Softopper and Mr. Buddy Heater

I have the buddy heater but have never ended up using it even down into the 20s

 

https://youtu.be/VwAC5ZcRRkA

 

I used one of these in my Softopper last February, all night overnight at around 40 deg F. The low setting, which I assume is around half of the rated 3000 BTU, was plenty to keep me toasty. I think I had to turn it off at one point.

Flame King portable catalytic heater: https://flameking.com/product/ysn-ad03-2/

 

wonder if you can leave this running while you sleep. or does it let off carbon monoxide like the Mr. Heater buddy?

 

I did run it overnight. Catalytic heaters produce very little CO. What they do produce is water vapor. They also consume oxygen in the environment, which increases CO2. Prober ventilation is vitally important; the consumed oxygen must be replenished. It is common misconception that Buddy heaters are catalytic heaters. They are not and the pilot light that continuously runs them is a clue to this. I don't know what the CO output of a Buddy is but the pilot flame at the very least produces a tiny amount.

I also have a Camco Olympian Wave 3 catalytic hard-plumbed in my Runaway Rangerunner squaredrop camper. I've used that overnight for many chilly winter nights in the Mojave Desert. Optional leg stands are available for these, so they can be portable as well. The Camco heaters are bit pricey these days, though.



With both heaters, I used a very sensitive CO detector made for automotive and light aircraft use. The household type CO detectors are not sensitive enough for small contained environments like a truck bed camper or small camper trailer: Forensics Detectors Car Aircraft Carbon Monoxide Detector

 

I have more than 100 nights in my camper with Buddy heaters — both the Little Buddy and the regular buddy. The humidity they produce is less than if you have a dog or an additional person in the camper exhaling water vapor and CO2.

The issue with the Little Buddy heaters is they are extremely hard to fasten in a secure position so as to not knock them over, and they direct all their heat 45° upward, so there’s a huge difference in warmth between the lower truck bed and the roof.

On top of that, the Little Buddy has just one setting: 3800 BTU. The regular Buddy has a low setting, which is 4000 BTU, so basically the same. So I choose the regular Buddy and set it on low, because it is more stable and it warms my feet. 3800/4000 BTU is overkill for the space, so just sleep with some ventilation, both to regulate the temperature and for safety.

The big remaining issue I have found with these heaters (and many propane appliances) is the small tubing that delivers the propane to the burner gets easily clogged with the highly viscous oily odorant that is included in bulk propane when you refill a refillable propane tank. When that tubing gets clogged, the heater stops working, often at the most inopportune times. I’m guessing that the viscous odorant gets even more viscous in cold weather. And that tubing is a huge PITA to clean out.

It’s also worth remembering that these propane heaters don’t function reliably above 7000 ft. elevation.

The Olympian wave heaters look really nice but they get lots of complaints for being sensitive to dust ruining the ceramic catalyst.

My solution for now is 1.) always carry a backup winter sleeping bag in event of a heater failure, and 2.) have two Buddy heaters under 3-year warranty from Lowes. If you do much camping, they will probably crap out within that 3 year window and be eligible for replacement. In the meantime you can swap in the spare.

I really like the diesel heaters and the high end heat exchange propane heaters like Propex, but can’t afford to buy the European-built ones for reliability instead of the Chinese knock-offs, and I do too much stealth camping to be able to set the heater outside my truck.

 

https://youtu.be/EzP-z9COgdY?si=sd7DCPtTd2XXUX97

 

Don’t know if this has a point.

I followed the internet getting a little heater buddy to sleep in my truck during a snowy winter.

didn’t use it. Not trying to kill myself.
Softopper’s and shells insulate. The temperature inside is higher.
Body creates heat. That is kept inside.

Blankets keep warmth. So do rated sleeping bags. Which people use without heaters in tents.
All of which have the ability to layer to find temperature.

seems like something that would only have a point if someone was trying to sleep with one thin blanket in Antarctica.

 

From another perspective that heater takes up far less space than what it would take in insulation layers and the time it takes to fold them, store them, and wash them. I don’t disagree with but you don’t need to go to Antarctica to get dangerously cold conditions. Tents & Toppers block wind but I’d stop short of calling it insulation. The surface temp on both sides won’t be much different especially where there’s glass. If you want your water to stay liquid it needs to be in the bag with you. Along with your boots. Not sure I’d want or use one but doing without isn’t exactly ducky or short on downsides.

 

when I lived in CO with a softoppper, I climbed in the back during snow ice winter and found it to be warm. Then I slept back there.
Lowest temp was 0deg. If you get below that in ND then maybe a heater has a purpose. Or maybe not because it only safely runs for a short limited amount of time. One either has the required insulation, shell, blankets, layers, and clothing or they don’t.
Never heard of heater being in the military which is exactly who does this type of shit and not in a vehicle.

not looking to have a propane heater where I have no room only heat the fuck out of shit for 5 minutes, deplete oxygen, not have run time, and burn me or set a fire.
I can sell you my little heater buddy with propane tank for a deal.

if it had a purpose then diesel heaters with exhaust wouldn’t exist.

my blankets stayed laid out on a wooden bed. If they ever needed washed I could wash them. I wasn’t pissing on them.
My clothes I went to a laundromat.

That’s before you mount insulation in a bed which somebody sleeping in it is probably going to do.