A question about a heater

[Conestoga]

slowcowboy, it sounds like you have a winner there with all that insulation.

On my todo list is researching the details of charging aux.batteries with an idling car.
My Ford Focus will idle with the heater and fans on full blast (both windows cracked open one inch) at a cost of 1.25 gallons per 8 hours. This is an average I got from two tests of 8 hours each. That was low RPM, I have no idea what kind of charging I could get out of that.

Anyway, that was a tangent...and this is what I intended to post here:

(1)Someone else recently posted good pix of how he built a woodstove into his camper. I cannot find it now.

(2) If you still think the wood stove idea is tempting, try a search for: tent stove, tent heater, portable wood burner, etc.

Here's a good starting point with info and pix of many different stoves:
http://www.walltentshop.com/stoveinfo.html

more more more google results:
http://www.kansaswindpower.net/wood_stove.htm
http://goodoutdoors.theshoppe.com/wilde ... stove.html
http://www.snowtrekkertents.com/portablewoodstoves.html
http://ellisstove.com/

[Kathy53]

Pam is bad. Do not use any type of spray. Also hard to wash off. Use oil or shortning. I will use spray when baking. But for waffles, or sandwhich maker I will use oil or shortning even butter but the spay stuff sticks The canola oil in the non arisol spray bottle works half way decent, but I don't think they are selling that anymore. I don't have a waffle iron but that spray did not work in my electric waffle maker.

[Pottercounty]

I would suggest the safest heater would be a disc heater. The heat is produced by two ceramic discs that turn against each other creating friction thus producing heat. A fan behind the discs provided the circulation of the heat. Totally safe, no hot wires or using gas or explodables...

Here's a link

http://www.pelonis.com/discfurn.htm

[Alfred]

Hey gang,

Just to follow-up, we camped last week in West Virginia, down to about 35degrees overnight. I bought a little electric ceramic heater at Walmart for about $18.00, and it did great! Kept the camper really warm and cozy. We had the windows and vent cracked open for circulation, and even with the cold air coming in, I was impressed with what a good job the little ceramic heater did in keeping it comfortable.

AL

[Alfred]

sounds great al. I wish I could plug in a drop cord out here in wyoming. I hit 22 degreas on septimber 10th in the wind river moutains.

I like my little wally world heator. but I am not packing a generator for it

Hey Slowcowboy,

Yes, you're talking about "real" camping! I'm a city-boy camper - Meaning my wife and kids will only go camping with me where there is water/electric hook-ups and a site near the bathrooms, and hopefully a Walmart nearby if I forgot to bring something! I guess for us, it ain't exactly "roughing it"!

AL

[cdfnchico]

We were headed to Yosemite and June Lake for some Fall camping and worried about how cold we might get. Bought one of the 300 watt direct wire Roadpro 12 volt heaters. Was perfect! We spent two separate nights boon docking and ran heater for an hour or so with no battery issues. Raised the temp to a comfortable level that was easily maintained by our body heat for the duration even with vent open. Charged the battery using the t-v on the road the next day. Wouldn't say it cooked you out but our tear is not insulated on the sides and it got down to mid 30's and we were comfy.

[stumphugger]

I just returned from a trip of 4 nights where the dog heater was not an option.
Temps were in the upper 40s at night, not too awful. My 12 volt mattress heater replaced the dog on this trip. It worked well. I just used it to warm up the bed, then unplugged it, except for one dark and stormy night where I had it on for a while with me on it.

I like it. I was able to warm up my feet, and everything else after being chilly all afternoon.

Now, I need something to dry out my trailer. I found out that the REI shelter tent does not do well in the rain. It collects large amounts of water, which kind of turn into water balloons. I thought I had the door closed when I dumped one, but the door popped open and in went the water. It was this morning, as I was getting ready to leave for home.

I've got the mattress propped up so air can circulate. I really need an 80 degree sunny day, but that won't happen until August. Wally World is a 60 mile trip one way, along with most other shopping. Our weather is now cool and wet. My shop is very damp this time of year. I do have a little nonelectric dehumidifier hanging up inside. Stay tuned.

[Ratkity]

DampRid has these containers you put in an enclosed area that will suck up moisture. I love those things. Might help after you get the majority out via a little heater or dehumidifier.

Hugs,
Ratkity

[stumphugger]

DampRid has these containers you put in an enclosed area that will suck up moisture. I love those things. Might help after you get the majority out via a little heater or dehumidifier.

Hugs,
Ratkity

Yes. I will hang that out there too. My chief complaint about Damprid is that the smell (this seems odd but happened) got into my Camelback, which I had stored with the lid off. My water then tasted like Damprid. Odd, but true. I rinsed that out with soda, and then carried ice tea in it to help.

I just got one of those hang up dehumidifiers that come with non smelling crystals in them. When the crystals turn pink, you plug the thing in and it heats up and dries the crystals. Then it is ready to use again. I do know that when I woke up in the morning, the trailer had a lot of condensation on the windows. I shut it up during the day, hanging the new dehumidifier on the vent opener. When I returned at the end of the day, the condensation was gone, and things were as dry as they get this time of the year.

[bobhenry]

Is there a reason that a simple electric heater could not be left on low over night after you arrive home to dry out the trailer ????

[stumphugger]

Is there a reason that a simple electric heater could not be left on low over night after you arrive home to dry out the trailer ????

Yes. I don't have one.

We have a small store that sells hardware. Then it is 15 miles to a slightly bigger store. To go shop for anything other than rigging clothes and basics, it is 60 miles.

I think Slowcowboy can sympathize.

[bobhenry]

Yep I hear ya ! Every trip I make anywhere is a ten dollar bill.

In your case its even worse.

I pick them up left and right at Goodwill and distribute them around to my camping buddies.

P.M. me an address and I will send ya my little one !

I currently have 4 or 5

[stumphugger]

Not to worry, I just went out to get more stuff out, and things are now damp, instead of wet. The sun is threatening to come out...we call the brief appearances, Sucker Holes. In fact, a Sucker Hole is upon us at this moment. Better go out and enjoy it.

Thanks for the suggestions..

[stumphugger]

I got brave yesterday.

I dug out a milk parlor/house heater, put a board down, and put it in the Little Guy. Things dried out. I'll do it again for a while today to be sure. We are not having rain at the moment, so power cords across the yard are OK.

Slowcowboy, the heated mattress pad is impressive. It runs on the cigarette lighter outlet and didn't seem to drain my battery. I did not run it all night though. After a day of moving large rocks around in the mud, the heat sure felt good on the back.

I wonder if I'll have problems with The Used Dog trying to lay on the heated side of the bed on future trips?