Mr Buddy or Coleman heaters?

[DaveM]

I’m trying to decide between these three units for portable tent heaters. I have a larger Mr. Buddy and like it, but I’d prefer an easier to pack version. Is there a major difference between how the Mr. Heater and the Coleman work? They look like they use different heating elements. Any guess on which would be safer in a tent (Oz Tent RV3)?

http://www.mrheater.com/product.aspx?catid=41&id=338

http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=5038A850&categoryid=3000&brand=

http://www.coleman.com/coleman/ColemanCom/detail.asp?CategoryID=3000&product_id=5035A750

 

[James86004]

The Mr Buddy has tipover shutoff, and Coleman's don't list that. We have a Mr Buddy Portable Buddy and we know you don't have to bump it very hard for it to shut off, which is reassuring.

 

[DaveM]

The Mr Buddy has tipover shutoff, and Coleman's don't list that. We have a Mr Buddy Portable Buddy and we know you don't have to bump it very hard for it to shut off, which is reassuring.

I noticed that but wonderd if there was something about the Coleman heating element that made it unnecessary for them to include that feature?

I do like the low Ox sensor of the Mr Buddy. When I used my larger Mr Buddy in my RV3 this fall it shut off pretty quickly, but by then the tent was nice a warm!

 

[Rando]

The Buddy heaters have a low oxygen shutoff which is good for safety in a tent, however it stops them from working over about 7000' of elevation. Makes them fairly useless if you camp in the mountains.

 

[seanz0rz]

i used my dad's blackcat heater in our tent for NYE in joshua tree (was well below freezing, the 5 gallons in our water jug was nearly solid by morning) it worked well for me, as it was closer and pointed at my head. g/f felt nothing, she was maybe a couple more feet away. the heater lasted about 7 hours until it ran out of propane. in my haste to setup the heater, i did not read the directions and set the legs up the wrong way. the heater fell and burned a small hole in the floor of my tent. im glad it happened while i was awake, and not in the middle of the night where i might not have noticed it until there was a fire. that was my fault, and no fault of the heater, though the outside rim does get very hot.

overall, i was disappointed by its performance. it really failed to keep us warm at night in a (well ventilated) tent. i imagine the performance of the 3rd one you posted would be less than the blackcat.

i cannot comment on the performance of the mr buddy heaters, but ive heard much better things about them on this site and on others.

 

[BlackX]

I have a Mr. Heater and love it. I don't have experience with the Coleman though so I can't really compare the two.

 

[kerry]

I have a larger Mr buddy heater with the low oxygen sensor. If my memory is correct, it worked fine while we camped at Vidauvoo which I believe is about 9000 ft in elevation.

 

[DaveM]

i used my dad's blackcat heater in our tent for NYE in joshua tree (was well below freezing, the 5 gallons in our water jug was nearly solid by morning) it worked well for me, as it was closer and pointed at my head. g/f felt nothing, she was maybe a couple more feet away. the heater lasted about 7 hours until it ran out of propane. in my haste to setup the heater, i did not read the directions and set the legs up the wrong way. the heater fell and burned a small hole in the floor of my tent. im glad it happened while i was awake, and not in the middle of the night where i might not have noticed it until there was a fire. that was my fault, and no fault of the heater, though the outside rim does get very hot.

overall, i was disappointed by its performance. it really failed to keep us warm at night in a (well ventilated) tent. i imagine the performance of the 3rd one you posted would be less than the blackcat.

i cannot comment on the performance of the mr buddy heaters, but ive heard much better things about them on this site and on others.

Well I soppose there's only so much a heater that size can do... "well below freezing" may be out of it's range. It should be pointed out that both of these heaters come with explicit instructions to never use them while sleeping! I use my Mr Buddy to warm the tent before going to bed and pre-warm it at sunrise. It's really more for my 1 year old than my wife and I.

 

[James86004]

The Buddy heaters have a low oxygen shutoff which is good for safety in a tent, however it stops them from working over about 7000' of elevation. Makes them fairly useless if you camp in the mountains.

We have camped with ours at 9000 ft several times with no issues.

 

[007]

The Mr. Heater type is the best of the cheap heaters. Much better forced air versions are available Here. http://www.adventuretrailers.com/heaters.html

One thing you have to make sure of is that the bottle isn't leaking from the threads! You have to twist it on tight and check it for leaks using soapy water. Don't assume its not leaking!! If you are having a hard time starting it, it burns weak, or it randomly goes out, then you probably have a leak. It could also run perfect and still be leaking.

It has no provision for turning itself off during a leak, no thermostat or fan, and you must share the tent with it and hope for the best!

 

[seanz0rz]

Well I soppose there's only so much a heater that size can do... "well below freezing" may be out of it's range. It should be pointed out that both of these heaters come with explicit instructions to never use them while sleeping! I use my Mr Buddy to warm the tent before going to bed and pre-warm it at sunrise. It's really more for my 1 year old than my wife and I.

im estimating temps in the mid to upper 20's. i see no reason to have a heater when its anything above 35, so im wondering what the purpose of this heater is at all.

 

[DaveM]

im estimating temps in the mid to upper 20's. i see no reason to have a heater when its anything above 35, so im wondering what the purpose of this heater is at all.

The purpose was stated in my last post which you quoted, to keep my 1 year old nice and toasty

It's also for my geneal comfort in the mornings to help warm the tent before getting out of the bag. Like I said, I don't sleep with these on, no one should.

And finally, becasue I'm not you I find my level for comfort to be different and does not cutoff at 35*, but then again I don't consider upper 20s to be "well below freezing" either

 

[dumolebob]

WE CAN NEVER, EVER count on a Buddy heater working above seven grand.

With all due respect to those who differ with my experience. We live over 7,000' and camp almost always higher, AND WE CAN NEVER, EVER count on a Buddy heater working above seven grand. We’ve tried it dozens of times with almost no success.The only time you'll get it to work is if you are under a dome of unusually high pressure.

On the other hand under seven grand and it is a really nice heater!

 

[Mamontof]

The Mr. Heater type is the best of the cheap heaters. Much better forced air versions are available Here. http://www.adventuretrailers.com/heaters.html

Thank you for A LINK , only MODEL PRICE
HS2000 $745.00
HS2800 $880.00

That way not cheap , if that *size of a shoe box.heater* really paid that money what they ask ?

http://www.meijer.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=80026&cmpid=goobase&CAWELAID=317618838 Only 20 times cheaper $ 49.00

 

[StumpXJ]

I use the blackcat heater in my RTT. I hang it from the ceiling. I use bulk propane with a hose going into the tent and to the heater, since there is nothing worse than waking up at 4am freezing because the 1 pound cylinder is empty. The heater works phenomenally in my tent. I think the thicker canvas material of the RTT helps hold in the heat. I usually open a side window to have about a foot of vent space and that does the trick. The only thing is you have to watch out for the heater when sitting up, since the grill gets quite hot. I can deal with that if I am nice and toasty. I have used it when it was well below freezing outside (in the teens) and I can sleep in a t-shirt.

I have spent about 30 nights in the tent with this heater.

~ James