What do you use for heat?

[mnhoundman]

We will hopefully be going out deer hunting in Wyoming this year in region f. Do to the bears we probably will be staying in an enclosed trailer. What is the best heat source for the altitude? I've heard the propane heaters don't work. Any suggestions or ideas would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Hilltop]

We will hopefully be going out deer hunting in Wyoming this year in region f. Do to the bears we probably will be staying in an enclosed trailer. What is the best heat source for the altitude? I've heard the propane heaters don't work. Any suggestions or ideas would be appreciated. Thanks!

I have always used propane heaters. They seem to work fine- make sure you have a vent for fresh air. Our camp is usually right around 8700 feet to 9000 feet in elevation. We did use a generator a couple of times with a little electric heater. It doesn't take much to heat a small trailer with guys in it.

 

[kiddwinner]

as hilltop said, I also use propane and those elevations and it works fine for me.

 

[Eberle]

A Mr. Heater works fine at 8000' elevation. I ran one for a week last October out there during the blizzard!

 

[BKC]

if the altitude your going hunting in is 5,000'-10,000' you will be just fine. There is roughly 3% less oxygen per thousand feet so that will make your propane heater less efficient but it will work. Keep in mind that propane is in a liquid state inside a propane tank and it vaporizes ( boils ) as it is being used. The colder the propane is, the slower it will vaporize. If you leave propane outside in the cold overnight it will get so cold at lower outside temperatures that it will not vaporize fast enough. When your camper heater fires up, it will shut down pretty quickly because your heater is asking for more propane than the liquid propane can vaporize. Try and keep the propane tanks warm at night. Cover them with a blanket or tarp to avoid the cold setteling on them. Try and keep backup propane cylinders in the sun during the day if it is going to be warm. Manifold two or three tanks together to vaporize two to three times as much propane as normal. Keep a well ventilated trailer, make sure the exhaust is working and buy a smoke/CO2 alarm for it. The last sentence is the most important one!

 

[mnhoundman]

Thanks everyone! I was kinda worried about using a propane heater. I definitely would have a alarm or two. How about a quite generator and an electric heater? Would be much safer, I think if you had one of those Honda's they are really quite.

 

[OregonJim]

Those little Mr. Heater Buddy units work fine.
Had mine ten years now. I have heated a wall tent with one when it was in the teens.
I MUCH PREFER firing up the wood stove but there are times and places when you just can't. (no fires, no wood)
There are some great propane single and duel burner heaters that hook up to a large bottle that might end up costing a lot less to run, but in my opinion that just comes down to economics, not heat.

I'm a little concerned about using one in an enclosed trailer. An RV would have a furnace so it sounds like you are talking about sleeping in a cargo trailer. Done that a couple of times.
They are not very warm but it also doesn't take much to heat one.
Might think about other options if we are not talking an RV.
Safest thing would be to run a little honda gen and use an electric heater. Would suck to draw the short straw and have to fire mr. honda up at three in the morning.
Make sure that the set up is tested if you choose it. Coffee Pots and heaters are the biggest draws on those small Gens.

 

[mnhoundman]

We have a camper, but it would be a little big for this trip. Also we could haul a four wheeler with the trailer in case it snows. Kinda leaning towards electric heat.

 

[OregonJim]

We have a camper, but it would be a little big for this trip. Also we could haul a four wheeler with the trailer in case it snows. Kinda leaning towards electric heat.

I'm in the same pickle, trailer (RV) would be comfortable as heck (showers, bed, etc) but is overkill and I can't bring a quad......... decisions, decisions...............
Those little gens are pretty economical but see how much you fuel burn in a set amount of time (multiply that out for a night then a week).
Honestly the cost is not much of a factor but you don't want to poison yourself.
I had to pull someone out of a similar situation and they didn't make it.
Not going to happen if you keep the vent open or the door cracked and go the extra step to get an alarm.

Good luck

 

[mnhoundman]

We have a 28 ft. Camper with one slide out, but it would be pretty heavy to pull that far. Definitely would get an alarm if we use propane.

Thanks for your input Jim!!

 

[Musket Man]

You can get an adapter to hook a big tank to a Mr Heater or anything that uses a small bottle for that matter. Just make sure you close the valve on the tank when your not using it.

 

[mnhoundman]

You can get an adapter to hook a big tank to a Mr Heater or anything that uses a small bottle for that matter. Just make sure you close the valve on the tank when your not using it.

Thanks MM, that would work slick!

 

[buckbull]

You can get an adapter to hook a big tank to a Mr Heater or anything that uses a small bottle for that matter. Just make sure you close the valve on the tank when your not using it.

My sister does uses the adapter and it works well. she has the Mr. Heater in the deer stand and the tank on the ground.

 

[Musket Man]

Thanks MM, that would work slick!

I forget where I got it now but its a hose and 1 end has a fitting that screws into a big tank and the other has an end that screws in where a small bottle would fit. Ill get it out and see if I can find a make or anything on it if you cant find one.

 

[gonhunting247]

They make a metal tree that hooks right to a propane tank(we use a 10 gal) you can put a lantern on top and run a hose to the mr. heater, or we use the big mr. heater hooked directly to the tank in the big wall tent and use the tree for the lantern and the cook stove on a 5 gal tank in the cooking area. I can't remember the brand of hoses off hand either, but we have two different brands. (actually I think it's a coleman and a century, same with the trees{posts}.

 

[trkytrack2]

My camp is above 10,000 ft. Never have had any problems with propane. I bowhunt mostly in Aug./Sept. so I've not had too many super cold nights. Running a generator all night isn't something I'd want to do for electricity. Even a small Coleman generator makes too much noise for me. I like to hear the elk bugling during the night.

 

[Eberle]

You can buy the hoses & adapters at wal-mart or just about any other sporting goods store. Coleman & Ozark trail make both of them.

 

[mnhoundman]

Thanks for all the info!

 

[burns51]

I have the same question about heat, i will be using a tent this October in Co. I was wondering if a mr heater big buddy would be enough. The tent is 10x10 cabin tent.

 

[okielite]

Big buddy will be more than you can stand in a 10 x 10 area. That thing puts out some heat. I usually use the junior when camping and it will run all night on a small bottle.

I used my big buddy in a blind hunting at -20 last year and I didn't' even have a coat on and the windows were open.

+1 on keeping the tanks warm. We kept having to switch out bottles because they were freezing up.