Important Safety Message about one ring 'suitcase' stoves

[Blu]

Something I did not know about these popular and handy stoves:

These are instructions issued with some of these stoves (mine had / has no such instructions)

"DO NOT USE TWO OR MORE STOVES SIDE BY SIDE (crossed out pic of two stoves next to each other)
DO NOT COVER THE GAS CANISTER COMPARTMENT WITH POTS OR PANS AS THIS MAY CREATE A HAZARDOUS CONDITION (crossed out pic of large frying pan covering complete stove, pic showing smaller pan with a tick against it)
MAXIMUM SIZE OF POT OR PAN 21cm"

I did know that these stoves had a bit of a reputation for exploding in flames: these instructions explain why. Using two side by side means that the heat from one is next to the gas canister form the other, and using a big pan spreads the flames / heat over the gas canister compartment.

I found all this on the UKCampsite Forum in a thread called Camping Stove Fire started 13/10/2015

I will still use my little stove when it is the stove of choice for the trip - but will be measuring my frying pan.

I see from another thread that many people are not aware of these instructions. Can we keep this thread bumped through the camping season?

Good advice Blu, these stoves are very popular and used in the right way absolutely fine.

Having seen my first tent fire last year I would also add

*make yourself aware of where your nearest fire extinguishers are on site.
*consider keeping a fire bucket handy with water in.
*consider buying a fire blanket/extinguisher (but be aware of dates as they have a use by date)

I saw a fire due to one of these at a festival a couple of years ago. The person hadn't put the cannister in properly. When she went to light it it went up with a bang and stayed lit with big flames for a while. Thankfully she'd not got it near her tent, she wasn't hurt and she was only about 2 tents away from the fire buckets so we got it put out before the fire marshalls arrived.

The used the scouts butty van for the rest of the festival.

Thanks for this info. I had been using a larger frying pan on mine and wasn't aware it was a hazard.

Ooh I knew about side by side but not about large pan! Thank you Blu.

This video is good on the subject.

Thanks OnlyUse: that video demonstrates why nothing should be put beside the stove that could obscure the vents on the side where the canister is - so it's not just another stove that cannot go next to it.

I didn't know about the pan size restriction, but purely by chance I got some small non stick pans from Lidl last year that fit well on this stove and are under the 21cm. They're really good, worth looking out for.

Can anyone recommend a decent one [don't mind paying if it's good] as we need to get something usable. DH produced an ancient rickety one canister burner contraption on our first [thankfully short] camping trip last year. It was the most unstable thing I have ever seen.

Didn't know that fire blankets have a use by date either. I think our kitchen one is 10 yrs old....

As well as the "suitcase" stove, I have a trangia stove that I use with a gas canister, very stable and good in bad weather, I got the 1-2 person one and the pans are tiny, great for heating things up but not so good for proper cooking. They do it in bigger sizes though.

I've also bought a cadac safari chef a couple of weeks ago but haven't had chance to try it out yet. It looks like this will be a versatile stove, replacing my BBQ as well.

Tread I don't think fire blankets do have a use by date, I meant that warning for extinguishers.

I think the CampingGaz suitcase stove looks good. It says that if it gets hot the mechanism shuts down (or something)- I don't think that happens in my £7 model, which came with no safety warning!

Thank you. I didn't know this and used to take my wok!

I'm going to try and keep this bumped

I'll help you bump!
Good post

Bumping again. Thanks for posting Blu.

Thanks, Ann.
I have asked MNHQ if we could have this stickied, as the camping season hots up, and lots of MN-ers will be buying these stoves and heading off, camping with children, and we all need to know how to use these excellent, practical stoves safely.

Hope that's OK with everyone?

Good idea.

Keeping this bumped.
Have one of those little stoves that use aerosol type gas cans? Read the OP and watch the video link in onlyUseThisPassword's link.

The stoves are great but there have been horrible accidents if not used in line with this advice.

No big pans, don't use two next to each other, don't block the vents in the canister holder by putting anything else close to the stove.

Bumping again for camping newbies.

I didn't realise that about the pan size; I use a whopping great one to fit all me sausages on!

It make sense when I think of it.

Thank you :)

Time for a bump!

It depends on the brand. Some have a higher pan support than others and you can use a normal pan. The smaller flatter ones should only be used with small pans.
I have Outwell and a Campinggaz stoves and they all have high supports. Bought a £10 one from a famous camping store and the normal size pan is only mm from the canister: really dangerous IMO..

Thank you, I did not know this!
We have 2 of this type of stove - will keep them well apart if we use both at once.

Thanks for this reminder. We haven't used ours for ages an while these warnings do ring a bell I might not have remembered them without.

I do remember that you shouldn't use the stove leaving it in the suitcase with the lid propped up as a windshield it goes a bit melty