Jetboil Zip Review

The Hikers Buddy Verdict

At a list price of $87, the Jetboil Zip is a good option for solo overnight or weekend hikers on a tight budget. If you’re not interested in cooking elaborate meals, and just need to boil water for a dehydrated pack or a coffee, then the Zip will do the job.

However compared with the Flash, the Zip lacks several useful features. The control knob is small, plastic, and recessed under the burner of the stove. In our opinion this is a bad design choice; in the event of a boil-over it would be difficult to turn the stove off without scalding your hands. The Flash, in comparison comes with a longer, much more accessible and emergency-friendly wire handle.

The Zip also has no inbuilt igniter (the Flash does). This is a nice-to-have feature, since you should probably be packing a backup lighter anyway, but it’s absence does make using the Zip just that little bit more difficult.

Additionally, at 0.8L, the cooking cup on the Zip is quite small. While the extra 0.2 L provided by the Flash may seem like a small difference, it’s one that can make the difference between running out of water and having just enough when you’re cooking for two.

For these reasons we do think that the Flash represents better overall value than the Zip, and that it’s worth handing over the additional $28 for the Flash if you can afford it.

Who should buy it

Budget minded solo backpackers and hikers heading out on relatively short trips in mild conditions: The Zip is a good option if you’re on a strictly tight budget, if you’re mostly planning to do overnight or weekend trips in mild conditions, and you’re happy keeping your meals on the simple side; think dehydrated ready-to-eat packs and ramen.

Who Shouldn’t Buy It

Those that can afford to upgrade: At a list price of $115, the upgraded Flash is a $28 step up from the Zip. This isn’t an inconsequential increase, however we do think that the Flash will be the better choice for most. Other than the price, the Zip doesn’t have any real advantages over the Flash. If you can afford it, we’d recommend the upgrade.

Ambitious cooks: The Zip, like the Flash and Stash, lacks fine control over the heat output of the stove. These models are great at quickly boiling water, which is what they are designed for, but you’ll quickly run into trouble with most other cooking tasks. If you have more complex cooking ambitions, you’ll be happier with what one of what Jetboil refers to as their ‘Precision cook’ models such as the MiniMo, which offers greater control of the heat output.

Winter warriors: The Zip is an unregulated stove, which means you can’t and shouldn’t trust it to perform to expectations in cold winter conditions. If you’re planning to head out in freezing or close to freezing temperatures, you should opt for a regulated stove such as the MightyMo or MiniMo. If you need a primer on the difference between pressure regulated and unregulated stoves, take a look at our article What is a pressure regulated stove, and do you really need one?.

Thru hikers: While 31g lighter than the Flash, at 340g the Zip is certainly not an ultralight option. If you’re really trying to cut down on the weight of your pack, you’ll probably want to increase your budget and opt for the Stash, which comes in at 201g for the system, with other specs relatively similar.

Big groups: With a 0.8 L cooking cup capacity, the Zip is too small for groups of more than two, and even two will probably be pushing it. If you know you’ll be doing your hiking as a family or part of larger groups, either make sure some of your companions bring their own stoves, or opt for a larger capacity option such as the SUMO.

Weight

At 340g, the Zip is the equal second lightest Jetboil system stove on offer - tied with the MicroMo. And yet, when compared to the Stash at 201g, the Zip doesn’t even compete - it’s almost 70% heavier than the Stash. While it’s probably light enough for most - if stove weight is of particular importance to you, then you should probably choose an alternative.

Pack volume

We’ve calculated that the Zip has a pack volume of approximately 1404 cm3. This is a touch lower than the Flash at 1462 cm3. However the Flash’s integrated pot has a 1L capacity compared to 0.8L on the Zip. Perhaps a better comparison is to the Stash which also has a 0.8L capacity. The Stash easily wins this match up, with only 1281 cm3 pack volume.

Considering its capacity, the pack volume of the Zip is okay, but not great.

Boil Speed & Heat Output

The Zip has a power output of 4500 BTU/h. This is a step down from the Flash, but should be powerful enough for most. According to Jetboil, it's capable of brining 0.5 L of water to the boil in 150 seconds (that’s two and a half minutes).

This is on the slow end of Jetboil stoves (which, after all, heavily market themselves on rapid boil times). However in our opinion the Zip still fits well within the “definitely fast enough” category. We’d recommend not worrying too much about ‘time to boil’ metrics (unless they’re particularly slow), as in actual use you’re unlikely to notice (or care) if your water takes an extra minute or two to boil.