Heaters inside tents

nvguy2 · Sep 11, 2006

I know this topic has been talked about before.I just wanted to get a few opinions.I am going on my uncles elk hunt this weekend.I am only going for 3 nights and don't really want to deal with my big wall tent and stove.My brother always likes to run his little Mr.Heater and always leaves it on all night.It is going to be cold up there this weekend,but leaving that heater on all night kind of worries me.I don't really know if those Mr.Heaters have a shut off valve or not.Any suggestions or opinions?

Canoe · Sep 11, 2006

Stick with the woodstove. There's a bunch of dead hunters that would tell you the same thing if they had the chance.

rumproast · Sep 11, 2006

I've used mine in my tent for the past three years and its very nice. However!--I do have it under the high point of the tent and sitting on a piece of plywood, and I keep all the zippers cracked open and my bedroll away from it. Give it a little kick to check the safety shut-off if you're not convinced of that. I get maybe six hours out of one fuel container, on low, at seven to nine thousand feet. The odor factor is pretty low with good vents, but I still won't let my huntin' duds near the thing when it is on.

Mike

shotgunjim · Sep 12, 2006

I have the Mr. heater too, and it does have a sensor to shut off if the air gets bad. But there is no way in hell I would trust my life with it. I never ever sleep with it on, my sleeping bag is warm enough. If you want to wake up to a warm tent then set your alarm 20 or 25 minutes early and turn on the heater set your alarm again in case you fall back asleep and you will have a warm tent.If you ask me your brother is flirting with death.

outtabreath · Sep 12, 2006

At the very least, go to Home Depot and get a battery powered Carbon Monoxide alarm and hang it in your tent. Doesn't sound too good to me either. A couple of guys die from that every year. Stay safe,,,,hunt hard!

kingfish · Sep 12, 2006

SHUT IT OFF AT NIGHT!!!!. Don't take chances when it comes to your life. Wake up a half hour early and start it so when you get up it's taken the chill off.

Antler1 · Sep 12, 2006

I had a friend and his hunting partner both in their early 20's die useing one of those about 10 years ago. They either turned it on to take the chill off and fell asleep or left it on all night, no one knows but I would be dawm careful if you use one.

Craig · Sep 12, 2006

I turn mine off before I go to sleep. in the morning I stick my arm out and turn the heater on for about 10-20 min and then get out of the sleeping bag to a nice warm tent.

idhunters · Sep 13, 2006

The "Big Buddy" heater is a catalytic type (same as in RV's) and also has a very sensitive low oxygen shut off. Again, it is catalytic, not the old "burner" types. It is specifically designed for what you are looking for, just like the RV heaters and should be safe. It uses 2 propane bottles and will easily heat the wall tent.

We have also found that if you shut off the heater right before you go to sleep you should be comfortable all night-just start the heater up a few minutes before crawling out of your bag.

That being said stop at Wal-Mart and buy a carbon monoxide/smoke detector. You should have one anyway.

muleybull · Sep 13, 2006

Shut it off at night. Its better to be safe a hundred times than it is to be dead once.

dutch · Sep 13, 2006

No thanks, I'll run mine until I'm in my sleeping bag then it goes off but with in reach.
Then in the morning I crank it up for about 10 minutes just to warm the tent up a little.
That is why I enjoy our sheepherders tent more, it has a stove in it, much better heat and for most of the night as well.
Cabelas sells some deal where everything sits outside your tent then you run a vent into your tent for the heat but without the gas, you might check that out.
I'd rather freeze than chance leaving a heater on all night in my tent.

Roy · Sep 13, 2006

I use the perfect heating product to warm up my tent! It works great and it does not emit any gases that may suffocate me (or damage the ozone layer or contribute to the greenhouse effect either! - VERY VERY VERY IMPORTANT!) It is called the ROCK. You see, you can purchase the ROCK at almost any common sports or outdoors store or you can find organic ones in the very forest iteslf. You take the ROCK and clean it off then throw it in your campfire for a few hours and then when you are ready to sleep you take the ROCK in the tent with you (you may need to purchase the ROCK Heat source removal tool - aka GLOVE or TONGS) and it will warm your sleeping bag all night long. Try it! It works for me!

(Product endorser is not an actual camper but a paid endorsement actor)

ROY

dutch · Sep 14, 2006

Roy,
I do the same thing, I just take a nice medium sized rock, wrap it in a towel (usually because it is too hot) and stick it in the bottom of the bag.
Awesome heat guys, this is the best thing you can definitely use. You'll be throwing covers off of you middle of the night and keeps your toes nice and toasty!

202typical · Sep 14, 2006

Roy, thats funny right there

peanut · Sep 18, 2006

Deal with your wall tent and stove. Postpone the dirt nap and enjoy some more hunts!

257Tony · Sep 18, 2006

DOnt do it guys! I dont want to see another MM thread about some dead hunters that left their kids and wives to fend without them!! The problem with these portable heaters, even the catalytic type, is that they dont vent to the outside like a home or RV heater...Dont take the chance!!!!!!!!!

outtabreath · Sep 22, 2006

Good Idea Roy

Roy,
Gotta tell ya. I went camping/scouting last weekend and it was pretty cold. I wasn't gonna die or anything, but I wasn't going to sleep very well either. After awhile, your ROCK idea popped into my mind. I still layed there and thought about it, before I got up the gumption to crawl back out into the cold air to fetch my rock. Luckily, I did have a pair of thick leather gloves for the extraction. I also had a newspaper and a thick long sleeve shirt handy. I wrapped the newspaper and then the shirt around the ROCK. Then it went into the bottom of my bag. Ten minutes later I was opening the zipper a little. The ROCK was still hot in the morning. Thanks for the tip and a good night's sleep in the mountains.

Roy · Sep 22, 2006

RE: Good Idea Roy

See - another satisfied customer! Go out and get your ROCK today!

Yeah - that's a trick I learned from my Grandpa, I practiced it on many a scout camp.

ROY

dutch · Sep 22, 2006

RE: Good Idea Roy

It is amazing how they stay warm all night long. Especially after sitting by a hot fire for a few hours.

330-Trapper · Sep 22, 2006

RE: Good Idea Roy

Double-Bag with a warm Wife...I don't wrap her at all, and she dosen't have to go to the bottom of my bag unless she wants to.

Canoe · Sep 23, 2006

RE: Good Idea Roy

How big does the rock need to be? Softball sized? Cantelope sized?

daverp · Sep 24, 2006

LAST EDITED ON Sep-24-06 AT 10:50PM (MST)[p]I've used the portable buddy in tents, and a portable big buddy in my tent camper.

There are 3 main things to remember.

1. Keep plenty of clearance around the unit so you don't start clothes or sleeping bags on fire.

2. Make sure you maintain the minimum ventilation as noted in the owner's manual.

3. Get a combination CO and smoke detector and hang it in the tent.

I also keep a small fire extinguisher next to the bed.

Coupled with the low oxygen shut off on the heater, I think it's a pretty safe system. I would not even consider it without a CO detector though.