Gladiator Pop-Up Pass Through Camper Build

[Mules]

Those catalytic heaters add a ton of moisture to the air, since H2O is one of the byproducts of burning propane or butane, in addition to CO. They seem to be good for <60mins of heat and then you start to get a lot of condensation that may drip or freeze (and then drip). The forced air options that burn diesel, propane, wood, etc. seem a lot better if you intend to run it all night on a thermostat. Benefits include tons of dry/hot air, no CO (as long they’re working correctly - retain CO detector), and will sip fuel and battery, when property sized. We have a 2kW diesel heater in our Flippac that is awesome.

Please post pictures of your diesel heater setup! Every time I start investigating heating options, the diesel heaters keep popping up. My problem is that I want my interior furniture and camper to be easily taken in and out, or on/off, so I can have my truck back. I don't want to do a permanent install of the diesel heater, or drill holes in my bed for the exhaust.

I have stated to see some "All in one" cheap diesel heaters" which fit my strategy. I could throw one in the truck, and let them run outside, with the heat hose in the window, or leave it inside, if I can figure out how to route the exhaust out.

Also, how does the 2KW size work for you? I've heard that anything bigger is overkill in a small camper like ours.

 

[Mules]

Are you testing/enjoying your camper close enough to use an extension cord and a carefully chosen and placed $20 electric space heater for now? It would also allow you to test insulation before investing in a more expensive heater.

Be careful with burning propane inside such a small enclosed space. Explosions, fire, and lots of water vapor in the air from burning propane come to mind, as well as the CO you mentioned. I suspect you will be careful, but I did want to post a warning for anyone unfamiliar with the dangers.

Hot water bottles might be useful to you. Carefully heat water, transfer to hot water bottle(s) and place in bedding.

Do want to heat the interior air space and/or the bedding?

Perhaps a "romantic" Dickinson Marine "Newport Solid Fuel Heater"? http://dickinsonmarine.com/product_cat/solid-fuel-heater/

Dickinson Marine, Newport Solid Fuel Heater, 00-NEWSF

Dickinson Marine, Newport Solid Fuel Heater 00-NEWSF is a small, solid fuel heater. This heater burns one to two 1” thick wood or presto log, a handful of charcoal briquettes or coal. Removable ash drawer and damper control.

www.go2marine.com

Yes, even with a CO detector, I'm a bit concerned with burning Propane, Butane, or White Gas inside such a small and tight camper. I love the Newport Heaters and the thought of having a tiny wood stove sounds like my kind of camping. I just can't imagine putting a chimney on my build. I think it looks great on an Alucab though.

 

[pith helmet]

I used to use an 80 lb black Lab. Very expensive option.

 

[highwest]

Please post pictures of your diesel heater setup!

…

Also, how does the 2KW size work for you?

I’m not near my truck, but my diesel heater pic would be even more boring and ambiguous than the pic of my electrical setup. Tacomas have cubbies in the back of the truck bed. I removed one of those cubbies and installed a sheet of aluminum in its place to mount the heater and drill holes through. This way, I didn’t have to permanently drill holes through the truck. I can put everything back to unmolested/stock form if I need to, but it’s still a fairly permanent install.

For your requirements, the heater-in-box arrangement is a great option. There are several off-the-shelf options or they a easy to build into a box/toolbox of your choosing. There are a lot examples here on ExPo, YouTube, and there’s also a Chinese diesel heater Facebook group that you should be familiar with, if you go that route.

We’ve had the 2kW size in two separate setups that have a lot of tent/canvas, like the Flippac. The other one was an A-frame tent trailer from the 1970s. With that much thermal loss, 2kW is a great size to leave running on low all night so the heater doesn’t cycle on and off. Which is good because they use a lot of power (8-9A?) to heat the glowplug when they startup, but then they drop extremely low (0.3A?) in normal operation.

I could go on and on, but I’ll let you do your own research to see if it works for your case. I will say that the fridge and the heater have been two major game changers for camping with my family.

 

[Mules]

Nice Gladiator heater posting on Amazon.

 

[1000arms]

... I love the Newport Heaters and the thought of having a tiny wood stove sounds like my kind of camping. I just can't imagine putting a chimney on my build. ...

Just mount the stove and chimney to your Jon boat. Do some sheet-metal work to make the chimney look like a snorkel coming out of your Jon boat and you will be good to go! (Whether you have popped the top or not!)

 

[1000arms]

... I love the Newport Heaters and the thought of having a tiny wood stove sounds like my kind of camping. I just can't imagine putting a chimney on my build. ...

Maybe you can make special "window screens" that would allow you to attach hoses/vents for an external heater and/or fresh air fans?

DIY window screens for car camping

A challenge with car camping is getting fresh air without allowing mosquitoes in for their bloodletting endeavors. Retired Technical Advisor Tom Pawlak explains how to make nifty custom car window screens to keep pesky critters at bay.

www.epoxyworks.com

 

[Mules]

Just mount the stove and chimney to your Jon boat. Do some sheet-metal work to make the chimney look like a snorkel coming out of your Jon boat and you will be good to go! (Whether you have popped the top or not!)

Love it! hide the chimney in a Snorkel!

This one's for you 1000arms! She really used a Jon Boat to raise the roof of her camper.

 

[Mules]

Love my little cheap bike rack. Not as cool as others, but super heavy duty, small, and cheap ($65!).

 

[1000arms]

Love it! hide the chimney in a Snorkel!

This one's for you 1000arms! She really used a Jon Boat to raise the roof of her camper.


View attachment 747442

... Now that she has raised the roof, does this mean she no longer has a "duck" season? ... Does her boat go "roof" even without her dog's help? ...

Thank you for posting!

 

[86scotty]

I have one of these and love it. Dual fuel so you can use your propane tank or a butane canister if conditions are nit right for propane.
Super stable and cheap. The reason I got one initially is because they have really good flame control.

The convenience of the butane is hard to beat. There is a lever where you engage/disengage the canister and it’s self contained.

I love them too but butane and extremely cold mornings don't go well together. It just does not like to flow like other fuels.

I found this and added it to my kit last year but still haven't even used it:

7,650 BTU PORTABLE DUAL FUEL GRIDDLE

1-Burner Portable Butane and Propane Gas Stove. Uses 8 oz Butane Canister and 16.4 oz Propane Tank. 7,200 BTU High Output. Lightweight, compact, versatile. Ideal for camping, backpacking, outdoor cooking, canning. Comes with portable carrying case.

gasone.com

 

[Mules]

I need a table.

 

[Mules]

Sometimes I can be dim. I’m thinking about a $2000 Jackery, $500 Cook Partner Stove, and how to install a diesel heater. Then I have to carry a battery, Diesel, and Propane. I forgot what’s been sitting in my garage for years.

Problem solved, 3000 watts of power and it will run all night on its tank of gas. Quiet also. Now I can bring an electric cook top, microwave(?), electric space heater and even power tools!

 

[1000arms]

Sometimes I can be stupid. I’m thinking about a $2000 Jackery, $500 Cook Partner Stove, and how to install a diesel heater. Then I have to carry a battery, Diesel, and Propane. I forgot what’s been sitting in my garage for years.

Problem solved, 3000 watts of power and it will run all night on its tank of gas. Quiet also. Now I can bring an electric cook top, microwave(?) and electric heater.

View attachment 747573

... I can accept "excited to consider new possibilities for my build", but I'm not buying "stupid" after reading 40+ pages of your thread. ...

A toaster oven, electric frying pan, coffee maker, and/or air-fryer might be other electric devices to consider.

Deep pans can help compensate for off-level cooking devices, but electric frying pans can be pretty easy to hand-hold level for evenly-spread pancakes.

 

[Mules]

... I can accept "excited to consider new possibilities for my build", but I'm not buying "stupid" after reading 40+ pages of your thread. ...

A toaster oven, electric frying pan, coffee maker, and/or air-fryer might be other electric devices to consider.

Deep pans can help compensate for off-level cooking devices, but electric frying pans can be pretty easy to hand-hold level for evenly-spread pancakes.

Thanks! Having 3000 watts of sustainable power opens up a lot of possibilities. Love the idea of an air fryer! Almost as good as a deep fryer for potatoes, burgers, chicken, fish, etc. I've got a Nija Air Fryer that does everything, pressure cook, slow cook, sear, steam, bake. I'll have to see if there is a smaller version of mine, which would be perfect.