Canvas tent and fire

J

jscalia

Joined
Dec 11, 2006
Messages
126
I have a high quality canvas tent (Springbar) but I am concerned about having the tent close to the campfire for fear of it catching ablaze. I would love to have the fire going all night to help keep the tent warm but am worried about the safety issues.
 
Well you should be. A tent goes up much like a christmas tree. IE quick and violent. If you want to be warmed by a continuous fire, a tent IMO is a bad choice.
 
I say pitch the tent away from the fire and consider a heavier sleeping bag. I have gone winter camping with a nylon tent and no fire, and have survived fine.
 
hikeeba said:
I say pitch the tent away from the fire and consider a heavier sleeping bag. I have gone winter camping with a nylon tent and no fire, and have survived fine.
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I too suggest this. Up hear in the Whites things can get pretty chilly and a high quality sleeping bag makes all the difference.
 
I've had holes burn through the canvas before and did not turn into a blaze.
and that was about 6ft away from the fire. I'd never be that close with nylon that stuff burns like gasoline.
 
While your tent is probably flame retardant treated that is just to prevent a disasterous fire. Like everyone has said, keep your tent away from the fire. Never bring flame such as a candle lantern into your tent since sleeping bags and such are not flame retardant at all. In scouts we are required to keep a large can of water and one of sand or soil near each tent in case of fire.
 
Your tent shouldn't be near the campfire, no matter what it's made out of.

-Bob
 
Nesmuk pitched his baker style tent right in front of and open to a well banked and reflected fire.
 
we used to treat our canvas tents with paraffin and kerosene, they were water proof, and made great fire starters.

leaving a fire unattended (especially while you sleep) usually isn't a wise choice.
 
IMO, the best thing to do is to use a better sleeping system. (bag/pad/ liner/stocking cap). Few things case a tent to leak more than burn holes. Also unattended fires could lead to forest fires if things go wrong and the wind kicks up in the night.
Traditionally wood stoves (with chimneys) inside the tent can warm it (sometimes too warm, and many do not last the night). Currently, I use a vented propane furnace in my large tent. small Buddy style heaters are great for warming the tent before climbing out of the bag but I would not use an unvented heater all night (carbon monoxide or simply insufficient oxygen could have very bad consequences).
Enjoy!
 
Anymore, the only reason for having a canvas tent instead of a nylon one, is that canvas can be flame retardant. This allows for the tent to be heated by a woodstove, which would be pretty dangerous in a nylon tent.

Bringing hot stones inside the tent micht be an option.

-- FLIX
 
IMO, nylon is very inferior for breathability and warmth compared with canvas as a tent material. The only reason for nylon is to reduce weight/bulk.

Enjoy!
 
I was on a campsite some years ago when someone across the field tried to cook inside their nylon tent, with a gas stove.

He was not a pretty site when they pulled him out of the burning, melted plastic cocoon.

Makes you think...

Rick.
 
i used to just use a ground cloth and a sleeping bag by the fire with no problems.
the best set up i've used for this is a tarp lean to in front of the fire.
 
Happy Joe said:
IMO, nylon is very inferior for breathability and warmth compared with canvas as a tent material. The only reason for nylon is to reduce weight/bulk.

Enjoy!
Click to expand...

Hmmm... While I 100% agree that the nylon tents tend to be lighter and less bulky, I wonder about the breathability and warmth aspect. I have been using a The Nroth Face VE-25 4-season tent as a default car camping tent for over ten years. It has a full coverage fly and no mesh panels on the body other than the windows in the doors, which can be opened and closed with solid panels. Winter, spring, summer, or fall, I can't say I have ever had a condesation problem with this tent. We usually just crack open the front and rear fly doors a little to help air flow around the tent. To help airflow in HOT weather, we stake the fly out separately rather than attaching it to the tent poles. This allows us to open the fly a little more around the bottom of the tent to further encourage airflow. In the winter the fly is attached to the tent poles and battened down pretty tight, and sometimes the gap between the fly and ground is covered with snow to slow airflow around the tent to help keep an insulating layer of air in place.

As for keeping warm in cold weather, we usually toss a few air-activated hand warmers in our sleeping bags an hour or two before we hit the hay. Mmm, toasty. That can sometimes make things a little too warm, but that's ok. I'd rather worry about venting off some heat in the bag, rather than creating heat in the bag.

Sorry, I may have gone off on a tangent there.
 
You want heat with your tent? This is what I like (fire inside :D ).
wickiup.jpg
Sapling frame and 3 tarps IIRC.

Doc
 
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