Just got back from a weekend camping with the new basic set up, we have a Regatta kivu 4 vis-à-vis tent, no porch on this model, don’t know too much about tarps etc but also don’t want anything bulky, I found our suitcase stove was on full for over an hour and due to wind wouldn’t boil the kettle, used a whole canister of canpingaz!
You could consider having a separate utility tent for cooking purposes, which may be easier to put up and it can stay up all the time, providing the site allows such a tent, either without incurring a surcharge, or at a small price.
You could also consider rigging a tarp over the entrance using a ridge line method and karabina for ease of removal, plus a windbreak on one side.
Personally, I would not recommending having a tarp up unattended including overnight, unless I can be certain of reasonable weather with light winds, having learnt from past experience first hand.
I would not recommend a gazebo as I nearly lost mine along with my first ever tent due to high winds. A Coleman Event Shelter is a much better alternative.
DK :))
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I think a separate tent a bit OTT for us, just a simple canopy and wind break probably be the way to go. In the end I was naughty and ended up boiling the kettle in the tent on a table, took about 5 mins to boil , Thanks for reply
I've used a fishing brolly with zipped side panels in wet/windy weather with my pop-up tent. I can sit inside it whilst cooking and yet it folds down when not in use. Also takes up little space in the car.
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It really isn't "naughty" to use a stove in the lobby area between the bedrooms. Perfectly sensible as long as you are.
The alternative if you have a hatchback is to use the boot of the car. Its what we do when we make a brew whilst touring and we saw someone cooking up a one pot meal in a car park using this method.
As a minimum you need a cooker windshield, otherwise when outside, as you have found, even the gentlest of breezes just blows all the heat away from the pans and wastes gas and prolongs the cooking/heating process, at the extreme cooking/heating just doesn't happen at all and the flame is often repeatedly blown out! A tarp may keep the rain off you but it isn't that much of a windbreak, you need something closer fitting around the cooker, or more enclosing like the fishing umbrella mentioned.
The exact model windshield isn't that important, and obviously needs to suit your cooker type/size, don't overlook that you need to reach pot handles, so a too tall totally enclosing one is a real handicap!
Most tents/shelters etc. are only flame retardant at best, that only means they stop burning when initiating flame is removed, it doesn't mean they won't catch fire in the first place! One of the reasons why cooking inside is considered a no no, the other has to be mentioned, and of course is the risk of Carbon Monoxide (CO) Poisoning from a flame in a un-ventilated enclosed space. Any cooker in a fabric shelter needs to be well clear of the fabric on all sides and even more so above.
The sides are angled to make more of a square set up and the "roof" is only used if it's raining.
When I've finished cooking I cover the whole lot up with a BBQ cover and bungee.
No need to keep moving everything out of the tent and it usually offers adequate wind protection unless it's so windy that you don't want to be outside anyway!
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Topic: Shelter for cooking
via mobile 14/9/2021 at 8:24am
