Sierra Zip Stove?
 

anyone have one of these? They look pretty cool. Basically a backpacking stove that uses collected wood fuel. It has a battery that runs a fan that supercharges the burning wood.

Wow that does sound cool. Have any more info I would like to hear about it.

Danger Mike Waters! Danger!

Too many variables and possible problems with a very important piece of equipment. What if it has been raining for a while and dry wood is hard to find? How long does it take to get the wood lit and going? What if your battery is dead?

My advice... Go with a canister stove. They're very small, very light and they have very few parts to worry about. Some people complain that they don't work well in very low temperatures but I've never had a problem.

My stove is a SnowPeak but they're all pretty good. I like the Primus stoves because you can get a little plastic base for the fuel cans that makes the stove a little more stable. MSR makes a good stove too (pocket rocket, etc...).

Some come with a built in igniter (which is nice) but you can always just carry a lighter or matches. Mine has an igniter and I carry back up matches.

If you're not a fan of canister stoves then go with one of the liquid fuel systems. Don't get one that has the canister and the stove in the same unit. They are notorious for being buggy.

The best reason to go with a canister stove is the fact that they are VERY fast and you can get a consistent burn out of them. If you're trying to boil water you can get it done in very little time (a Titanium kettle helps) but if you're simmering something it is MUCH easier to maintain an even flame with a canister.

I have an MSR whisperlite and I absolutely hate it. The only reason why I keep it is because I am too big of a cheapskate to replace it while it still "works". Its a terribly inconsistent flame and seems to take about 15-20 minutes to boil water. Gas lasts a long time though.

If I could do it again I would much rather go with a canister/propane stove. Very easy to use, and I have seen very few problems with them while out camping. It may be little more heavy, but well worth it, imo.

The stove that I really want is a JetBoil. It won the Backpacking magazine product of the year a few years ago when it first came out. A friend of mine took one backpacking with us a couple of years ago and I loved it. In fact I used his more than I used my own. You can boil several cups of water in less than 2 minutes. it was initially made to only boil water, but they have recently upgraded it to allow you to use it like a regular stove.

It works fine if your using a small cooking pot, but will take quite a bit of time to bring a larger cooking pot to boil. Don't expect to use it during the summer when fire restrictions are in effect.

What if you are flying on a plane to your destination? Then you can't take fuel or canisters.

What if you your fuel leaks? What if your stove breaks? What if you run out of fuel? What if you don't feel like hiking in a ton of fuel? WHat if you don't feel like hiking out empty canisters and fuel containers?

It will actually burn wet wood with a canister. Always having a sandwich bag of sticks is a good insurance policy. Collect it as you walk. You can even carry a sandwich bag full of charcoal.

The only downsides I see: 1) camping in places where wood collection is prohibited. 2) don't like soot on your pans . 3) a little heavier than other stoves.

I already have a cheap, heavy Coleman thingy. I like this Sierra thing. Read a couple of reviews of guys using it for years. I like the idea of not having to buy kerosene, white gas, propane, etc. This thing is fairly elegant and robust.

Air travel: No, you can't carry canisters on a plane. You buy them at your destination.
Leaks: Are very rare but I usually carry 2 small canisters.
Stove Breaks: You'd be screwed with any stove.
Run out of fuel: Planning will prevent this.
Tons of fuel: Canisters are not heavy at all.
Hiking out: Empty canisters weigh less than full canisters. Not a big pain.

I'd buy a canister (obviously because I did) but to be honest, it's all a matter of personal taste.