Heating your ice tent

[fisherwoman]

So we have realized that we will need a heater for our ice tent. What are people using, what would you recommend? We have a 4 man tent and want to be warm enough to fish without gloves on :) Looking at this model and vendor, any thoughts?
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_97540_325003000_325000000_325003000_325-3-0
Thanks! Happy fishing!
P.S.
They also have them here, and if I bought it instore, would have it for the weekend. http://www.princessauto.com/farm/heating/propane-heaters/8066508-double-element-tank-top-heater

[MagnumMan]

Get the big buddy heater puts out 18000 btu's has built in fan and low oxogen sensor. Also you can get extension hose and put the tank outside the tent giving you more space...they are 159 at bass pro and beat the sunflower flare up in my mind...

[fisherwoman]

Get the big buddy heater puts out 18000 btu's has built in fan and low oxogen sensor. Also you can get extension hose and put the tank outside the tent giving you more space...they are 159 at bass pro and beat the sunflower flare up in my mind...
Was out with a friend this weekend who had one of these. It wouldn't stay lit:(

[bradvtown]

I use the buddy heater but the one without the batteries and fan. Always having to turn it down in my four man tent cause it gets pretty nice and toasty. Downfall with the fan one is those batteris aren't cheap and can't see them working in the cold real well. Just picked up the hose so I can use a bottle instead of those disposable ones so we'll have to see how that works.

[hunter tyson]

a propane bottle seams to go empty in realy cold weather, you can pick it up and it will feal like there is nothing in there. whats hapining is it is freezing. you have to keep the bottle warm.

[Geezle]

Today we were out in a pretty big tent...5ish man I think and had just the single burner sunflower tank top kind of heater and it kept us plenty toasty, even when it was -35 out...definitely didn't need gloves in there :)

[calgarygringo]

Big buddy is the way to go. We have had one for a few seasons now and works great. You can use one heating element or 2 at a time. Keeps our shack shirt sleeve warm even in todays temps. You also have the ability to run it off a propane tank or use the disposables if you wish. Only time we ever had trouble we had our fish tv too close on top and it made the low oxy sensor shut it off. Once we figured that out no problems since.

[Izumi]

Was out with a friend this weekend who had one of these. It wouldn't stay lit:(

Probably wasn't getting enough oxygen. It has a low oxygen shut off. The sunflower units don't have this.

[jrmoyan]

we had to sunflower style goin in the frabill 2 man yesterday and was barely warming up the tent so i think im going to buy the mr heater big buddy. does anyone know where to pick one up cheap around edmonton i heard princess auto?

[calgarygringo]

Princess auto sells them. Just go to their websire and check their current pricing.
http://www.princessauto.com/

[fisherwoman]

Thanks for all the info guys! Been poking around online and now we are leaning toward the Big Buddy 18,000BTU. Using those little propane cylinders might add up, but it beats lugging a 20 pounder around. The bf says there is a way to refill them at home from your 20lb if u feel like messing around with it. Also if you buy the a/c adapter you could use it in the camper (if the generator is running).
Hoping to pick one of a P. auto this week so we can have it for the weekend!
Thanks again guys!

[Geezle]

Thanks for all the info guys! Been poking around online and now we are leaning toward the Big Buddy 18,000BTU. Using those little propane cylinders might add up, but it beats lugging a 20 pounder around. The bf says there is a way to refill them at home from your 20lb if u feel like messing around with it. Also if you buy the a/c adapter you could use it in the camper (if the generator is running).
Hoping to pick one of a P. auto this week so we can have it for the weekend!
Thanks again guys!
I want to say that it's BPS or maybe Cabelas that has an adapter to let you refill those little 1lb tanks from a larger 20lb cylinder :)

[nicemustang]

I just picked up a sunflower at CT for $59.99. They work well and I like them.

[Izumi]

I want to say that it's BPS or maybe Cabelas that has an adapter to let you refill those little 1lb tanks from a larger 20lb cylinder :)

I thought about this and learned the 1 lbs are brazed and not welded (ie dangerous to refill). Also, no one can seem to get a full 1lbs back in there. That means your gonna need a lot of them for a big buddy heater.

I got a 5lbs tank from Canadian tire, costs less than 5$ to fill lasts the whole day.

[honker_clonker]

One thing to watch out with a sunflower heater is THEY WILL MELT MONOFILAMENT!!! lost a good perch one day when the line got a little too close to the sun :D

[nicemustang]

LOL...i think every heater will melt your mono!

[Geezle]

I thought about this and learned the 1 lbs are brazed and not welded (ie dangerous to refill). Also, no one can seem to get a full 1lbs back in there. That means your gonna need a lot of them for a big buddy heater.

I got a 5lbs tank from Canadian tire, costs less than 5$ to fill lasts the whole day.

Cool, I don't think I've even seen a 5lb bottle before. So you just take it to a gas station that has propane to get it filled then?

[Izumi]

Cool, I don't think I've even seen a 5lb bottle before. So you just take it to a gas station that has propane to get it filled then?

I got it at Canadian Tire; the only kicker is its the same price as a 20lbs (40$). You will make the money back fast by not buying the 1 lbs bottles. The last time I filled it it came to under 4 bucks so that less than a single 1lbs bottle.

You can fill it anywhere bulk propane is sold. I have been told if you bulk propane with the buddy heater to get a filter (10$ at Princess auto).

So 50$ overhead (Tank + Filter). Well worth it IMO.

[clarki]

I have the 3,000 BTU black cat heater that takes a 1lb bottle. Is there an adapter or hose I can get so I can use a 5 lb tank?? the 1lb bottles are expensive and very wasteful since I wont even consider trying to refill one. thanks

M

[Geezle]

I got it at Canadian Tire; the only kicker is its the same price as a 20lbs (40$). You will make the money back fast by not buying the 1 lbs bottles. The last time I filled it it came to under 4 bucks so that less than a single 1lbs bottle.

You can fill it anywhere bulk propane is sold. I have been told if you bulk propane with the buddy heater to get a filter (10$ at Princess auto).

So 50$ overhead (Tank + Filter). Well worth it IMO.

Nice...that sounds like a happy medium you've found out :) Going to have to keep that in mind for whenever I manage to get myself a tent and heater :cool:

[Izumi]

I have the 3,000 BTU black cat heater that takes a 1lb bottle. Is there an adapter or hose I can get so I can use a 5 lb tank?? the 1lb bottles are expensive and very wasteful since I wont even consider trying to refill one. thanks

M

Your right your gonna need the adapter hose. The Coleman one at Crappy Tire is expensive, but they have another one in the BBQ isle that's cheaper. I got mine at Home Depot for 15.99.

So I guess the overhead is Tank 40, Filter 10, Hose 15. I think it's still worth it since I use it all year camping.

[Geezle]

There's a good chance you can find an adapter hose at Princess Auto.

Otherwise, like Izumi said, check the BBQ aisle at Home Depot or CT or maybe even Wal-Mart :)

[fisherwoman]

All great ideas. Time to go shopping I guess. :) I will look for a 5lb, I have seen them at CT (used to work there) and then I will not be lugging around a 20lb or spending a tone on 1lbs, or blowing my self up trying to refill a 1lb. :)

[clarki]

yes, time to get out and pick up this stuff before I hit macgregor this weekend. thanks everyone for the hot tips.

M

[mooseknuckle]

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/6/Tools/ShopEquipment/Heaters/PRD~0522630P/Portable%2BPropane%2BTank%2BTop%2BHeater.jsp

This is what we used yesterday and given the temps outside yesterday light sweater was plenty inside the tent.

[slingshotz]

I thought about this and learned the 1 lbs are brazed and not welded (ie dangerous to refill). Also, no one can seem to get a full 1lbs back in there.


They are not reading the instructions right. Freeze the 1lb tank in the freezer (or outside at these temps :lol:) and have the big 20lb at room temperature. I get almost exactly 1lb all the time and you can't really overfill it as there's a safety pressure release value builtin. As long as you are not trying to refill a 1lb with a commerical tank it's fine. I hated the thought of chucking out all the 1lb bottles, plus it's really convenient to haul a few 1lb bottles than one big 20lb. Takes 1 min per bottle to refill and so far I've done about 15 bottles and still have all my fingers! One of the best investments so far and hundreds of people have used it without any issues that I can find.

[HILLYBILLYBARRY]

whats wrong with a good old wood stove a small one but warm and heat is what you want it will do that job that my motto but then agian i dont know about useing it in them newer tents type you ppl have

[fluxcore]

Has anyone used the 3,800 BTU little buddy heater at prince auto for $89.99 its got the low oxy shutdown as well. Thats what ill be picking up

[pecker]

whats happened to the posts of the methyl hydrate , toilet paper in the tobacco can thing.:lol::lol::wave:

[Kevin C.]

Has anyone used the 3,800 BTU little buddy heater at prince auto for $89.99 its got the low oxy shutdown as well. Thats what ill be picking up


Was just talking to my buddy who is picking up heaters for us at BPS and he thought that one may be likely to fall over if a guy was a little excited and kicked it. So I ended up going with the next one up puts out a little more heat too.
Just my 2 cents.

[jrs]

"whats wrong with a good old wood stove a small one but warm and heat is what you want it will do that job that my motto but then agian i dont know about useing it in them newer tents type you ppl have"

The small wood burning stove available at Princess Auto works awesome in a 4 man ice cube. That's what i picked up last winter. You run the chimney through the roof vent and get a small chunk of fibreglass insulation to wrap around the pipe so the roof doesn't melt. I leave the door partly open even at -30 as it gets a bit warm otherwise. Works well though. Sure don't need a ton of wood to heat the shack for the day either. They went on for around $100 last year, already has saved me that much on propane, i just burn old crates/ 2X4 scraps. I think they're $150 right now.

[camshaft]

Can anyone tell me how long the big buddy on high will last, hooked up to a 5lb tank.

Just got a 5lber and want to make sure i'll be enough for a day vs bringing the 20lber.

[Izumi]

Can anyone tell me how long the big buddy on high will last, hooked up to a 5lb tank.

Just got a 5lber and want to make sure i'll be enough for a day vs bringing the 20lber.

I don't have a big buddy but from the manual:

One 1 lb. cylinder lasts 1.5 to 6 hours

So
On High 5lbs @ 1.5 hrs/lbs = 7.5 hours
On Low 5lbs @ 6 hrs/lbs = 30 Hours

[calgarygringo]

We have our big buddy going in our shack all the time. For a ten hour day or so for us on high and medium we can do 6 or 7 day trips on a 20lb so 5 lb should be good for a day trip.Don't forget if your shack or tent is black and sun is out it warms it nicely and you won't need it on high all day. Some days we even turn it off when the sun is beating on us as it is too warm even on low.

[fluxcore]

Was just talking to my buddy who is picking up heaters for us at BPS and he thought that one may be likely to fall over if a guy was a little excited and kicked it. So I ended up going with the next one up puts out a little more heat too.
Just my 2 cents.

I ended picking a little buddy heater today and it comes with a flat base for the bottle as well as a shut off feature if it tips over:D

[Izumi]

I have one of these

http://images.channeladvisor.com/Sell/SSProfiles/43000093/Images/9/10-28-09%20heater%20003.jpg

I picked it up at Princess for 100$. They are long out of stock. There is some really good deals still on Ebay and Amazon. Dyna Glo was bought out by Mr. Heater (where the pivoting valves came from). It's like a big buddy, but it has no blower and its 1000 BTUs less on high 16,000. ABS Plastic and Stainless.

[huntinstuff]

I bought one of those Little Buddies about 2hrs ago at Princess Auto....80bucks

A real bugger to get lit the first try, but now I find it lights and stays lit pretty good.....it took a few tries to get the element to lite.....and yes, I was doing it right:)

I think it would be good for a two man tent. I will see how it works on that new Frabill lodge I bought......

[fluxcore]

I bought one of those Little Buddies about 2hrs ago at Princess Auto....80bucks

A real bugger to get lit the first try, but now I find it lights and stays lit pretty good.....it took a few tries to get the element to lite.....and yes, I was doing it right:)

I think it would be good for a two man tent. I will see how it works on that new Frabill lodge I bought......

Mine was a little tought to get it lit for the first time but now it fires up and burns red hot, even heated up the kitchen

[Kevin C.]

I ended picking a little buddy heater today and it comes with a flat base for the bottle as well as a shut off feature if it tips over:D

Right on I never thought of the tip over/shut off, good call.

[bintherdonthat]

a mr cooker,not mr heater,same manufacture though,comes with own stand,u can turn it facing up or facing towards u,also u can cook stuff on it.

[deanmc]

I had some spare time as I was not working while it was -40 on Monday and Tuesday. I went through the scrap metal bin and made a small wood heater from a discarded 20 lb propane tank. I have it burning outside on the sidewalk right now to see how easy it is to control. i used 4"inch water heater pipe and can see now I will need to use vent for the piece that exits from the tent.

I have a propane heater but after reading the carbon monoxide concerns so many people have i have decided to try a wood heater. If it works well I will post pictures but I want to see it is safe to use first.:wave:

[WayneChristie]

I use a good sized kerosene heater, no problems at all when its cold like propane. Probably go to a propane heater eventually, just for the portability. Only problem so far is if you move it and it shuts off, theres a nice bit of smoke but the pop up has 2 doors so it airs out fast if I have to. Ive had the black tent out at minus 22 on a sunny day, and it was bare hands warm even without a heater.

[JohnnyCustom]

I have always ran a 20lb'r and probally always will. I've gotton used to carting it around (In a milk crate) and it holds my chairs still in the Jeep while traveling.

[shark]

So we have realized that we will need a heater for our ice tent. What are people using, what would you recommend? We have a 4 man tent and want to be warm enough to fish without gloves on :) Looking at this model and vendor, any thoughts?
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_97540_325003000_325000000_325003000_325-3-0
Thanks! Happy fishing!
P.S.
They also have them here, and if I bought it instore, would have it for the weekend. http://www.princessauto.com/farm/heating/propane-heaters/8066508-double-element-tank-top-heater

I just use a propane coleman heater the kind that is meant to cook a can of beans on, mind you there is an open flame but it works awesome. (I have got an adapter for a five or 10 pound propane bottle) The heater costs about 25.00 at your canadain tire/ Walmarts. Would not even consider using anything else, the problem that I have with actual propane heaters with no flame is that they can be very hard to light and the igniters don't work after a few uses!! (And can be hard to light with matches!!)

[fisherwoman]

Used our new big buddy for the first time this weekend. Worked great, Nice and warm in the tent. So warm there was a few inches of water on the floor and everytime someone caught a fish it would flop on the floor and splash out the heater! It has an auto shut off and re lights easily. Works for a bit of light in the dark too. And is very quite.
Brought a 20lb bottle and hooked a lantern and stove up as well. All I need is a cot and I could stay all weekend!
So far I happy with the purchase.

[Geezle]

Glad your new purchase is working out for you...it's always fun to get new toys and try them out :D

[tchcont]

Nobody uses electric heaters?

We usea small 1500 w force air elec. and runs
all day on 2 gal gas. don't have to worry about
freezing propane bottles , smoke , propane fumes.

no maintenance and fire problems.

[mooseknuckle]

Nobody uses electric heaters?

We usea small 1500 w force air elec. and runs
all day on 2 gal gas. don't have to worry about
freezing propane bottles , smoke , propane fumes.

no maintenance and fire problems.

What does it weigh?

[Izumi]

Nobody uses electric heaters?

We usea small 1500 w force air elec. and runs
all day on 2 gal gas. don't have to worry about
freezing propane bottles , smoke , propane fumes.

no maintenance and fire problems.

Since you using gas to power your electric heater I would imagine your using a generator. That must run all day at a 1500W draw and 8 Liters of gas IMO is a lot of fuel for one day.

There would also be exhaust fumes vs propane which burns pretty clean.

And Generators do need maintenance.

This doesn't seem very efficient. I'll stick with what I know.