Help me pick a vehicle heater for winter camping.

[Clutch]

Electric heater with a generator, is probably the safest. I won't use a propane heater while I'll sleep...no matter how "safe" they are.

A small 2000w Honda or Yamaha generator will be fine, with a boat fuel tank for extended run time.

Plus you can use the generator for other things.

 

[FirerescuePW]

Emergency foil reflective kinda blanket thingy? Seems simple enough. Maybe we are overthinking this?

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[Clutch]

Emergency foil reflective kinda blanket thingy? Seems simple enough. Maybe we are overthinking this?

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High quality sleeping bag is all you really need.

 

[ExploringNH]

A sleeping bag is fine once you are ready to go to sleep but for sitting up and working in a computer a sleeping bag is cumbersome and not comfortable.


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[Clutch]

A sleeping bag is fine once you are ready to go to sleep but for sitting up and working in a computer a sleeping bag is cumbersome and not comfortable.


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Very true...I am spoiled, I like a little external heat...makes getting out of the sleeping bag a little easier.

I like those Honda 2000 generators, whisper quiet, you can link two together to get 4000watts if you need it. That and a cheap electric heater works great.

 

[stockhardcorejeeper]

try this

http://www.campingworld.com/shoppin...u=3537353233&gclid=CPjLq_vWq7wCFYNi7Aodz1kAqw

paired with this

http://www.jcwhitney.com/acc-climat...ters/p2002893.jcwx?skuId=165025&filterid=u0j8

and pushed by this

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-volt-marine-utility-pump-9576.html

plus a few hoses and a water tank. you can get a cheap coleman jug. I'm still testing with the hot water part. when I ran it on closed loop mode it shut down at 160F. I think I can bypass that but not sure how smart that might be. Steam can be very explosive. If not that then I also have some dorman seat heater kits that go in my bed 628-040. 6 amp draw on high. I'll build a 30-60 min timer circuit so it won't run down the battery.

Paul

info update: jumpered the water output thermal switch and got water to two hundred degrees in a bucket. wouldn't get much hotter than that as the water was boiling in the heat exchanger and spitting out the output hose. Maybe if I build some type of pressure vessel I could get the heat up a little more. Not really necessary as the other end heat exchanger should bring the water temp back down by 50 degrees or so.

 

[ExploringNH]

info update: jumpered the water output thermal switch and got water to two hundred degrees in a bucket. wouldn't get much hotter than that as the water was boiling in the heat exchanger and spitting out the output hose. Maybe if I build some type of pressure vessel I could get the heat up a little more. Not really necessary as the other end heat exchanger should bring the water temp back down by 50 degrees or so.

Thanks for sharing. I really like the idea.

 

[Borrego60]

Proplex heater, Love mine. but expensive.

 

[ExploringNH]

Proplex heater, Love mine. but expensive.

That is probably what I will end up with. It serves my needs perfectly, aside from cost.

I really like the idea of a hydronic setup though. It's a nicer heat than forced air. I also like the idea of heating up a storage tank of water which resides under my sleeping platform. This would provide a fair amount of latent heat that would distribute upwards for some time after the system was shut off. Combine that with a propane hot water heater that would double as a shower unit and it is no extra weight or systems to carry.

I don't want the noise of a generator, even a 2000eu and I don't have the desire to find firewood or manage a woodstove. I want to be able to park, crawl in the back of the truck, and relax for the night.

 

[boardrider247]

Electric heater with a generator, is probably the safest. I won't use a propane heater while I'll sleep...no matter how "safe" they are.

A small 2000w Honda or Yamaha generator will be fine, with a boat fuel tank for extended run time.

Plus you can use the generator for other things.

The more I think about it electric is making a lot of sense for me.
How long will one of those honda generators run on just the built in tank?

 

[Clutch]

The more I think about it electric is making a lot of sense for me.
How long will one of those honda generators run on just the built in tank?

Depending on load 4-9 hours.

There is a remote start kit for them too.

Sure the ProPEX is a nice unit, but it does one thing. For me, I like buying equipment that has multiple uses. (you can run an electric impact wrench off it too, among other things. )

This little 120V puts out 5100 BTU.