Can You Use Camping Cookers Indoors? (Explained)
Wouldn’t you love to use your camping cooker indoors? We all know how conducive it is not to step outside, especially on those cold rainy mornings.
A camping stove is necessary to survive the harsh nature of the wilderness. You can opt to move around with an open-fire grille, but you won’t get far with that kind of weight.
But is using your camping cooker indoors an option? Is that the best way to use your camping cooker?
Using your camping cooker indoors isn’t the best option for you. Using your camping stove in an enclosed environment is a bad choice. If you’re using your camping cooker, you should ensure the area is well-ventilated. You need ventilation so you don’t inhale toxic smoke that is dangerous to your health.
Camping is one of those nostalgic outdoor activities everyone loves so much. And if you’re camping properly, you must have a camping cooker.
But using your cooker indoors isn’t good for your health. In this article, you will learn why using your cooker indoors isn’t great.
Is It Safe to Use Camping Cookers Indoors?
The answer depends on the type of camper cooker you are using. If you’re using a camper cooker that uses electricity, then you can use it indoors.
But if you use a camping cooker that uses fuel as its power source, don’t use it indoors.
Your camping cooker can easily explode if the ventilation in the area isn’t enough. Enclosed spaces don’t have the best ventilation, and this can lead to you getting some serious injuries.
Even more, than that, camping stoves burn and release harmful gasses into the atmosphere. It’s dangerous for you to inhale these toxic gasses.
A prime example of toxic gasses camping stoves release that is dangerous to your health is carbon monoxide (CO).
Although Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless, it is very dangerous. Inhaling it in large quantities can lead to your death.
Hence, if you’re using a cooker that isn’t electric, you should stick to using it outdoors. Use your gas cookers outside.
Gas cookers have a bad track record of exploding when the pressure indoors becomes too high. But if you use it indoors, ensure it is a well-ventilated area.
Are Camping Cookers Safe to Use in a Tent?
If you properly manage the camping cooker, yes, but otherwise, no. There isn’t any reason enough for you to risk using a camping stove in your tent.
A camping stove can easily cause fires, especially since tents have little space for you to work with. Also, you risk inhaling large amounts of CO, which are dangerous to your health.
The only reason adequate for you to risk using a camping cooker in a tent is if you’re at a high altitude. If you’re camping on a mountain, getting a fire going up there is almost impossible.
Hence, if that’s the case, then you can risk it. But we advise that you properly manage the fire and always be close to it.
It also gets complicated when you’re stuck in a thunderstorm with no alternatives. You can’t keep a fire going in the storm; the only option is cooking in your tent.
If that’s your situation, you can use your camping cooker indoors. However, providing enough ventilation for the toxic gasses to escape would be best.
But you can prepare adequately before leaving for your camping trip. If it’s the rainy season, leave with tents that have a kitchen area for you to cook.
The best tents have a nice compromise for users to use when it’s raining. It is usually in the form of a large flap, which you can set up to keep you out of the rain.
Additionally, it has proper ventilation, which you can leverage and have the best cooking experience while watching nature at work.
Another danger to cooking indoors is the problem of bears. Bears have noses that can pick up the weakest aroma of what you’re cooking.
Even if you finished cooking ages ago, a bear could pick it up, especially if you cooked your food in an enclosed environment.
The gasses will not disperse at once. Instead, they will release slowly, leaving residuals in your tent. It might take hours to clear out.
A bear can pick up on this and trace you to your location if you’re in bear county. There are several other disadvantages of cooking indoors.
We’ll be using a table to highlight some key advantages and disadvantages:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Your food cooks faster. | There is limited cooking space. |
| You can control the cooking temperature | Less flavor for your food. |
Can You Use the Coleman Stove Indoors?
Using Coleman stoves indoors isn’t the best choice. Coleman stoves normally use propane gas or kerosene as the power source for the stove.
Enclosing these fuel sources in a small space can be dangerous. You’re risking blowing up your camper or inhaling CO gas which can kill.
However, you can take some precautions that will allow you to use your Coleman stove indoors.
Hence, turn your attention to the following sections for these precautions you can take:
#1. Proper Ventilation
Since your stove uses propane gas and kerosene, proper combustion requires a lot of ventilation.
If you have proper ventilation, your Coleman stove will release carbon dioxide instead of carbon monoxide, which is dangerous to your health.
Although we wouldn’t advise you to inhale carbon dioxide, it is a better option than carbon monoxide.
Even more than that, since you have proper ventilation, the gasses the stove releases can escape into the atmosphere without harming you.
If you’re using your Coleman stove in your house, installing an overhead range is not a bad idea. It allows the smoke from the cooker to escape while bringing in fresh air simultaneously.
#2. Leave a Window Open
If you’re in a tent, you can’t install a range. Open up your tent window instead. Ensure you place your stove next to the window so that the stove can get all the needed ventilation.
Opening a window and placing your stove next to it also keeps you from inhaling dangerous gasses. Since the air available ensures proper combustion, you’ll be safer.
However, we advise you don’t place the stove too close to the tent. You may get distracted for a split second, and the air will push the flames onto your tent.
The last thing you need on your camping trip is a fire outbreak to deal with.
#3. Check for Leakages Regularly
Although this has nothing to do with ventilation, it is still an important safety tip that can save your life. Before you light your fire, conduct a safety check on your stove.
Propane and kerosene are highly flammable. Hence, all it needs is a spark, and you have a fire on your hands.
If you’re not lucky, this event can cause the cooker to explode, leaving you injured or damaging your property. Your safety should always be your top priority.
Hence, spare five to ten minutes daily to inspect your Coleman stove.
#4. Take the Stove to a Professional for an Inspection
Before leaving for your camping trip, take your stove to a professional for an inspection. If you only use this stove on camping trips, this is a very important precaution.
Coleman didn’t design these things to sit around all year; Coleman made your stove for constant use.
Thus, if you leave it for months and pick it up when you’re going on a camping trip, it may fail; even worse, cause destruction.
Hence, it would be best to take the cooker to a professional at least once a year before you go camping.
Three Best Camping Stoves for Indoor Use
Although Coleman produces some of the best camping stoves on the market, you can also use these camping stoves indoors.
Below are the three best camping stoves you can buy:
- Coleman classic propane camping stove (overall best pick)
- Coleman Cascade 222 2-burner camping stove (precision master)
- Camping chef mountaineer (best for gourmet camp cooking)
#1. Coleman Classic Propane Camping Stove (Overall Best Pick)
Coleman’s classic propane camping stove is not only reliable, but it is also one of the best camping stoves on the market. This stove is versatile and reliable. Hence, you can use it indoors.
#2. Coleman Cascade 222 2-burner Camping Stove (Precision Master)
This Coleman camping cooker gives you room for better precision. Although it is similar to the classic, it gives you room for better precision.
You have total control over how hot you want your fire to be.
#3. Camping Chef Mountaineer (Best for Gourmet Camp Cooking)
Though heavier than the Coleman series, no one bests the mountaineer in output. It’s a camping stove, but it can match the output of your home stove.
- Hiking Trails in Ohio: All You Need To Know - December 16, 2023
- Best Hiking Trails in the World and USA! - October 9, 2023
- Hiking Tips for Beginners: Things You Should Know! - October 9, 2023
