Can you have a burning tealight in a tent without worrying about CO and setting light to your tent if placed in a glass jar ?
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Candle's in tent's
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Depends on the tent, how much ventilation has it got, how close to the fly sheet is it etc...?
You can do it, in some tents, in the right place, with the right ventilation. In others it would be suicide.
It depends.
Julia
You can do it, in some tents, in the right place, with the right ventilation. In others it would be suicide.
It depends.
Julia
Buy a candle lantern, safest way of using them. I would just use an LED lantern though , better light and fully safe. Only real use for candles would be in winter to take nip off the air in the tent.
I just wonder how many people have died from Co poisoning from a candle in a tent?
also how safe are you with a flame? Some people do not feel comfortable with any flame. Others are happy to use them and treat them with respect.
Candles have been used for many years in tents. But if you are not happy then use LEDs.
Alan
also how safe are you with a flame? Some people do not feel comfortable with any flame. Others are happy to use them and treat them with respect.
Candles have been used for many years in tents. But if you are not happy then use LEDs.
Alan
I'm pretty sure a tea light would burn out long before it produced enough CO to pose any sort of a threat.
Have a look here https://www.uvpaqlite.com/
I have the large UV Paqlite and its a great job-especially once your eyes get accustomed. Much safer than tealights
I have the large UV Paqlite and its a great job-especially once your eyes get accustomed. Much safer than tealights
i'v done it for years in cold climates (in a candle lantern)
i just use it for a little comfort in the evenings. but blow it out well before bedtime
i just use it for a little comfort in the evenings. but blow it out well before bedtime
I've done it and I'm still here, not in a small backpacking tent though. I have also used a hanging UCO candle lantern, but not any more, they get hot on the outside, and never mind burning your fingers, you only have to touch it to the inner of your tent to melt through (on modern nylon tents anyway)
Think that was one of Presterjohn's threads. Good idea it was too
.I have an Eltrex one. Which I just found the paraffin insert for after loosing it for 5 or so years
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Burning charcoal is the probably the most dangerous thing to have in a tent as it produces a lot of CO, and many people have killed themselves and their families that way.
Candles produce a little CO but not enough to worry about even in a Jerven bag - the makers actually suggest it, but I think it's an unnecessary risk when there are alternatives such as the Zippo hand-warmers which have no flame, won't make a hole in your tent, won't go out if you sit on them, and last longer. Yes they cost a bit more than a candle but maybe you won't think that way if you've just made a hole in two-hundred-dollar bit of kit with the candle, or poured molten wax into your sleeping bag.
I personally would be very reluctant to have any kind of flame in a closed tent or bivvy bag if I were sleeping in it, just because it's a flame, and all flames need great care if they're to remain under control.
Candles produce a little CO but not enough to worry about even in a Jerven bag - the makers actually suggest it, but I think it's an unnecessary risk when there are alternatives such as the Zippo hand-warmers which have no flame, won't make a hole in your tent, won't go out if you sit on them, and last longer. Yes they cost a bit more than a candle but maybe you won't think that way if you've just made a hole in two-hundred-dollar bit of kit with the candle, or poured molten wax into your sleeping bag.
I personally would be very reluctant to have any kind of flame in a closed tent or bivvy bag if I were sleeping in it, just because it's a flame, and all flames need great care if they're to remain under control.
My brother and I used to camp on Dartmoor a third of a century and more ago and used a gas lantern in small backpacker tents. I'm sure the "Safety Sallies" will say we should be dead. We never had a problem - because we were careful. If a chuffing tealight is the most dangerous thing in your life, I feel very sorry for you.
I know little about how much toxic gas etc is emitted by candles, lanterns and all that but my numpty friend set fire to his tent while still in it by knocking over an candle while asleep..
His hands and face got burnt from the melting walls of the plastic tent but he had no lasting damage. Apparently he managed to put the flames out with a bottle of premade orange squash. Lol!
My guess is he just put a candle down on the base as it melted a good quarter of the tent. Had he used a jar to hold the candle I can imagine it wouldn't have happened. If it were me, I'd keep the tent open a little or only do up the fly net.
His hands and face got burnt from the melting walls of the plastic tent but he had no lasting damage. Apparently he managed to put the flames out with a bottle of premade orange squash. Lol!
My guess is he just put a candle down on the base as it melted a good quarter of the tent. Had he used a jar to hold the candle I can imagine it wouldn't have happened. If it were me, I'd keep the tent open a little or only do up the fly net.
Agree 100%
Again agree 100%
For me the question is not, can i?
It's, why would you?
Modern LED lights give off varying amounts of light, from moonlight glows to full on searchlights, they have varying tints to choose if you want a softer tint.
Modern batteries and LED's last for ages and over time rechargeable batteries would be cheaper than candles.
So you have better adjustable light, light weight, cheaper over time and safer.
Like i say why would you?
It's not like a candle would put out enough heat to warm you in a larger well ventilated tent, a correctly rated sleeping bag would be better with regards to keeping warm.
If you get cold batten down the hatches and put on all your layers, still cold get up every 45 mins or so and do as many star jumps as you can.
If it comes down to HAVING to use a candle to keep you warm you've done something wrong somewhere and you're in a very very dangerous situation.
Again, why would you?
By the same logic i used to smoke 40 cigarettes a day, never died as a result, so should i start mocking and belittling people because they don't want to take that risk and not smoke?
If we all lived our lives with a pin point narrow view that "nothing happened to me" then the world would be even more screwed up than it is.
I've never seen a extinct animal, never been killed in a war, never been targeted by racism, never been murdered, never been sexually assaulted, never died from heart disease, never died from cancer, never died in a car crash.
So by your logic non of these (admittedly extreme) examples occur in the real world because you "never had a problem"
Therefore it MUST be ok for me to drive flat out through your village every day because i've "never had a problem" before.
It's fundamentally flawed viewpoint Red.
I've never died from jumping off a 30 floor building, common sense dictates it's not a good idea to do it though.
Common sense dictates it's a bit daft having gas lanterns in small backpacking tents, you did it and lived to tell the tale, i think it's a dramatically flawed perspective to try and convince others that you being lucky is a acceptable risk for everyone else though.
Flawed and dangerous.
If we're reading this then we are alive, which inevitably means we've down more than our fair share of stupid stuff in our times and got away with it.
Just because we "got away with it" though it doesn't mean it's either safe or the right choice to make.
Chances are if 100 of us stayed in a tent tonight and we all lit a candle we'd all be here tomorrow.
There is also a chance that someone will knock over said candle, or take it to the extremes and have a large candle in a small poorly ventilated tent.
So could you get away with it = Yep, probably
Would it be a wise choice to make = Not really, you'd be better off with a torch for light and a decent sleeping bag for warmth
No, its a not a flawed argument. From both a reality and a professional risk management perspective.
Technically speaking always jumping to "avoidance" as a risk management strategy is absurd and illogical. Transference, probability reduction, impact reduction, contingency planning, and acceptance are all perfectly rationale counters that bear examination.
Yes there is a chance that someone might knock a candle over. There is also the chance that someone might be struck by lightning - so perhaps they shouldn't go outdoors in the first place. The OP enquired about tealights and did not plan to
My point is this, if our purpose is to reduce all risk to zero, we would never go out in the first place. We might slip on a wet rock - so only go out in the dry. We might cut ourselves - so lets not use a sharp knife. We might cut our foot - so lets not use an axe. All of these have happened to members of the forum - they are real risks that we choose to accept. We may choose to reduce their probability by using things with care. We may choose to reduce the impact of an accident by having a first aid kit. But we choose to take the risk. Some of us may prefer candle light to electric light. So, following the same rationale, we might choose to ensure ventilation and to use a candle lantern to lessen risk. We might even use a cotton tent. But we may choose to take the risk - as we should as adults.
The one thing this hobby really doesn't need is a self appointed arbiter of what is the "right choice to make"
Technically speaking always jumping to "avoidance" as a risk management strategy is absurd and illogical. Transference, probability reduction, impact reduction, contingency planning, and acceptance are all perfectly rationale counters that bear examination.
Yes there is a chance that someone might knock a candle over. There is also the chance that someone might be struck by lightning - so perhaps they shouldn't go outdoors in the first place. The OP enquired about tealights and did not plan to
so lets not examine the risks for a different scenario.
My point is this, if our purpose is to reduce all risk to zero, we would never go out in the first place. We might slip on a wet rock - so only go out in the dry. We might cut ourselves - so lets not use a sharp knife. We might cut our foot - so lets not use an axe. All of these have happened to members of the forum - they are real risks that we choose to accept. We may choose to reduce their probability by using things with care. We may choose to reduce the impact of an accident by having a first aid kit. But we choose to take the risk. Some of us may prefer candle light to electric light. So, following the same rationale, we might choose to ensure ventilation and to use a candle lantern to lessen risk. We might even use a cotton tent. But we may choose to take the risk - as we should as adults.
The one thing this hobby really doesn't need is a self appointed arbiter of what is the "right choice to make"
A debate has started!!
Would I do it? I cook in the porch of tents if needed, I wouldn't cook inside the inner; ever. Would I use open flame with next to no control in a tent? Not a chance.
Would I use open flame under a tarp? Yes, the situation is different.
Would I advocate either to others? No. Each individual has to gauge their own risk for the damage committing an act can make.
Can I live with the loss of a £200 tent? Can I live with the scars from a tent going up in flames in about 9 secs? Will my family and friends tut at my funeral for dying in such a manner?
The one statement I say to others when instructing in outdoor activities is:
'If I have to ask myself if it is safe to get in the sea/ climb that pitch/ ascend that summit, theirs a good chance it's not safe. My 6th sense/ gut feeling is trying to impress over my head - don't ignore it'.
Sermon complete...
Sent from my hidey hole using Tapatalk... sssh!
Would I do it? I cook in the porch of tents if needed, I wouldn't cook inside the inner; ever. Would I use open flame with next to no control in a tent? Not a chance.
Would I use open flame under a tarp? Yes, the situation is different.
Would I advocate either to others? No. Each individual has to gauge their own risk for the damage committing an act can make.
Can I live with the loss of a £200 tent? Can I live with the scars from a tent going up in flames in about 9 secs? Will my family and friends tut at my funeral for dying in such a manner?
The one statement I say to others when instructing in outdoor activities is:
'If I have to ask myself if it is safe to get in the sea/ climb that pitch/ ascend that summit, theirs a good chance it's not safe. My 6th sense/ gut feeling is trying to impress over my head - don't ignore it'.
Sermon complete...
Sent from my hidey hole using Tapatalk... sssh!
very very dangerous?.....you and i obviously have very different ideas of what counts as dangerous lol
why would i?......because i like it, s'good enough reason for me
knives, axes, and parangs offer far more chance of injury than an adult of at least average intelligence with a candle lantern
Here we go again on this one. Let me see if I can find my video of experimental evidence I made last time this came up. Stay tuned. Cancel and CO monitor both in an upside down bowl, I would say poorly ventilated. No CO measured and candle goes out. Fire is a different risk you must consider but most people are happy going to bed with the camp fire left burning just out side where the wind may easily blow a spark?
