Fire Extinguishers for Off-road and Camping

Whether it be in your home, vehicle, or in your campsite fires can be devastating and extremely dangerous.  If you are living out of your vehicle or a weekend warrior, having a fire extinguisher is a wise choice to protect loved ones, pets, yourself, and what you have invested in. Fires in the back-country can spread and have enormous unintended consequences.  The are deadly, costly, and strain resources to combat them.

Additionally, if your vehicle were to catch fire and burn completely, would you have any gear available to sustain yourself until you could get assistance or wait until help came? 

About a year ago I watched a gentlemen have his Jeep burn to the ground as he filmed it. This is not a judgment of his response. His calmness, demeanor, and thought process I believe have great value at how to handle an emergency.  The gentlemen thought about how can I stop this and if I can’t; what do I need before it is all gone. 

Watch Jeep Wrangler Catches Fire Video

My stomach sank watching that video. How much time, money, and energy went into his build? I know how much has went into mine… It gave me some solace I kept a couple of fire extinguishers in my vehicle. 

What type of fire extinguisher should you have? It depends. 

There are five types of fire extinguishers. Each fire type is designed to extinguish different fires. Guardian fire protection services have a nice shareable info-graphic to show the different types. 

Looking at the info-graphic you see multiple types you might need. Generally you will likely see types A, B, & C and possibly K. 

There are multipurpose fire extinguishers which are B-C or A-B-C. 

It would be best to carry a multipurpose ABC fire extinguisher. This single fire extinguisher can handle most small fires types. 

If you are cooking inside a camper or around your vehicle you might consider purchasing a K type fire extinguisher for dealing with kitchen fires. 

Fire extinguishers should be kept where you can easily access them. 

There is a easy acronym to remember how to use fire extinguishers. 

P- Pull the pin. 

A- Aim low. 

S- Squeeze the lever slowly and consistently.

S- Sweep the spray from side to side. 

Remember to make sure to check you fire extinguishers regularly for proper pressure levels, keep them clean of debris and dirt, maintain them to be mechanically sound, and never blocked fire extinguishers from access in case of an emergency. 

Plan, Prep, Explore