Thanks for posting it. Lots of good information there. I think I pretty much agree with his conclusions about carbon monoxide hazards and camp stoves used in a tent.

I tend to try to work the stove outside or under the edge of the rain fly but when things get cold and nasty I've been known to drag the whole thing inside and take my chances.

I think the CO risk of using a stove in a tent are more theoretical than real. Using a stove in a tent is always risky. You would have to be a fool to think otherwise. So you tend to be more careful to make sure fuel doesn't leak, the heat and flame stay under control and well away from the tent material. And reasonable ventilation comes as a matter of course.

It also has to be noted that cooking for one or two in a camping situation is a short term activity. Most of it is bringing a pot or two of water to a boil. It isn't like you are spending hours shooting for a slow roasted turkey and baked pastry for desert. Most camp cooking is easily over in the smaller part of a half-hour. Which means you can afford to sit there and watch the stove like a hawk. The biggest danger is falling asleep and letting the stove burn or accidentally knocking it over. I generally try to keep the door mostly unzipped so at the first sign of a flare up the whole thing gets tossed outside.

The short term nature of the cooking makes a difference. Even if the stove produces a small amount of CO the cooking is done quickly and the unit gets turned off. Given that tents are not air tight once the stove is off the CO concentrations can only go lower.

This is completely different from the scenario where a vehicles engine is left on or a defective heat plant blows CO into the living space. Those are processes that are adding much higher amounts of CO and doing it for a much longer length of time.

This is the second piece I have read that mentions the critical nature of the burner-pan distance in producing CO, something i will pay a lot more attention too the next time I cook inside a tent. Cooking inside is a bit like solo hiking; it is dangerous, but everyone does it at one time or another, me included. Just be real careful out there.

Ouch.

"This is the second piece I have read that mentions the critical nature of the burner-pan distance in producing CO..."

Anything that gets in the way of complete burning apparently contributes to CO. Sterno says their product doesn't produce CO, but some studies have shown that a wind screen or other barrier around the base will raise CO to dangerous levels.

So, does that mean that if you are burning Sterno in your tent and don't have any air barrier around it (you wouldn't need it), that it burns cleaner? It sounds like that...

Sue