The Dangers of Cooking in Your Tent: Why You Must Never Do It
· Updated
Never cook inside a tent, an awning or a closed porch. Not on a gas stove, not on a disposable barbecue, not on a petrol or liquid-fuel stove, and not even to take the chill off on a cold night. The two dangers are carbon monoxide poisoning and fire, and either one can kill you in the time it takes to cook a meal. This is the single most important safety rule in camping, and it has no exceptions.
People die in British tents every year doing exactly this, usually because it was raining and moving the stove outside felt like a hassle. It is not a hassle worth your life. Cook in the open air, well away from the tent, every single time.
This safety guide sits alongside our practical advice on campfire cooking essentials, and it comes from Camping Sites in Britain, where you can find and compare campsites, caravan parks and glamping across the UK.
Danger one: carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide is the danger that kills quietly. It is a colourless, odourless, tasteless gas produced whenever any fuel burns, which means a gas stove, a disposable barbecue, a charcoal or wood fire, and a petrol or liquid-fuel stove all give it off. You cannot see it, smell it or taste it, so you get no warning at all. Inside the small, enclosed space of a tent it builds up fast, and by the time you feel unwell you may already be too drowsy or confused to get yourself out.
The gas works by starving your body of oxygen. It enters your bloodstream and stops your red blood cells carrying oxygen to your organs, which is why it affects the brain first and why victims so often simply fall asleep and do not wake up. This is not a rare freak event. The NHS carbon monoxide poisoning page lists the warning signs, and fire services across the UK repeat the same message every camping season.
The disposable barbecue trap
A cooling disposable barbecue is one of the most dangerous objects you can bring into a tent, and it catches people out precisely because the flames have gone out. The coals keep smouldering and keep releasing carbon monoxide for hours after they stop glowing, so a barbecue that looks finished and harmless is still pumping out gas. Campers have brought a spent barbecue inside for warmth on a cold night and never woken up.
Real UK cases prove the point. Families have been hospitalised and people have died after using or storing a disposable barbecue in a tent, which is why the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service and every other brigade tell campers to keep barbecues, stoves and heaters out of tents entirely. Once a barbecue is lit it belongs outside until it is stone cold, and then it goes in a metal bin, never in the porch.
Know the symptoms
Carbon monoxide poisoning can feel like tiredness, a hangover or food poisoning, which is part of what makes it so dangerous. The warning signs to act on are:
- Headache, often the first and most common symptom
- Dizziness and feeling unsteady
- Nausea or being sick
- Drowsiness and unusual tiredness
- Confusion and difficulty thinking clearly
- Breathlessness and a faster heartbeat
A clear tell is that symptoms ease when you go outside into fresh air and return when you go back in, and that several people or pets in the same tent feel ill at once. If you suspect carbon monoxide, get everyone out into fresh air immediately, do not go back inside, and call 999. Then get medical help even if people start to feel better, because the effects can worsen and can leave lasting damage.
Danger two: fire
A tent can go up in seconds, and there is no easy way out. Modern tents and flysheets are made to slow the spread of flame, but they are not fireproof, and everything else you keep inside is not fire resistant at all. Sleeping bags, clothes, camping chairs, roll mats and gas canisters will all catch, and a knocked-over stove or a spilled pan of hot fat is all it takes.
The real killer is the lack of escape. A tent has a zipped doorway that jams under panic, low headroom that traps smoke, and fabric that can collapse on top of you as it burns. In a house you have doors, windows and time; in a tent you have neither. That is why the rule is not "cook carefully inside" but "never cook inside at all". For the wider picture on open flames, keep pitches and fires safely apart, see our guide to campfire safety and etiquette.
How to cook safely instead
Cook outside, in the open air, well away from the tent, and the danger disappears. This is the whole solution, and it works in the rain too. The key points:
- Cook in the open air only. Never under an awning, in a porch or in any enclosed space, even with a door unzipped. A porch is still a confined space and gas still collects there
- Keep well clear of the tent. Set up at least a couple of metres from fabric, guy lines and anything flammable, so a flare-up or a knock cannot reach the tent
- Use a stable, level surface. A proper camping table or firm flat ground stops the stove tipping. Never balance a stove on a wobbly chair or your lap
- Give it ventilation. Open air is the best ventilation there is, which is exactly why you cook outside
- Never bring a cooling barbecue inside. Let it burn out completely outdoors, then bin it in metal. Do not store it in the porch to deal with in the morning
- Never use a stove or heater for warmth in a tent. If you are cold, use a better sleeping bag, a liner and layers, not a naked flame
A portable carbon monoxide alarm is a cheap and worthwhile thing to carry, especially if you use an awning, a trailer tent or a campervan. Clip one where you sleep, check it before each trip, and treat it as a backstop rather than permission to bend the rules. The rule stays the same with an alarm fitted: cooking happens outside.
Getting the right kit makes cooking outside genuinely easy rather than a chore, even when the weather turns. Our guides to essential tools for campsite cooking and the best camping stoves for families cover stoves, windshields and shelters that let you cook safely in the rain without ever bringing a flame indoors.
Quick reference: what is safe and what is not
| Situation | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Gas stove inside the sleeping area | Never. Fire and carbon monoxide risk |
| Gas stove in a closed porch or awning | Never. A porch is still an enclosed space |
| Disposable barbecue inside for cooking | Never. Serious carbon monoxide risk |
| Cooling or spent barbecue brought in for warmth | Never. It gives off carbon monoxide for hours |
| Gas or fuel heater to keep warm in a tent | Never. Carbon monoxide builds up as you sleep |
| Gas lantern left burning in a closed tent | No. Any flame in an enclosed tent is a risk |
| Stove on a firm table, in the open, clear of the tent | Safe. This is the correct way to cook |
When you are choosing where to stay, look for a site with sensible cooking areas, wind shelter and space between pitches. You can compare options across the country in the Camping Sites in Britain directory.
Frequently asked questions
Can you use a gas stove in a tent porch?
No. A porch or awning is still an enclosed space, and carbon monoxide collects there just as it does inside the main tent. Unzipping a door is not enough ventilation. Always cook in the open air, clear of the tent.
Is a disposable barbecue safe in a tent?
No, never. A disposable barbecue produces carbon monoxide while lit and keeps releasing it for hours after the flames die, even once the coals look grey and cold. UK campers have died bringing a cooling barbecue into a tent for warmth.
What are the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning?
Headache, dizziness, nausea, drowsiness, breathlessness and confusion. Symptoms often ease in fresh air and return indoors, and several people or pets in the same tent may feel ill at once. Get out, get fresh air and call 999.
Why can't you cook inside a tent if you leave a door open?
Because an open door does not clear carbon monoxide fast enough, and a spilled pan or knocked stove can set fabric alight with no quick escape. Only the open air removes both risks, so cooking always belongs outside.
Is it safe to use a heater inside a tent?
Any heater that burns gas, paraffin or other fuel produces carbon monoxide and must never be used in a tent, awning or campervan while you sleep. If you are cold, use a warmer sleeping bag, a liner and extra layers instead.
Do I need a carbon monoxide alarm for camping?
A portable carbon monoxide alarm is a cheap, worthwhile backstop, especially in awnings, trailer tents and campervans. It is not a substitute for the rule, though. You still cook outside in the open air every time, alarm or no alarm.
The short version
Cooking inside a tent risks two deaths in one: carbon monoxide poisoning from any burning fuel, and fire in a fabric box with no way out. Both are entirely avoidable. Cook in the open air, well away from the tent, on a stable surface, and never bring a stove, barbecue or heater indoors, not even a cooling one.
Get the rest of your cooking setup right with our guide to campfire cooking essentials, and find a campsite that suits you in the Camping Sites in Britain directory.
