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Subject Topic: Tent heater advice Post Reply Post New Topic
via mobile 09/12/2023 at 2:24pm
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View Ryan Clough's Profile View Profile   Reply to Ryan Clough Reply   Quote Ryan Clough Quote  
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Hi guys I'm after some advice on a tent heater can I go for gas or does it have to be electric?


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via mobile 09/12/2023 at 5:13pm
 Location: London
 Outfit: Vango Kalu Hypercamp Eldorado
View DeborahTurner's Profile View Profile   Reply to DeborahTurner Reply   Quote DeborahTurner Quote  
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For me it would need to be electric.

I see people with bell tents have wood burning stoves which look fantastic, but couldn’t be used in any other kind of tent.


via mobile 09/12/2023 at 5:28pm
 Location: None Entered
 Outfit: Coachman Festival
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Electric for me as well, much safer than gas in a tent. However, you will need the correct type of power supply unit to plug into the hook up and not just use any old extension lead.


via mobile 09/12/2023 at 5:41pm
 Location: London
 Outfit: Vango Kalu Hypercamp Eldorado
View DeborahTurner's Profile View Profile   Reply to DeborahTurner Reply   Quote DeborahTurner Quote  
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And one that cuts out if it falls over so as not to melt / ignite ground sheet. Kampa Diddy is often mentioned.


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09/12/2023 at 6:01pm
 Location: London
 Outfit: Lunar Cosmos 524
View Monty15's Profile View Profile   Reply to Monty15 Reply   Quote Monty15 Quote  
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Not aware of any portable gas heaters that are truly considered safe in a tent! - MOST state clearly 'NOT TO BE USED IN AN ENCLOSED SPACE'.

Fire risk aside from a naked flame inside a tent (ALL tents are flammable, 'fire resistant' only means they self extinguish when original flame source removed/extinguished, NOT that they won't catch fire!), Carbon Monoxide poisoning is the great risk, and YOU will be unaware you are being poisoned, no smell, no warning, you just die in ignorance - and sadly enough do die to prove it's not an idle warning!

Some general advice on Carbon Monoxide Poisoning/Risk: https://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/articles/view.asp?id=476

Electric (mains from a EHU point) with the correct EHU lead with inbuilt safety breakers is the only real option, and then with a heater that has a anti-tip safety cut out. Infra-red types give 'quiet' near instant heat, but fan heaters give more general heat at the expense of being a bit noisy, BOTH need keeping well clear of flammable materials as they can cause 'hot spots' that can cause a fire, Oil Filled Radiators are very good, but tend towards the bulky and heavy, with a little time to warm up themselves and the tent! Not all heaters have a thermostat, I've a Kampa Diddy fan heater, which is a brilliant compact little heater, but sadly no thermostat, so you can sometimes feel too warm and have to switch it off or reduce power to lower setting.

You can get portable Diesel Heaters, which have a balanced flue system, which means all combustion fumes are piped out of the tent, BUT they are bulky, expensive, and require the flue to exit the tent somehow! - probably better suited to larger communal tents/marques than typical personal tents.



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via mobile 09/12/2023 at 6:48pm
 Location: London
 Outfit: Vango Kalu Hypercamp Eldorado
View DeborahTurner's Profile View Profile   Reply to DeborahTurner Reply   Quote DeborahTurner Quote  
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Gas heaters give off loads of condensation too.


via mobile 10/12/2023 at 10:06am
 Location: Yorkshire
 Outfit: None Entered
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As others have said, never use gas heaters inside a tent.

With a camping EHU, we use a Dreamland electric blanket which keeps us toasty warm throughout the night on a low setting. Better to heat your body than trying to heat the air. Or, plenty of layers, a hat, bed socks and hot water bottles!

We also have a small but efficient, low-wattage oil filled radiator (De'Longhi Bambino) which takes the chill off and is silent.


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10/12/2023 at 9:42pm
 Location: Devizes Wiltshire
 Outfit: MWB VW Crafter PVC
View dk168's Profile View Profile   Reply to dk168 Reply   Quote dk168 Quote  
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I have a butane-burning gas heater that is indoor safe in well-ventilated rooms, and had used it in a tent that did not have a SIG or ZIG.

I used it to supplement the electric fan heater, and placed it on a small table in the middle of the living area and the gas canister did not last very long.

I also had another gas heater, again, it was supposed to be used in well-ventilated areas.

I would only use the gas heaters when I was awake, and not in the sleeping pod.

I stopped using them as I worried too much about potential safety issues, and used a fan heater alone, heating up only one area at a time.

The ones I used (I went through about 3) were no more than 2kW output, dual heat levels, thermostatically controlled, a couple had trip prevention.

I forgot about it being on and boiled the kettle and tripped the EHU once during a cold weather camping trip, DOH!

DK

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via mobile 10/12/2023 at 10:00pm
 Location: County Kildare Ireland EU.
 Outfit: Tents
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The only gas heaters that were deemed safe were the catalytic ones. Don't see them much these days though. I believe they were also prone to chucking out a bit of carbon monoxide in certain case.
I always use electric and of no hook up, just wrap up warm.

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Hypercamp Alaska
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via mobile 10/12/2023 at 10:32pm
 Location: south derbyshire
 Outfit: campmaster air trailer tent
View Graham T's Profile View Profile   Reply to Graham T Reply   Quote Graham T Quote  
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Just don't use a gas heater in a tent, better to wake up cold than not wake up at all !!


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16/12/2023 at 7:07am
 Location: chesterfield
 Outfit: Ford Kuga AWD & Lunar Clubman SI
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oil filled rad with thermostat the only noise is the click of the stat


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via mobile 16/12/2023 at 2:20pm
 Location: Ayrshire
 Outfit: Auto-Sleeper MHs
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Quote: Originally posted by cliffbrown on 16/12/2023
oil filled rad with thermostat the only noise is the click of the stat



Agree; the dog hated the blown air of a fan heater & I hated the noise.
There are plenty of other threads on this topic too, including the benefits of a good woolly hat.

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16/12/2023 at 3:17pm
 Location: London
 Outfit: Lunar Cosmos 524
View Monty15's Profile View Profile   Reply to Monty15 Reply   Quote Monty15 Quote  
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Quote: Originally posted by Fiona W on 16/12/2023

Agree; the dog hated the blown air of a fan heater ...... including the benefits of a good woolly hat.



Strange creatures, my dog loves lying in front of the fan heater, I have to move her away to stop her getting burnt! .... just fitted new storage heaters at home, they blow the heated air out of a vent at the bottom, dog's now discovered this, so I've got to devise a way of stopping her lying too close!

..... got to agree, woolly hat, .... socks, gloves even, make a decent substitute for artificial heating, with maybe the exception of a hot water bottle, which got me through childhood in unheated freezing cold (frost on INSIDE of windows!) bedrooms well enough! ... certainly resorted to piling on the clothing when cold snap has caught me out and no heaters available to warm the tent! ... needs must, and it's flexible and free too!


21/3/2024 at 2:24pm
 Location: staffordshire
 Outfit: Airedale 6
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I've got my perfect heater, sometimes does the dishes aswell. I have to top it up with white wine now and then. But has worked well for 35 years.

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My friends reckon I should be certified anyway. And they should know!!



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