If you are like our family, the last thing you want to worry about while camping is your kids freezing at night. Little kids slide out of sleeping bags and shiver in silence, older kids complain all night — neither of these scenarios is good. You need a tent heater and you need one that is safe and reliable.
We will break down our favorite tent heaters based on price, safety features and ease of use. We will also talk about a few other heating options for cold nights.
Table of Contents
Different Types of Heaters
Butane vs propane vs electric vs diesel. Each have their own benefits and drawbacks. In this blog post we will go into a deep dive on which one might be best for you as well as an example in each category.
Pros and Cons of Electric Tent Heaters
Electric tent heaters can be a great option. Most put out a good amount of heat, and some even oscillate to spread the heat around. You get heat without having to burn any kind of fuel, which makes some people nervous with carbon monoxide buildup. There are a lot more options for small electric tent heaters.
One big downfall of an electric tent heater is you will need a way to power it. A lot of people out there do not have power sources such as a Goal Zero to power a heater through the night. While an electric heater may be far cheaper than other options, a power bank big enough to power it through the night could easily put you in the price range of the most expensive of the options out there. For instance a yeti Goal Zero 500x is currently $699.95. At $750 I think I’d go for one of the other options on the list.
Safety Considerations of Electric
As with any heater inside a tent, I suggest putting the heater itself on something like a cookie sheet. The last thing you need is a tent fire to wake you up in the middle of the night, or worse yet, not wake you up at all.
Another thing to consider is having a carbon monoxide detector in your tent. You can pick these up for cheap at a Lowes or Home Depot. This way you will know if the levels in the tent are reaching unsafe levels. This is more a consideration for having something inside the tent burning.
The other safety issue to consider is water. Obviously you need to keep a close eye on plugs and any potential water mishaps.
Give Best Electric Ceramic Camping Heater
Electric tent heaters are a dime a dozen on Amazon. Every company makes some version of one but they are all basically the same. This one from GiveBest has decent ratings but doesn’t everything on Amazon these days?
Price
$45.99
Features
- Made from flame retardant material
- Has two heating levels (700w and 1500w) and also a cooling option
- Tip over protection system
- Very quiet, lower than 45 decibels
- Automatic shut off to prevent overheating
- Chorded so will need to be plugged in
- Heats 200 square feet
- Under 3lbs
Max BTUs
We couldn’t find any BTU ratings for this unit.
Pros and Cons of Propane Tent Heaters
Pros
Propane heaters are one of the more cost effective ways to heat your tent. You can find a Mr. Buddy heater at pretty much any Walmart or Home Depot. They will run you about $120 and use the small 1 lb propane bottles. You may even have these bottles around for your cooking stove of choice.
Cons
The heat source will be inside the tent with you. I have always been concerned one of our kids will touch the heater. You will probably have more condensation inside the tent in the morning.
Safety Considerations of Propane
Carbon Monoxide would be my biggest concern here. You can’t smell it, so you best have a detector. ALWAYS vent your tent when using a propane heater inside an enclosed tent. Make sure you get one that will shut off if you tip it over. That way if someone in your family gets crazy in the night and kicks it, it won’t torch the entire camp down. An idea I have had is if you have a rooftop tent with an enclosed annex down below, you could set up a bigger heater on the ground and let the heat rise into the tent. This way there is no chance of someone kicking it over.
Mr. Heater Buddy Heater
If you have researched tent heaters in any capacity, the one you will see pop up the most is the Mr. Heater Buddy Heater. Although they have a smaller version, the Mr. Heater is about as small as we would recommend going if you are camping as a family. They have a Little Buddy Heater, but we do not like this one as it is way more prone to falling over. With a propane heater you may see a fair amount of condensation on the walls of the tent. Again, I would make sure to have a carbon monoxide detector in the tent with you. You will also need to make sure this is a propane heater rated for indoor use.
Price
$129.99, although they have a ton of different sizes and models depending on your needs.
Fuel Type
The Mr. Heater Buddy Heater uses a 1lb propane cylinder.
Features
- Has high and low settings
- Heats up 200 square feet, plenty for even a large tent
- Accidental tip-over safety feature
- Use with a 1lb propane cylinder
- Very compact size
- Low oxygen shut off system
Max BTUs
9000/ hour for 225 sq/ft
Pros and Cons of Butane Tent Heaters
Butane is cleaner than propane. It doesn’t produce as much carbon monoxide so is a much more attractive option for small spaces. But it does STILL produce carbon monoxide so you really want to make sure you are picking the right unit.
These are excellent for awnings or a more open air style of camping as opposed to being closed in.
Safety Considerations of Butane
Vent your tent if you are using it inside. Get a carbon monoxide detector. Make sure it has a tip over feature. Really much of the same safety features as the propane heaters are what you should be looking for here.
Kovea Cupid Portable Tent Heater
The KOVEA Cupid is an amazingly compact tent heater, weighing in at a whopping three pounds. It comes with a hard plastic case to store it in, and runs on nozzle canister butane. This is a fairly new product to North America, but I am very intrigued to try this thing out. It may not put out as much heat as other options on this list, but it is also a lot smaller.
Price
$119
Features
- Folding legs provide a stable base
- Only 3lbs
- Hard plastic carry case for storage when not in use
- Ceramic Based Heating Plate
- Auto Shut Off
- Short heat up time
Fuel Type
The Kovea Cupid Tent Heater uses Butane nozzle gas canister.
Max BTUs
3,300
Pros and Cons of Diesel Tent Heaters
Pros
These heaters are very efficient. You can run them for hours on end with as little as 5 liters of fuel. They are surprisingly low noise. (I know I know, when you think of diesel you think of that loud knocking of the diesel pick up. This is not the case I promise). Really the only noise that comes out of a good diesel heater is the fan sound, and a clicking from the fuel pump. This is also a very dry source of heat compared to something like a propane heater.
Cons
Some of the diesel heaters are not as good at running a lower temp. They really are meant to be on at full tilt. If you run them low they may have a build up of soot in the exhaust.
If you are camping in really cold months you may need treated diesel so it doesn’t freeze. If your diesel “gels” you will be SOL. In the trucking world we run Howe’s diesel treatment and it works great. I would recommend this over treated diesel from the pumps. You never know what is used to treat the fuel, and it may cause issues with your heater. These heaters don’t circulate fuel back to the tank like a diesel truck does.
Safety Considerations
As with all tent heaters you should have a carbon monoxide detector inside the tent just in case. Even though the heater itself doesn’t use any part of the exhaust to heat the tent, you just never know. These are like any other piece of technology, and can fail. If you don’t have this set up just right you might have a melted fuel line, or a leaky exhaust. Take your time when putting one of these together and you will be good.
Webasto Air Top 2000
Webasto makes heaters for RV’s and #Vanlife trucks. They are also used in big rigs to help keep the bunks warm. These are definitely the top of the line systems. You can get gas or diesel powered, and you can tie them into your fuel system on your vehicle. For a portable tent heater, these will keep it more than warm enough. You will need a fuel source and a power source to run this though.
With the hefty price tag of the Webasto unit, it won’t include everything you need to get it running. You can expect to have closer to $1,500 into the setup if you don’t have things like a power source.
Price
These will cost you $799.99, but it well be well worth the price tag!
Features
Fully adjustable thermostat that can be controlled from inside the tent (will need to buy the controller separate). These heaters really don’t take much fuel and can easily run all night on just a couple liters of diesel. The great thing about them is as long as you have fuel you can have heat. That is if your battery hasn’t died yet.
Fuel Type
Diesel or Gas
Max BTUs
6800
DIY Diesel Heater in a Box
There are a huge number of Webasto “rip-offs” on Amazon. These function the same in theory, but are a fraction of the price. Most of the kits you will find will have everything but the case to house it in. Most people that go this route house them in some sort of a Pelican case or a cheap version of one. This makes transport easy, and you can mount the small diesel tank on the outside of it.
I think I will be tackling this project (write up to follow). This will give me something to tinker with for a while, and I have a fair amount of the things needed. I already have a spare pelican case, and a spare rotopax. This should make the cost even more bearable.
If you are not looking for constant projects to fill your spare time you can get an all in one unit that looks really simple.
Price
$139-$185
Features
These things put out some serious heat. With most you will be able to run the controller into the tent and adjust the temperature to your liking. From my understanding though they run best at full bore. This would be great for winter camping, but might get a little hot for other seasons.
Fuel Type
Diesel
Max BTUs
No BTU rating listed
Other Safe Heating Options
Tent heaters are usually the first place people look when wondering about how to stay warm during cold camping nights, but they aren’t your only option! In fact, one of the other options we mention below might just be a better fit for what you’re looking for.
Insulation
If you have a rooftop tent, insulation is always an option. Most rooftop tent manufacturers offer an insulation kit to fit their tents. You can also make your own with a little bit of work. The insulation kit for the iKamper hangs inside, and is like a quilted blanket. We don’t have this option, but I hear great things about it. In reality, we don’t camp as a family in the winter. If there is winter camping going down it is just me, and I have a -60 degree sleeping bag I will bust out.
Heated Blanket/Heated Sheets
Something we have found with our younger kids is that they do NOT sleep in sleeping bags well. Kids are like moving starfish in the night and they can’t be contained, which is why we love good heated blankets to keep them warm. Even if they manage to wiggle and squirm around, this option keeps heat over them. You will have to find one that doesn’t shut off after 2 hours of use though. I found a car one on Amazon that plugs into our battery source and will run all night.
The heated blankets are not recommend to be slept on top of, therefore you would start looking at a heated sheet. Heated sheets are the same concept as a heated blanket, but they are designed a little different to be slept on top of. This should do a great job at keeping everyone warm. Double up and use a heated blanket and you’d probably be able to sleep through the ice ages.
Hot Water Bottle
Don’t knock the good old fashioned hot water bottle until you’ve tried it. These things can get hot, sometimes too hot and they come in a variety of styles. Some are even character based for tiny campers. This one from Ostrichpillow can be used for heat but also can be frozen in the event of pain or injury.
Reflective Blankets
A reflective blanket will do wonders at keeping you warm. There is a reason survival kits come with them. They may be a little loud, but in a pinch will do the trick when paired with other blankets. You can also use some of the other reflective materials as an insulation layer on your tent. We do this at hunting camp to keep the heat in a different tent than the iKamper.
Final Thoughts
Tent heaters are one of those items you don’t realize you need, until you realize you really need it! In Colorado, even in the warmer summer months the nights are chilly and if you are camping with little bodies they get colder even quicker. Plan ahead and have one of these tent heaters in your arsenal, it will make your trip much more enjoyable.
Remember this isn’t just a guys trip with your buddies where you are cooking in the fire and drinking beer. Your wife and kids need to be comfortable and sleep well or they won’t be coming with you. (Maybe some of you want that, but I promise you will get to camp way more often if they come).
We always have some sort of heat source with us just in case. You may not even wake up to find your kids cold and that is a scary thought. Be safe and stay the trail
Nick