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 Topic: Camp fire beneath a tarp
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18/9/2015 at 12:03am
Location: London
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I'm hoping the DSG can help out here, but all advice welcome. Various threads suggest a fire beneath a tarp is a great way to keep warm in deep winter. I'm interested to know whether (and if so how) it can be done without getting killed.
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18/9/2015 at 12:20am
Location: Sheffield
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Very small fire, very high tarp??
Seriously, rather than have a blazing fire I use my little folding BBQ sometimes just for warmth. It is low to the ground and of course there are no flames licking up. You just need to be vigilant for sparks especially if the tarp is not very fire retardant.
Post last edited on 18/09/2015 00:43:03
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18/9/2015 at 12:41am
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...and well away from the tent.
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18/9/2015 at 7:52am
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Tarp made of fire retardant canvas & you will be ok provided your eyes can stand the smoke. Obviously something to prevent the heat being lost upwards will keep you a bit warmer but all you are doing here is creating an atmosphere for a bit of fun, if its not working for you, you will know soon enough.
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18/9/2015 at 9:57am
Location: anywhere but here
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Tim, definately no need to die when using a fire under a tarp, either from carbon monoxide or burns  . At the combined DSG , Nutters meet at Glencoe in February, there were at least 15 of us under tarp city with no fatalities ......
The tarp will trap the heat keeping it cosy underneath but surprisingly little heat reaches the tarp itself, even with a roaring fire and the tarp just above head height, so no danger of it catching fire.
Over zealous use of the pokey stick, or big gusts of wind can cause sparks to rise but you do need a bit of an inferno for them to cause even an occasional pinhole in the tarp , or trouser leg
Even when camping on my own, I use the tarp/ fire combination, attaching the tarp to my tent at about 4 feet high and having a small fire in a firepit under it . It keeps me cosy in the couple of hours before bed especially in conjunction with a windbreak.
Only really one way to find out Tim.......come to Gimme Shelter next Friday for the latest Nutty Squirreler meet .......you know you want to 
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Zymocenosilicaphobia-excessive fear of an empty beer glass
' When I die, I will return to seek the moments I did not live by the sea'
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18/9/2015 at 10:53am
Location: wirral
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I can't wait for Gimme. Tarp/ fire works excellent at the meet. Very toasty indeed, I did not feel cold. We had rain, hailstones and snow.
There should be photos somewhere on the forum Tim.
Kiln dried wood is really good. Also used compressed logs.
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New Year: Hesketh Bank
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18/9/2015 at 7:21pm
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The tarp is mainly there to keep the rain off but it also reflects back some of the heat and keeps things cosy. You want to be able to stand up under it so it's going to be well above the fire. Just make sure it is tied and guyed securely so that it doesn't fall into the fire. I've never seen anything worse than the occasional pinhole from a stray spark. Wind will do more damage to your tarp than the fire will.
Some photos here.
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Sarah
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18/9/2015 at 10:05pm
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Tim, have a look at the photos, they will give you an idea of how high to pitch your tarp and how big you should have your fire.
I go through about 1 tarp every 18 months or so but at 35 quid a pop, its well worth it for the warm and dry conditions they generate. Much better than sitting in a tent. The damage to be expected from it is an ever increasing but interesting array of pinholes and a good layer of coal tar build up. The former gives rise to the game of "dodge the drips" and the later provides no end of mirth when a baldy guy brushes his head against the tarp (even funnier if you dont tell him when we go to the pub!)
Just be careful in high wind as the tarp can flail about alarmingly close to the oxygenated fire. Dont expect to die unless you are three sheets to the wind and take a nose dive into the flames.
As I have said many times, I camp at least once a month, every month and in all the years I have been camping I have only ever managed to damage one tent, big deal! To me it just wouldnt be camping without the fire
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Jim
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19/9/2015 at 10:21am
Location: Cumbernauld Scotland
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Can only say I don't think I would be able to go camping year round without the use of a tarp over a fire and the company who gather to sit round it...
Primary use of tarp is of course to protect you from adverse weather...IE wind and rain so setting one up requires a bit of forethought(Prevailing wind direction etc)But it is amazing the heat generated under a tarp in the immediate area around the fire....And no one is talking bonfire night proportions here!!!!
One tip I would give is....Pay attention to the clothes you wear around the fire...Something you don't mind getting a bit whiffy(Smokey)or the odd burn hole in...
I think I may be the auld baldy guy referred to above...To combat the sooty/tar deposit on my napper/hat I now take what I call my "Tarp hat" Which I use when under the tarp(When I remember to use it???)
I was up in Glencoe on my own the other week sat round the fire with a tarp over it...Campfires going all over the site (More than I have ever seen before)Other campers had tarps up over the fire...But most did not...The number of folk(Without tarps) around me who came over to ask where I got my tarp and wanted a look to see how I had set it up was amazing leading me to believe there is an upsurge in interest for this technique of fire/tarp combo as the year draws to a close and the weather starts to chill...
Bad or good weather I think the 10mins taken to erect a tarp over a fire is time well spent..Is a good focal point for gathering round...Be that in a group or by yourself....
As I said at the beginning.....I don't think I would go camping year round if I had no fire to sit round of an evening....As I don't use EHU...Have none of the leccy gadgets (TV etc)I think I would go a bit stir crazy sat in a tent for 4-5 hrs before bed....As it is my tent is really just a place to sleep in...The fire pit lit or unlit is a place outwith the tent where I can sit and enjoy company or the sights and sounds around me....
Jelboy.
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Campers of the storm,Into this world are born
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20/9/2015 at 4:58pm
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Thank you all for this really helpful advice, the pics, and to thebiz for the kind invitation to the Nutty Squirrelers' meet at Gimme Shelter. Alas I'll be on a stag do in Exeter that week end. We're off to Secret Garden in Wisbech mid October & will get to fire / tarp there. Reckon I'll be using my old Decathlon tarp (and a 'tarp hat'!) rather than the shiny, shiny new Tatonka.
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20/9/2015 at 7:56pm
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Mmm good call, though I think I'll be sampling a big Islay malt - got some cask strength Bowmore which should be just right for the conditions.
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20/9/2015 at 10:27pm
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Ooer, I feel a road trip to Islay coming on for next year!
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Jim
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