At a minimum, no one will argue with the fact that the popularity of winter fishing gear and the number of adherents of this type of recreation do not want to decrease. A huge number of people find it enjoyable to sit on the river with a fishing rod, spend a weekend hunting, or simply go on a long hike in their free time. But in winter, the biggest problem is the cold. And if it is not possible to put a stove in a tent, then an autonomous safe heater will make outdoor recreation enjoyable and not harmful to health.
What are the requirements for tent heaters?
A tourist heater for a tent should be something that is both simple, repairable and carefully thought out, safe. Such a device must meet a number of requirements.
- Safety. This is the first and main condition. The device must not create hazardous factors for humans, be fireproof (subject to the rules of use), and prevent spillage or emission of the fuel used. Winter outdoor recreation always means distance from centralized emergency services and medical facilities.
- Compactness. No one wants to carry a whole potbelly stove on their back. Similarly, there is no point in transporting a heater for a large tent, dedicating the entire trunk of a car to it. A compact device is more convenient to place, transport from place to place, prepare for use and transfer to traveling condition.
- Economical. A camping heater that burns a lot of fuel and requires constant monitoring is of no interest to a tourist.
- Variability of use. In addition to its main function, an alcohol heater will be more useful on a hike if you can use it to heat a kettle, cook food, or dry wet clothes or shoes.
Important! Air temperature should be taken into account. Thus, the IR heater will be redundant in the fall and spring, generating too much heat. And a small alcohol unit will not help in any way in the bitter cold.
Finally, portable mini heaters for tents should be simple in terms of operation, refilling and starting. This is necessary so that even people without special knowledge can use them.
Features of choosing a metal, catalytic and ceramic infrared gas burner
When choosing a device, it is necessary to answer the following questions: how much area needs to be heated, how important is safety and whether additional functions are required. The device should be selected according to the size of the tent. The radius of influence of the heater should be close to its area.
Automatic shutdown when tipping over or exceeding the level of carbon dioxide is a big plus, since it is not always possible to keep track of the device. If children are going on a hike, it is important that the device is safe for contact. A conventional burner or metal heater in this case is not the best option - it is worth paying attention to catalytic and ceramic ones.
The device must be easy to use. To make it easier to carry, choose a model with a handle. The ability to change the angle of the emitter allows you to heat all areas of the room and position the burner horizontally for cooking.
Advice! Before buying a portable gas heater for a tent, you need to study reviews of specific models and evaluate their advantages and disadvantages, identified in practice in the field.
Types of heaters
Today, the industry offers many types of tent heaters. All models can be divided into large groups based on energy source. These are liquid, solid fuels, gas. An electric heater is considered separately. Depending on the source of its energy, it may also require the use of one or another fuel.
Kerosene
Kerosene tent heaters have long been used by tourists. The device has an average level of fire hazard. In devices of this type, kerosene from the fuel tank enters the wick device, where it burns. The flame is localized quite compactly and heats the heat emitter cylinder. Ignition can be carried out either with a regular match or with a piezoelectric element in expensive models.
When heated to a high temperature, the emitter grid emits waves in the infrared spectrum. They transfer heat to surrounding objects. A comfortable atmosphere is quickly created in the tent. Most modern kerosene heaters can be used to cook food, and some can be used to dry clothes.
Important! The advantage of devices of this class is their simplicity, efficiency and functionality. The amount of heat generated is large, and fuel consumption is acceptable for a tourist.
Gasoline
The gasoline heater has come a long way in technological improvement. From a simple burner burning liquid fuel, it has evolved into a complex system. In a modern gasoline appliance, an air-gasoline mixture burns, just like in an internal combustion engine.
Devices of this class are functional and economical. In addition, they are very versatile. Fuel can be found almost effortlessly, especially if a tourist travels by car. Gasoline heaters are easy to cook with and produce a lot of heat.
Important! Their main drawback is the constant smell of impurities contained in the fuel.
Alcohol
An alcohol camping heater can be built on two types of design solutions. In one version, it is extremely similar to gasoline - liquid alcohol is poured into it. The second design option is simpler. The steel body serves as a container for several tablets of dry alcohol.
Devices of this class emit relatively little heat, especially when using dry fuel pellets. However, in spring or autumn, such a heater leads in the preferences of tourists. You can cook food on it, and buying fuel is not difficult at any hardware store.
Solid fuel: wax and paraffin
Wax and paraffin tent heaters work on the principle of a burning candle. They are offered both in the form of tablets with a wick, and in the format of a dissecting emitter-body with a fuel vapor afterburning system.
Complex models can provide quite a lot of heat. Wax and paraffin devices are easy to use; for heating, you do not need to carry many kilograms of fuel on a hike. In addition, it does not require special containers, does not spontaneously ignite, and does not ignite from an accidental spark.
On a note! You can assemble a wax or paraffin tent heater with your own hands.
Diesel
Diesel heaters are the largest among liquid fuel devices. These are large burners covered with a safety screen. It also serves as a heat transmitter, heating up to a high temperature. A solar heater is indispensable for cooking, but it emits unpleasant fuel odors, so it is not very popular for creating comfort in a tent.
Gas
A gas heater generates heat by burning fuel on an infrared ray emitter. It can be a metal mesh or perforated ceramic structure. Heating to enormous temperatures, the emitter quickly transfers energy both by air convection and infrared rays to surrounding objects. This device is not fireproof. It should not be installed near things that could catch fire.
Important! It is worth remembering that liquid gas cylinders do not release fuel well at temperatures below -5 degrees Celsius. This fact must be taken into account before going outdoors.
Overall, a direct gas heater is very efficient and functional. It not only quickly warms up the tent, allows you to finely regulate the fuel supply and cook food, but also weighs little.
Catalytic systems
Catalytic tent heaters are mistakenly considered to be gas heaters only. Such devices can work on:
- gasoline;
- liquid alcohol;
- gas and gas mixtures.
The operation of a catalytic heater is based on the release of heat during a chemical reaction. No open flame is formed.
Important! The devices show fuel utilization at levels ranging from 85-90% for liquid heaters to 99% for gas heaters.
The catalytic heater is considered the safest. But it has a number of important disadvantages.
- You cannot cook food on the catalytic head. Entry of liquid or food particles may damage or extinguish the device.
- Inexpensive models do not require replacement of the catalyst unit. They are essentially disposable, although they have a long service life.
- In some devices, fuel is not supplied from a cylinder or tank, but comes from a disposable, replaceable cartridge, which is quite expensive.
Despite such disadvantages, the usefulness and convenience of catalytic heaters has already been appreciated by many people, and the popularity of such devices is continuously growing.
Electrical
It’s worth setting the accents right away. An electric heater powered by batteries, or more precisely, high-current batteries, is a device for individual use. These are a wide variety of jackets, boots, pants. But they are not designed to create comfort in a large tent.
For tourists, electric models that can operate on a 12-volt battery or from the car’s on-board network are more useful. This is quite convenient, since you can simply not turn off the car’s engine, leaving it at minimum speed all night. If it is possible to transport a fairly large load, an electric tent heater can easily be powered from a generator.
All devices of this type are built on resistive film elements or thermal cables. The system does not heat up above 45 degrees, the temperature can be finely adjusted. The electrical appliance is intended for heating purposes only . Solutions that allow you to cook food are not very popular among tourists, as they require an exorbitant amount of energy, which is difficult to obtain from both the generator and the vehicle’s on-board network.
Important! Without exception, all types of tent heaters have their drawbacks. The safest electric one requires power supply and is single-functional. All others are capable of causing a fire. The degree of danger varies from medium for catalytic systems to high for liquid systems (tipover, fuel spill). Therefore, each type of device must be handled carefully and be sure to follow the safety instructions and rules for placing the device in a tent.
Pathfinder ORION PF-GHP-S02
This model looks like both an improved version of the previous one and a completely different device. Another type of heat emitter speaks in favor of the latter statement. This is a very compact block of a mesh structure made of metal ceramics. It is heated to a significant temperature for better heat transfer.
A fairly large reflector is designed to direct the radiation flow. If desired, thanks to a special stand, it is easy to position the heating unit even horizontally. The unit is very compact and can be used as a heat lamp.
- metal-ceramic emitter;
- direction of heat flow;
- wide possibilities for changing position;
- works with different cylinders.
- adapters for non-standard cylinders are not included in the kit;
- small distance between the emitter and the cylinder;
- You can get burned when adjusting the feed;
- It is forbidden to cook food.
Pathfinder ORION PF-GHP-S02 on Yandex Market
Tips for choosing
To choose the right tent heater, you need to carefully evaluate not only its operating mode, but also the nature of the trip itself. Let's give a few examples.
- For fishermen or those who go on vacation to a campsite, a gasoline or kerosene model is suitable. For a relatively short trip, you won't have to carry a huge amount of fuel with you. In addition, in some cases, its reserves are easy to replenish.
- Travelers by car may prefer a floor-mounted gas heater model. This device is universal and will allow you to cook food and keep warm.
- More compact gas models, installed directly on the cylinder, are suitable for hikers who do not expect to be away from civilization for a long time.
- Solid fuel systems are suitable if you want to spend the night in nature in complete comfort. They are optimal in spring and autumn.
- For relaxing at a campsite or on a short trip by car, you can use an electric infrared heater. By covering the tent floor with a mat with cable or resistive film elements, it is easy to create comfortable warmth for the occupants.
The leader of choice for all tourists without exception are catalytic heaters . Liquid systems are especially interesting. This device is similar in size to a regular camping flask. At the same time, it generates a huge amount of heat and runs for several hours on one glass of gasoline.
Since the energy generated by one compact device is only enough for a small tent, a large one will have to include several of these heaters. Despite the fairly high price of catalytic models, they are preferred by a huge number of tourists and travelers.
