Can’t think of a catchier title I’m afraid

Earlier in the week I headed into the forest for a coffee and took my stove to brew it myself. Just saw the forest are now advertising no BBQ nor fires and I’ve also saw a bikepacker/outdoors person saying they moved a few minutes away from the spot they were camping to light their stove (for fear of the dry ground around them).

I’ve not given it much thought about using a little gas stove when it’s bone dry, so question is Yay or Nay?


(Setup below was on a paving/brick slab so no danger of setting it alight)

I've only got one of the BB meths stoves and obviously that sits lower than these gas stoves. Last trip, I also waited till I'd moved away to a bit of gravel to avoid any issues. Plan is to add a small base to the bottom of the stove to make is more stable and reduce how close flames are to surrounding ground but even then I'd err on the side of caution.

I took a gas stove rather than a meths one on the Lakes Loop for this very reason. Even then I sat it away from vegetation - there happened to be a pile of milled timber so had somewhere stable to sit it. I did have the option of the gravel track as well.

The gas can would be cooling as the gas is used

Stoves where the heat is in direct contact with the ground are the issue, it's a matter of being sensible, disposable barbecue and glass bottles are the main issues out

Gas stoves are OK unless you knock it over....
I'm pretty careful with the BB meths stove when it's dry. I usually find a flat stone to sit it on (the stove bit is already siliconned to a bean tin lid which catches most of the stray meths)

Just a case of making sure there is no overhanging vegetation. Of more concern is tidying up after going to the loo. Normally I burn the toilet paper but I've had a few close shaves doing this (so to speak) so I always make sure I have plenty water handy.

The paper takes months less than your poo to decompose

Ahh OK. I've always burnt it on the basis that leaving paper in a hole seems a bit anathema. Oh well, I'll know next time!

Ahh OK. I've always burnt it on the basis that leaving paper in a hole seems a bit anathema. Oh well, I'll know next time!

Proper loo paper is designed to break up in water quite quickly to avoid sewer blockages, anything else will be more resilient up to the extreme of the older type of wet wipes

https://youtu.be/zf4UMqTHERI?si=ipJvTpPvUHj5Yedr

I always thought best practice was to pack it out with you.

(Albeit I've only ever had one wild poo, I've never found myself that far from facilities that I couldn't hold it in.)

Thanks all, sounds like it’s sensible enough to carry on with gas if using precautions

I've been using one of these insulated ground protectors (different sizes available) with my alcohol burner. Makes me less worried about using it on dry ground anyway.....

https://speedsterstoves.co.uk/combined- ... m-dia.html

Lazarus wrote: ↑Sat May 03, 2025 8:56 pm The paper takes months less than your poo to decompose

Not necessarily, unless you use specific biodegradable toilet paper.
https://ecofreek.com/biodegradable/is-t ... egradable/

In most cases, it can take as little as one month, perfect, right? Well, in the wrong conditions it could take anywhere in between one and three years for it to fully decompose.

And in the wrong conditions your poo.would still take longer than the paper.
The claim is toilet paper decomposes faster than poo. That link does not address that point.

I thought we were meant to poop in a bag and hang it in a tree like a dog walker?