camping with a wood stove

Introduction

wood stove camping can really add to your enjoyment and amenity, especially in cooler wet conditions
while outside open wood camp fires are fantastic they have a lot of issues that wood stoves do not have:
- use a lot of wood
- open flame fire risks
- ember issues (embers will burn holes in your tents, hiking tarps, and your puffer jackets and can start fires)
- generate a lot of smoke and this can be an added issue if wind changes direction
- can take a long time to go out (even with water) and can't be left without supervision
- risk re-igniting in strong winds
- are a pain to manage and to start in wet weather (often need to use an air blower to assist)
- generally need heavy iron cookware such as Dutch ovens or heavy iron grates both of which require cooking experience to manage well due to highly variable temperatures
- are not great for getting your clothes or gear dry - smoke issues and risk of them catching on fire or getting wet by further rain
- cause fire scars if not used in existing fire pits
modern stainless steel portable wood stoves offer:
- portability and ease of use
  - the medium Winnerwell Nomad wood camping stoves is light weight and only takes up the floor of the one side of rear seat of your car and cools down rapidly for when you want to pack up
  - do not need heavy bulky iron cookware - can even use light weight, compact, collapsible silicon pots for boiling water and cooking!
- much improved fire safety over an open camp fire
  - no open flame
  - ember guard spark arrestor at the top of the chimney to minimise embers
  - much safer in windy conditions (as long as stabilised and air vent is open)
  - smoke and CO are much less likely to enter tent as long as chimney damper is fully open and it is not too windy
- excellent cooking options
  - especially if you have a chimney oven as this can bake small items at 200degC fairly reliably as long as you have the fire going well
  - stove surface itself can be used to boil pots or use for a fry pan
  - the edge rails can be used to move the pot/pan partly off the stove to adjust temperature if you just need to simmer or keep warm
- excellent water boiling options - saves your gas as it is great for boiling 1-2L water at a time for:
  - a hot shower
  - if you need to make river water potable
  - re-heating frozen cryovacced foods
  - washing dishes
  - etc
- excellent clothes and gear drying in wet weather
  - even if your self-inflating memory foam mattress gets a bit wet and would otherwise end your trip!
  - wet socks can be carefully hung from the outer rails
- provides warmth in your tent
  - best tent for this is a floor-less tunnel or dome tent of around 3-4m width and around 2m height and these will be around 19-21degC on a cold day at 1m from the ground even with doors open as long as there is no wind - see larger tents without integrated floors to act as fly tents or hot tents
  - a tipi tent can be used but the small volume of air at head level can get very warm at around 40degC even with doors open
  - can use a stove fan to redirect warm air to lower levels
- helps dry your tent out much faster before packing up
- provides direct radiant warmth
  - but for a medium Nomad stove you do need to be within a meter of the stove to really enjoy this
  - I have not had issues with my mesh tent being around 60-100cm from the stove

they are NOT useful for keeping you warm while you sleep overnight as this is not only a safety risk but they need stoking every 30-45minutes (they use about 1kg kindling per hour)
you must take safety measures to ensure
- your tent does not burn down
  - use a triple shielded chimney section where it passes through the tent
  - the stove is stable and won't fall over in strong winds
  - tent material is guyed out securely so it won't flap against the chimney or stove
  - there are no flammable materials close to the stove, especially above it or under it
  - use a fire mat under the stove as burning embers will fall out onto the floor
- it is adequately ventilated so you don't get carbon monoxide poisoning - strongly consider an CO alarm
- children and pets are kept away from the stove otherwise immediate 3rd degree burns will occur from the slightest of contact!
do NOT use anything other than dry seasoned wood in the stove
- many other fuels such as paper will cause the fire to burn too hot and warp the stove
- damp wood will result in low fire temperatures and major problems with soot and creosote which will make it hard to pull chimney sections apart and which may cause a chimney fire

if you must try to sleep near your stove in a tent then you need to take extra care as this is not recommended unless you know the risks and manage them
- always have tent well ventilated with at least 1sq m opening - preferably a door so u can get out quickly if disaster strikes and use a door that will not have direct wind coming in
- have a carbon monoxide alarm placed high up near your bed
- dont wear flammable clothes - you will need to get out of bed in the.dark to stoke the stove and anything flammable risks catching on fire if it falls onto stove or burning embers fall out - in temperatures below zero Celsius, wool thermals are probably best but these may be too warm in a hot tent so sleeping naked may be the safest option and use a fire blanket instead of a flammable sleeping bag - you don’t want your sleeping gear catching on fire by it falling onto the stove or if tent catches on fire which is unlikely if you have managed it properly. If sleeping naked, a fantastic adjunct is a 12V electric blanket set to its lowest setting or perhaps a USB heat pad - as this will help with wind chill issues from needing the door open
- the other benefit of sleeping naked is that you get the full effect of radiant heat from the stove which would be blocked by sleepwear
- guy out the tent to reduce movement in winds and reduce chance tent contacts hit chimney
- use clamps to keep moving tent parts away from stove
- be very careful stoking stove in the dark that you don’t contact the very hot metal - use a piece of wood to close the stove door if you can’t see the handle
- for a longer burn time use larger pieces of hardwood and have the chimney damper slightly closed and the intake vent closed or nearly closed
- an external air stove with an intake duct that goes outside the tent and an essentially sealed stove apart from the door may further reduce carbon monoxide risks
- perhaps avoid air tents as a sudden collapse of the tent due to air leak while the stove is on could be disastrous

My recommended set up

a floor-less tent with a fire resistant stove jack (4-12kg ~$AU400-800)
- see larger tents without integrated floors to act as fly tents or hot tents
- NB. the stove is likely to damage, melt or set fire to any usual tent floor or tarp!
- in heavy rain, some water is likely to leak around the chimney, so you can either accept this given it is usually minimal or you may wish to explore options to reduce this such as:
  - using a silicone flashing - but these are relatively large and heavy for most polyester tents
  - have the stove jack on a vertical wall rather than the ceiling
    - this will require an angled chimney section and a chimney tripod support outside the tent
    - has the additional advantage that any tent fly can then fully cover the roof of the tent
optionally, a PVC awning floor (~$AU100)
- a large awning floor will make it more livable and PVC is less likely to burn than a tent floor, but nevertheless, keep away from stove or place a fire mat on top of it
an inner mesh tent to sleep in (~$AU100)
- many tents have this option, or, you can use a freestanding 2P mesh tent without its fly - this is my preference as it is very versatile but ensure it does not sit in a lake of water during heavy rain events - you really don't want to risk your sleeping gear getting wet!
- when there are no insects around eg. Victorian winters, you can forego the inner mesh tent and just use a stretcher bed which will get your gear off the ground
a wood stove (~$AU700)
- I use the medium sized Winnerwell Nomad wood camping stoves as it is small enough to sit on the floor of the rear of my car
- whilst the stainless steel water boiler is nice, it is not really needed if you wish to save space and costs - just sit a pot on the stove works just s well albeit without a tap
- I do love the optional chimney oven - very handy indeed and will bake a 1.2kg butterflied roast lamb or using the two trays can do 600g or so in one tray and roasted vegetables in the other tray
- you MUST buy the optional triple shielded chimney section if using inside a tent
stove accessories
- fire mat to place under the stove
- cooking gear plus metal table top so you can place hot pots
- a bubble level to make it easier to get your stove level whilst setting up
- as oven temperature will not be constant, if cooking roasts in the oven strongly consider getting a Bluetooth meat thermometer such as a Meater (you don't want to open the oven door much as it loses a lot of heat and takes a while to get back up to temperature)
- consider a stove fan to sit on the stove and recirculate the warm air through the tent
- chimney pipe cleaner (can be done at home)
wood and wood management gear
- requires dry seasoned kindling (1kg/hour on average for the Nomad Medium stove)
- consider a small Canadian wood splitter axe to make wood small enough to fit (this can double as your tent peg hammer!)
- fire starters and matches or gas lighter
- stove ash remover (not essential as you can tip the ash out at end of camp if its only a few days)
- stove wood tongs to adjust the wood and save you burning your fingers
- optional fire gloves - without them there is a risk of minor burns accidentally touching the door instead of the handle

Troubleshooting

too much smoke inside stove box and comes out when opening the stove door

possible causes and solutions
- flaming combustion is not possible due to lack of heat for the fuel or oxygen
  - fuel issue resulting in smouldering combustion instead of flaming combustion:
    - wet wood
      - ensure you are using dry seasoned wood
      - if it is wet from rain, dry it out beside the fire first
    - too much large wood, not enough flaming smaller kindling
      - allow the existing wood to fully engulf in flames before adding more wood
      - adding more wood prematurely is like adding water to the fire and requires more energy to dry the wood and begin burning, reducing the fire heat
      - too much wood too quickly before there is a strong bed of hot coals can stifle the fire and result in smoke buildup in the stove
    - inadequate air space between the wood pieces
    - excessively dry wood more than 18 months dried
      - exceptionally dry wood, especially lots of small pieces, produces more smoke and this may over-whelm the capacity of the flue
  - not enough oxygen
    - not enough air intake
      - check air vent is open
        
        restricting airflow too soon before there is a strong bed of hot coals can cause smoke to build up and spill into the room when the door is opened
      - when using a ducted air intake ensure it is not blocked and not too long
    - blocked flue pipe
      - ensure damper is open
      - check flue is not blocked
    - not enough pressure differential to draw fresh air into stove and force smoke up the chimney resulting in back draft when stove door is opened
      - fire is not hot enough to create a temperature / pressure differential up the chimney
        
        ensure there is adequate air space between wood and air vent is fully open, add fire starters and small dry kindling and may need some extra air pushed into it
      - smoke is losing its heat too fast or too soon up the chimney to create sustainable air pressure differentials
        
        cold pipe oven cooling it down
        
        engaging a secondary combustion unit too early
        
        flue is too wide
        
        flue pipe is not long enough
      - cold air outside has formed cold air pockets in the chimney which push down on the smoke inside the chimney
        
        this is the main cause when first starting a fire
        
        try burning a piece of paper near the chimney intake to warm up the air inside the chimney for 2-3 minutes (“prime” the chimney) before starting your fire
      - doors are all closed in tent / room resulting in low air pressures inside room than in the upper chimney
        
        open a window or door (there should always be an open window or door when using a wood stove inside a tent to minimise risk of carbon monoxide poisoning - the silent camp killer!)
      - inside of tent / room is warm and this warm air is rising inside the tent and escaping resulting in low air pressures at floor level for the air intake
      - strong turbulent winds pushing air down the chimney - ensure chimney is placed away for sources of turbulence - laminar flow of wind across the chimney will help suck smoke up it via the venturi effect
      - no wind outside means loss of any venturi sucking effect so you need a hotter fire to get it going

excessive creosote build up in chimney

this is usually due to prolonged low temperature smouldering combustion burns
prevention and treatment
- only use dry seasoned wood
- every time you load your stove let it run with the air damper fully open for at least 20 minutes, this will go a long way to cleaning your chimney and ensuring your stove is well primed
- ensure there is good air flow to the glass during use
manual cleaning when cold
- use a chimney flue brush

black creosote on glass

this is usually due to prolonged low temperature smouldering combustion burns
prevention and treatment
- only use dry seasoned wood
- every time you load your stove let it run with the air damper fully open for at least 20 minutes, this will go a long way to cleaning your glass and ensuring your stove is well primed
- ensure there is good air flow to the glass during use
manual cleaning when cold
- use a non-ammonia non-scratch fireplace glass cleaner solution and a microfiber cloth

white smoke is bad

white smoke is a sign of incomplete combustion which may be due to:
- blocked flue
  - check your chimney pipes and regularly clean them
- wet wood
  - it should be dry, seasoned wood
  - tap the wood with a key or coin. Dry wood makes a sharp resonant sound, while wet wood makes a dull sound
- using the stove the wrong way
  - adding more wood and then stopping the flow of oxygen will cause the fire to smoulder and produce lots of smoke

Table of Contents

camping with a wood stove

Introduction

My recommended set up

Troubleshooting

too much smoke inside stove box and comes out when opening the stove door

excessive creosote build up in chimney

black creosote on glass

white smoke is bad