Open Flames

As it gets colder outside I am reminded of the visceral attraction that humans have to fire. Oh what a wonder to light a candle and see the warmth. On a cold night, the candle in my van doesn't stand a chance against the chill that comes through the metal, up through the floor and even through my R6 insulation. But I swear I can see the warmth. Warmth is something you should only feel. But I see the warmth in the candle and it makes me feel warmer immediately.
An open little flame becomes the smile you used to get from your mom when she called you in from ice hockey for fresh baked bread when it was 20 degrees below zero. There was no physical warmth, but somehow you felt warm.
I use bees wax candles nestled into gravel in a short  tin can. The can and rocks are stable. The candles don't tip over and you can always dispose of the hot matches in a safe place. The bees wax candles put off a very pleasant, mild aroma. I especially like it when I blow them out before retiring. The smell is comforting and makes me feel good. Normal paraffin candles stink so bad in this small area that I don't use them.

No serious BTUs coming from these tiny flames but the glow is mesmerizing and cozy feeling. You can see the top layer of R3 against the van sides. Two layers of this plus a reflective layer actually gives me about R7. Less than any home would require but helps tremendously here.

Morning is the coldest. My system for dealing with the unwelcoming chill that bites at every body part that emerges is as follows. I roll onto my left side. Reach my right arm out of the bag and press the ignite button on my propane, ceramic heater. For the thermocouple to heat up, which keeps the pilot lit, it takes about 30 seconds. That always seems the longest thirty seconds of my life. As soon as it stays lit I retract my arm and get warm again until the heater has emitted enough British Thermal Units to bring temperature to above freezing.

The radiant energy of this little heater is magic. It has a ceramic element that combusts very completely, all the gas it gets, produces a nice glow and puts out enough heat to make waking up bearable.

The last open flame that I use in my van is the cook stove. It is mostly used to heat the water that I mix with most of my meals.

This is a combo fuel of propane and iso-butane. The flame is very hot and the little canisters seem to never run out. The stove is designed for this kind of fuel. The threaded fitting on it won't even allow you to use just propane.

This heater heats up a half of pot of water to "very hot" in just about 5 minutes on medium. That's all the water i need to make my protein-oatmeal gruel, a cup of instant coffee. There is enough left in the pot that I can soak a wash clothe 2 or 3 times and get another wash up in. I wash 2x per day. At night I use the Oil of Olay clothes because I have no hot water left over at night, they are convenient and they contain soap and skin conditioners. They are quite soothing and refreshing. In the morning, the wash up with hot water just feels great. It makes you feel civilized.

I grew up camping and existing in the woods. Having open flames in small areas can be dangerous if you don't follow these golden rules.
One.  Have adequate fresh air flow. I run about 64 sq inches of open windows, cracked doors and vents.
Two. Never go to sleep, even for a minute, with an open flame burning. The CO will put you to sleep then you will die.
Three. Make sure there is some vent up high to vent off fumes.
Four. Make sure you have a safe place to put spent matches.
Five. MOST IMPORTANT! Make sure every flame is stable. You do not want an open flame getting knocked over. That could spell disaster.
Six. Keep a good fire extinguisher near at hand.

That's all for now, but remember, as a friend reminded me this morning:

"The truth is that it is natural, as well as necessary, for every man to be a vagabond occasionally"
Samuel H. Hammond