Tent heating ideas for winter camping? (1 Viewer)

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Ha. I was at Expo East as well. Live about 35 minutes from there. Drove through the campground looking for ideas and saw that. Except his Pelican case was yellow. Looked like he was happy with it.
 
I was at Expo East last week a dude in a Jeep had this mounted to his bumper...looked EXACTLY like this...plus you can get the heaters on fleabay for a little over 100 now. what I really like is the whole system is away from the tent...a lot less chance of anything going wrong inside.


These are available locally... For about $1700 CAD plus tax. I paid $230 shipped for a Chinese clone in a metal case.

Planar heaters are made in Russia and can be bought for about $400 CAD. These guys import them, add some ducting and switches, package them nicely in a pelican case and sell at the $1700 price. No thanks.

If my Chinese diesel clone ever fails, I'll have family in Russia buy the official Planar unit and ship it to me. It may be just end up a direct replacement.
 
These are available locally... For about $1700 CAD plus tax. I paid $230 shipped for a Chinese clone in a metal case.

Planar heaters are made in Russia and can be bought for about $400 CAD. These guys import them, add some ducting and switches, package them nicely in a pelican case and sell at the $1700 price. No thanks.

If my Chinese diesel clone ever fails, I'll have family in Russia buy the official Planar unit and ship it to me. It may be just end up a direct replacement.
Please provide a link for the $400 version, comrade. I’ve only seen them locally on marine sites for ~$1600 CAN.
I like the idea of having one but not for that price. Webasto makes an air top but again they are expensive and
from everyone I’ve talked to tend to be too hot!
 
1. expect condensation, plan for its "flow" and keep it from getting your bags wet
2. insulation helps, mylar blankets will reflect heat and can make you sweat , and can be problematic (maybe use under the air mattress)
3. hot rocks work , for a while... disposable handwarmers can be helpful too
4. put on clean dry clothes / socks for sleeping, but don't wear a lot. you want your body to heat the space in the bag.
5 I use a blanket in my bag too when its that cold, wear a knit hat too
 
Please provide a link for the $400 version, comrade. I’ve only seen them locally on marine sites for ~$1600 CAN.
I like the idea of having one but not for that price. Webasto makes an air top but again they are expensive and
from everyone I’ve talked to tend to be too hot!

Here is the site: Теплостар. Автономка. ПЖД. Предпусковой подогреватель двигателя, автоподогреватели, воздушные отопители, автомобильные подогреватели. . I'm told this is the actual manufacturer of Planar units, not some re-seller or other knock-off. Problem is they have a policy of not shipping the heaters outside of Russia, so you need someone there to accept the package and forward it to you here.

When viewing the site, make sure to choose the Russian-language option in the top-right corner, and then (from the homepage) scroll down to the 2D-12-S heater to see the price of 21900 rubles ($450 CAD). But do keep in mind this is just the heater, vs the $1600 local product that comes with ducting, hoses, gas tank, switches, and in a case.
 
Here is the site: Теплостар. Автономка. ПЖД. Предпусковой подогреватель двигателя, автоподогреватели, воздушные отопители, автомобильные подогреватели. . I'm told this is the actual manufacturer of Planar units, not some re-seller or other knock-off. Problem is they have a policy of not shipping the heaters outside of Russia, so you need someone there to accept the package and forward it to you here.

When viewing the site, make sure to choose the Russian-language option in the top-right corner, and then (from the homepage) scroll down to the 2D-12-S heater to see the price of 21900 rubles ($450 CAD). But do keep in mind this is just the heater, vs the $1600 local product that comes with ducting, hoses, gas tank, switches, and in a case.
Thanks. I know a Russian. Have to see how this plays out. I personally won’t heat a roof tent. A ground tent
base camp is a different thing and this might be ideal. But we are buying real Planar heaters here, they are
just dressed up and profits added. Be fun doing the research
 
Thanks. I know a Russian. Have to see how this plays out. I personally won’t heat a roof tent. A ground tent
base camp is a different thing and this might be ideal. But we are buying real Planar heaters here, they are
just dressed up and profits added. Be fun doing the research

A ground tent is definitely a much more practical winter option. I'm actually regretting selling my (second) OZ Tent RV4 right now, as it would have been ideal for multi-day winter camping. But there's no way I'm buying an RV4 for a third time!

I similarly can't justify $1600-1700 CAD + tax for a "real" Planar. There are many, many Facebook groups dedicated to the Chinese heaters, and similarly thousands of people using them with great success on a full-time basis. Lots of very happy folks.

I will eventually upgrade from my smaller, more off-road oriented trailer + RTT into something less capable, but more spacious, and with hard-walled sleeping quarters. At that point I'll probably consider the real Planar units again, depending on my experience with the Chinese clone.
 
So I've bought & received the TETON Fahrenheit Mammoth double sleeping bag, along with their liner. Rated to -18C (on the "extreme" side of the rating spectrum). Very big, bulky bag that should provide decent warmth.

Also bought a 5KW Chinese diesel heater (clone of Planar) off eBay. Should have that in a few weeks - will see how well it works. The heater and the sleeping bag together will likely be huge overkill, but if the heater fails for any reason, the bag will not.

Ive got the Mammoth bag, too hot to use except for cool weather. Camped with it in the RTT down to around -5 or -8C and it is fine, better with a liner at that temp. I did have an electric heater that I plugged in, in the morning to heat the tent up which made it nice to get changed and out of bed early to go hunting. My brother brought a tent and an electric blanket with one of those fold out frame/air matress combos, said it was some of the best sleeping he ever had. But he did have a small generator idling at night, which is how I plugged in the small electric in the morning.

The paint can stove looks cool, but I have had to load and relight a wood stove in a cold lodge tent at 3am enough to know the downfalls.

I was contemplating building something like the knock off chinese heater to heat a tent, I think it could work well for winter camping but I don't do enough of it that Id need it, but I'm sure it would heat a RTT well.
 
What did occur to me is with the Planar heater sitting outside using battery clips. It’s
getting it’s ambient temp from outside so it would not shut off on any kind of thermostat
control would it? So could basically heat a guy out of a tent. Can’t even begin to imagine
climbing up and down a tent ladder to adjust the on - off feature! Worth thinking about.
 
What did occur to me is with the Planar heater sitting outside using battery clips. It’s
getting it’s ambient temp from outside so it would not shut off on any kind of thermostat
control would it? So could basically heat a guy out of a tent. Can’t even begin to imagine
climbing up and down a tent ladder to adjust the on - off feature! Worth thinking about.

Most (all?) of the Chinese clones come with remote controls. Like you, there's no way I'd be getting out of bed to adjust anything.

I suspect that my (non-canvas) RTT will not hold warmth in all that well, and most of it will escape fairly quickly, so I'm hoping I can find some sort of setting on the heater that would counteract the heat loss and essentially let me "set it and forget it."

I think the Planar units come with a control panel extended off a wire. I'd extend that wiring and run it into the tent for sure. Otherwise remove the temperature sensor and extend its wiring into the tent.
 
With my winter sleeping bag I’ve never been cold down to -28°F. Granted getting out in the morning to pee was a bit brisk. I can see the appeal of a heating system while getting ready for bed or in the morning. But don’t see then need while sleeping. If the fancy heater were more affordable I might consider one.
 
I car camp a lot in winter for skiing (SnoParks!) and have made it down to sub-0F with lots of down, but of course hanging out, peeing and waking up all suck. Another big one is the frost that forms inside the car from my breath - even with windows open i can't fully prevent it.
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I was about to buy one of the knock-off diesel heaters, but since I'm usually above 7k feet I was worried about the air/fuel ratio being off and not having a way to adjust it. So I had a similar thought as cody:
I was contemplating building something like the knock off chinese heater to heat a tent, I think it could work well for winter camping but I don't do enough of it that Id need it, but I'm sure it would heat a RTT well.

This is what I have so far. Propane burner in a toolbox with copper pipe. High-temp silicone gaskets and hoses for outlet / inlet. My plan is to sit it on the rear tire and run the outlet / inlet to and from each of the rear windows. I've got a little 2" circular fan to get flow going.
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I started tinkering with it last winter but didn't finish. I need to test it outside or in my garage with a CO detector before I even think about using it while I sleep. Of course it's not automatic or easily adjustable, but we'll see! Only have like $50 invested and can use the hose for my grill if I need.
 
I second the plan of a ground-mounted tent for winter. Why are you using a roof-mounted tent at all? It makes sense for snakes in the south, keeping them away from your sleeping area.

I use an " Atuk Kanguk " Canadian canvas teepee, with woodstove. Ground mounted, sleeps 2. Used with a rated sleeping bag and pad, its a warm option.
 
I car camp a lot in winter for skiing (SnoParks!) and have made it down to sub-0F with lots of down, but of course hanging out, peeing and waking up all suck. Another big one is the frost that forms inside the car from my breath - even with windows open i can't fully prevent it.
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I was about to buy one of the knock-off diesel heaters, but since I'm usually above 7k feet I was worried about the air/fuel ratio being off and not having a way to adjust it. So I had a similar thought as cody:


This is what I have so far. Propane burner in a toolbox with copper pipe. High-temp silicone gaskets and hoses for outlet / inlet. My plan is to sit it on the rear tire and run the outlet / inlet to and from each of the rear windows. I've got a little 2" circular fan to get flow going.
View attachment 2113299
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View attachment 2113302

I started tinkering with it last winter but didn't finish. I need to test it outside or in my garage with a CO detector before I even think about using it while I sleep. Of course it's not automatic or easily adjustable, but we'll see! Only have like $50 invested and can use the hose for my grill if I need.
I think you will die in a car fire. It will start by melting your tire. Please rethink this idea.
 
Diesel heater arrived today. Well packaged, no shipping damage, and actually seems well made. Took off the case and everything inside is nice and tidy. Clean electrical, routing of hoses and wires, etc. Came with a large and detailed manual (haven't read it yet, only briefly glanced). So far I'm surprisingly impressed. Will test it out in the coming days.
 
Diesel heater arrived today. Well packaged, no shipping damage, and actually seems well made. Took off the case and everything inside is nice and tidy. Clean electrical, routing of hoses and wires, etc. Came with a large and detailed manual (haven't read it yet, only briefly glanced). So far I'm surprisingly impressed. Will test it out in the coming days.

What model?
 
I car camp a lot in winter for skiing (SnoParks!) and have made it down to sub-0F with lots of down, but of course hanging out, peeing and waking up all suck. Another big one is the frost that forms inside the car from my breath - even with windows open i can't fully prevent it
View attachment 2113302

I started tinkering with it last winter but didn't finish. I need to test it outside or in my garage with a CO detector before I even think about using it while I sleep. Of course it's not automatic or easily adjustable, but we'll see! Only have like $50 invested and can use the hose for my grill if I need.

I like this, Id put more copper pipe above the burner, manifold them together at one end and use something like dryer duct to feed it into the car to keep the exhaust from the burner far from the intake. Id want to run that burner on low and create an exhaust through the lid vented above the intake on the copper pipe. You may find some insulated dryer duct that conducts warm air better.

You could run something like a computer fan in the dryer duct and feed it from something like an 18v cordless tool battery, which also gives the option of a simple thermostat in the car to kill the fan.
 

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