Heating options in your tent (RTT or ground)

[smlobx]

I think the gasoline heater is the best 'integrated' option. But honestly if I could find a good propane option like a propex or a small forced air heater and it didn't consume too much I would prefer that. It's just easier. and cheaper.

I was watching a YouTube video from Revere Overland recently and he has started using a propane heater similar in layout to those diesel heaters and he was very happy with it. In fact he used it to heat two RTTs. I’ll try and find it….



Edit…I see you found the video above…? but this video discusses the pros and cons of the setup.

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[Jglad15]

Looks like he is still using it at times.

Skip to 10:00

How is condensation typically with propane heat?

 

[chorky]

I was watching a YouTube video from Revere Overland recently and he has started using a propane heater similar in layout to those diesel heaters and he was very happy with it. In fact he used it to heat two RTTs. I’ll try and find it….



Edit…I see you found the video above…? but this video discusses the pros and cons of the setup.

the video I linked to was in this past week and he heated 2 tents with it

 

[chorky]

How is condensation typically with propane heat?

There is none. Condensation only exists if the exhaust is pushed into the heated area. Propane heaters do not do that. The exhaust exits the heater just like in a diesel/gas heater, or just like your home propane furnace.

 

[Jglad15]

There is none. Condensation only exists if the exhaust is pushed into the heated area. Propane heaters do not do that. The exhaust exits the heater just like in a diesel/gas heater, or just like your home propane furnace.

Nice, I found this through Colorado 4x4. I know you said you were against diesel heat with getting another fuel source. But I emailed them if it was just another Chinese knock off and they responded to me this morning. I said I didn want to buy one for 100 on Amazon then it’s finicky and just breaks. But their’s is 399.

This was their response:
We demo’d about 13 units from China before settling on this one we branded and switched a few internal components of, like a German designed fuel pump for example that works at elevation and operates much quieter.

https://www.4x4colorado.com/product...xaMHpIK9X1wEjgzacRM_we-rJEa67KGcOHq6-RswHsJpA


I could have sworn I saw someone say that you can get condensation in the tent with propane. But if you say otherwise I’ll look into that now. I would hope no one is pushing the exhaust into their tent haha.

 

[MPMB]

Looks like he is still using it at times.

Skip to 10:00

I watched this last night as well and thought of this thread.

I remembered why everyone is using the diesel heaters instead of the Propex - it's almost 1/10th the price.

My wife ordered a heated mattress pad for camping that's supposed to be able to run off a battery pack. I doubt it'll help in the dead of winter, but for brisk mornings and evenings it should help. I talked her into getting a 40,000mAh pack, too, so hopefully it'll work as intended.

I could have sworn I saw someone say that you can get condensation in the tent with propane. But if you say otherwise I’ll look into that now. I would hope no one is pushing the exhaust into their tent haha.

IIRC, the Propex pulls air out of your tent when it pumps hot air in, while the diesel heaters just pump hot air into the tent. That might have something to do with condensation problems.

 

[Jglad15]

I watched this last night as well and thought of this thread.

I remembered why everyone is using the diesel heaters instead of the Propex - it's almost 1/10th the price.

My wife ordered a heated mattress pad for camping that's supposed to be able to run off a battery pack. I doubt it'll help in the dead of winter, but for brisk mornings and evenings it should help. I talked her into getting a 40,000mAh pack, too, so hopefully it'll work as intended.



IIRC, the Propex pulls air out of your tent when it pumps hot air in, while the diesel heaters just pump hot air into the tent. That might have something to do with condensation problems.

If the propane heater is pulling air out wouldn’t you essentially be venting it though. So wouldn’t you get less condensation with it? Condensation occurs when there is no ventilation correct?

 

[chorky]

Nice, I found this through Colorado 4x4. I know you said you were against diesel heat with getting another fuel source. But I emailed them if it was just another Chinese knock off and they responded to me this morning. I said I didn want to buy one for 100 on Amazon then it’s finicky and just breaks. But their’s is 399.

This was their response:
We demo’d about 13 units from China before settling on this one we branded and switched a few internal components of, like a German designed fuel pump for example that works at elevation and operates much quieter.

https://www.4x4colorado.com/product...xaMHpIK9X1wEjgzacRM_we-rJEa67KGcOHq6-RswHsJpA


I could have sworn I saw someone say that you can get condensation in the tent with propane. But if you say otherwise I’ll look into that now. I would hope no one is pushing the exhaust into their tent haha.

Yeah they used to sell a different one on their site - you can see it in the pictures of the Nimbus tent - but they must have had issues. That one you linked to I think has been on their site for about a year now. Those seem to be fairly popular although they look rather large and heavy.

The whole propane thing is a huge miscommunication situation. See, when people talk about things, especially problems, often times they are so upset they fail to properly and accurately communicate.

Here is the deal with propane - it will certainly add condensation to your tent, rv, whatever, if the exhaust fumes are put into the space. So think about buddy heaters. Or even these - which used to be popular in the Alaskan Campers.

This for example - https://www.amazon.com/ProCom-ML100...1a776d5d&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1
This is a 'ventless' heater. Meaning that the heat, and combustion gasses, are put into the same space. That's bad for many reasons but condensation is one of them.

Here's the thing though - if you did that with a diesel heater, or a gas heater, the result would be the same. Crazy bad condensation because it is adding combustion gasses to the enclosed space.

Propex heaters do not do that. They are a 'vented' heater just like a diesel heater, just like the gas heater in your house. They operate exactly like a diesel heater, or a standard RV furnace in that, imagine there is a burn chamber, and that is basically a steel box, then around that box is another box. The inside box is where propane (or gas, or diesel) is burned, then the exhaust pushed out by a pipe. In doing so it heats up that box. The second box captures that heat, thus the air inside it is hot, that is the air that is pushed into your tent. A propane/natural gas furnace for a house works the same way.

Another example is a Dickinson marine propane fireplace. It is a 'vented' heater meaning combustion gasses are expelled and not placed into the space to be heated. I had one of these in the RV I lived in for 5 years. Perfect warm, and DRY heat. https://www.amazon.com/Dickinson-Ne...&sprefix=dickinson+marine+heat,aps,202&sr=8-3

So when people talk about adding condensation to a tent, usually they are using a buddy heater, or something that does not separate the combustion gasses from the hot air generated. Propex is the only (that I know of) 'portable' propane unit

I remembered why everyone is using the diesel heaters instead of the Propex - it's almost 1/10th the price.

This is not true. It only seems that way because people are not comparing apples to apples. The equielant of a propex heater in diesel form is a wabesto or planar. There is no Chinese knockoff version of Propex - otherwise they would also be in the 200-400 dollar range just like the cheapie Chinese diesel heaters. And the recirculation air of the Propex is not for reducing condensation but just to reheat already heated air - so it's more efficient use of the propane. It is still not as 'efficient' as diesel because propane doesnt' have the same amount of joules of energy. I think the reason why he had so much condensation issues in his tent was because at first he turned it off half way through the night and didnt have any windows open. Anybody would have condensation issues if they did that though.

 

[chorky]

Buddy heaters are exactly like the 'ventless' heaters in the old Alaskan Campers - meaning combustion gasses are put into the heated space. That is why people talk about having condensation heaters with those.

 

[Wildtoad]

Regardless of fossil fuel source, If you're running it in an enclosed environment, you need three things... Ventilation, a CO detector, and three have read the owners manual for the heater. .

 

[MPMB]

This is not true. It only seems that way because people are not comparing apples to apples. The equielant of a propex heater in diesel form is a wabesto or planar. There is no Chinese knockoff version of Propex - otherwise they would also be in the 200-400 dollar range just like the cheapie Chinese diesel heaters. And the recirculation air of the Propex is not for reducing condensation but just to reheat already heated air - so it's more efficient use of the propane. It is still not as 'efficient' as diesel because propane doesnt' have the same amount of joules of energy. I think the reason why he had so much condensation issues in his tent was because at first he turned it off half way through the night and didnt have any windows open. Anybody would have condensation issues if they did that though.

Since when does anyone compare apples to apples?

The recent videos from Ozark and Wranglerstar have been featuring the sub-$150 Chinesium diesel heaters. I think people will go for those when the Propex option is around $1000. There are other guys featuring the Webasto heaters, but I've never heard them discuss price. I would not doubt that the Chinesium products are inferior. But alas, I know no one who has either, and am not privvy to the sales records of any heater company, so I only see a limited view.

Rob said that the condensation in his tent is probably exacerbated by the quality of the canvas and it really isn't a 4-season tent. If his canvas doesn't breathe, that would make sense.

 

[chorky]

The recent videos from Ozark and Wranglerstar have been featuring the sub-$150 Chinesium diesel heaters. I think people will go for those when the Propex option is around $1000. There are other guys featuring the Webasto heaters, but I've never heard them discuss price. I would not doubt that the Chinesium products are inferior. But alas, I know no one who has either, and am not privvy to the sales records of any heater company, so I only see a limited view.

Rob said that the condensation in his tent is probably exacerbated by the quality of the canvas and it really isn't a 4-season tent. If his canvas doesn't breathe, tha

Yeah I mean it's hard to argue against the Chinese versions when they have been fairly dependable for their price. The wabesto price point is high - it's one of those things nobody talks about because everyone who has one knows already. They are in the $1,500 dollar range. Those that have the super big overland vehicles, think of the MANN chassis over on expedition portal - some of those guys I have talked with put over 5K into their heating setup. But it's WAY different than just a diesel air heater.

I am still leaning toward the Propex option. Not that I want to spend more money. But it looks to work god from the little bit of info I can find - and it's more simple. And......I just really do NOT want to carry around a 3rd fuel type that badly. If there was a gasoline version of the knockoff Chinese diesel heaters I would give that a try. But I have not found one. I'm sure there is some safety reason why they don't exist. And the propex is simple - even more simple than the diesel heaters. Hook it up to your tank, plug it in to the aux batteries in the bed - and you're nice and warm. No fiddling around with diesel or where to store it. No bi-annual maintenance needed to burn off soot accumulation. No fuel pumps that I hear are kinda noisy at night. Just heat.

Yeah I'm sure the tent fabric didn't help but having it closed up at night also doesn't help. My canvass tent fabric lets air in and out - you can see all the super tiny holes if you shine a flashlight through it - which I like that aspect. But even mine, with windows open, had bad condensation on the last outing for the year. Hopefully I dont find any mold when I open it up in the spring.... It's actually interesting of all the people rolling around with the GoFast tents, that's the first time I heard anyone say a negative about the fabric. Kinda shocked actually.

 

[smlobx]

I’m with you @chorky, I think propane is the better option if you’re already using it.

The one thing I would caution prospective buyers is that they may not work above a certain elevation. I’ve read 7-10,000 feet ASL. I know I was set up one night just above 11,000 feet and could not get the stove to remain lit.

 

[chorky]

The one thing I would caution prospective buyers is that they may not work above a certain elevation. I’ve read 7-10,000 feet ASL. I know I was set up one night just above 11,000 feet and co

Yeah I think the diesel heaters have a similar problem and require a high altitude compensator. Not sure if the propane ones have something like that or not.

 

[pbrevo64]

I'll offer up my perspective on why I chose a diesel heater over the other options. Ultimately, it was what worked best for me and my set up, so YMMV.

I chose a Lavaner 2kw for my wedge style RTT. Lavaner seemed to be regarded as the "best" chinese diesel heater based on what I was finding on a few diesel heater facebook pages and some other forums. I took the bits and pieces and put them into a Harbor Freight pelican style case (Apache 4800). This gave me mounting options of inside or outside of my rack, and gave me some protection from the weather as it will be exposed at all times.

I chose a diesel heater for three reasons, the first being that I can usually find diesel at most gas stations, so when the Jeep fills up, the heater fills up. Secondly, spare parts on the diesel heaters are pretty readily available, and worst case scenario, I can probably find Webasto at a truck or RV repair location if I really needed. Also there is plenty of info and DIY videos on the diesel heaters. Lastly, if there is a spill from the tank, diesel is not instantly flammable like gasoline or propane, so leaks are easier to deal with (albeit messier).

As far as a forced air heater vs a propane buddy style heater, I have a few guys I camp with that used to run Buddy heaters (before switching to diesel heaters), and they constantly were having to battle the condensation inside their tents. Having a constant supply of dry, fresh air was a big plus for me.

At the end of the day, this is what worked best for my set up. I ratchet strapped it to the inside of my rack, and at night would clip it to the outside and pipe it into my tent. I am working on hard mounting it to the inside of my rack's Molle panels, and plumbing it into a floor vent in the bottom of my tent so it is one less thing to set up and tear down each night.

The Propex looks like a great solution, especially if you have ample propane on board. In the winter, I bring a full 20lb propane tank, but that is because I bring a propane fire pit that uses 1-1.5lb/hour on full tilt, so I would have to refill if I were had a propex and was on a week long trip.

Regardless of what solution you choose, please do yourself a favor and buy a CO2 detector, even if it is a cheap one from the HW store. As always, better safe than sorry.

If all else fails, I have done the tried and true nalgene full of hot water method to stay warm. It got me through a couple of -10F nights, so I always have that.

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