It is pretty safe! The can never got warm, just stayed cool, not cold. What I like about the can vs. my Whisperlite with its outboard bottle, is it stays in a compact space and you can easily build a windbreak with natural materials. I have seen people suggest cooking in vestibules. I watched a tent burn up , a VE24 and all its very expensive contents destroyed, outside the Harvard Cabin on Mt. Washington. Luckily, the lone occupant scrambled out with a minor burn. Overdid the pumping and priming on his stove and it flared badly. It was very cold and windy, but I was happy with a windbreak around my stove to cook outside.