TOM'S ULTRALIGHT  
ZIP STOVE

http://www.gorp.com/zzstove/sierra.htm

Let me start off saying I love a wood burning fire while backpacking.  With this said the logical think to do is buy a wood burning stove.  So several years ago this is just what I did do.  I bought a Zip Sierra Stove and have had a smile on my face since that day.  Over the years I'll enjoyed using a wide assortment of stoves, but I always seem to gravitate back to the ZIP stove.    Recently I started e-mailing another backpacker Tom Conover with similar interests in the Zip stove.  He being an engineer and an ultralight backpacker was also driven to lighten his backpack weight.   He had some great ideas to reduce the weight  of the Zip stove.  20 ounces is weight of stove including grate and wind screen. 

Using his engineering skills he has reduced the weight of the Zip stove from 20 ounces to 8.5 ounces.  You heard right 8.5 ounces.  The story hasn't ended as yet in reducing additional ounces from the Zip stove.  Additional weight savings are being tested as I write.  We could see a 7 ounce Zip stove when all is done.

You ask how?  I'll tell you how Tom did it.

1. The inner burn chamber to the Zip stove is aluminium.  This was replaced with a lighter weight Evernew titanium sierra cup minus the metal handle and vent holes drilled on side of sierra cup.

2. The 3 way switch was replaced with a lighter weight 3 position slide switch.

3. The base that holds the fan,motor and supports the burn chamber  was replaced with a lighter guage aluminium base.

4. A solar panel was added to extend the life of the AA battery. 

5. The standard aluminium battery case was replaced with a lighter weight plastic AA battery holder.

6. The grate was replaced with a lighter guage aluminium grate.

So basically those are the changes made to the ZIP stove at a weight savings of 11.5 ounces.  The ZIP is now a true ultralight stove:)

 

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This photo shows the Evernew Titanium sierra cup being used as the burn chamber and the modified grate for the new ultralight Zip stove.

 

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This photo shows that the outer aluminium case to Zip stove was cut down due to the use of the sierra cup, it also shows the 3 way slide switch, lighter guage aluminium base for the Zip stove and 2 brackets to for securing grate.  On the side not shown is the battery holder and attachment for solar panel.                                                   Here it is your 8.5 ounce Ultralight ZIP STOVE

 

 

More to come so stop back and watch Tom perform his magic.

I'll be posting more detailed picture of method used to modify Zip stove shortly.