A campfire isn’t the only thing that can keep you warm during winter camping nights. There are methods to keep the inside of the tent warm too, methods that go beyond simple hot water bottles, good insulation of the tent and thermal clothes. When it’s very cold, a tent heater is ideal for keeping you warm in a camping tent, and there are several options to choose from.
Here are the various types of tent heaters that can be used in winter:
- Wood Burning Stove: It is a return to the past, a heater that requires some work, but that can make the experience of living in nature for a while. A wood burning stove allows you to camp even where there are no electrical connections, exploring multiple areas, but to use it you must have the right type of tent, a fireproof tent, and not many are. In case you have a fireproof tent, you can install this type of stove, equipped with a chimney, when a smoke loophole is necessary. If you use this type of heating, having a carbon monoxide alarm might be a good idea.
- Electric heaters: An electric heaters is almost always the simplest and most immediate method of heating a tent. However, with this type of heaters, the necessary safety and power must be considered. You will have to place yourself on a camping pitch that allows electrical connections, otherwise you will not be able to use it. You have to be very careful because you have to use special electrical connections (EHU), limited to five amps, to which you connect the heaters with standard fittings with built-in circuit breaker. It is a system specially created to avoid fatal accidents, never bring power extension cords from home thinking that they work, this type of accident happens continuously.
- Electric fan heaters: It is one of the most used solutions, as it manages to heat a tent relatively quickly and can be transported very easily. When you take it, however, there are several aspects to consider: make sure it works with the power delivered to a campsite; buy one that turns itself off when it overheats at night; make sure it does not come into contact with water and do not put it too close to the edge of the tent, if it is made of plastic material.
- Electric Radiators: It’s not the first thing that comes to mind, but it’s tools for professional campers. Filled with oil, these are much quieter instruments than the previous ones, even if they do not heat in the same way. However, they can be used to keep the cold out of the tent entrance. Again you need to make sure that the electrical power provided by the campsite is enough and be sure to turn it on long before going to bed, the heating is not instantaneous as with fan heaters.
- Gas Heaters: No. This is certainly a possible option, but they are generally not recommended. As far as modern models are concerned, fire risks are reduced, but there is always a high risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. To be used without problems only if they are used to heat a tent before going to sleep and then position them, off, outside the tent.