Camping Stoves: Types and Safety

OUTDOORS · GLOBAL

Camping Stoves: Types and Safety

Canister, liquid fuel and alcohol, cold weather performance and carbon monoxide

A camping stove is chosen on where and when you will use it, and the safety rules around all of them are the same and are not negotiable.

Never use one in a tent or enclosed space

All fuel-burning stoves produce carbon monoxide, which is odourless and kills. People die every year cooking in tents, porches, vans and awnings, including with the door slightly open.

Cook outside in open air. A stove is also an obvious fire risk in a tent, where fabric ignites quickly.

Never take a stove or a lit barbecue into a tent or a vehicle to keep warm, even once it looks extinguished — a cooling barbecue still produces carbon monoxide.

Canister stoves

Screw-on gas canisters are light, clean, instant and simple, which is why they dominate for backpacking. Performance falls in cold weather as the canister pressure drops.

Inverted canister systems with a preheat tube run liquid fuel to the burner and work far better below freezing.

Liquid fuel

Petrol and paraffin stoves perform in extreme cold and at altitude, and fuel is available almost everywhere. They need priming, are noisier and require maintenance.

Alcohol and solid fuel

Very simple, very light and slow, with no valve to control. Alcohol burns with an almost invisible flame in daylight, which is a specific hazard when refilling.

Never refill a burner that is lit or still hot.

Stability

Most burns come from tipped pans. Use a flat surface, a windshield suited to the stove type, and a pan supported properly rather than balanced.

Windshields that wrap fully around a canister stove can overheat the canister, which is dangerous.

Cooking sensibly outdoors

Keep the stove away from tent fabric, dry grass and overhanging branches, and have water to hand. Let the stove cool fully before packing it.

In dry conditions and in many national parks, open flames and stoves are restricted or banned. Check local fire rules before lighting anything.

Fuel planning

Work out roughly how many boils a canister gives and carry a margin. Cold, wind and altitude all increase fuel consumption considerably.

Cookware and efficiency

A pot with a heat exchanger base and a tight lid can halve boil times and fuel use. Keeping the lid on is the single biggest efficiency gain available to you.

Match pot size to the burner, since a wide pan on a small burner wastes a great deal of heat around the edges.

Fuel and transport

Gas canisters and fuel cannot be carried on aircraft. Store canisters upright, away from heat, and check the valve and seal before use.

WHERE TO BUY

Ready to shop Fire Maple? Use the link below to visit the official store.

→ Shop Fire Maple — official site

Visit this site