Coleman tent heater.

Im off playing a gig in Calgary this weekend which means no hunting BUT next weekend i leave for a 5 day whitetail hunt to the Christian Valley.  The snows already on the ground over thata way. The landlords lending me his truck and ATV and a buddy from work has lent me his tent heater which is the focus of this topic. What i need to know is are these tent heaters any good? Ive never used one before and is there any particular way of using them that increases the maximum output of heat. Ill shut it off while im hunting and light it an hour before i climb into the sack. Ill be using a canvas tent. Do i need a bit of an opening while its in use (vent)? This was the trip that i bought that big woods canvas tent for a while back in one of my discussions but i didnt get around to buying the stove jack to complete it. Any advice on these heaters would be appreciated.

Gary

 If you're talking about one of the propane fired catalytic heaters they work fairly well, but will form a lot of dew on the ceilings. and under your sleeping bag, if there isn't  some fresh air movement.

 The old coleman fuel fired catalytic heaters aren't much to brag about as far as keeping the tent warm , and will give you a good dose of carbon monoxide if there isn't plenty of ventilation.

its one that hooks up to a large propane bottle. its a catalytic 3000 btu. the knob turns to a "light" position then you light it and turn the knob. it says indoor usage on the item.

Gary

Mine is a Coleman 5000 btu and they claim on the box that its safe for indoors. Saddlesore. Iwas huning ths weekend in a small dome tent and i know what you mean by freezing sealing up a tent. I didnt have the heater with me but thru the night the inside walls of my tent were ice. The zippers to the door were frozen shut and i had to break the zippers just to get out in the morning. Do these heaters really give off good heat in the cold? Im using a fair sized nylon tent.

Gary

Nylon tents are notorious for being hard to keep warm vs a good canvas tent. The warmth just seems to pass thorugh the nylon.

I don't know how big your tent is , but consider that most wood stoves or fair sized propane heaters put out +30,000 BTUs . I have a triple propane burner I put in a steel stove that is rated at +50,000 btu, and it has  a hard time keeping a 12 x 15 canvas tent warm , as the wood one, a small fold up Simms keeps the same tent T shirt warm .

Just figure what a 3000 btu one will accomplish