Tent Heaters

[Kehle]

I don't have one, but want to get one. Any recommendations or warnings on a certain type or brand? 

My tent is rather small. I'm sure it says it sleeps four, but really it only sleeps two comfortably. I need something for use in tight spaces. Tent is big enough to make a little room for one so long as I don't have to leave it on overnight.

Thanks.

[Pedlar]

Kehle,

If you have electrical hookups where you camp, a small plug in heater is best and safest.  For a small tent you'll want one with a setting well under 1000 watts or a thermostat that actually works.

If you don't have electricity, propane is usually the easiest option.  One of the small catalytic heaters will work.  I have one, about 1500 btu, without the low oxygen shutoffs and use it occasionally.  Those with the shutoffs are usually larger.  Most of the time I use a propane lantern and single burner stove when I get up in the morning.  The combination will heat a tent in short order.  I don't leave ANY heater on while I'm sleeping.  I'm pretty cautious about carbon monoxide.

The bad thing is that propane produces water vapor as burns.  This, combined with moisture in your breath, can lead to some pretty damp and nasty conditions.

Zodi has some tent heaters that are outside of the tent and use a battery operated fan with a clothes dryer type duct.

http://www.trailmasteroutdoors.com/products/index.php?type=73

There was a warm air heater with a battery powered fan similar to the water heater pictured at the top of the page  with ducts similar to the large tent heater pictured at the very bottom.  It is currently off the market.  I saw one of these in use and it was great.  It was used the warm a smallish curtained off sleeping area in an uninsulated 16' box truck at winter markets.  Really nice with no noticeable condensation.  The guy was using an adapter to use "gas grill" size tanks instead of the disposables.  Owner wouldn't sell it.  I did see a used one for sale at over twice retail.  From the FAQ it seems they are bringing this heater back:

"Q: Can you tell me why no one seems to carry the zodi hot vent heater anymore? They seem like a great idea and all the stores seem to be sold out and have no idea when they ay get more id ever.

A: They are coming back soon! I went into the ZODI offices just the other day and saw the new prototypes for them. Much improved and should be out in a few more months now."

They were roughly $150.

Pedlar

[Amyj]

We used a "Mr Heater" portable heater (I think it's actually called "Mr Buddy") that we got at Cabellas.  It's designed for indoor use and runs off those small cans of Coleman fuel.  Running on high it will last about 4-6 hours before you have to change the canister.  Saved our butts when we camped out in a pop-up at KCRF in weather that got to freezing at night!!!  It didn't make the pop-up toasty, but kept it comfortable enough to get outof bed and get changed without chattering teeth; so it should help keep a 2 man tent toasty!  They are about the size of a 12 pack...maybe a little larger...they have a tip-off switch so you could put it on top of a cooler in the tent....

[dfloyd888]

We used a "Mr Heater" portable heater (I think it's actually called "Mr Buddy") that we got at Cabellas.  It's designed for indoor use and runs off those small cans of Coleman fuel.  Running on high it will last about 4-6 hours before you have to change the canister.  Saved our butts when we camped out in a pop-up at KCRF in weather that got to freezing at night!!!  It didn't make the pop-up toasty, but kept it comfortable enough to get outof bed and get changed without chattering teeth; so it should help keep a 2 man tent toasty!  They are about the size of a 12 pack...maybe a little larger...they have a tip-off switch so you could put it on top of a cooler in the tent....

I saw them at a Wally World too, both the little ones that take one small propane canister and the larger one which takes two.  One note -- they do cause condensation, so it is something to be watchful for.

[Woodland Artisan]

I, too, use the Mr Heater Portable Buddy propane heater.  Very good for closer areas.  It does need ventilation (fresh air) for proper use both to reduce condensation and get efficient burn so crack a vent/window/seam.

I used it this past winter in South Dakota/Wyoming/Montana camping in a truck shell and it worked quite well.

[MorganaLightskirt]

I have the Mr Buddy as well, but mine is "indoor-safe"  I used it in addition to my fireplace(set it on the glass top coffee table!) and I was nice and toasty...Just make sure it's off when you retire for the evening.

[dfloyd888]

I'm probably necro-posting to this thread, but I've found the Mr. Heater Buddy series excellent, even in below-freezing temperatures.  Some caveats:

1:  Have *some* ventilation.  They are supposed to turn off it CO becomes too high, but I'm not trusting my life to a single sensor.  I've seen recommendations of 4 square inches or so of ventilation.  If one has a tent with a detachable rainfly, this helps things.  I bring a separate CO alarm that hangs in my tent.

2:  Set it away from your bed and anything flammable.  The ceramic catalytic element gets hot, and will burn/melt things.

3:  Have plenty of 1 pound LP gas canisters on hand, or use the kit that allows one to use the larger canisters placed outside the tent.  The 1 pound cylinders last a couple hours on high, about 4-5 hours on low.  On the Big Buddy, low will last through a night using both cylinders.

4:  Just for safety's sake, turn the heater off before going to bed.  Who knows if a lit fart in the middle of the night might cause a fire.

[Pascal]

I bought a couple of these candle/flower pot dealies (http://hackedgadgets.com/2009/10/16/terracotta-pot-candle-heater/) and plan to give them a try during Sherwood Forest Faire.

[dfloyd888]

How did the flower pot heat radiators work out?  I'm really curious about those myself.

[Pascal]

Well, they are pretty low-tech -- and they do get rather hot.  But, they're radiator-type heat only -- there's no forceful blower pushing out the hot air.  They did keep the inside of my vardo ... well, bearable -- I wouldn't go so far as to say "warm".  Still, they smelled good and didn't heat the vardo too much like my Coleman heater does.  Since the candles are pretty contained (sitting on a metal stand, standard 3-wick scented candle in a glass base, flower-pot on top), there isn't much risk from the flames.  I just made sure they were safely away from any hanging fabric and I felt comfortable.

I paid around $20 per heater; there's about $4.00 worth of pots/parts in each.  If you feel handy -- and you can come up with something comparable to the metal stand -- then it wouldn't be hard to build one yourself.

[nomad]

Anybody try using sterno?  I bet that would work.

[Gwen aka Punstergal]

Best tent heater: muscle-y scotsman named.. well, the name doesn't really matter, as long as he's hot-blooded and snuggly! Plus, if he knows how to fold his own kilt, you can undo it and use it for an extra blanket!!

[dreamwalker]

Mmmm...sounds great...I'm in the market for one of those at Faire Won't have to be alone in my little tent....