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It’s that time of year again, winter is in full swing, temps are low, and the last thing you want is to be miserable freezing in a tent all night long. Therefore, camping is postponed until the weather gets better.
Well, it doesn’t have to be that way. Heating for camping has come a long way, and a quick search on the internet will fill your screen with endless options to stay warm in nature.
Some of them are very effective, others not some much, and a few downright deadly!
Because of this, many questions in the minds of adventurers arise, and some of them include:
- Best heating for tent camping?
- Best tent heater?
- Do I need a hot tent?
- Effective heating for car camping?
The above questions are what we usually get asked, and the good news is that we may have a product that solves all of them!
Which Heating for Camping Methods are Available?
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Heating for camping can come in many types, forms, and even sizes. We have the option of electric, propane, diesel, or even wooden stoves. Some, like the wood stove, have the obvious drawback of size and safety; however, others at first glance seem like perfect choices when it comes to heating for camping.
Do not rush to any conclusions yet. First, you must take a few things into consideration.
Usually, in these types of articles, the editor’s choice would be left for the end to keep the reader engaged. However, today we are doing it a bit differently by announcing our best choice at the start, explaining the reason why and then diving into why other options did not meet our criteria.
This will hopefully make understanding the reasons behind our choice slightly easier.
Diesel is Our Heating for Camping Fuel of Choice
So, here you go – 4WDTalk’s heating for camping choice is diesel, and specifically, the 2D portable diesel air heater from Planar.
There are a few reasons why we chose a diesel and specifically the unit from Planar, and we will cover all of them below.
The first one is that we have hands-on experience with this unit; therefore, we can provide a real-world opinion that is not based on a leaflet.
The second reason is safety and reliability. Due to the design of a diesel heater, the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning that is present in other types of heating methods is eliminated.
This is because the diesel heater is actually a heat exchanger. Imagine it like the heater in your vehicle, which uses the warm engine to warm up the air that is then pumped inside the cabin.
Throughout this process, the warm air was in no way associated with combustion. Furthermore, there is no combustion or burning of fuel happening right next to you. Therefore, the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning of this heating for camping source is just about zero.
Adding to the above is that Planar meets all safety standards and is one of the best diesel heater selling manufacturers in the world. Therefore, you can be sure you are in safe hands.
A third benefit of diesel heaters as heating for camping is that the warm air produced is dry; thus, issues of condensation are eliminated.
This is a big positive as it also eliminates mold, bad smells, and in the case of cars, rust.
The next benefit comes from the fact that most off-road vehicles run on diesel. Therefore, with a diesel heater, you will never run out of fuel because diesel is available everywhere, and even if you do run low, you can use the fuel that is already in your truck.
However, even if you do not connect the heater to the main tank, you will not have any issues with the Planar 2D portable diesel air heater. You see, during 8 hours of work, the planar 2D will only use 2 liters of fuel.
The unit from Planar will also work great in high altitudes as it can adjust its working parameters to ensure maximum performance even at 8,200 feet above sea level.
For heating boats up to 25ft, campers, vans, camp tents, motorhomes, or even ice fishing huts, the dry heat and versatility of the Planar is tough to beat.
Difficulties of Other Heating Methods
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To help better understand why diesel heaters, and specifically the Planar 2D, work great as heating for camping, we are going to discuss the difficulties other camp heaters can present.
A cheap method many people use as heating for camping is propane heaters such as the units from MR Buddy. Such heaters can work great as a heat source to keep next to you in a completely open environment. However, in a tent or caravan, they can be deadly.
With these kinds of heaters, you run a high risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, which can be deadly.
Furthermore, the heat produced leads to condensation – a big issue in tents as after each night you close them up. Therefore, trapping the moisture inside.
There is also the choice of propane heat exchangers, which work in the same way as diesel heaters. This means that you do not run any risks of carbon monoxide poisoning, and you eliminate condensation.
However, the reason we have chosen diesel as heating for camping is the fact that it is readily available regardless of the place you happen to be in while also having a lower freezing point.
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Let’s be honest, we’ve all tried to cook something in the freezing cold, and the gas stove didn’t work because the propane inside the can had frozen.
After a long day of wheeling in the cold, when the time comes to sit down and have a feast or warm up, you cherish it. Having issues like frozen propane bottles are the last thing you want.
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Finally, we have the choice of electric heating. This is a safe option and provides heat instantly; however, there is the big issue of power consumption.
If a heated blanket sucks the energy out of your portable power generator before you even know it – imagine what a full-on heater would do.
Such a device cannot be run without a complex and very expensive electrical system. Therefore, in our opinion, they are not worth the time and money..
What do you guys think? Is the Planar 2D also at the top of your list when it comes to heating for camping?
For any questions regarding the Planar 2D and heating for camping in general, visit the forum section of our page!
Essential Camping Gear:
- Portable Power Station
- Portable DC/AC Refrigerator
- First Aid Kit
- Camp Grill
- GMRS Radio
- Camp Chair
- Camping Lantern
- Waterproof Tarp
- Camping Table
- Small Axe