# Propane heater for the tent?



## Whitetailer (Aug 12, 2009)

Two of us are heading to Yellowstone (leaving 8/20) for six weeks, or at least to the end of September.  Driving this year , so will be camping at Slough Creek and or Pebble Creek in Northeast Yellowstone.  A major league mid life "Trout Bum" excursion.  Will be in a tent most of the time and want to know if anyone has experience with any of those small propane heaters???  I have experienced temps in the twenties and lower in September out there in the past and feel a heater would be necessary for tent camping!!!

Are they OK as ar as the carbon dioxide factor?  Efficient on the propane?  Small enough for a tent, yet warm enough? Can anyone recommend one that you have used? 

Also going to backpack the Yellowstone Lake Thorofare region and also Black Canyon of the Yellowstone from Gardiner and use the backcountry sites and do not intend to carry a heater on those trips, just in main campgrounds.

Thanks,  whitetailer


----------



## Mr W. (Aug 12, 2009)

The Big buddy heater. It has a tilt shut off and a carbon dioxide detector. Also will keep your tent nice and cozy.


----------



## SWAMPFOX (Aug 12, 2009)

*Carbon Monoxide*

Personally, I'd never sleep with a propane heater running due to the danger of dying from carbon monoxide poisoning.  I camped in the Black Hills of South Dakota in the dead of winter and was comfortable without a heater. I did have an good sleeping bag and pad and dressed warmly. I would not hesitate to use one to warm up the tent at night but I'd turn it off just before I turned in. 

In the morning have it positioned so you can turn it on without getting out of your sleeping bag then your tent will be toasty when you crawl out. 

Just my $.02

Good luck on trout excursion. I fished Yellowstone in May of 1972 after I was discharged from the USAF at Ellsworth AFB near Rapid City, S.D. It was a great experience and one I will always cherish. I hope to return some day. It is truly God's country out there.


----------



## BlackKnight755 (Aug 13, 2009)

I have one of the Mr. Heater Big Buddy heaters also and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I use it around the house in the winter as well as on tent camping trips. You can shop for a lower price but I think thats about the going rate... Mr. Heater Big Buddy


----------



## polaris30144 (Aug 13, 2009)

It is Carbon monoxide, not Carbon Dioxide that you have to worry about.


----------



## Rich Kaminski (Aug 13, 2009)

*We camp during deer season every year*

for the past 25 years we have been using a 5 gallon propane tank and a heating element and we are still alive, never experienced any negative effects. Our tents are usually vented at the roof, and we set up with a tarp above the roof which does nothing in terms of heat, just provides extra protection from falling limbs from trees during storms.


----------



## 7Mag Hunter (Aug 13, 2009)

I have also used Mr Buddy and Black Cat propane heaters in
tents and campers for years....
I do keep a window or door slightly open to allow more fresh
air in....
They will keep a small tent warm..


----------



## Nimrod71 (Aug 13, 2009)

A man his wife and two children and their dog died here from having a heater in their tent.  Never trust a mechanical device with your life, especially when you are asleep.  Two of my cousins were camping a lake Oconee in Feb. they had a Buddy Heater, the nylon tent was completely zipped up.  Both awoke barely able to breath, feeling sluggish and barely able to move.  Ronnie unzipped the tent and they started feeling better.  The answer is if you use a heater make sure you leave and air vent open.


----------



## cgn526 (Aug 14, 2009)

Nimrod71 is right. Always leave a source of fresh air. That being said, I've used propane heaters with low oxygen sensors for years. The Buddy heater is good, Dynaglow makes one that's comparable, usually cheaper, and has been more reliable for me. It's best to have a hose that allow use of a bulk cylinder (at least 10' or more).  Make sure the cylinder is as far away from the tent as the hose will allow. If possible, place the cylinder downhill from the tent as LP is heavier than air and will sink in the event of a leak.


----------



## Jedi Pastor Ken (Aug 15, 2009)

Load up on cold weather gear and keep the propane at home!  Please!  I've been backpacking in -20 on more than one occasion.  Focus on layering and you'll be fine.  You're better off with the gear than propane. 

One of my good friends was a camp director and scout leader. He was the first to open the tent of a father and son at scout camp.  Both were dead with a propane heater going.  It is not worth taking the chance.


----------



## Whitetailer (Aug 15, 2009)

WELL>>>>

After lots of constuctive comments, I have decided not to take the propane heater.  I will be in a one man tent mostly even though we will have a larger wall tent as supply tent when in main camp.   I would not feel  comfortable with a heater in so small a tent.

It is just that I have spent many days in Yellowstone in September when the temp was well below freezing overnight.  If it gets too cold for my 58 yo body, there are measures to be taken...  LIKE GET A ROOM

As always thanks allot for the Woodys input.

      Whitetailer


----------



## Bill Mc (Aug 15, 2009)

I'm not to sure how propane works a cold tempertures.

We were camped out at Woodward BSA camp one January when the temp was about 15 degrees. Propane just won't work at that temperture.

Plus the fact of possiblity not waking up the next morning.


----------

