Tent camping heater recommendations?

Crankbait

Crankbait

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Taking my family camping for the first time in a couple weeks. Supposed to get down in the 40s at night. Was wondering about what heaters are safe to use in a tent. My brother-in-law made a small wood heater out of ammo last year and he uses it and his tent. I have a dual tank buddy heater but I’m curious about the fumes inside a tent all night? Is something like that relatively safe? We are taking sleeping bags and plenty of blankets. What other options do I have? I don’t want to spend a ton of money for the first time until I make sure they all want to go back but I want them to be comfortable and not miserable and hate it
 
Dog.

Even the supposedly safe heaters give me a crippling headache and iirc you need a pretty big tent to qualify as safe.

Typically hot tents are a specific thing, not something you add to a regular tent.
 
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Metal bucket.
Heat up rocks around the campfire

DO NOT GET ROCKS FROM A CREEK!!!
They will become grenades as they heat up from the water expanding.

You'll need gloves.
Heat will be released all night.
 
at those temps good sleeping bags will be fine (up her we sleep in colder weather with just sleeping bags as bsa rules prohibit heaters in tents), make sure to change out of sweaty clothing including socks and i like to use a pocket warmer inside my sleeping bag. plenty warm
 
Diablos said:
make sure to change out of sweaty clothing including socks
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Yeah I always do that the mornings I go deer hunting and fishing in cold weather. It’s amazing the difference what dry underwear will do to keep one warm
Diablos said:
i like to use a pocket warmer inside my sleeping bag. plenty warm
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Ah genius. Never would’ve thought of that but that’s a great idea
 
The zippo hand warmers that run on their fuel are lifesavers once you get over the idea of having an exothermic catalytic reaction in your pocket.

Edit: the rechargeable battery one was trash though, not as warm and way shorter run time.
 
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Windini said:
Use your buddy heater to warm up the tent for the kids (and other less hardy people!), DON'T FALL ASLEEP till they do, then turn it off & sack out.

In the AM, reverse the procedure.
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Thought of that also. I won’t fall asleep with it on but to knock the chill off in the morning would be nice
 
Not quite your situation, but on cold mornings, I can set up my alcohol stove or my gas cannister stove in the vestibule of my ancient tent to make a cup of coffee/oatmeal/etc. A side benefit is that the heat generated will warm up the door area of my tent a bit.

Again, with kids and/or inexperienced campers, you'd need to simplify/safety-fy something similar.
 
I seen a tent catch fire Pisgah National Forest. They were using a small propane burner as a heater that got knocked over. Luckily everyone got out ok. When it went up, it went quick. Good sleeping bag and ground mat is the way to go.
 
Me. said:
It’s not the cold sleeping that will get them.


It’s waking up and crawling out of the bag to go pee outside… THAT is where cold hits, and a tent heater won’t help!
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Don’t tell kcult but I have a bucket with a toilet seat and bag attached for easy clean up 🤫
 
Buddy Heather will do fine for heating up the tent.

Before bed boil some water. Put the hot water in Nalgene bottle. Wrap bottle in sock. Put it in the sleeping bag with them.

Did that last fall on a backpacking trip for my daughter. She sleeps cold and she is tiny.
 
We camp in February in Santee Swamp every year, some time temps are well below freezing. Most of the crew run Mr Buddy heaters in their tents all night with no issues. I can’t use one because the heat is just too much, even on low setting. I usually just keep the pilot running all night then turn the heater on when I have to get up to piss 13 times throughout the night. Plenty of headaches in the morning, but I chalk that up to the empty Bush Latte cans and empty bourbon bottles laying around.
 
I've been using a buddy heater with 30# tank during Sage winter and spring classes (2 weeks each) for 4 years now. No issues, only real issue is water vapor but leaving a door or window cracked alleviates most of that.
I'm currently on a 30 day ftx for uncle sugar, only had a hand full of chilly nights but you can bet your ass I'm running my buddy heater over waking up to take a cold piss.
If you're in a 6-8 man tent (that really only sleeps 3) a buddy heater is the way to go, assuming you're glamping out of a car or truck.
 
Most of us have tents with mesh screen on top of them so moisture doesn’t seem to be an issue. There is a gap between the rain fly and the mesh in top of the tent, so most of the heat just escapes, but a Mr Heater will put off a lot of heat inside of a tent. I have a good fart sack so even during those 20 deg nights I still don’t run my heater.
 
40s at night with several people in a tent isn’t too cold. Make sure you have decent sleeping bags and pads to go under them
 
Some good info in this thread!



I would add:

Take some large (45-50+) gallon trash bags and put them on the ground as a moisture barrier. They will help alot with damp, cold moisture under the tent floor.
Line the tent floor with a large comforter or thick bedspread, then put down sleeping pads or blankets if you have them, then your bedrolls. A sheet inside the bedroll works great too.
Wear longjohns, socks and then some sweatpants and a sweatshirt. You'll sleep warm.
 
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You may sweat with all those cloth on. Typically less is better if you’re in a good fart sack. Keep your cloths piled up in the bottom of your fart sack so they are cold in the morning.
 
How far do you need to carry your gear? The more crap you have and longer distances really reinforces things.

Now my camping is in a diesel bus. Many years ago as a young cub scout we had camping trips in below freezing temps.

Boiling ice to get water that was fun, then. Not so much now.
 
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Buddy heaters are supposedly efficient enough that they can be used indoors. Says it on the package. I have a small one I use indoors when the power goes out. It will sweat you out of a room it has to be rough in a tent

I am not a tent camper but those zippo hand warmers are the absolute best thing for COLD wet days hunting. If you do not have one it's worth buying
 
Thanks guys. A lot of helpful info. We are going up to Stone Mountains for a few nights. So we’ll be near the truck.

Looks like my buddy heater may do fine along with a good sleeping bag and pads which I have. I don’t plan to run the heater all night but I’m sure I’ll wake up and let it run to knock the chill off. I just want my girls to enjoy their first camping trip. I’ve only tent camped a few time.y parents had a camper and we camped several times a year in it. I know it’s not the same with power and water hook ups versus none so trying to make the best for them
 
Me. said:
No moisture problems?
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Generally with good airflow it’s not an issue. Never created an indoor rainforest


The coldest night we’ve ever camped was in Pilot Mtn winter of 2010. It was in the mid teens outside with a constantly gusting wind. The Mr Buddy kept it in the mid 60s in the tent however you did have to deal with some chilly drafts but at least it was fresh air keeping us alive. I wouldn’t use the heater in a camper but a tent with airflow I think is fine. I did have to change the 1lb bottles out twice in the night because we ran it wide open but otherwise we’d have been miserably cold
 
Crankbait said:
Thanks guys. A lot of helpful info. We are going up to Stone Mountains for a few nights. So we’ll be near the truck.

Looks like my buddy heater may do fine along with a good sleeping bag and pads which I have. I don’t plan to run the heater all night but I’m sure I’ll wake up and let it run to knock the chill off. I just want my girls to enjoy their first camping trip. I’ve only tent camped a few time.y parents had a camper and we camped several times a year in it. I know it’s not the same with power and water hook ups versus none so trying to make the best for them
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For everyone griping about it, that bold part is it. Make it fun, at all costs. Unless you don't want them to do it again. You can tough it out on a later trip.

After several trips we did one late fall camping trip to Brevard. I think it got down into the 20's. Would have made for a bad first trip but they did OK with it. Had the heater on a 20# tank for that trip.
 
Ben Jefferson said:
My God people, all this for a low of fourtyish?
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This.

What a difference perspective and equipment makes. On one of my Montana elk hunts, the HIGH for the day was -5. (Who thought it was a good idea to hang up a thermometer?)

Good bags, small wood stove in the tent. Also, make sure you drink less than the other guy so he can put another piece of wood in the stove when he gets up to pee.

For these 40’s temps just insulate off the ground and you’ll be fine.
 
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