Tent Heaters
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What's the best tent heater for camping?
Tent heaters are used to keep the interior of your tent warm (but they are often used in campers or other small, enclosed spaces). It's important that you get one that has been actually designed for small spaces. Using some random heater inside a tent can be extremely dangerous - it's a small space for one, meaning that if the heater produces gases or fumes you could kill yourself. It's also a concentrated area of flammable material - sleeping bags, pillows, and possibly the tent itself depending on what it's made from.
Most tent heaters avoid these problems by being "flameless" (which often isn't strictly true - they may have a pinpoint-sized flame about the size of a match inside it). Essentially they're set up so that there is no way for a flame to come in contact with anything outside the heater.
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Coleman PowerCat Tent Heater - Made by Coleman, one of the most popular makers of camping equipment, this heater runs on butane. It has a fan that blows the heat, which is important because otherwise you often don't actually heat the tent well (hot air rises, so without a fan it will just go straight up to the tent's ceiling). It is also very quiet - a must if you either have trouble sleeping or you want to listen to the sound of crickets or other nature noises. It costs around $70 and is available online here. |
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Mr. Heater Propane Tent Heaters - This is a portable indoor heater that runs on propane. It gets about 6 hours to a tank (which can be a little bit annoying, it means you'll probably have to get up once to switch it out). It has a safety system that shuts it off automatically if oxygen gets low, which is a great feature. It also doesn't weigh much - only 8 pounds, so it doesn't take up much packing space. It can heat up to 200 square feet, and is designed for tents, garages, campsites, and other enclosed areas. It costs about $85 and is available online here. |
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Zodi Hot Vent Heater for Tents - This is a somewhat different kind of heater that's made to be hooked up outside the tent to a ventilation hole. It runs on propane, and is designed for people worried about carbon monoxide, because you basically have the heater itself outside and pump heat in. It weighs seven pounds, costs about $150, and is available online here. |
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Coleman Catalytic Propane Tent Heaters - This one only weighs about 4 pounds, so it's easy to carry around. It's got an electric ignition, so you can turn it on without matches. It runs for seven hours on one propane cylinder - much closer to a full night's sleep. It costs about $55 and is available online here. |
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