Best tent heater?

[Corey]

Hmmmmm
Able2 Sho-Me - 3 Accessory Lighter Plug Outlet Box from SWPS.com

I think I may order one of these too.

If I use it, I can always sell those four Radio Shack ones I ordered.

I may get a chance again Sunday to pop open the tent and see if there is any good place to mount something like this.

 

[68LC]

Put out the bucks for a real good sleeping bag and pad - best for quick/light weekend trips. For extended stays (hunting, fishing, drinking etc..), use a tent with wood burning stove. If you can't be comfortable, be somewhere else!

 

[Bogo]

My local Shack was out of the above a few weeks back, but they had a dual or tripple plastic gizmo with outlets and 6' of 12v wire and a cig plug.
I could just cut off the cig plug and take my new wire and hook it up to it.

I did that in the cab of my mini truck. I have it mounted to the side of the plastic column in front of the stick shift. Radio Shack has a 4 outlet to cigarette lighter plug box. One outlet is able to handle high current/tempos for the lighter. The other three are low current. They don't fuse it other than a 10A in the plug.

Digi-Key Corporation - USA Home Page has the plugs and sockets. Search for [STRIKE]cigarette[/STRIKE] "auto socket" or "auto plug" and they will come up.

 

[Corey]

I did order these online yesterday.
12VDC Car Power Accessory Outlet - RadioShack.com

And I just found these on Amazon, and could not pass them up, I ordered three of them.
They might be nicer than the ones I just ordered from the Shack.
Amazon.com: Marine Grade Cigarette Lighter Socket 12 VDC: Electronics

 

[Bogo]

From DigiKey:
Digi-Key - AS212-ND (MPD (Memory Protection Devices) - AS212)
$2.66 each. Orders under $25 are charged a handling fee. Otherwise they charge actual shipping only. You will be able to find hookup wire, split looms, spiral looms, heat shrink tubing, crimps, etc. at DigiKey.

 

[Corey]

That is a great deal, cheaper than Amazon.

 

[titanpat57]

Did you figure a way to get out of the tent with the wire leads to the battery? How about a place inside the tent to mount the box that the wires and plugs go into?

Dont worry about finding a box that's the exact size you need....If I have to, I'll make you one out a material that's called "azak", a nice pvc product that can be shaped and glued in just about any configuration

 

[Corey]

Pat, for now all the wires such as the 12v overhead light just exit out the bottom of the left side tent door.

What I was kind of wanting to do was have a box with a vertical lip going down from it, then a horizontal lip that could be tucked under the mattress pad.
There is not really much room inside.

You can see here in this pic kind of what I am talking about.
That is where the wires exit for the battery, and a box there with the angles on it could anchor to the mattress pad.

That would be cool if you could design a box for that.

 

[titanpat57]

OK..Got it..I think...lol

I'm not sure what your skill level is...but I have this stuff lying around (scraps) from various jobs, and have no problem making you something to work. This product comes in 3/4" or 1" thickness..but I can cut it down to 1/2" if need be.

So shoot me a scymatic or plan of a size you have in mind, and we can go from there. I'm assuming you want to make connections inside the box itself to hook up the two outlets, and obviously you'll have to have enough room to tighten the power outlets down.

The more detail the better (side, top, isometric views)

Thanks, Pat

 

[Corey]

I would think something like 6" wide, 3.5" tall, and 3" deep should handle two of these?

They do not list dimensions for the plugs.

Yes, it should have a removable back on it to make the wiring connections, and perhaps a single outlet on the side for the 12 gauge wire I bought to come out of it.

The guy who reviewed these at the Amazon site said he drilled a 1 1/8" hole for them.

I have this Google SketchUp app I downloaded a few months back, but I have never played with it before until now, and I will tell you, I such as 3D modeling apps

But you can see in the picture the box with two plugs on it, then the vertical plate coming down that would need to be a little more than the 3" mattress, and then the horizontal plate that would be the stabilizer to hold it steady anchored under the mattress pad.

I am thinking that is the only place in the tent to put the box.
Unless it could be mounted each time to the crank arms when setup?

 

[titanpat57]

Just a few more dimensions Corey...the size of the crank arm bars (they look like 1" x 1" sq. tubing?) and the heigth, width, and depth of the blanket controller.

Thanks, Pat

 

[Bogo]

Did you figure a way to get out of the tent with the wire leads to the battery? How about a place inside the tent to mount the box that the wires and plugs go into?

Dont worry about finding a box that's the exact size you need....If I have to, I'll make you one out a material that's called "azak", a nice pvc product that can be shaped and glued in just about any configuration

Interesting stuff.

I'd still go with a project box. Something in plastic and sealed. My Digikey link in my previous post has a link to drawings that give all the dimensions for the Memory Protection Devices auto socket part. A box like this can handle 4 of the MPD auto sockets. Put the sockets on the lid or the sides. On the lid will require right angle fast on connectors. Being transparent you can see if it gets water in it.

 

[Corey]

Pat, a friend of mine is going to hook me up with an electrical box from Lowes, and we will try that out.
Thanks for the offer on this though.

 

[esh]

And now.... cooling too!

This pad can heat or cool, based on the peltier thermoelectric effect.

Sleep Cool in your bed, Sleep Warm in your bed the ChiliPad way

saw it on an expo thread.

 

[Bogo]

And now.... cooling too!

This pad can heat or cool, based on the peltier thermoelectric effect.

Sleep Cool in your bed, Sleep Warm in your bed the ChiliPad way

saw it on an expo thread.

Simple water tubes in the actual sleeping pad. External unit with pump and peltier heat pump.

When cooling I'd think it would have condensation problems. People give off allot of evaporated moisture over night.

 

[tetonguy]

I am pretty late to this post but here is my two cents. I live in Jackson Hole so I think I know my fair share about cold. There are several easy thing you can do to stay warm at night. First off a zero degree sleeping bag should't cost you more than $50-70 if you buy it in July. Second invest is some poly underwear like bergulund or you can get some at an Army surplus store for about $20 for a top or bottom. Third eat some carbs before bed --not beer! and maybe drink soemthing warm. You can also get some $1.00 hand warmer packs (Sams sells them by them box) they generate heat for about 8hours and a 5 year supply will cost less than what you seem to be planning on spending. Lastly go to a hunting store and get one of those sit on and warm pads. They are light and will generate enough heat to warm your sleeping bag. Get a mummy bag and a poly hoodie and you should never be cold. The best thing to do is to get climatized to cold -if you only feel 20 degree temps and below a few times a year you will NEVER get comfortable and alwys be operating at a physical defict. We see this all the time with hunters who fly in for 3 -5 day elk hunts in the fall. Whining about the cold for the first 3-4 days then in a t shirt with us by the end of the hunt.

 

[Owyhee Jackass]

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.

I agree. I just added a Thunder Mountain wood stove to my tent. Kicks the $hit out of the Mr. Heater. I think it all depends on the size of tent you're trying to heat. The Mr. Heater just didn't cut it in our large tent.

I had up to 80 degrees in there the night before last, when the wind was blowing and it was below freezing outside.

Dan

 

[land crusher]

I have a Riley stove. Simple, packs up small (legs and stove pipe fit inside), light, inexpensive.

Riley Stove, Riley Stoves,Amigo Riley Stove

 

[cbmontgo]

Well, it is probably my duty to follow up on this thread since I started it a few months back.

I bought a Mr. Heater and have used it for camping and hunting this year in Colorado. I have been completely impressed with the reliability and safety of this thing. I use it in my Mombasa RTT and it heats the whole tent up in about a minute. There is nothing like waking up when it is 10 degrees outside and just reaching over and hitting the ignition button. By the time I crawl out of my sleeping bag, it is TOASTY, if not HOT in the tent.

Thanks everyone for the input. The Mr. Heater was the solution I needed.

 

[Chaldaean]

...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.

x2

The catalytic heaters work well for small spaces and I've left them on all night while sleeping with no trouble.

I do make sure that it's sitting on a stable platform to guard against knocking it over (I know for a fact that it can melt nylon , not sure what materials it can ignite) and I also keep a battery powered carbon monoxide alarm (bought at Home Depot for $20) in the tent; just for peace of mind.