Winter camping heating solution

Check into this guy, Vevor 8kw 12v diesel heater
or a good sleeping bag!!!!

 

Mr buddy?

 

More like Mr. Death Buddy…

 

We actually have about 3 of these. I don't have the bed outlet tho. Wondering how long I could run one of a goal zero or some kind of battery pack.

 

Where does one find one of these sleeping bags? Military surplus store?

 

Ha, it was her idea actually to save money! She doesn't like me spending money on her. At least that's what she says.

 

Honestly I think this is the reason I don't camp more. Hate getting up to piss

 

This guy has a pretty slick diesel set up:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/diesel-tent-heater-install.745218/

 

Been known to do some winter camping with the wife.

Really wanted to go with a diesel heater, but they just take up so much real estate. We like to go for several weeks and space is always a premium. We tried Mr. Buddy heaters and it was the same.

Recently switched to a Kovea Cupid butane heater. Much smaller than the Buddy Heaters and still puts out a ton of heat, use it for about 30 minutes before bed and when we wake up (still have a CO monitor just in case and a window cracked). We also use a jet boil to heat some water and toss a hot water bottle in the sleeping bag.



Another big help is a rechargeable dehumidifier for condensation.

 

Here are a couple posts I made of my heating solutions:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/truck-camping-photo-thread.407866/page-360#post-26617523

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-rtt-owners-thread-with-bs.312269/page-1123#post-25458714

 

Most likely, if you can find one. I remember when Academy sold a lot of military surplus items and we actually had two GI Surplus stores in the city I live in. Spent a lot of time in that store in my younger days...

I was able to score mine back in the late 90's from an Army dude that was a member of our VFD.

Doing a quick search it appears ebay has a few.

 

Ill add another vote to the chinese diesel heater fan-boy camp. Built mine two years ago and I love it. Good dry heat, cant beat it. And no worries of fire or CO in the tent.
Check out this thread by @JDSmith for his version of a heater build
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/diesel-tent-heater-install.745218/

Negatives would be they are big & bulky, kind of expensive by the time you are all in with the build, and obviously you need diesel. Other options to consider would include heating pads / blankets powered off of a power station like a Jackery or whatever. (I would not use the 120v in the truck because youll have to idle all night long and possible CO emissions). Also the Buddy heater is a valid option in my mind if you are camping in the bed of the truck. I felt uncomfortable using those in my RTT because everything is flammable. I sold it after one use. But in the bed of the truck all you would need to worry about is sleeping bags / clothes getting too close. Just keep multiple propane cylinders with you, they burn quick.

The last tip would be crack windows open to reduce condensation

 

Very cool. Have not heard of that Kovea Cupid heater before. How is the run time on one of those butane canisters?

 

I vote CDH as well. I have an all-in-one from Amazon. Most any of the Chinese Diesel Heaters are the same, except for the electronics and controls. I paid around $150 I think for a 5K. This picture is us camping in Utah where it got down to 18 degrees overnight. I extended the controller wire up into the tent, along with bolting it onto a small foldable fire cooking grate to keep it off the ground. It kept the tent at 75 all night long using about 3 liters (1/2 a tank) of diesel.

 

What are you using for a battery source for the CDH?

 

I have a Deep Cycle RV battery from Wal Mart that I take along. Cost around $100, but I already had it to run my fridge. You could run it from a Jackery I think. The heater pulls something like 10 amps on startup to heat the glow plug, but once running it only pulls 2 amps. Keep the power cords short to minimize voltage drop.

 

Seem to get around 3-4 hours on low heat. We don’t usually run it for that long. Just enough to take the chill off at night and in the morning. Canopy is well insulated.

 

Another thing to consider when winter camping is the lower temperature that your fuel source converts from liquid to gas. Butane slows down it's conversion at 32 degrees. Propane is -44.

I have a stove that runs either butane or propane. Camping below freezing, the butane will light, but there is hardly any flame. Switch over to propane and it works like normal. The canisters for a jet boil are a mix of butane and propane, so they will work at a lower temp then pure butane cylinders.

Diesel will gel at colder temps. You can get an additive that helps with that, or buy #1 diesel that is normally sold in colder weather. A CDH pumps in atomized fuel and not gas. I've never had an issue, but 15 degrees is as cold as I have camped.

 

Solid info! Thanks, I didn’t know.

 

Propane tent heater before climbing into bed and before climbing out of the sleeping bag. Turn it off while sleeping to be safe. Sleeping in the back of the truck isn't a 5 star hotel.