Best tent heater? (1 Viewer)

[cbmontgo]

I've had some cold nights in the Rockies in my rooftop tent (even during the summer) and would like suggestion on how you guys keep your tents warm. Anyone used this Mr. Heater product? I've heard it is safe to use in a tent, but I just don't see how. Seems like anything that burns fuel (propane in this case) would emit harmful fumes.

I've never actually used a tent heater in many years of camping, but I am taking my family on trips more and more often and am beefing up the "creature comforts".

 

[D'Animal]

I have one of those I use in my shop when it is cold.

In a tent, I would not worry about the funes as much as the heat. Those things really put out the heat.

 

[cbmontgo]

I have one of those I use in my shop when it is cold.

In a tent, I would not worry about the funes as much as the heat. Those things really put out the heat.

Yeah, that is a good point. It seems like it could also be a fire hazard if a blanket or something touched the ceramic part?

 

[kennyfj40]

This seems to be a pretty popular subject. If you do a search in this part of the forum, you should find lots of info. After reading through a lot of posts, I opted for the 12 volt bunk warmer made for semi-truck drivers. I did use one of the cheaper 12 volt car blankets on a timer that did OK but was not large enough to spread over the full length of my RTT.
Others have suggested the Zodi tent heater. It looks like their water heater with vent tubes that go into the tent while the heater unit sits outside. There is a 12volt fan that circulates the air over the heating unit and many have reported that if the 12 volt power runs out the units will "melt down".
I have used the heater you have pictured in a tent before, but it was a very large tent and we placed it on a cooler in the middle of the tent well away from anything that would burn and left the windows open enough for good ventelation.

 

[John Galt]

Best tent heater by far:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/163/335373037_699ed6bfe0.jpg?v=0

 

[knoll0351]

Hells yea!!

 

[rsc71]

I need one of those!!

Best tent heater by far:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/163/335373037_699ed6bfe0.jpg?v=0

 

[cbmontgo]

This seems to be a pretty popular subject. If you do a search in this part of the forum, you should find lots of info. After reading through a lot of posts, I opted for the 12 volt bunk warmer made for semi-truck drivers. I did use one of the cheaper 12 volt car blankets on a timer that did OK but was not large enough to spread over the full length of my RTT.
Others have suggested the Zodi tent heater. It looks like their water heater with vent tubes that go into the tent while the heater unit sits outside. There is a 12volt fan that circulates the air over the heating unit and many have reported that if the 12 volt power runs out the units will "melt down".
I have used the heater you have pictured in a tent before, but it was a very large tent and we placed it on a cooler in the middle of the tent well away from anything that would burn and left the windows open enough for good ventelation.

What is your power source for the 12V? I don't ever want to run the risk of losing a battery when far from civilization.

 

[lingo]

I used a Mr. Heater like the one pictured while I was in Montana back in Oct. It was just my dad and myself in a large 6 man tent, the heater but out way too much heat even on the low setting. The other problem I had was the heater did something to the air in the tent that caused me to have sinus problems.

 

[bigndn]

Hands down, the best tent heater ever. No need to worry about your battery, either. Just have to find a fuel supply.......usually not a big deal.

 

[kennyfj40]

I have my RTT mounted to my m416 trailer with a deep cycle battery. I ran the 12volt blanket for a couple hours at night and then again in the morning for about an hour. I ran the blanket, water pump and portable tv for a 4 day/3 night camping trip and did not run the battery all the way down. I would not want to run it from the cruiser battery unless you had a dual battery set up.

 

[cbmontgo]

I have my RTT mounted to my m416 trailer with a deep cycle battery. I ran the 12volt blanket for a couple hours at night and then again in the morning for about an hour. I ran the blanket, water pump and portable tv for a 4 day/3 night camping trip and did not run the battery all the way down. I would not want to run it from the cruiser battery unless you had a dual battery set up.

That is a cool idea, and I didn't realize that you can run a deep cycle battery for that long. Maybe I need to get one of those for my CDN 101.

 

[kennyfj40]

I have not had a chance to try the bunk warmer to see how long it will run on the deep cycle battery. I'll put a full charge on the battery and run a test to see how long it will power the warmer and post the results.
I also added 2 15watt solar panels to help give a little recharge on the battery during the day. I have had the trialer out camping several times, the longest being the 4 days/3 nights and always had power to run everything.

 

[Niner]

My father has a cpap machine for sleeping this will run 6-9 hours a night for 5 days without a recharge.

 

[lingo]

I have been thinking about this since my last post. I think the best tent heater is a good dog.

 

[cbmontgo]

I have been thinking about this since my last post. I think the best tent heater is a good dog.

Great point!

 

[hedonist]

tent heater

the mr. heaters work great. they are safe and have a low oxygen shut off. this also means that they are hard to get going, sometimes impossible at high elevation (above 8,000 ft.). if there is not enough room in your tent to keep it away from blankets etc. only use it before bed and in the morning but dont run it all night.the coleman catalytic heaters work well for smaller tents as well, especially at high elevation (no oxygen shut off) and i have run them all night with no trouble.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

I'll echo hedonist's comments (we've both used our Mr. Heaters on the same freezing cold trips ). I was camping two weekends back in temperatures hovering around zero (F), the Mr Heater made life more than bearable. I turn it on ~10 minutes before I climb into the tent, let it get the bags and mattress warm and toasty and then for a few minutes after I'm in my bag. If I go to bed warm, I usually stay warm all night. Go to bed cold and you never seem to warm up. Then, in the morning I turn it on for a few minutes before I crawl out of bed. Nothing like changing into warm clothes in a warm tent when its 5* out

 

[wct49]

we used our Mr. Heater at katempcy last year when it was real cold. They did not work well. We had three in our group and we all had problems. They would not work at all on high.

we thought maybe the propane tanks froze up.

 

[cbmontgo]

Well, it sounds like the Mr. Heater may not be an option. I appreciate the input.