View Full Version : Tent heaters
Has anyone tried to use a heater inside of a TT? I have the rainshadow 2 and was curious whether an attempt at heating it with a coleman black cat propane would be worthy of it? Thanks
That thing makes CO. Danger Will Robinson!
No. I have not tried it.
Has anyone tried to use a heater inside of a TT? I have the rainshadow 2 and was curious whether an attempt at heating it with a Coleman black cat propane would be worthy of it? Thanks
I know the heater, not the tent. You need to be able to ventilate the tent and NEVER let anything touch the heater. last time I used mine in a tent it was a 6 person with 4 people in it, we allowed a full body space for the heater. The 6 person tent was a bit big for the heater at 35 degrees outside temp, but it did take the chill off.
With a 2 person tent, likely you will get too hot, but that is OK, just turn it off till you get chilled again, it's easy enough to light after all.
Red Beard
11-26-2009, 17:04
I'd be cautious about that. I'm not so sure sil-nylon is fireproof.
BlazeWalker
11-26-2009, 17:08
I don't like the sounds of this idea... be careful!
Silnylon burns/melts very well
The Kifaru and TiGoat "tipis" that folk use with a stove are made with silnylon but they have more clearance around the stove than you would inside the Rainshadow .
It seems that with one 16oz cartridge you do get about 7 hours of burn time but that is for a total weight of over 6 lbs. That is a lot of warm clothing...
Franco
(all theory, and if you are car camping maybe it works...)
MintakaCat
11-26-2009, 18:39
Silnylon burns/melts very well
The Kifaru and TiGoat "tipis" that folk use with a stove are made with silnylon but they have more clearance around the stove than you would inside the Rainshadow .
It seems that with one 16oz cartridge you do get about 7 hours of burn time but that is for a total weight of over 6 lbs. That is a lot of warm clothing...
Franco
(all theory, and if you are car camping maybe it works...)
The most important differences are 1) the Kifaru has a smokestack to vent out the carbon monoxide and 2) it doesn't have a floor that could catch fire.
gunner76
11-26-2009, 18:47
My wife make a great tent heater when it gets cold.
hows the floor going to catch fire though?
skinewmexico
11-26-2009, 21:45
I'd be more afraid of the carbon monoxide than the fire, and I'd be scared to death of the tent burning.
Trailweaver
11-26-2009, 21:52
Our town had two people die of CO2 poisoning a few years ago and they had been using a tent heater (I don't know what kind). I swore then I'd never use one, no matter how cold I got. It was sad. . . two people in their 20's who simply went to sleep and were found a day later, unconscious. They never came out of it.
JoshStover
11-26-2009, 21:59
The safest way is to lay down a paper towel and take a dump on it. It will put of a lil heat for awhile, just don't roll over on it in the night. It won't put off any CO2 either!!
MintakaCat
11-26-2009, 22:12
Our town had two people die of CO2 poisoning a few years ago and they had been using a tent heater (I don't know what kind). I swore then I'd never use one, no matter how cold I got. It was sad. . . two people in their 20's who simply went to sleep and were found a day later, unconscious. They never came out of it.
Was that back in 1999? Here's the story of the deaths from 1999:
On the afternoon of March 14, 1999, a 51-year-old man, his 10-year-old son, a 9-year-old boy, and a 7-year-old girl were found dead inside a zipped-up, 10-foot by 14-foot, two-room tent at their campsite in southeast Georgia (a pet dog also died). A propane gas stove, still burning, was found inside the tent; the stove apparently had been brought inside to provide warmth. The occupants had died during the night. Postmortem carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) levels measured 50%, 63%, 69%, and 63%, respectively, in the four decedents (in the general U.S. population, COHb concentrations average 1% in nonsmokers and 4% in smokers [3]).
On March 27, 1999, a 34-year-old man and his 7-year-old son were found dead inside their zipped-up tent at a group camping site in central Georgia. They were discovered by other campers just before 9 a.m. A charcoal grill was found inside the tent; the grill apparently had been brought inside to provide warmth after it had been used outside for cooking. Postmortem COHb levels in the two campers measured 68% and 76%, respectively.
For an equivalent weight of heater and fuel (and money), you could buy an extra jacket or a warmer sleeping bag. I don't see the point for hiking.
For car camping, where you want the whole living room (large tent) to be warm, you can use a heater, but you MUST leave an opening for the carbon dioxide (and monoxide) to escape, at or near the peak, and a smaller opening near the floor to draw fresh air in to replace it.
The bottom line is that using a heater requires that you use, in a sense, a drafty shelter. I've been in heated floorless teepees with wood burning stoves, but you could feel the cold at your feet while you enjoyed the warmth from the knees up.
It's a tradeoff (for car and short distance camping or large parties).
I just read Franco's post above. He's right.
Wise Old Owl
11-26-2009, 22:18
I tried a mini coleman in a two man tent just to take the chill off and instead the tent dewed up like a internal rain shower. Just don't dew it. There's my vote.
Easier to heat a sigg bottle full of water before you go to sleep, then do it again halfway through the night if you do wake up. Wrap a sock around it so as not to scald yourself
The safest way is to lay down a paper towel and take a dump on it. It will put of a lil heat for awhile, just don't roll over on it in the night. It won't put off any CO2 either!!
This is the worst suggestion to heat a tent that I've ever read :(
mkmangold
11-26-2009, 23:44
My wife make a great tent heater when it gets cold.
Yes she does!
MikenSalem
11-27-2009, 00:59
The safest way is to lay down a paper towel and take a dump on it. It will put of a lil heat for awhile, just don't roll over on it in the night. It won't put off any CO2 either!!
This is the worst suggestion to heat a tent that I've ever read :(
Whattaya expect from a deadlock lover? probably hangs dead fish from his mirror for air fresheners...
where's the felix when ya need him, here kitty kitty spray this..
I'm really not that worried about carbon monoxide. I'm more curious as to whether it'd do the job or not. Now I couldn't see using while I'm sleeping or for a thru hike either, but It can't be that unreasonable. Honestly, it does seem a bit unnecessary for a low of maybe 20 though. It would have served me better to clarify that I would be camping somewhere that doesn't allow for camp fires and it's dangerous enough even if you do make one. Intresting site though........Carbone monoxide propane heater deaths (http://www.carbonmonoxidedeaths.com/)
The Mechanical Man
11-27-2009, 03:31
Has anyone tried to use a heater inside of a TT? I have the rainshadow 2 and was curious whether an attempt at heating it with a coleman black cat propane would be worthy of it? Thanks
Don't Do It!!
brotheral
11-27-2009, 06:46
I was recently at The Coleman Outlet Store in Sevierville looking at heaters. I was camped at Elkmont and night-time temps were near 30....
Along with proper ventilation, it cautions you in the instructions to NEVER SLEEP WITH THE HEATER ON !! :-? That was enough for me !!
I just put on my fleece pants and hooded fleece jacket, crawled into my 20* sleeping bag and slept great...
brotheral
11-27-2009, 07:58
I was recently at The Coleman Outlet Store in Sevierville looking at heaters. I was camped at Elkmont and night-time temps were near 30....
Along with proper ventilation, it cautions you in the instructions to NEVER SLEEP WITH THE HEATER ON !! :-? That was enough for me !!
I just put on my fleece pants and hooded fleece jacket, crawled into my 20* sleeping bag and slept great...
#6.) In WARNINGS for Coleman Blackcat Catalytic Propane heater, "Never Operate Heater While Sleeping !!"
So, If you're going to use one, better be sure to turn it off before falling asleep. I know, when I get comfortable, sleep comes FAST !!
I have a unit that can attach to a 20lb propane tank. Use it for a short bit and you need to turn it off as the CO or the odor makes you just a tad goofy, and wanting to nod off. I have used it to take off a chill, then flushed the air, on a job site.
If you ever get a headache or nausea using something like this, get outside into fresh air. Also the case with leaky car exhaust.
mkmangold
11-27-2009, 10:51
#6.) In WARNINGS for Coleman Blackcat Catalytic Propane heater, "Never Operate Heater While Sleeping !!"
So, If you're going to use one, better be sure to turn it off before falling asleep. I know, when I get comfortable, sleep comes FAST !!
Problem is, with carbon monoxide poisoning, eternal sleep comes very fast, and unexpectedly, too.
On a side note though, there are advertised as camp heaters. What exactly is there recommendation for using them?
RiverWarriorPJ
11-27-2009, 15:53
Has anyone tried to use a heater inside of a TT? I have the rainshadow 2 and was curious whether an attempt at heating it with a coleman black cat propane would be worthy of it? Thanks
coleman makes a mini black cat.....about 800 btu;s.....great 4 a 2 man tent
brotheral
11-27-2009, 15:57
coleman makes a mini black cat.....about 800 btu;s.....great 4 a 2 man tent
Warning still applies: NEVER operate heater when sleeping...:-?
the rainshadow 2 is a three man tent, and it's not like most tents that say 2 man but is really a one man and 3 man is really a two man........it's a big 3 man tent. The 2 just implies the second version. I use it solo too.
Years ago I had a 4-5 man tent. We would be out icefishing with snowmobiles and sleds to pull gear so weight wasn't that much of a problem. We would use a 20# tank with the double burners. We would leave the front of the tent wide open. Then we would set the heater a few feet from the tent out on the ground and blast heat towards the tent.
When fishing in a pop up shelter we would use a lantern or a small heater. I've used a small lantern in my tent before. Never ran it all night though...It sure was nice to take the morning chill off this way!
I'm dating myself with this one.
At GA Tech, the placement center scheduled interviews with companies on a first come first served basis (IIRC) once a month. So demand was high, crowds of anxious seniors gathered and camped out in a que line beginning at the front door. It was pretty much like buying tickets to a Rolling Stones concert. I used to take an electric blanket to supplement my Sears Roebuck rectangle 50* bag. Didn't even know what down or a pad was. Fun times.
superman
11-28-2009, 00:01
My wife make a great tent heater when it gets cold.
Yes I agree... use women, dogs or a warmer sleeping bag. Forget about tent heaters.
Red Beard
11-28-2009, 07:48
Yes I agree... use women, dogs or a warmer sleeping bag. Forget about tent heaters.
Here's one vote for women. :D
Did I just stumble on the car camping forum????????
superman
11-28-2009, 11:03
Here's one vote for women. :D
Watch out she doesn't cacoon the covers off of you.:)
crazypete
12-08-2009, 10:32
Well, here's a much better idea: Just get two or three of those "foot warmer" insoles and stick them into the bag with you. I used ONE and the remnants of my sleeping bag to save myself from freezing to death a few years back so a pair or three would have you be quite toasty indeed and no CO. Plus, its lighter and easier to carry to boot
Well, here's a much better idea: Just get two or three of those "foot warmer" insoles and stick them into the bag with you. I used ONE and the remnants of my sleeping bag to save myself from freezing to death a few years back so a pair or three would have you be quite toasty indeed and no CO. Plus, its lighter and easier to carry to boot
I do that often. I try to wait until I actually get a chill while sleeping to break them out which happens preety often. I am a very cold sleeper why I don't know. I did however bring the little heater with me and just turned it on in the vestibule pointed towards the inside and turned it off when I went to sleep. It didn't keep the heat as well as I had hoped but it did help. My thermometer hit about 12 degrees too. It's definetly not a smart practice though.
Did I just stumble on the car camping forum????????
stumble.....probably, car camping.....no
Old Hiker
12-08-2009, 12:08
Yes I agree... use women, dogs or a warmer sleeping bag. Forget about tent heaters.
Women plural?!?! I find my wife is MORE than enough trouble..... I mean,..... nah, I mean trouble.
As for dogs: we have a Walker hound who puts out heat like a jet engine. Use one or two of those!
That's why they call him "Superman."
mister krabs
12-08-2009, 15:50
I have a coleman cat heater. It's ok for car camping. I often bring it, mostly as a talisman against the cold because I almost never use it. It soothes the fears newbies who are scared of the cold and mostly comes along so I can say, "It won't be so bad, I'll even bring the heater!"
Don't go to sleep with it on. It can produce carbon monoxide if it's not burning efficiently, but some low/high ventilation will provide fresh air as the hot CO convects up through the high vent. Your rainshadow has ridiculous amounts of ventilation, I can't see how you could kill yourself if you tried. Come to think of it, if there's any wind you won't keep much heat in either in that type of tent.
I stand mine (in other tents, don't have a rainshadow) in the 3/4 closed vestibule on the dirt and pointing in the open the screen door. It's fine for warming up the tent before bed and in the morning. I can't help feeling that it's for sissies though, which may be a better reason not to use it than it's ability to send you to the celestial dirt nap. ;)
Buzz_Lightfoot
12-08-2009, 16:10
Has anyone tried to use a heater inside of a TT? I have the rainshadow 2 and was curious whether an attempt at heating it with a coleman black cat propane would be worthy of it? Thanks
If you do that you will not wake up the next morning. Do NOT DO IT!
Okie Dokie
12-08-2009, 17:05
I wouldn't consider continuously burning anything in a tent except a flashlight, especially when you're already tired/sleepy...I've cooked in my tent vestibule many times without a problem...this being a vestibule without a floor, with nothing combustible around, on windy/rainy days when plenty of fresh air could find it's way into the tent...just cooking, not using a stove for heat...
When a flame is burning blue it is producing Carbon Dioxide...which is what you get with a well-maintained properly pressurized stove...your body can handle reasonably small amounts of this, especially since you won't be using the stove for long...you'll have your draft tube open and your vestibule door at least partly open (of course), and the rising heat will be carrying the vast majority of it away...you can get by with this safely for the short time it takes to cook a small meal, in whatever form, or boil some water...
When a flame is burning yellow, even on the tips of otherwise blue flames, it is producing Carbon Monoxide...you don't want to mess with this - it will kill you...you may or may not experience the warning signs of drowsiness or nausea...you may just feel tired and a bit confused for a while, then fall over unconscious, which is the position in which you'll be found...
Unless you have a very solid understanding of the finer points of combustion and the potential for deadly outcomes in enclosed spaces I would not recommend using any kind of stove or heater inside of a tent or vestibule...the risks are very real...open-flame heaters have been used to heat homes for years...most homes "breathe" (allow some outside air in)and there's no problem...when they are properly maintained and calilbrated for the fuel they'll be burning they're safe...when they're not, well, it's literally lights out...when you're in a very small enclosed room (unventilated, or poorly ventilated tent) the margin for tragic error is very very small...better safe than sorry...
Wow! A lot of bad advice here. A great example of why you need to be careful with "forum wisdom".
Yes you can use it in a tent. No it won't catch anything on fire. Yes it can melt material if in contact long enough. No you won't die of CO poisoning. Yes it will cause condensation. Yes it will take the chill off. No you won't be toasty in 20* weather. They shutoff from low oxygen, so don't expect it to work above 7000'. They also shutoff when tipped over - so I don't understand the "don't sleep warning".
From the Coleman Catalytic Heater owners manual:
"NEVER OPERATE THE HEATER WHILE SLEEPING"
http://www.coleman.com/coleman/images/pdf/5034.pdf
http://www.cpsc.gov/library/foia/foia05/os/co03.pdf
This is a bit dated test, as it was before the low-oxygen and tip-over shutoff systems required today. But it does show the results of running a small catalytic in a confined space.
mweinstone
12-08-2009, 21:01
people are still the same as in davincis times.so imagine yourself in his presence back then looking at his drawling of a helocopter.you would laugh or be really freakin wowed.
now gather round ol matthewski as he asplains a invention simular . but for heating a tent.
for a tipi only, to be adapted for other tent designs later:
the pole is drivin 6 feet straight down into the ground, lifted out, dirt plug removed,fitted with a micro inline battery fan, replased over the hole with a seal, the tent pitched atop, fan switch on pulls 54 degree below frostline warmth to tent all night frikkin matthewski long biatches.!
mateozzz
12-08-2009, 21:02
Did anyone else ever run into the "crazy lady" as I came to know her in the NY section of the trail, north of Bear Mtn? She was a semi homeless person who would come up from NYC to camp on the trail. She had a pan that she would put a candle in and take it in her tent to keep it warm and give light to read! She said it was great and everybody should use one. Of course, she had bandages on her hand from where she knocked it over and got hot wax on her skin. And then there was the big hole in the floor where it had accidentally caught fire. Oh yes, and quite a few smaller holes in the tent body from who knows what. But it sounded like a great idea, I may try it some day! At least she was pleasant to talk to...
mweinstone
12-08-2009, 21:05
of course this wont work but it only would need an m80 dropped in the hole to make a chamber and an intake air hole to actualy work. but the thery is sound and houses are being heated by air run thru heat pumps after being pulled from under garden pipes at a low cost saveing the heat pumps from working with sub freezing air instead starting with below frostline temps.
mweinstone
12-08-2009, 21:06
their is actually shame in wanting to be warm. and none in the being of it.
mweinstone
12-08-2009, 21:10
burnning even a safe candle in a tent removes enough oxygen to make a thruhiker uncomfortable. long distance hikers require oxygen at a purity leval far beyond their non hikeing selves. we become addicted to freash air lower temps and freash. all are lessened by fire heating. only somehow learning to pull up the allready heated air from earth will ever help us. creating fireair on our fragil surface sucks. whisky anyone?
people are still the same as in davincis times.so imagine yourself in his presence back then looking at his drawling of a helocopter.you would laugh or be really freakin wowed.
now gather round ol matthewski as he asplains a invention simular . but for heating a tent.
for a tipi only, to be adapted for other tent designs later:
the pole is drivin 6 feet straight down into the ground, lifted out, dirt plug removed,fitted with a micro inline battery fan, replased over the hole with a seal, the tent pitched atop, fan switch on pulls 54 degree below frostline warmth to tent all night frikkin matthewski long biatches.!
Also know as a geothermal heating system!
Forget the heater, just add more down.
Forget the heater, just add more down.
That's actually what I was thinking. There's just not really anywhere to open it up that I feel comfortable sewing back up.
mweinstone
12-09-2009, 07:48
what about a wind powered electric heater. a blade up top outside the tent spinning and a tiny generator inside creating heat.and power.
I was leaning a little bit more towards going nuclear but I was waiting on my American flag tent to come in first.
mweinstone
12-09-2009, 11:26
koodnicks now! bring it! a round of seal blubber for my friends!
this is why there is the term "3 dog night" just bring some poochies to keep you warm in the tent all night long
sasquatch2014
12-11-2009, 17:27
Road Flare, added bonus is the nice red glow and entertainment for others in camp with you at the time.:D
Doooglas
12-13-2009, 04:47
The most "efficient" tent heater I ever had was a five foot two redhead named Heidi.:cool:
I did not read this entire thread so this has probably been said. I think you need to be able to keep yourself warm with bag, pad, and clothes.
The most "efficient" tent heater I ever had was a five foot two redhead named Heidi.:cool:
But everyone called her "Bernice."
When car camping in the winter I use a 60 watt heating pad, usually on the lowest setting. You do not need to run it all night either. just run it until you warm up. If you wake up cold in the middle of the night, turn it on for 10 or 15 minutes, then turn it off and go back to sleep. That's all you need.
However, even with a heating pad you don't want to sleep all night with it on. You can get a burn if it is in contact with your skin all night long. I usually keep the heating pad down by my feet. Keep the on-off control near your hand.
Use one of those orange "outdoor" rated extension cord to run the power into your tent. When you plug the heating pad into the outdoor extension cord, make sure it plugged in ALL the way.
Panzer
charlie2008
12-14-2009, 01:41
A pad, warm bag, clothes, a good meal before crawling in and a flask of Pendleton Canadian blended whiskey.
Wise Old Owl
12-14-2009, 09:01
Panzer reminded me of old school - just before bed have a hot cup of cocoa, drain the lizard, change the socks, jump in bed, no worries. Warm as toast.
I'm a cold sleeper so I've just decided to get a 0* bag. It's only my third winter of preety hardcore hiking so I'm still figureing lots of things out and what works. It's going to be a hard winter in the south it looks too to which I am definetly not use too and most of my camping days were spent during the spring and summer and fall months. Thanks for all the reply's
I definetly was not planning on using a heater like that for anything but an overnighter