Although I avoid it whenever possible, when the weather is truly bad like early/ late season above or north of the treeline I have on occasion cooked in my tent vestibule. The problem is that if the weather is truly bad enough to necessitate this, I’m probably some place remote enough that burning my tent down is more than an inconvenience. Because of this, I made up a small laminated checklist I follow when I am not able to cook outside. Many times I bring a backup butane stove with a small canister which I very much prefer to use in this situation. The only downside is that the canister needs to be preheated in the sleeping bag overnight before it will work in cold conditions.
The most likely issue with a liquid fuel stove would come from overpriming, which I would imagine would most likely result in some melted fabric if you’re partner was quick. The scary scenario would be an O ring catastrophically failing which although very unlikely would mean you would have to be ready to bail ASAP. I also realize that there is a risk from CO, but if I’m cooking under a vestibule there should be enough wind that we will have proper venting. A small stick on CO detector on the floor might be kind of a neat idea though (the kind with the yellow dot that turns black when exposed to CO)
I also brief my tentmate what to do in the event of a fire. The items included are
- They will have extinguishing means such as a water bottle or snow ready in case of a flareup during the start.
- In the unlikely event of a catastrophic failure, how will we evacuate.
If I use the white gas stove here’s the list I follow.
- Pack gear for evacuation
- Sleeping bag and bivy
- Daypack
- Open exit on opposite side
- Have method for quick extinguish of fire
- Use smallest bottle available and preferably a full fuel bottle
- Pump and sniff test for leaks
- Separate bottle from stove as best as possible
- Open valve and check for leaks
- Use minimal priming
I’m wondering if anyone has anything additional anyone would like to add. I realize that there is a risk involved with this practice, but I’m hoping in that with proper precautions, the risk can at least be managed and brought down to an acceptable level.