Last year our hunting party stayed in a 14x16 Davis wall tent.We have the big wood burning stove from Davis.
We had to get up 3 or 4 times every night to add wood to the stove.
This year we would like to try another source of heat for the tent. Considering a Blue Flame 30.000 BTU ventless heater


Any feedback on this type of heater or other recommendations would be appreciated

That is what I have.However, I also use a small wood stove.
If I get cold in the night, I reach over and turn the Blue Flaem n. In the AM, I like the Blue Flame as I don't have to worry about the wood stove fire being out before leaving to hunt.
I don't leave the Blue Flame burning all night. I usually take about 4 each 20lb Propane tanks with me ,and have never used more than two.If you are going to use it all night, I'd suggest getting a 100 lb tank.
I use mine in my 20 ft metal stock trailer and it will run you out on high. You can probably get by with a smaller one for that size tent.
Be sure to use a CO and CO2 detector with it's use.

Vince, I've read several reviews on these and they seem like it would be worth a try. One of the things they mention though is they are not designed to work at elevations above 5000 ft.Ever had any problems with yours?

A few years back I came across a tent stove that would burn wood pellets and had a self feed system that I was told could be loaded up to feed it for 24 hours.

Has a anyone tried one of these?

I have used a Catalytic RV type heater many times and it is by far the safest and more recently, the Big Buddy heater.They both work great in tents but the Catalytic is the safest by far for overnight heating..RV'ers use them all the time safely as there only heat source in more air tight RV's.

There easy on the fuel also.

Jayco

I am at 7600 ft here at home and I use it in my shop ,I also campa at about 8000 ft at Sweetwater lake in the SW corner of the Flat Tops and it worked. Last year I camped at the Morapos Creek Trail head in Unit 12 and I think it was about 8500 ft. It worked.
My guess is that the higher one goes,the less effciient they burn.

If your stove has a coal grate and you have access to coal...it save's a lot of trouble monkeying around with propane tanks, co2 alarms, etc.

Cheap way to hold a fire at night...about $5/100 pounds.

Spend the money on a good bag and absolutely ignore the world until the alarm goes off.

NUWAY has a gas hook up for their small woodstove.

http://www.nuwaystove.com/model2000.php


www.wyominglostandfound.com

I've used big chunks of coal before in a regular wood/camp stove and it works great. Put one in right at bedtime.

This man knows what he is talking about. It is very impractical to heat a tent all night. Just sleep in a good bag on a good foam pad, and wear a balaclava so your ears don't freeze. I've done that at -30 and was comfortable - and I slept all night, no need to stuff a stove. Draw straws for the one who gets up first and lights the stove, no need for everyone to be nipped by the cold in the morning.

Although a good bag is a paramount,many times there is only one in camp and that person has to get up every AM to start the fire or ?.As age creeps up on us, old bones get harder to start in the AM. Getting out of a warm bag at below zero into a below zero tent is not an ideal fun situation.Reaching one arm out and turning a knob is no where near as bad.

As for coal, it will sure do the job, but I grew up years ago when everyone heated with coal and that nasty sulfuric acidic smoke smell drifting about is not one I want to put up with when I get out inthe hills to enjoy fresh air.

Coal or pellets isnt an option(but thanks for the suggestions) as we already take to much gear. We use propane on our cooktop and shower so propane bottles are already included in our gear

I have one of these and they work great.
www.pioneerspaceheaters.com/trekker

I use it in northern Mn. for most of the month of Nov. in a 12x15 wall tent.

Part of the beauty of a wall tent is how they circulate/distribute the heat of a wood stove. I am not sure anything will improve on it.

Good firewood is the first steep. Dry, seasoned standing dead or dead-leaning Douglas Fir is as good as Colorado Rockys have to offer.

A few shovels full of gravel or soil will add years to your stove-bottom, and hold in some heat.

Pulling the hot coals forward speeds up your burn, pushing the hot coals back gives you more time. Just as a good buildup of ashes helps.

Last years hunt was totally propane heated, never again. it was a wet year and things never did get totally dried out.

Yep, burning propane does emit some moisture. Probably not the best choice during a wet season There are pros and cons to each fuel I guess.

I have a 14 X 16 canvas tent. 3 years back I used a Dearborn stove with propane and it heated the tent comfortably. The weather was dry and we did not burn it while sleeping.

All other years we have used a wood stove. It is a military surplus stove designed to burn wood or coal. It is barrel shaped and stands vertical. We cut standing dead aspen. For kindling we find a ponderosa pine standing which has usually been killed by lightning. Only a couple of small sticks and it will have your fire roaring in five minutes.

I place wool blankets on my cot and let them drape down to the floor which prevents air from circulating beneath. Then padding then my sleeping bag. Makes a big differance. If it gets really cold I place a couple of big rocks on the wood stove when we first come in. Then at bedtime I put them under my cot. Keeps me toasty warm all night. Watch out for camp mice though, they will eat your blanket full of holes.

While we've never used a new wall tent..... its still begging for its first use....

I've done this in other smaller tents.... wood stove as you come in the evening.... and burn it down towards bed time, load it hard, and if you had a source of coal( I haven't used any since the late 70s or so) add to for more length...

Sleep snug in a BIG bag and don't let cold air under you....(numerous ways there.....)

Then have some propane type of stove to reach over in the AM and flip on.... have done it that way in AK too....

The dual use does wonders... you don't burn much propane so no need for lots of that.... because wood works in the evening. Yet you get quicker heat in the AM to get up, and get rolling and don'w have to worry the morning fire....

A good wood stove or diesel heater. I have both now...our group got a diesel heater 2 years ago for our new tent (16x20x5w) we bought 3 years ago. My old wood stove was built by us and puts out/holds the heat...but in the new tent a couple gus were too close to the stove and it was like rotating a stuck pig...lol.

The diesel heater keeps the tent a good constant heat. We turn it right down when we leave for the day.

All depends on access to your camp....we use to be able to drive right into our camp with the trucks and trailers hauling the supplies but for past 5 years we have had to tub-trailer in with the quads and rhinos...but is only a couple miles in from the trucks now.

We used our tent (Davis 14x18x5) for the first time last year. Second season, flat tops. Lots of snow and wind blowing over 40. Needless to say, we spent a bit of time in the tent. It would warm up enough 4 of were stripping down to minimal layers and laying on top of the sleeping bags. The biggest problem (that plagues us all), is the night time. If someone didn't get up to stoke the fire, it'd get mighty chilly in there. I think this year we're going to try coal over night and wood when we're awake.

Picked up another tent this spring for a mess/social hall. This one's 15x20, I believe. My question is... those of you that have two tents in camp, do you heat the other tent all night if no one is sleeping in it?

- Randy

We did one year during deer season. We were short on beds and I slept in the cook tent with the pellet stove. I'm not sure if it was designed poorly or it was malfunctioning due to operator error but it sure liked to smoke up the inside of the tent. The hopper with the pellets would clog up and then the fire would smolder up into the hopper. I woke up twice hacking my lungs out b/c the smoke filled the entire tent. The owner said he had if figured out but we have used the old sheepherders stoves since.

Unless your much above 8,000 feet in altitude,there is not a better propane heater than the Catalytic,for both heat output and safety..10 zillion RV'ers can't be wrong...

They use it daily and at night without issue....

Jayco

http://www.pioneerspaceheaters.com/trekker.html

I use the heater in the link above, diesel. No more wood stink and rated for indoor use, safe. Would not go back to anything else.

I agree. Also take a Mr. Heater Big Buddy. Set Buddy next to your head and turn him OFF when you go to bed. When you wake up just stick your arm out of the bag and light Buddy. Tent will be warm in minutes. If you have a big tent with lots of folks, use two Buddies. I have the long adapter hose that goes to larger tanks outside the tent. If you need to dry wet clothes during the night, just run Buddy and lay on top of the bag. Buddy has three heat settings. Also a CO sensor and battery-powered fan built right in. Shuts OFF automatically if tipped. Can't say enough about my Buddy.

If you want a wood fire to burn all night long, burn hardwood. That's what we burn in MI. You couldn't sell any kind of coniferous or soft firewood here. People would not buy it, and would laugh at you for trying to sell it.

Although I burn diesel in my truck I don't like the smell of it inthe tent.No amtter how hard you try, a few drops always get spilled and seems to me that smell permeates everything.
Reminds me of those old Kerosun heaters that were popular back in the 80's

Run a Mr. Heater off a 5-gal Propane tank. Make sure their is window, near back of tent open 1-2" near top and another open 1-2" near front bottom to insure flow through air. I was given this tip by a Coleman rep and it has worked great for me even camping out mid winter. So warm, I run around the tent in my underwear and throw off the top of the sleeping bag, even when the heater is on the lowest setting.

Alan

I have switched to the Big Buddy, run it till bedtime and light it when you wake.

I have been fortunate to hunt a pack-in wilderness area for many years with two much better men than myself. These are do-it-yourself trips, from shoeing horses you raised to making much of the gear needed, often from lack of money, sometimes from the lack of availability. The need of good tent heat is paramount for comfort and health but as important, or perhaps more, is the ever present need to dry things out. These needs compelled the design of a wood stove that could be loaded at bed time and burn all night long with enough coals in early morning to be loaded again. Fact is, on hunts which wet conditions prevailed the stove ran around the clock drying gear splendidly. If there was a secret it was making the stove air tight rendering the ability to control it. It's light, not very big, fits a horse well and uses much less wood.

lutheran

Luthern.I have a Simms fold up stove as you descibe.It is not 100% air tight,but after a few nights burn, ashes are built up it last quite awhile. It weighs 17 lbs, including chimney.It has been on many pack ins with me and is stil in good shape. Spraying with a vegetable oil after the season to inhibit rust is the key to long lufe in additin to adding an inch or so of dirt on the bottom before burning.
I miss the pack in hunts and it loooks like the stove has out lasted me for sure

Myself and the guys I hunt with are getting to the age where we have to get up at least a couple times a night to relieve ourselves, so keeping the stove banked isn't that big of a deal. ..

I was just gonna say that 2 or 3 lumps of coal at bedtime and an elder member of the crew who has to get up at least once and we stay snug as a bug all night long.

Hey Saddlesore, I think we are on different pages due to my poor description. The stove I posted about is a homegrown job made from a standard pannier design and converted to a wood stove. I'll try to get some pictures of it if it will rain and give me a day off. It's a busy time of year.

lutheran

Coal is great, but it's getting tough to find here locally.

GW- You obviously aren't from Richfield...

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=16054153&cat=&lpid=&search=coal

Here are some pictures of the stove I poorly described earlier. Use wire through the lifting eyes tied to stakes driven in the ground to secure and throw about 1" of dirt in the bottom to seal. The door is sealed with fiberglass giving accurate control of the burn. It can be set very low to burn all night with pine wood. When needed to dry gear, it runs continuously with long intervals between loadings depending on how hot you set it. It doesn't cook food well as setting it hot enough to do so is too warm for the tent. It works well to warm food at normal tent-comfort settings. It burns wood very thoroughly leaving little ashes.
It has quite a bit of space for packing extra stuff; rigging ax, hobbles, picket stakes, wire, pliers, etc.
Stove shown in the bottom picture with a mate box pannier.

lutheran

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I would never use a ventless heater. You're going to be breathing at least some carbon monoxide, you'll have high CO2, and there'll be a bunch of water vapor which will dampen everything and form frost on the tent walls. The key to overnight heat is 1) use some high density wood, not aspen, overnight; 2) use a warm bag so you don't to worry about it. All I want is enough of a coal bank to fire up in the AM. Friends of mine thought I was nuts about CO, since I didn't even want propane lanterns in the tent/ Then we did a camp my way, battery lanterns, and sure enough, no s#$@, none of us had headaches and we could actually function and climb hills. At high altitude, you need all your blood cells available, not bound up with carbon monoxide. It's crazy to camp at high altitude and then breathe polluted air in the tent. It takes more than a week to clear CO out of your bloodstream once you have been slimed.

Remember that commercially available CO monitors only alarm after you have had a high level of exposure for a few hours. If you want a real time readout of what you're breathing, get a fast, low level CO alarm like they sell as Aeromedix.com (no affiliation).

http://www.aeromedix.com/Carbon_Monoxide_Detectors

I must be dead and don'tknow it.Been using both propane vented,and ventless and wood stoves for at least 40 years.Where we hunt, pine and maybe some aspen is about all there is for wood.Never have used coal.Stinks too much. Been using the ventless in the stock trailer and tent for at least 5 years. There are two propane lanterns burning most of the time ,morning and evening.
I live at 7600 ft and hunt 9-10K

Before some surgeon put a bunch of screws and rods in my back,I could out walk and out climb most 40 year olds ( 15 years younger).Today I can still keep up with them and that is with COPD and asbestosis scarred lungs. No headaches,except when Jack Daniels vists.

Do it right and the previous is all BS.Sort of like the ones on here who preach about all that bad lead contamination we eat from lead bullets.Yes there is some humidity,but it isn't raining in your tent. You want to see humidity do a early Sept. sheep hunt camping at 10,000 ft when it monsoons every after noon and you have to use spurs on your mule to get to a lower elevation before the lightening starts.

Heck you get more CO from sitting in traffic.

No matter what fuel you use,there are always trade offs.What works for one won't necessarily work for some one else. That is why we all give unsolicted advice.Throw out the chaff and use what works for you.

If you want a more dense wood then you'll have to bring your own. I cut up pallets made of oak and maple a couple months before season. They bundle up nicely, burn all night, leave coals for a quick morning start and you can use some of the slats to level up cot and tables.

Huntinut

We use a wood stove in ours and one of these to move the heat,
http://www.worsleyschool.net/science/files/stove/fan.html

Buy a cylinder stove. If you have good wood and some practice, It will burn all night. 10:00pm-5:00am. Buy a beenie for your head and a good bag inside a good bag. Good for -20 in comfort.

+1

coal works for me as well
tom

I am the designated wood stove stoker for our group, been honing my skills for 12 years. We can fit about 5 4x4x20 (inch) lumber in our stove. Crank the air vent down to a crack, turn the vent louver to 45 degrees and you are good for about 5 to 6 hours. We only use the 4x4's for night, during the day we just burn split beetle kill pine. The 4x4's stack nicely and fill up the stove.

You could also throw in some coal.

These look interesting. Anybody use them? would the 26000 btu model be enough to heat a 14x16 tent?

Ordered a Nu Way 4000 today. Its a vented model so condinsation shouldnt be a problem. 26000 BTUs should heat our tent fine

be sure and keep us updated if you can. I interested as well.

Will do Tx Trapper, planning on a scounting trip before the season to try it out

You'll definitely want to heat it up good to burn all the stank off of it "outside" the tent the first time!

Huntinut

Thanks Huntinut, Well give it a good burning before using it in the tent. Have you used one?

No I just use wood stove and a big buddy. I did look at yours and am interested in your results!!


Huntinut

I just use an 'el cheapo woodstove and put a few inches of sand in the bottom and either put real green wood on top of a good bed of coals or I use coal itself for the night....




Jayco

Fired the stove up in the garage to "burn" the new off of it. Its was warm in the garage, but it seems like this this really cranks out the heat!!

One thing we noticed is that wood seemed to help dry out the wet clothes better than anything else. Anyone else notice this?

Dober

There is no doubt about it.

Wood heats by radiation and convection , while the by products , smoke/moisture goes up the stack. Moving the water-vapor in the air further apart, dryer air.

Un-vented propane heaters makes water vapor as it burns a by-product of burning hryodro-carbons, adding dampness to the air.

The nice thing about these Nu way heaters is, They are vented

That should also take care of the smell things take on when there around an un-vented propane heater.

Going to hunt first season 'B' cow-tag in GMU #18 . It is coming back real nice in thick elk-fud after an extreme beetle-kill.
Most of the effected trees are still standing, it would not take long to fill a train with firewood. A first season wood stove will not take much work to fill.

iwrc: Did a 4-day up there a little over a week ago. Every traditional camp spot, everywhere you went, there was left over firewood by every fire-ring or circle of rocks.

If I have good weather to set up camp, I will leave plenty of firewood I'm sure.

I don't pack this stuff all over hell and creation. It's stickly for truck camping. I throw cat litter in to line the bottom of the stove. It's easier than scrounging for gravel or dirt.

If it is going to be cold, I load up on presto logs before leaving. They will keep my drafty old homemade barrel stove going for hours. I never worry about whether the thing runs all night, but I stack a couple of them next to the stove. If I wake up to roll over, I may throw one in or not depending on how ambitious I feel. I do not have to get more than an arm and shoulder out of the bag to pitch one in.

I've been wall tenting with a wood stove for about 25 years. When I was bow hunting late in Dec, I would pull the 55 gallon barrel stove out of my shop. That boy would puff up the wall tent like a hot air balloon. I remember one ugly, cold day when I was sitting in the lawn chair in my boxers when I heard, "Can I come in and warm up?" The guy was a bit taken aback, and moved on quickly.

I guess I must be all wet from all that hunmidity. Been running my unvented propane heater in my stock trailer for about 5 years. Since I also cook in there ( propane), and burn propane lanterns.I have not noticed any smell.If there is any,it is mostly due to the propane lanterns.Of course,I get a breeze thru there every once in awhile.

In any case,it has not affected my elk killing.

I do like to heat with a wood stove and later seasons. If I am using a wall tent, I take some wood along. At my age,cutting fire wood is a camp chore I don't relish.I also don't want to worry about leaving a fire in a a stove when I leave in the AM to go hunting.I also have a wood stove that I can put a round propane burner in and use a stove pipe vent if I want to

I don't pack in any more as my health and hunting pards have faltered. I leave next Wednesday for a ML season by myself. Setting up camp, setting up the mule high line and taking care of them and other camp chores, I need to cut down on the amount of labor. A propane heater does that for me. Might not be the best option, but it works for me.

A lot of folks think that thier way is the only way, and if you are not doing it that way, you are wrong. Everyone has to figure out what will work best for them and certainly as we age, we give up certain things in order to be able to keep hunting. Some may not believe this, but they will eventually.

I don't haul animals in the front stall and when I use the trailer for a camp,I clean out the rear stall very well and wipe it down to get rid of all dust,etc.

One end of the trailer, stove, lantern, heater. ( I'd set the tent up about the same.)



The opposite end with bed and large coolers. Above the door is a vent hole thatI can run a stove pipe thru if I want to use a wood stove.

Get a big buddy or 2,love mine.
BBJ

We use a wood stove in the cooking tent and kerosene heaters in the sleeping tents. I set mine to the minimum and leave the tent entrance flapping unless very windy. Zero CO problems and you can get out of bed, dress and walk out of tent comfortable in -20F temperatures. I do set up a CO detector just in case.
I agree that a good sleeping bag can alone take care of it. For me however the first night when my face gets cold is uncomfortable; after that one I get used to it and sleep well. Unfortunately I often only have 2 nights in the camp and have to go to work, so that's 50% uncomfortable. So I let the Kerosun heater take care of it.

I use a propane heater in my 14 x 16 wall tent, it works great, i have used it for 6 years now with no problems.

Kevin

Keven, What brand and type of heater is it?

Replying to Paul Daisy, you must be using a UL-listed CO detector, that won't alarm until you are practically toast. The specs on those are set to prevent false alarms, not to protect you from the lower level exposures that will still mess with your health and capacities.

There is no way you can operate any unvented heater in a tent and not have CO accumulating, not to mention all kinds of particulates, soot, water vapor, unburned hydrocarbons, etc. If you doubt me, get an instant readout CO meter like the kind gas appliance installers use, or get one from aeromedix.com and you'll see what you're really doing to yourself. CO takes WEEKS to get out of your blood. Please folks, don't use unvented heaters in tents or cabins if you want to maintain the ability to climb, carry loads, and think straight.

Some of my hunting buddies doubted me until one year I imposed a rule, no propane lanterns in the tent, and for the first time ever they could get up in the morning and not have an altitude headache.

Haven't read all the posts but will say that we go in 6 miles on horseback and use 2 - 12x16 foot canvas tents with wood burning barrel stoves. I guess we felt it was part of the flavor of a somewhat remote elk hunt to use split pine in the stoves. Its a little hassle in the morning to stoke up each one but its simple and available.

The heater i use is called a convection heater, it is 30,000 to 80,000 BTU, i bought it from Northern tool, i think i paid about $100.00 for it. But the large Buddy heater will work fine too, but i would run it off a bulk tank, rather then the one pounders, it will be cheaper to run that way.

Kevin