Official Story
"Zip Stove" was the original name of the ZZ Manufacturing stove. It's now called the "Sierra" stove. It is a self-contained wood stove with a battery-operated fan which keeps the fire going strong. The stove weighs over a pound (half a kilo, but less for the titanium version), plus the weight of a battery (AA or D cell).
Alternate Reality Story
(1) A sort of wood-burning stove made of discarded metal zippers. Can be zipped together for cooking, and then quickly unzipped again for breakdown and storage. When broken down, it resembles a pile of useless zippers, and can safely pass even the most rigorous customs inspection, though it might take hours or even days to reassemble if you lose the instructions, which will likely spoil your lunch and make you cranky.
(2) A sort of wood-burning stove made of sheet metal. (This sounds better already, doesn't it?) And this stove is now called the "Sierra" stove. It has a battery-powered electric fan built into its base so it can operate like a tiny blast furnace. No, really. Has a battery-powered electric fan built into its base? What the fork? Actually said to work pretty well, but it's big and bulky. Some clever individuals have made their own from empty coffee cans and computer fans. A no-moving-parts, no-battery-required wood gas stove works just as well, and is simpler, cheaper and lighter. And you can make it yourself, even with a limited selection of tools, and/or limited intelligence. (Worked for me.) So there.
Have anything worth adding? Then try sosayseff@gmail.com
Me? Still AC-powered. (Cord not included.)
Etc...
so says eff: sporadic spurts of grade eff distraction
definitions: outdoor terms
fiyh: dave's little guide to ultralight backpacking stoves
boyb: dave's little guide to backpacks
snorpy bits: nibbling away at your sanity
last seen receding: missives from a certain mobile homer
noseyjoe: purposefully poking my proboscis into technicals