Heaters for bigger tents?

2050 Views 10 Replies 6 Participants Last post by Ratdog68, 2 mo ago

Gregory Wilson

Discussion Starter · Apr 3, 2020

Greetings, guys

Would like to ask which heater do you use for your six (and more) person tents (for weather swings from mid 20's at night with some gusty winds in the 30mph range so probably wind chill down below 20)? I have looked at some Coleman heaters, but they are not saying if ok inside a tent, so I have also looked at Mr. Heater Portable Buddy Heater. They say it is safe for tents, but I am little hesitant because of CO yet my tent has big mesh screens.

Has anyone used these or have other suggestions to keep inside of tent warm at night?

And need to mention, that we already have nice sleeping bags + fleece blankets, so only heater is needed.

Not in hurry with the current situation. Still would like to get a piece of advice.

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Gregory Wilson

Discussion Starter · #2 · Apr 6, 2020

Gregory Wilson said:
Greetings, guys

Would like to ask which heater do you use for your six (and more) person tents (for weather swings from mid 20's at night with some gusty winds in the 30mph range so probably wind chill down below 20)? I have looked at some Coleman heaters, but they are not saying if ok inside a tent, so I have also looked at Mr. Heater Portable Buddy Heater. They say it is safe for tents, but I am little hesitant because of CO yet my tent has big mesh screens.

Has anyone used these or have other suggestions to keep inside of tent warm at night?

And need to mention, that we already have nice sleeping bags + fleece blankets, so only heater is needed.

Not in hurry with the current situation. Still would like to get a piece of advice.

Bump ^

I did some more searching online, and I can't find a case where something went wrong with a propane heater as long as these two conditions were met:

1) The space where the heater is used is properly vented (technically not a requirement for propane heaters, but it helps manage the condensation build up)
2) The propane tank is kept outside the space being heated

Looks like I'm leaning toward the small Mr. Heater (MH9BX). Seems like the best compromise on size/weight and heat output.

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crawford

· #3 · Apr 9, 2020

I have the mr buddy 19,000 btu's best for me my wife likes to be warm at best cold feet on my back won't work LOL

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boisetree

· #4 · Jul 2, 2020

Coleman makes a fantastic buddy heater!
www.boisetreeservicepros.com

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ppine

· #5 · 2 mo ago

A wood stove is best. A propane heater like a LIttle Buddy adds some heat. Just don't run it when you are asleep.

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Ratdog68

· #6 · 2 mo ago

Additionally, be mindful that a byproduct of a propane heater is moisture. Nothing heats like wood.

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Happy Joe

· #7 · 2 mo ago (Edited)

After dealing with the soot, sparks and dirt inherent in wood heat and the moisture from unvented propane heaters;
I no longer try to heat tents for extended periods (overnight) I normally just use an adequate sleeping bag for the temperatures. but also usually have a source of temporary heat available in the tent ; both to make entering and leaving the sleeping bag more comfortable and in case of visitors with thin blood...

Product Fluid Liquid Bottle Camera accessory

Cheap stove based/fired heater for (very) temporary use.

Enjoy!

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ppine

· #8 · 2 mo ago

The answer really is a good sleeping bag. When you are awake you can worry about trying to heat your tent.

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Happy Joe

· #9 · 2 mo ago

ppine said:
The answer really is a good sleeping bag. When you are awake you can worry about trying to heat your tent.

I agree on the good (layered/temperature adjustable) sleeping bag and also use appropriate (layered/temperature adjustable) clothing when awake.

I have a long running (pun intended) problem with cold feet at night; the solution is a fake fur bath mat (wallymart) on the floor it eases the initial shock of late night relief trips and, if the night turns very cold, it keeps my toes warm when thrown over the foot of the sleeping bag..

Enjoy!

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Happy Joe

· #10 · 2 mo ago

Ratdog68 said:
Additionally, be mindful that a byproduct of a propane heater is moisture. Nothing heats like wood.

Unfortunately all organic combustion seems to emit water, as a byproduct, including wood.

This is one of the biggest downsides to vent-less heaters, including the often mentioned "Buddy" heaters, IMO; I found that I I could adequately heat a 12 x12 tent with a vent-less propane (not "buddy") heater but the condensation resulted in an internal rain from the condensation. however: when all was said and done it was/is simply easier to use a good sleeping bag. and leave the assorted heating eqiipment (burner/stove), chimney sections, spark arrester, along with the rather large propane tanks, at home with the chain saw. The propane effectively eliminates most of the dirt/soot & 3:00A.M. feeding issues some times associated with wood.

By venting the heater with an outside exhaust the condensation problem was eliminated.. (fortunately the tent came with a stove jack so it was not necessary to make a hole).

Personally I feel that if a heater is a "must have" the ease of use. low pollution, and cleanliness, not to mention safety of vented propane heaters makes them a viable (if expensive) choice.

There have been attempts at moving the combustion outside of the the tent and using pumped water/antifreeze, or just hot air piped to an internal radiator to heat tents... some more successful than others.

Enjoy!

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Ratdog68

· #11 · 2 mo ago (Edited)

Some of the new diesel heaters can be run outside and just use flexible drier hose to pipe the warm air inside. I've seen guys build snazzy little cases for them to use. With the new style of mountable/rectangular fuel tanks, a guy can have a convenient/compact heating system to take/use just about anywhere (so long as we're talking having conveyance). "Simple Living Alaska" YouTube channel has one that "Eric" fabbed up which turned out pretty nice.

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