How to light a wood stove without petrol
Updated: October 2026
If the steel is already in front of you, how to light a wood stove depends on which stove it is. A 450 g rocket and a 9 kg tent stove do not start the same way, and neither one is a reason to cook in an ordinary tent. This page is that sequence, and the point where you stop. It does not rank the six listings. The [wood stove comparison](/hub/fireplaces-and-stoves/wood-stove) is the table. This page is from the Products Compared editorial team, using those UK reviews and GOV.UK fire-safety guidance. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission.
If the steel is already in front of you, how to light a wood stove depends on which stove it is. A 450 g rocket and a 9 kg tent stove do not start the same way, and neither one is a reason to cook in an ordinary tent.
If the steel is already in front of you, how to light a wood stove depends on which stove it is. A 450 g rocket and a 9 kg tent stove do not start the same way, and neither one is a reason to cook in an ordinary tent. This page is that sequence, and the point where you stop. It does not rank the six listings. The wood stove comparison is the table. This page is from the Products Compared editorial team, using those UK reviews and GOV.UK fire-safety guidance. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Weight | Fuel on card | Flue | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Ohuhu Ohuhu stainless rocket camping stove | 450 g | Wood; gas also listed | No | 8.5 | about £21.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  REDCAMP REDCAMP folding camping wood stove | 1,060 g | Wood | No | 7.2 | about £15.49 | View offer |
| Alternative |  unho unho hot tent stove with chimney | 9,100 g | Charcoal; wood listed | Seven-piece | 6.8 | about £116.99 | View offer |
On this page
What you do not light it with
Do not start it with petrol or paraffin. GOV.UK’s fire-safety note for outdoors, updated 25 May 2022 and written for England, says never to use petrol or paraffin to light a solid fuel stove. That covers these cook stoves and the tent stoves.
The same guidance says never to use a barbecue in a tent, under an awning or in a caravan. The Scouts’ line, as carried in our notes, bans a fuel burner in a tent or a vehicle.
Damp wood is the other false start. UK notes on the Ohuhu say it needs dry, small fuel. If the week is wet, a wood stove is the wrong tool for that morning.
A small cook stove on sticks
On the Ohuhu, reviewers describe a top-down burn once the stove is hot. One account uses dry twigs about 8 cm long, stacked so the flame works down the chamber. Tablets and a small burner also appear in the reviews, which fits a listing that says wood and gas powered.
Reviewers say anything underneath scorches, so grass or a plastic table is the wrong base. Use a non-combustible board or bare mineral soil.
The folding REDCAMP reviews are about a sharp edge, loose hinge pins and a thin grate. Keep your fingers off the opening. The Lixada clips into four walls, and reviewers cut themselves on the edges, so assemble it before you strike a match.
A tent stove is a different first burn
A new tent stove can still be coated. One UK reviewer of the JAOGAUS said to burn the paint off for about an hour with the tent open. Do the first hot burn where the fumes can leave. The ventilation field says vent free while the highlight names chimney pipes. Do not treat “vent free” as a reason to skip the flue.
In one UK review, creosote sat at the spark cap when the flue stayed cool. Glass in that set has cracked, including a gasket that let smoke out.
The unho stores pipes in the firebox. Guy ropes are in that box. The jack is not. If the tent has no jack, you do not have a place to light this stove.
When to stop
Stop if smoke spills into the space where people are, or if a carbon monoxide alarm sounds. Get people out, and leave the stove until you know why the smoke left the pipe. A blocked cap or a failed gasket is not fixed by adding wood.
Stop if the ground under a cook stove is burning, if a hinge pin has dropped into the fire, or if you are reaching for petrol because the wood is wet. Stop if the only shelter is an ordinary tent, an awning or a caravan. Let the steel cool before it goes in the bag, and let a tent stove cool before the pipes come apart. A hot pipe against canvas is how a successful boil becomes a hole.
Common questions
Can I start it with petrol?
No. GOV.UK says not to use petrol or paraffin to start a barbecue or to light a solid fuel stove. That applies to these cook stoves and to the tent stoves. If the twigs will not catch, use smaller dry wood and a proper starter. Liquid fuel is a flare, not a technique.
How do people light the small rocket on sticks?
Ohuhu reviewers describe a top-down burn: dry twigs about 8 cm long, stacked so the fire can work down the chamber, then a pot once it is hot. One reviewer boiled a medium kettle on pellets. Wind can still blow the flame out, and the pan will soot. The same notes call it a poor heater, so a good boil is not a warm tent.
What happens if the wood is damp?
The fire smokes, struggles, and invites the shortcut you should not take. The Ohuhu notes say it needs dry, small fuel. Do not pack the box with wet wood and then reach for petrol. If you cannot find dry fuel, use a stove that does not depend on the woodland, or wait.
How do I put it out and pack it?
Let the fire burn down and let the steel cool before it goes in the bag. The Ohuhu has an ash catcher. The Lixada does not. The unho bullets say to cool the tent stove before you pack the pipes. Hot ash in a mesh bag, or a hot pipe against canvas, is the failure after a successful light.
Should a new tent stove be lit in the tent first?
Not closed. One JAOGAUS reviewer said to burn the paint for about an hour with the tent open. That is one UK note, and other UK reviewers of that listing had not lit it. Do the first hot burn where fumes can leave. A closed shelter is the wrong room for curing paint.
Does a good light make it safe inside a tent?
No. A clean flame in an ordinary tent is still a barbecue in a tent, which GOV.UK says not to do. A flue stove is only a candidate in fire-retardant canvas with a stove jack, and even then you stop if smoke spills or an alarm sounds. Lighting skill does not replace the jack or the ban.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources used for the rules on this page, last retrieved on 15 October 2026.
- Smoke control area rules — GOV.UK (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Selling wood for domestic use in England — GOV.UK (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Commission Regulation (EU) 2015/1185 — legislation.gov.uk (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Consumer FAQs — HETAS (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Six log burner rules — HETAS (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Fire safety outdoors — GOV.UK (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Using stoves safely — Scouts (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Wildfire management — Cairngorms National Park (retrieved 15 October 2026)