Belltent 4M and a frontier stove on the way. looking for fittting advice and location

[dwardo]

Ayup all,

Me and our kid have the 4Meter belltent and have ordered a frontier stove with flashing kit.
So advice on fitting and more importantly where to fit the stove?
Any other tips on the stoves use and any additional fitting ideas that may help.

Thanks in advance.

 

[swotty]

Same set up and fitted mine in the first righthand panel to the right of the door as you look at it from inside....works a treat,dead toasty, you'll love it..
I put cheap fire blanket underneath to protect the groundsheet.

 

[HeltorChasca]

Nice one!

I've fitted a stove with flashing to the 5M. On the left at 9 o clock looking into the tent so we can get out in the event of a fire. You could do it at 3 o clock too.

I pitched the tent (tight) and set just the stove in place. I got my 600mm level and marked the verticle from the flue outlet from the stove. Then I simply bolted and siliconed the flashing to the roof. To fit it perfectly I dropped the tent so I had loose material at ground level. Once the silicone had gone off and I was happy all the bolts were good, I cut out the cloth that was blocking the flue. I seem to remember starting the cut with nail scissors and then I carried on the rest with a small sharp knife avoiding snagging the rubber flashing.

Then I put the tent back up, lit a fire and we all jumped in and had a sing song and some drinks.

It is daunting puting a 4 inch hole in a new tent, but it is fairly straight forward. Measure twice, cut once. Good luck and let me know if I can help anymore................b

 

[dwardo]

Sounds pretty straight forward thanks. How far out from the tent wall was the stove? Or just eye it and see?

Thanks again.

 

[LittleChief]

I fitted mine in a very similar way to above. I fitted it just to the right as you entered the door, this allows me to put a fire proof mat under the stove (my belltent has a built in ground sheet), and use the same mat to stand on, this way i have i can stand inside on the mat in my boots without getting the tent muddy.

A couple of things to consider;
make sure you check the length of the tubes that make up the flue pipe, make sure you fit the flange in the centre of a length of pipe (rather than on a joint).
if you have the rubber type flange then you will need to decide before cutting if you want the rubber pushing in or out, i went with pushing the pipe from inside (making the rubber stick up
the closer you fit to the out edge of the tent the more of your flue pipe will be outside the tent. This is a compromise as putting the stove near the side feels safer and a better use of space but you do lose a lot of nice hot pipe outside. if you fitted the stove towards the centre you would have about 6' of hot pipe inside acting like a radiator. I went for it being nearer the the wall but i do look enviously when i see a tent with all the flue inside the tent. I can still get my tent as hot as a sauna but it does feel like im wasting heat.

Also my tips from using a frontier in a 4m bell tent is that the frontier needs an extra section of pipe to get the smoke and embers up and away from the tent (saves it getting sooty). I also bought a spark arrester (sp?) which has the advantage of having lashing points for guy ropes which is great if it gets windy. I got both of these extras from Military Mart

Let me know if you think of anything else

Dave

 

[swotty]

Sounds pretty straight forward thanks. How far out from the tent wall was the stove? Or just eye it and see?

Thanks again.

Be careful how far out from the wall you set it ....I set mine a tad close so the first section with the flap in the flue pushes the roof up a bit, not a problem but if I set it again i'd put it a bit further into the tent.

 

[HeltorChasca]

The stove needs to be far away from the tent wall so it doesn't get hot. I also have silver heat reflectors to "bounce" the heat back away from the tent towards us. From memory the back of the stove is about 400-500mm from the tent wall.

Also you need to have a decent length of flue before it reaches the flashing/tent roof. 2 reasons for this: The flue gets mega hot and could damage the flashing but also alot of the warmth you get in your tent will be from the flue. Plus it looks cool. I think we can see about 600mm of flue on the inside of the tent.

My stove sits on a 600x600mm slab of Indian sandstone left over from a job. My youngest is 3 years old and still a bit unpredictable so I've got a puppy training pen as a fire guard around the stove.

Enjoy...............b

 

[dwardo]

Just the advice I was looking for thanks all. I have a little boy swell who is only two years old and thought of the dog cages my self. Whilst I can probably keep him away from it verbally the moment my back is turned you can guarantee he will be fingers burnt.
I also like the idea of a reflector behind the stove protecting the canvas and adding warmth.

Keep the tips coming if anyone thinks on.

 

[jacko1066]

Great tips guys, I too am in the market for a bell tent and woodstove so will be keeping my eye on this thread.

Atb
Steve

 

[BILLy]

Not got a belt tent nor a frontier stove but found the post really interesting to read and very informative for people who have got them
Bill

 

[9InchNinja]

I've got the 5m soulpad and frontier. I stuck mine directly opposite the entrance. Fitting is simple enough, but it does feel wrong to make holes in your nice new tent!

 

[Markoben]

I fitted mine in a very similar way to above. I fitted it just to the right as you entered the door, this allows me to put a fire proof mat under the stove (my belltent has a built in ground sheet), and use the same mat to stand on, this way i have i can stand inside on the mat in my boots without getting the tent muddy.

Dave

What do you use for this fireproof mat Dave?

Mark

 

[widu13]

Bog standard fire blanket £5 or less on fleabay.