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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: VTer on December 26, 2009, 01:31:00 PM
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I bought a 12x12 Alaknak this year and was trying to decide the best way to heat it. I know a small woodstove would be the ultimate, but has anybody used the Big Buddy propane heater made Mr Heater? I think for out of state hunts, where bringing your own firewood is usually against the law now, it would be more practical. Any thoughts?
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What a shame, also would like to remind everyone to wear that safety harness. I work shows for Summit stands and hear the tragic stories all the time.
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Sorry, wrong thread.
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I like the wood heat above the propane. One byproduct of propane burning is moisture. Wood is much dryer. We usually cut wood where we go or buy it locally.
Heck a half cord of wood will last for two weeks.
Mike
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The BIGGER My Buddy should get the job done.
We use the small one in an unheated garage with bare concrete, and it works there.
Set it up close to the vent and allow for circulation. I'd think you'd be good.
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I've tent camped in the late season quite a few times in a tent. We used a coleman propane heater. Getting ouf of the sleeping bag is always the hard part. The heater kept the chill of. I'm in Missouri so you might have worse conditions. The worst weather I ever did it had
-50 wind chill.
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I've used a Mr Heater in large tents when its not too cold, 20F+, just to take the chill off before turning in, and warming things up before I crawled out of the sack. Also, have used the store-bought burn logs or small pieces of them in a wood stove in tents when well above tree-line and wood isn't available, and that works well also. I prefer the wood stove.
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I am not a fan of propane heat as Wingnut noted, propane heat is very "wet".
Doesn't do a good job of drying wet clothes...wool immediately comes to mind.
It ok to use in the morning when you first get up but thats the best I can say for it.
If its raining and you have propane heat its a bit of a sauna in your tent.
Out "West" most all of us carry chainsaws, you never know when you will have to remove a fallen tree from the road. So gathering firewood is just part of the hunting experience.
Bob
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In the Corps in cold weather I used a charcoal stick hand heater and threw it in the sleeping bag and that made the bag warm and comfi. We had to ruff-it without any heaters.With propane is there a ventilation issue with the fumes?
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Used to hunt the late (Dec) season in Idaho and at those temps, the propane would have just made the inside like an icecube. Go with wood. You can always buy some in most areas. If useing forest service roads a lot, the chainsaw advice is right on.
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I have started taking an old wool rug I can fold it under me and still have a flap left to pull over my sleeping bag. if its really cold I also throw on another wool blanket and wear an old down hood that used to snap on to some long lost coat. I use a small propane heater just to take the edge off the cold in the morning and evening. I wedge the heater in an old metal milk crate so it cannot tip over. If you have the room to haul it I would voted for a wood stove. I have seen them pretty cheap in Northern Tool catalog. The wool rug makes a huge difference in comfort.
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Use a good sleeping bag and put your clothes in it or under it. Come morning I grab the clothes and put them on prior to exiting the bag. Done that in -0 temps in the high country for 2 months every year (work there). No need for heat. If you must have heat go with wood
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I have used mr heater and was not impressed the inside of the tent had ice hanging down from the ceiling and it does not heat the air in the tent it only heats what it radiates off of.Wood is great but if you don't have it can be a pain to harvest.We recently bought a military diesel/unleaded/jet fuel heater.We used it with diesel and it worked slick warm and dry and if hooked up properly no fumes but you must have adequate ventilation.Nice dry heat.We are very reluctant to try unleaded :scared: Bill
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I have a Kifaru Tee Pee with wood stove, I bought it as a survival tool when elk hunting. I have a four man and it weighs less than 10 lbs with the stove. In 15 degree weather, it will raise the temp inside the teepee to 70 degrees. It will run you out of there. The only draw back is they are expensive but caught by a winter storm, it can save ya from freezing. oh I recommend the vapor barrier and the teepee will not sweat.
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Yep you don't go anywhere in the mountains out west with out a chainsaw and an axe. I've cut my way out after many a snow storm. It's nice with wood though, heck warms at least twice if not three times.
Cutting, splitting and burning.
In Alaska we hunt out of John Havards Kafiru TeePee with a titanium wood stove he had built for it. Going to have to carry wood a ways but it will be worth it to have dry clothes everyday.
Mike
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I have been using a Mr. Heater in a Cabelas 8-man Alaskan Guide for some years now. My tent has stayed warm and dry. If I run that and a lantern, it gets right toasty, right down to the floor. Two lanterns and the clothes dry out.
Heat rises, and if I stand up, I realize that the top of the tent is twice as warm as the floor. I do not see how one would get icicles in such a setup.
I keep the vents open while running the heater so that condensation will escape. The wood sounds like it does a better job, but I have used propane down to -15F and I am still around to tell of it. If I could use a stove in a tent with a full fly, I might consider it. I like the smell better. :)
Killdeer
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/Killdeer/Hunting%20and%20Camp/2007%20November%20Hunt/Img_5065Suffering600.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/Killdeer/Hunting%20and%20Camp/2007%20November%20Hunt/Img_5079Nov21SnowCamp.jpg)
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Those are great pics Killy!!
Greg...I'm looking at your new Avatar. You better tell me the story of that buck and send a pic to my E-mail. Looks like a good one, gotta be a good story to go along with him.
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Thanks for all the responses. Still on the opposite ends of the opinion meter though. Anybody else out there got anything to add. :confused:
Randy, that was last years deer. Just getting around to changing my avatar.
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Get with Whip and get one of his Cyliner stoves and go with the wood heat. Had a cozy warm setup Thanksgiving week with just that setup:
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b351/osminski/PB210058.jpg)
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b351/osminski/PB210059.jpg)
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Check out some of the military surplus sites you can get stoves cheap.
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Killy,you make me leading for a winter mountain camp.
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Canvas tents and wood stoves are made for each other! :thumbsup: It's just so nice to be able to sit inside toasty warm and dry no matter what the weather.
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I've been using a vented propane heater for the last few years. It has 2 burners kind of like what you see in a BBQ grill. With the vent, there is no problem with fumes and very little moisture.
Propane stove (http://www.nuwaystove.com/products/model4000.htm)
(http://mysite.verizon.net/vzep2hbr/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/.pond/TentCampstove.jpg.w560h420.jpg)
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would the propane heater make as much moisture if used in a pop up camper? We are thinking of buying a camper over the tent we currently use so this may be an issue for us. Anyone know the answer?
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The stove sucks every 2 to 3 hours your fixing the fire from hot to cold and it smells like a smoke bomb .Then i tried the Mr heater single burner ahhh perfect heat on low and no getting up every couple hours.Try it out you wont be sorry.
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I made a couple sized wood stoves using stainless from a old resterant dishwasher. A bigger one for real cold and smaller airtight for fall weather.
I'm not a fan of the propane heaters, worked for a outfitter that used them. I'd way rather have a good wood stove that will get thru the night on one or two loads of wood.
No problem to throw a few sicks in on the coals and then get a half hour more sleep and get up to a toasty tent.
I've heard good things about the cylinder stoves.
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Ben,
You must have a pretty crappy wood stove. I'd load mine up before bed, close down the damper on the stove pipe and on the door and would still have coals burning in the morning.
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What Steve-O said.I don't know how we had icicles on the inside of the tent Killdeer but I can assure you they were there hanging down about 4 inches long and dripping.It may make a difference how much humidity there is in the air, we were in Idaho in Nov. with temps. to -15 degrees far. with weather alternating between snowstorms and clear and cold.Some of the things to consider is if you are in a wall tent without floor and the ground is wet it will create moisture in the air and if you bring things in to dry out it will do the same. Just my experience. Bill
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On our Idaho moose hunt we had to do some road clearing.
(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y228/BobMcMahan/IMG_27461-1.jpg)
(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y228/BobMcMahan/IMG_27471.jpg)
I am a huge fan of cylinder stoves!! Best I have ever used.
Bob
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I can't think of anything I want to give up to haul a chainsaw and fuel on horseback. I've cut plenty of wood with a hand saw though. I've read the buddy heater doesn't work above so many feet, I forget exactly what it is.
I use a buddy heater when I hunt out of the back of my truck and a wood stove in the high country.
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if you have a wood stove; find a large rock; as large as the stove will support; and leave it on the stove. After the wood burns off - the heat from the rock will still keep the tent warm...
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I dont remember which stove.But like i said push a button light and set the temp and instant heat, and no ice on the ceiling way to hot for that. 2 -20lb bottles lasted 8 days in colorado at 10500 ft .
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ttt
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Killdeer,
Is that an air bed?
Not going soft on us are you?
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I use the big buddy heater all the time in my 8 person alaskan guide tent and love it. Best $100 I ever spent. Hook it up to my bulk propane most of the time. Coldest I have used it was 10 degrees and was nice and toasty in my tent.
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I do NOT do three weeks sleeping on the ground.
I once had a foam pad about three inches thick. That was the best pad I ever used! But they take up a lot of storage room, and it was just wide enough for me. My husband likes to spend a week out there, and the wider air bed takes up less space when not in use. I have an air bed at home, too, so I sleep like a baby no matter where.
No need to set yourself up to suffer. The weather will do that all by itself!
Killdeer~old softy.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/Killdeer/Hunting%20and%20Camp/2007%20November%20Hunt/2007Bowhunt2.jpg)
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I used the Mr. Heat this last fall. It works well, but heat rises so be sure you have a cot. It is warmer off the ground! Oh yeah, use a winter tent not a cheap summer version.
-Charlie
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just looking at all that snow makes me cold. I HATE SNOW!!!!
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(http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r224/REALVTer/Bowseasonplacingstands09022.jpg)
This is one of the spots I'll be camping at.
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I use a small Mr. Heater in my Kodiak canvas tent and it does ok, wish I had the big buddy with the fan on it though.
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Here are a few pics of our hunting camp for all seasons:
Pre set up:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v79/mwestvang/elk%20hunt%2008/IMG_0002.jpg)
Home 16x30 with 5 ft walls and a 5 dog stove:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v79/mwestvang/elk%20hunt%2008/IMG_0005.jpg)
Kitchen:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v79/mwestvang/elk%20hunt%2008/IMG_0006.jpg)
Shower with running hot water:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v79/mwestvang/elk%20hunt%2008/IMG_0007.jpg)
Mike
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Originally posted by No-sage:
... It has 2 burners kind of like what you see in a BBQ grill. With the vent, there is no problem with fumes and very little moisture.
Nice solution! I've used wood and really like it. but also have used non-vented propane and hated the moisture and concerns for keeping fresh air coming in. It seemed to me I could never make it fresh enough to my taste without basically negating the heating.
Anyway, vented propane seems like a great way to heat without having to hunt wood. A couple propane tanks are less nostalgic than wood, but much easier to have on hand. And this is coming from a die-hard wood burner. I heat my house with it.
Joshua
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Depends what you mean "cold weather hunting"....of course if you are in a survival situation that's one thing. If you are tent camping to hunt in weather down to say 10-20F or so propane would be my choice. I've used it lots in my Cabela's 4 man Alaskan tent with no problem from moisture (little buddy type heater), maybe efficient venting is the problem some folks have?? I like wood stoves and wall tents when there is time, but on a DIY hunt by myself, when I can bring what I want (not packing in) there is no way I'm going to have the time to fool around with wood heat, just not enough hours in the day.
As far as the fumes from vent free heaters go, that is what these are made to do, if there was a real CO problem I don't think they would still be on the market.
R