Auxiliary power

[M35A2]

In the Army we'd put a candle inside a C-Ration can that had the lid not completely cut off with one's P38. Fold the lid almost closed. Keeps the light contained but lets air in so the wick can burn. Gets plenty hot and was terrific in a pup tent in winter conditions. Never burnt anything down, either.

An electric blanket sounds dumb unless you are running an extension cord to the nearest traffic light. No offense, just sayin'.

(You might have to Google 'C-Ration can'.) LOL

 

[Retired Tanker]

In the Army we'd put a candle inside a C-Ration can that had the lid not completely cut off with one's P38. Fold the lid almost closed. Keeps the light contained but lets air in so the wick can burn. Gets plenty hot and was terrific in a pup tent in winter conditions. Never burnt anything down, either.

An electric blanket sounds dumb unless you are running an extension cord to the nearest traffic light. No offense, just sayin'.

(You might have to Google 'C-Ration can'.) LOL

Pup Tent?

The only use I ever got out of my shelter half was as a base for the rest of my gear during a layout inspection.

"Death Before Dismount" was our motto!!

 

[PGW]

I was in New Mexico a week or so ago camping (sleeping in the truck) in the low 20's and I used an electric blanket with success. The blanket was one of the $25 12 volt (cigarette plug) ones you can find on Amazon. I have a second battery that powered that and a fridge with no problem. The blanket I had would run for 45 minutes and then shut off, probably used 3-4 amps per cycle. I would stuff the blanket inside my sleeping bag and then get inside that. I mostly cycled it just when I first got in the sleeping bag when me and all my beddings were cold. After that your body heat takes over and hopefully your sleeping bag will contain it. The blanket is somewhat low powered but when it was below freezing I was glad to have it.

 

[Reefry]

I have two 100 Watt solar panels which charges a 110 AH deep cycle marine battery that powers my 12v fridge and heating blanket. No problems so far.

 

[KE7JFF]

I was in New Mexico a week or so ago camping (sleeping in the truck) in the low 20's and I used an electric blanket with success. The blanket was one of the $25 12 volt (cigarette plug) ones you can find on Amazon. I have a second battery that powered that and a fridge with no problem. The blanket I had would run for 45 minutes and then shut off, probably used 3-4 amps per cycle. I would stuff the blanket inside my sleeping bag and then get inside that. I mostly cycled it just when I first got in the sleeping bag when me and all my beddings were cold. After that your body heat takes over and hopefully your sleeping bag will contain it. The blanket is somewhat low powered but when it was below freezing I was glad to have it.

The long haul truckers I know love these 12v blankets just for their low draw; the husband/wife driving team has one that has no temperature control they picked up at a truck stop, but found out that using a 6V lead acid battery, it lasts 8-10 hours.

 

[TeamDoty]

If you're looking for a very versatile sleeping bag system that isn't too expensive, try finding a military surplus ECWS sleeping bag system. It's a very adaptable system to any temperatures you encounter. You could even add a sleeping bag liner or thin fleece blanket to it. You'll be plenty warm.

 

[andytruck]

you need two deep cycle batteries at least, three would be better, but like they all said, it bad idea to use Dc power from a battery and convert it to AC power to run an electric blanket. Not to mention the electrical bloom is bad for human tissue.
Get a small propane heater that can vent to the outside and a small propane tank will last way longer than any amount of batteries.
Have you tried lighting a couple of candles? They will warm that small area up slightly.
I have camped in my truck the same way and a warm sleeping bag is really the best.
Your truck bed is a bad insulator. Spray some expanding foam between the interior bed and the exterior panel to insulate if you want to get serious. Carpet on the floor helps.
Foam-board glue and a ½ inch sheet of styrofoam will insulate the ceiling and help tremendously. Cut it to fit, but you will have to prop it up for a few hours while it cures and you cannot use adhesives like liquid nails as they heat up and melt the foam while curing.
Insulate the rear window with cardboard which is easy to fold up and sore.
Your body heat will warm the space a little, enough to live in, but it has to be insulated enough.

 

[TeriAnn]

I was going to suggest the same. Get a GOOD sleeping bag. Down is great for your application and you can be comfortable and warm down to like -10F. Heated blanket would be ok if you had a generator running all night. your battery will not make it.

A good synthetic bag will keep you as warm as a down bag for a LOT less money. The difference is that the synthetic bag would mean more fill so it would not roll up as tight and it might weigh a half pound more. Down stops insulating when wet and dries slowly. Synthetic retains most of its insulation when wet and dries a lot quicker.

A 12V electric blanket usually will draw less than a 120V electric blanket plus power converter. In my experience a 12V electric blanket will drain a group 24 battery in about 10 hours. You are much better off with a warm bag and night clothes. Heavy wool socks really help. Go with LED lights, and a compressor style refrigerator. The compressor type draws a LOT less power than the cheapie electric cooler and does a better job of keeping food cold.

If you like to run a lot of electric stuff at night you might want to have 2 secondary batteries in parallel. I get by with one running a compressor fridge, water pump, 2 LED rear interior lights and a car radio. If you plan to stay camped during the day you might consider solar panels. The price of panels have been going down and most now have built in controllers.

The lower you can keep your power budget the easier it is to have the power you need and as everyone says, a good sleeping bag makes a huge difference.

 

[Kevin108]

A good sleeping bag and a good battery are priced similarly. I'd get the bag first.