Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

First, happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I wish you the best, where ever you might be.
Now here's my dilemma and question:
This winter, I plan to do so some serious winter camping, in northern Wisconsin and Minnesota, and some of the sites won't have electricity or water.
My Little Guy tear seems pretty well insulated, and I have a heavy sleeping bag. But could I use a Coleman, propane ceramic heater to warm up the trailer for a while before going to sleep.
I would have both side windows slightly open, for cross ventilation, the top vent slightly open, and a small, battery-operated fan circulating some air.
I would only keep the propane heater on while I was fully awake, in the trailer, and I would shut it off at least 20 minutes before going to sleep.
I also would leave the roof vent slightly open during the night.
Does this plan sound safe enough?
Would you have any other suggestions? (It could be really cold, around zero or below fahrenheit at night).
Many thanks in advance for your help with this. Everyone on this forum has been great to me, and I have learned a lot from you.
Best Regards,
Rick

Even the best laid plans have failed. Imagine that you are so tired you fall asleep 20 minutes early, never to wake up again.

A far better option is to use a 12v mattress warmer.

You could also pick up a used forced air furnace from an old camper...

Better safe than sorry.

Mike...

I agree with Mike...don't use the propane heater inside. I do, however, have another question...being from Texas we don't know how to handle such situations, but at that temperature, what are you going to drink in the morning? Won't every thing be frozen?

I wouldn't recommend a gas heater inside either ... the carbon monoxide risk in a low-02 environment is way bad news even if you don't doze off early.

There are a couple things out there ... "hot hands" or "footwarmers" that are little reusable sealed chemical warmers ... that you might look into.

If you want to have drinkable coffee in the morning (or tea or cocoa or {shudder...chicken bouillion, which is my beloved's warm drink of choice}, bring along a quart-size thermos and, the night before, rinse it with boiling water (about half a cup sealed up inside for 15 minutes) then fill it with warm but not boiling water and seal it again.

In that type of cold...I think you need a good heater. I'm not as concerned as some others about heating up the space with a gas space heater before bedtime if equipped with a CO monitor, but I do believe that a fella really ought to consider biting the bullet and installing a small externally vented gas RV furnace for zero degree (or below) temps...and I would buy a new one. That way you know you are safe, and you don't have to be uncomfortable in the middle of the night. I just got back from a winter hunting trip and it just ain't no fun to pop your footzies in frozen boots in the morning.

These are excellent suggestions, guys. I have to agree now, that the propane heater sounds too dangerous. Even if I am really careful, and I would be, things could go wrong. Carbon monoxide is scary stuff because you can't see it or smell it.
I might try something simple, like heating some rocks on the camp fire and putting them in a plastic Thermos cooler.
Place the cooler inside the trailer and allow the heat from the rocks to slowly dissipate. I could place a jug of water in the cooler, too, to keep it from freezing.
Does that sound better?

Hey, the furnace idea sounds good. I will take a look at that as a long-term solution. Are they expensive?

This Zodi tent heater sounds interesting, too. Besides the trailer, I could use it in other places like an ice fishing shanty.
http://www.zodi.com/web-content/Consume ... tvent.html

Rick, What we have been doing is sleeping without any heat and sleep in a 30 deg sleeping bag. We lay two more opened up 30 deg bags over it and sleep very comfortable. This time of year those bags are selling for half price at the sporting goods stores. This small 110 volt 90 watt heater will bring the cabin temp up 10 - 15 deg but it makes the inverter fan run all night. I'm still testing it out so don't know how warm it will make a really chilly tear warmer. There are no hot wires and it's all sealed up and seems pretty safe for a tear. I've given in to putting some 110 volt plugs for when we can have power. That will be my project this weekend. Danny

Rick...that might not be the best of ideas, a little too easy to skirt the operation rules and forget...we had a thread on off beat and non traditional heaters, and I caught grief on the idea of a light bulb in a caged fixture as too dangerous, but there were lots of suggestions that included candles! Go figure...Doug

Even new, the forced air furnaces are not THAT expensive...

Here's how we put it in the Lil Diner...



and here's how I put it in the Baja Benroy

pic here

and don't forget Q's arrangement...

pic here

Mike...

mikeschn wrote:Even new, the forced air furnaces are not THAT expensive...

Here's how we put it in the Lil Diner...



and here's how I put it in the Baja Benroy

pic here

and don't forget Q's arrangement...

pic here

Mike...

Mike do you have an exterior shot of that heater? Danny

Don't forget about the CO alarm and an thermometer. The alarm to let you know you need to vent, and a thermometer to measure your temps so you get an idea of heat loss. Plus you can toss it outside for 10 minutes to get the outside temps. With this, you can gauge heat loss from your camper.

2 years ago, I slept in an insulated cabin (walls/roof R19). Interior temp at 11pm was 70, outside temp (4 with little wind). By 7 am, it was 39 inside the cabin and 3 outside. There was only 2 of us sleeping in a 12'x12' room. We now have propane radiant heat and its cosy no matter how cold it is outside.

How about a protein fired heater?

Danny,

Does this help?





Mike...