A wood stove inside a tent is safe when it is set up and used the right way. These are the rules we follow and recommend. They do not replace the maker's manual that comes with your stove and tent: read both before your first fire.
1. Give the stove room
Keep the stove 3 ft (91 cm) from every tent wall, from your sleeping bag and from gear. Our Kit Builder draws the layout to scale for each tent.
2. Protect the floor
Set the stove on a fire-resistant mat or an anti-scald plate, never directly on a groundsheet or on dry grass.
3. Run the pipe high and straight
The pipe goes through the tent's stove jack and should top out at least 39 in (99 cm) above the chimney port. Use the pipe diameter the stove was made for, and check every joint before lighting.
4. Spark arrestor on top
A spark arrestor at the top of the pipe stops embers from landing on the tent fabric.
5. Ventilate, always
Keep a vent open while the stove burns, and never sleep with the tent sealed. Carry a battery carbon monoxide detector rated for the purpose and test it before each trip.
6. Never leave a fire unattended
Flame-retardant fabric is not fireproof. Do not leave the stove burning when nobody is awake in the tent, keep children and pets away from it, and let it cool before packing.
7. Burn dry wood only
Dry, split firewood burns cleaner and makes fewer sparks. Never use gasoline, lighter fluid or other accelerants inside or near the tent.
8. Check local fire rules
Fire restrictions change with the season and the place. Check with the land manager (national forest, BLM, state park) before you light a stove.
Questions about your setup? Email us a photo and a real person answers.