Tent heater

[lockedup Member Find all posts View Profile Close lockedup]

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/12v-Heate...#ht_4230wt_962

I'm going camping at newnes in two weeks, which is going to be cold!!!

What do people think of one of these little 150w tent heaters? I was going to run it off my 100amp second battery on and off at night if needed. We hav a 10 month old who will get a dose of thermals etc...

How long could it run for? Will it heater a tent? Will my tent retain enough heat or will it just dissipate straight away?

Interested to know ur opinion!

[Matty80 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Matty80]

150W = 12.5A @ 12Vdc

Your battery documentation will have a scale of what amount of amps can be drawn for how long. For example, a 100Ah battery @ 1 hour rate will do 100A for 1 hour and be flat, but might do 50A @ 3 hour rate, or 20A @ 10 hour rate, etc...

So, how long will your battery run a 12.5A constant load?
What battery do you have?

Not having had much experience with tent heaters I coun't say is a 150W heater would heat a tent or not and that would also depend on the size of the actual tent...

[Guest Close Guest]

150W isn't that much heat. You may have to sit real close to it.
It's effectiveness will depend on the size of the tent as well as how many people are inside. Might need a good tent fly to provide a layer of trapped air to prevent the heat escaping.
Can't remember exactly but a rule of thumb is that a person generates 80-100W of heat when sleeping.

Our 14mth old currently wears a sleeping bag to sleep because she hates the blanket. It has sleeves for the arms and a zipper up the middle. It is made of bathrobe material and is thick and fluffy. Might be an alternative to the heater.

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

Electric heaters, small kids and tents sounds like a recipe for disaster to me, depends on the type of tent of course but those light weight nylon tents would go up in flames without much effort. A tent being uninsulated would let heat escape rapidly I imagine. We went to the high country recently and on the recomendation of some friends we ran our electric blanket in the camper trailer (SWMBO idea) off the inverter in the car (300 watt). Good sleeping bags or blankets even underneath will keep you warm when in bed as well.

Cheers Andrew

[lockedup Member Find all posts View Profile Close lockedup]

Firstly, thanks for all the replies.

Not sure exactly of battery specs but will check them out. I agree 150w doesnt sound much. Our daughter also wears the sleeping bags and we have bought her a thermal suit for under.

Without getting to graphic, recently she needs a change in the middle of the night and it would be extremely cold for her (and us!) in a tent in lithgow!

I am thinking of using nothing while we are asleep, but buying the bigger 250w version to run for 10 min while we are changing her or if it gets too cold and settling her.

I also like the look of the coleman catalytic heaters which i know can be a problem with fire and carbon monoxide but if i use it for only 10 minute bursts if the need arises then i thinking it could be $100 well spent...

Has anyone had experience with these heater?

The electric blanket on the inverter is also a great idea, i could possibly look into this. The only thing is she is in a portacot so might be hard to find one that fits unless i get a dog mat heater!!!!!

keep the opinions coming - its been very helpful - thanks

chris

[croozza Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close croozza]

Heaters and tents dont mix, i would steer well clear of a heater in a tent. Personally I would make sure the sleeping bag (if you are going to use one) is rated for the temp range you would be in, (ie, -5 deg or more, or 5 deg and higher, ect, ect), if not, just use or buy heavy-ish blankets (the synthetic mink type ones are great), you can always add or remove blankets to suit conditions. One thing you should always remember is safety first.

[yowie78 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close yowie78]

Especially after those three people died in WA when their tent went up two weeks ago. They can burn pretty quickly.

[Corigator Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Corigator]

Just to get 150W into perspective.
An adult normally produces 100W heat. So an extra adult and a child in the trent would have a similar effect to the heater.

[Cap'n Feathersword Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Cap'n Feathersword]

yar ! I tend to agree with AJ and Crooza heat and tents arrr not a happy mix. With a decent fly over the tent you can retain a fair bit of warmth, especially in
some of the good canvas tents, I know they tell us that the silvery layer on the underside of the fly as in some nylon tents is there to retain heat, but being partial to a swag i don't know fer shore. The thermals for your little one is a good idea, and i dont know exactly what they are called but there is a "mat" called a Kylie sheet. about 1 inch thick, foam cotton and they wick away the moisture from a sleeping person, quite a few children and handicapped adults have these for their beds/ chairs. however they may take a while to dry in the cold where ye are going dunno whether this is an option ... Gar I even just found a website
http://www.lilhealthcare.com.au/Kylie_Products.php

The Cap'n

[Bushbasher Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Bushbasher]

I thought the reason why we eat baked beans and canned sausages was to provide all that necessary gas, er I mean heat, whilst camping.

[t303 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close t303]

In Darwin BCF have Coleman Catalytic heaters 50% off at the moment, smaller one $50

[sparksy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close sparksy]

Not sure if there is a aussie agent for Zodi but you could get one frrom US as dollar is good.
http://www.zodi.com/Consumer/zodihotvent.html
Been looking at trying to make one of these but might just end up buying one.
Safe option as heater is outside and the two flexible ducts just enter the tent. Would be a lot better than any electric unit.

[DSzuke Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close DSzuke]

Don't forget to put a beanie on buba, maybe gloves or mittens too.

I found when my little one was that age I'd often over-do it and he'd be boiling!


As for electric blankets, I found they were good for the initial warm up but a general household one on an inverter makes short work of any car battery. Don't expect it to heat all night.

Could you consider pre-warming the sleeping-bag with a hot water bottle? (again I wouldn't sleep with it)


I think I'll be down at Newnes that weekend too. Our club has a trip on there that weekend.

[croozza Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close croozza]

if your going to use a heater in the tent, just remember that you are drying out the air, thus creating the possable risk of static electricity, and if you get enough static in a tent, you can create a fire.

[lockedup Member Find all posts View Profile Close lockedup]

Don't forget to put a beanie on buba, maybe gloves or mittens too.

I found when my little one was that age I'd often over-do it and he'd be boiling!


As for electric blankets, I found they were good for the initial warm up but a general household one on an inverter makes short work of any car battery. Don't expect it to heat all night.

Could you consider pre-warming the sleeping-bag with a hot water bottle? (again I wouldn't sleep with it)


I think I'll be down at Newnes that weekend too. Our club has a trip on there that weekend.

The extended weather forecast is not good but we will not be going if it's raining heavily. Otherwise, keep an eye out for us!