While there are a lot of different ways to stay warm while you’re in the wilderness, I personally think that diesel heaters are ideal for overlanding.
In addition to being efficient and easy to use, diesel heaters also put out dry heat without the danger of fumes being introduced into your tent or RV.
Let’s examine these benefits of diesel heaters in more detail so you can see why they are a perfect option for your camping and overlanding adventures.
Diesel Heaters are Ideal for Overlanding Because They’re Efficient
A good buddy of mine has a heating system for his tent that seems to work well for him – it’s a small electric heater that runs off of a small gas-powered generator.
Personally, I would fear the fire risk of an electric heater tipping over inside the tent. I’m also not a huge fan of the noise of a gas generator running all night long. But, hey, whatever works for him I guess!
Another problem with his setup is that sometimes he has to get up in the middle of the night to top off the gas tank on his generator. When it’s cold, wet, snowy, or all of the above, having to refill the fuel tank is certainly not a fun task.
But my Planar Heaters 2Kw Portable Diesel Heater doesn’t have this problem. I can run it for about eight hours on just over half a gallon of diesel (or kerosene), which means I top off the tank before bed and get to sleep all night long in a warm and toasty tent.
Now, the heater needs 12V power in addition to the diesel or kerosene, but I get plenty of power all night long off of a simple starter battery. So, while my buddy is having to get up and fiddle with his generator in the middle of the night, I’m sleeping soundly. What’s not to like about that?
The Ease of Use of Diesel Heaters is a Big Bonus
When I’m tired from a long day of traveling, the last thing I want to do is have a complicated setup to get my tent nice and warm before bedtime. I don’t want a million steps to perform. I don’t want to be fumbling around in the cold and dark. I just want a warm tent where I can get some shuteye.
With my diesel heater, I can do just that with no fuss or muss. It’s a simple matter of topping off the fuel tank, connecting the heater to power, and running the heating duct to the tent. I run the wired remote inside the tent along with the carbon monoxide detector, then fire up the heater and away we go.
It’s a process that might take 3-4 minutes, if that. And that wonderful dry heat that the heater puts out is such a nice reward! Speaking of dry heat…
Diesel Heaters are Ideal for Overlanding Because They Supply Dry Heat
I do a lot of cold weather camping, and in that situation, dry heat is enormously important.
The last thing you want is to introduce moisture into the tent as that will cause condensation to form on the tent walls. Not only that, but you’ll find that everything inside the tent – you included – becomes overly moist.
The dry heat from a diesel heater negates this issue. Instead, you don’t have to worry about condensation nor do you have to worry about what added moisture in the tent will do to make you even colder than you already are.
The best part is that you get instant, dry heat when you fire up the heater, so when it’s really cold outside, you can hunker down in your tent or RV and get warmed up, fast, with up to 7,000 BTUs of heat. And if you need more heat output than what a 2Kw heater offers, Planar Heaters has a 4Kw option that gives you up to 13,600 BTUs of heat.
You Don’t Have to Worry About Fumes
For me, the biggest advantage of using a diesel heater like my 2Kw heater from Planar is that the unit stays outside the tent. That means that I don’t have to worry about carbon dioxide build-up inside my tent like I would with other types of heating sources.
Now, my heater still comes with a carbon monoxide sensor that I put inside the tent just to be safe, but I can sleep well at night knowing that my family and I are safe from harmful fumes.
On top of that, diesel heaters like this don’t really have a strong exhaust odor. That’s a nice bonus when the unit is just outside your tent.
Diesel Heaters are Ideal for Overlanding Because of Other Benefits, Too
There are other benefits of using diesel heaters for your camping and overlanding adventures beyond the four I’ve already described.
Some heaters, like mine, are actually very quiet (it comes with a silencer). It’s mostly just fan noise of the heat blowing into the tent. And even that noise is just white noise, so it actually gives you a nice, even sound to fall asleep.
Many diesel heaters are also extremely portable. For instance, my Planar Heaters rig is 24 x 16.5 x 19 in. and weighs just over 25 pounds. It comes in a crushproof and weather-resistant case with a carrying handle, so it’s easy to move around, plus I don’t have to worry about it sitting out in the elements all night.
This diesel heater from Planar Heaters is just a perfect setup for my overlanding needs. I’ve used it many times on adventures from the beach to the mountains, and it has impressed me with its build quality and performance at every single turn.
If you want to be ultra-comfortable on those chilly summer nights in the mountains or on your cold weather trips in the fall, winter, or spring, I highly recommend picking up a diesel heater to bring along. It’s one of the best overlanding accessories in my collection of gear!