We are happy to introduce you to our affiliate:

Review: Sierra Zip Stove

For the past 5 or 6 years the Sierra Zip Stove has been the only stove I've used. While the stove is a little heavier than the lightweight gas stoves, not having to even think about carrying fuel more than compensates. Gathering fuel takes only a few minutes and I can't imagine where I'd be riding where I wouldn't be able to find dry fuel. The stove is about half the size of a coffee can and I usually gather enough fuel to fill it two or three times before starting a fire. Build a fire in it as you would a campfire except think small. Your "logs" won't be much thicker than the kindling you would start your campfire with. Tiny twigs on dry grass or paper followed by larger twigs or pine cones then small chunks of wood or bark make a great fire in minutes. Turn the fan on low speed when the the tiny stuff is ablaze then on high after the larger twigs are burning. I almost always have to add more twigs as I'm cooking and a pot with a handle makes this much easier.

The literature claims a quart of water boiling in 4 minutes. I haven't met that standard yet but it does boil fast enough to suit me. I usually keep meals simple, easy by not eating meat. I only carry one pot. I stopped carrying rice lately and cook cous-cous as a base to my meals instead as it simply has to be added to the water after it has boiled, not actually sit cooking on the stove. I cook some vegetables for a few minutes, pour it into my large plastic bowl, add the cous-cous and seasonings and refill the pot with more water for coffee and cleaning later.

It is a "sure fire" way to meet people if you're in a campground. In a hiker-biker camping area in Yellowstone, I had neighbors from nearby tents coming around early one morning because they smelled the coffee and wood fire, a little amazed to see it in a tidy little package on a picnic table. (I don't mind a leisurely morning hour in camp and coffee and oatmeal definitely puts me in a better frame of mind for riding.) This year was very dry here in the Adirondacks and campfires were prohibited within the park for much of the summer. The stove serves as a curious substitute for kids to toast marshmallows over.

The downsides:
-It can be tippy so I like to put a couple of rocks around it to make it more stable.
- Stash it (when cool) in a strong plastic bag along with your pots. The pots get black (you are cooking over an open fire after all.)
- Check your fan battery installation very carefully. Replacing the battery in the dark is very easy. You'll know when you've installed it backwards when the fan runs in reverse, sucking the flames through the bottom vents that are meant to force air up. This is not healthy for the motor and fan, nor perhaps for the surface covering of someone's favorite camp table. Please, don't ask me how I know this.
- I wrap a piece of paper around the battery ends to keep it from switching on accidentally. On my first trip with it, riding on a quiet, rural Montana road, I heard a faint distant humming sound for about a half hour before I realized it was coming from the front pannier.

There's an optional grill that I haven't tried yet. I may try it or make a small one to fry a fish on.

I do love my little wood stove and even take it with me on overnight weekend trips when I know I'll pass dozens of places to eat.

Try it!

These bike pages are always work in progress. Please email your recommendations for inclusion.

Updated March 12, 2003.