heating a tent in winter

[JCW]

Been using Buddy Heaters for years. Tough to beat, And no CO issues either.

 

[Moose Guide]

On an early season elk hunt we quickly learned that propane heaters will not heat as well as a good hippie killer! Propane users froze while wood users were toasty warm!!! We were camped at about the 6000 ft level! On day 2 the second tent got a hippie killer and everyone slept well!!!

 

[Len Graves]

We used to be able to buy white gas and kerosine at our hardware stores. They are two different things. White gas can be very explosive. Also using these fuels one must remember they give off carbon monoxide, so does charcoal brickettes. Up here in the north woods of Mich. we have a couple of hunters each year succumb to suffocation. Please be very careful.

 

[sidelock]

Just get your self a good sleeping bag!!!!! My last camp of 39 days in a MT winter I never got cold,but I have a good bag.

 

[graybeard]

My partner and I have old camping trailers for a deer camp. Both have add-on heaters so we use them to warm the camper, then turn it off and go to bed. Like Minnesota, deer hunting temps can vary from light summer sleeping bag to a down bag with a wool blanket over that. We bought a propane heater but it shuts off in just a few minutes. I wake up a lot at night and check to see if I am dead. graybeard

 

[Len Graves]

Yup I wake up a lot at night also. I know I am not dead because my high water alarm goes off. When it gets cold out it gets hard to find the drain thingy. Getting old is just a little better than the alternative.

 

[flintlock75]

I have several tents depending on duration of campout. In Alaska the spring and fall rondies always drop to freezing at night.
I use a military yukon stove for all my tents, My french bell back has a stove hole in the roof, and my Marqee 13x18, i made a wooden wall panelwith a metal stove pipe insert, this takes the place of one side of the back door, along withn a wood and metal plate on the floor. I use wood when in the big tent durring the day but at night i found that Charcoal briqets will burn longer and put out a steady heat all night long. There is no CO worries since it is in a wood stove.
If it realy came down to heating i could use the Fuel System that goes with the stove, this alows several different fuels to be used, Mogas,diesel or karosene. In the small tent i put a couple of handfulls of charcoal in the top of the stove and since i am usually up at least once at night i put another handfull in, this keeps it cozy all night. If i am just using a leanto i will use my braiser with the same charcoal, since its open air.

 

[bangfxr]

What I've done with my A is make a fire pit near the open end dig a trench to the rear of the A and bury stove pipe to an elbow and set up 6 sections up with a spark arester and a rod iron tri-pod as support for the stove pipes. it works and the tent will be warm through the night.

 

[Woods Dweller]

What I've done with my A is make a fire pit near the open end dig a trench to the rear of the A and bury stove pipe to an elbow and set up 6 sections up with a spark arester and a rod iron tri-pod as support for the stove pipes. it works and the tent will be warm through the night.

You mean like this.
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/263876/

 

[bangfxr]

Yes that is it and the ground will help hold the heat during the night. I plum forgot there was an example on another spot. Thank you.

 

[Poor Private]

I carry a Buddy heater. And I also just use the small tanks. If you heat it up before bed (like someone said) then turn it down to pilot it works fine. Also I have found out that if you have a mucket, or large diameter cup you can heat water on the Buddy by using the front grill and resting it on the top housing. Also a Buddy doesn't take up as much room as all those pieces of pipe and the time involved setting up and tearing down, and waiting for it to cool to pack and clean before putting it in your vehicle, same with a wood stove(I don't like all that ash, wood soot in my vehicle). I buy a couple of those 2 pounders tanks every year and save them when they get empty-- you can refill them from your big tank. And they take up alot less room in your vehicle. You can just find the nearest trash can ands toss the tanks. 1 buddy heater takes up alot less room than a wood stove and pipe, and less than a brazier and charcoal.

 

[courdebois]

Len ,i know how you feel, being on the wrong side of 65,anyway, just sitting here looking outside, snow on the ground, 18 f outside, going to set up my 12" x 14 wall tent later in the day bout 20 miles east of me, tomorrow we drag in the rest of our gear getting ready for the muzzle loading season on monday, got a 16 by 24 wood stove, last year was warm , this year not so,but i don,t think there will be any problems, last year we burned black poplar, this year i got hold of some elm for the nite fire, looking forward to it,my buddy laughs knowing he won,t be stoking the stove at nite being he is only 60, an can sleep thru , our wives think were both crazy

 

[Billnpatti]

A good sleeping bag, a couple of chemical hand warmers by your feet and a couple more up near your chest. Wear a night cap of some kind and you will sleep well in some pretty cold weather. If it is a very cold night, just slip another chermical hand warmer in your night cap to keep your head toasty warm. In the morning, just reach over and light your gasoline Coleman lantern. That sucker will heat up a tent pretty quickly. If you are in PC/HC Police country, you will have to hide your "secrets". But you will enjoy a warm night and dress in relative comfort in the morning while they are freezing their Ss off. Just be sure to comment on what a miserably cold night it was.

 

[spudnut]

I used a single burner Coleman kerosene heater in my 7X9X8 wedge tent with great results I even leave a coffer pot hangin slightly over the heat rising edge so the morning coffee water has a head start

 

[Bear Rider]

You can always use the old fashioned hot water bottle. Heat the water over your campfire, fill the bottle and chunk it into your bed about a half hour before you go to bed. If it's too hot, wrap it in a shirt or something.

 

[Johnny Too-Tall]

just spend 100 bucks and buy a big buddy heater it has a carbon monoxide meter in it and will shut off, but safe to use indoors anyways.. I wont tell anyone u used one, just hide it in the am..

 

[Johnny Too-Tall]

just spend 100 bucks and buy a big buddy heater it has a carbon monoxide meter in it and will shut off, but safe to use indoors anyways.. I wont tell anyone u used one, just hide it in the am..

 

[Black Hand]

If you are in PC/HC Police country, you will have to hide your "secrets". But you will enjoy a warm night and dress in relative comfort in the morning while they are freezing their Ss off.

That is very strange.
Even with HC/PC items, the nights are quite comfortable in my camp. The best investment you can make is in your blankets. Get a few good blankets and you will be nice and warm.

Don't forget the padding underneath. This is where most people go wrong, and where you need more padding (The old Boy Scout rule of thumb was 3 times the thickness underneath as you have on top). This is especially critical if you are using a cot.

 

[necchi]

Uh-huh,,
You must live outside year`round like our ancestors did. Nuthing wrong with that.
Those kind of folks do acclimate as weather/seasons change.

Some of us live and work in a required climate controlled environment, for those kinds of folks a small 40 degree temp change can be down right un-comfortable.

If I only had the oppertunity to participate in strict HC/PC events I'd probably only make a day trip of it.
(or simply not go because I wouldn't qualify)

As it is, even our mentioned ancestors had the smarts to get near a fire when it got cold,, If they didn't they died.

Next time I ride my horse with tetherd pack mule into a Rendezvous,, I'll do the best I can to muddle along with just my layers of blanket.

 

[Black Hand]

I work in a climate-controlled office, for the most part driving a computer. I'd prefer to be living outside, but it won't pay the bills.

Personally, I truly dislike being cold (Ask any of my trail-partners. They comment that "It must be warm! You're only wearing 2 shirts and a waiscoat). As to temp differences, one learns to adapt to adverse conditions and do what needs to be done.

Depending on the time of year, I may have as many as 6-8 wool blankets on the bed in the HOUSE, and carry as many as the situation will allow when outdoors. In camp, I have a large wedge tent that is heated by a wood stove (thin steel with little heat-holding capacity). Filling the firebox (about 1.5'x1.5'x2.5') with wood at 10pm will get me heat until about 1:30-2am. Firewood in the wilds of MT is pretty crappy - mostly pine and fir with some cottonwood thrown in. They'll give you heat but aren't any good for long-lasting coals.

All that said, people can deal with the cold, but prefer to complain (as I do). It doesn't mean you need any of those modern appliances in your tent to be comfortable. If you chose to use them, feel free. It doesn't really bother me any, but I will share my experience in an effort to educate.