighter. Took a little practice, but glad I did. The only problem I've ever had was having Vaseline soaked cotton balls, used as a starter, found during a baggage examination one time. They let me slide because of the small amount (med bottle sized). They didn't find my knife, guess keeping it in the barrel of a hiking pole paid off.:)

[Franco]

I have the Swedish Light My Fire firesteel and recently got the Firesteel from Going Gear;
http://goinggear.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=4 (http://goinggear.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=4)
I find the one from Going Gear much easier to light and can use the spine of my knife to do it with too.
Franco

[arthur.uscg]

FYI: you can bring a Zip with your carry on luggage but can not put it in your checked luggage with out a TSA approved case.