Camping is a great outdoor activity many swear by for various reasons. One of the essential camping gear happens to be a camp stove, especially for those who plan on cooking through their stay outdoors.
So, is it safe to use camping stoves inside your tents or caravans?
The answer is No, and this is why:
Why you should not use camping stoves indoors
Regular camp stoves release Carbon Monoxide (CO), which is dangerous to the human body. Inhaling this may lead to severe or fatal health conditions and, in some cases, death. This will be the case when cooking for long minutes in an enclosed space without proper airways, like a camping tent.
Also, camping tents are usually improperly ventilated and qualify as confined spaces. Interaction with heated stoves, flames and gases will easily lead to a fire explosion, ruining your tent and having other fatal consequences.
However, if you must use camping stoves indoors,
Probably because it is raining, snowing, or you genuinely cannot withstand the elements for whatever reason, using your camp stove indoors might become a viable option. And although there are health and safety hazards associated with using the stoves indoors, you can make it work by:
- Proper ventilation
Rolling up the flap of the tent doors and windows, opening up the doors, windows, vents, and other openings of your camp tent, or glamping yurt is one way to get adequate ventilation if you have to use your camping indoors. This way, the chances of choking on fumes are minimised, and there is the required exchange of air.
- Switching your stove type
The best kind of fuel to burn indoors is bioethanol. Therefore ditch your propane/butane and wood-burning stoves for Canned Heat or alcohol burners. If your tent has electricity, then you might go for electric burners or hotplates, which are safer to use indoors than burning fuel.
- Take away inflammables
Usually, you are at risk of explosion from using your camping stoves indoors as most tents are made from cotton, which is a highly flammable fabric. However, coupled with cooking with safer stoves and having proper ventilation, you should take away all flammable and combustible materials around your stove to reduce the chances of a fire outbreak.
- Under a tent vestibule
Another way to cook up your meals or boil your water when camping without interference from the elements is by cooking under a tent vestibule or protective tarp, which can either be added to your tent permanently or open to be attached for temporary use. You may either fix this at the entrance, back or sides of your tent. This way, you are not entirely indoors, and you are also protected from the elements outdoors.
Using your camp stoves indoors is not advisable. Although some instances might require you to use them indoors, this should be done on the rarest occasions and under strict caution so you do not ruin your Boho bell tent or vestibule as well. Camp stoves are best used outdoors and should thus be used.
Sharon Howe is a creative person with diverse talents. She writes engaging articles for WonderWorldSpace.com, where she works as a content writer. Writing allows Sharon to inform and captivate readers. Additionally, Sharon pursues music as a hobby, which allows her to showcase her artistic abilities in another creative area.