Camping is a really great experience and gives you a chance to become one with nature, but when out and about during winter months, a tent can quickly become a very cold so here's the best tent heater line up to keep you warm camping.
This is exactly where the best tent heater would come in handy – while often relatively small, and a tent heater can usually produce adequate heat to ensure you do not have to sleep cold when in a tent during a camp.
Buying a tent heater is no simple task, however. We found that the significant variety of these products currently on the market can make the task of selecting one that is right for a particular tent, as well as specific conditions, exceptionally difficult.
You also have to take into consideration how the tent heater works – if there are no electrical outlets nearby at the location where you will be camping, then an electrical tent heater would most certainly be of no use.
After we analyzed a large number of the tent heaters that are currently on the market, we were able to filter through them and find the ones that really stood out when it comes to considering specific factors like heat production, safety, and more.
In this post, I am going to share some of the best tent heaters that you will find on the market today. I will also share with you the specific factors that I looked at when we filtered through the many heaters that you can buy right now – giving you the ability to filter through them yourself and find that one heater that will be the perfect companion to your camping trips, especially when the weather outside is cold.
The top selection on my list would be the – Mr. Heater F232000 MH9BX Buddy.
This particular option truly combines everything you are looking for in a tent heater – the product is powerful enough to keep a relatively large tent warm, comes in two different color varieties, and is appropriate for both indoor and outdoor usage – plus the heater comes at a very affordable price.
The Mr. Heater F232000 MH9BX Buddy has a heat setting that can be used to adjust the output power between 4,000 BTU and 9,000 BTU. This allows you to gain full control over how warm the heater should be – in smaller tents, you can limit the output power to save fuel, and in larger tents, you can push it up to ensure everything can enjoy a warm night’s sleep.
The heater burns around 0.044 Gallons per hour on the 4,000 BTU setting and up to 0.099 Gallons per hour on the 9,000 BTU setting.
This heater is available in a red and black color, as well as an alternative grey color. It comes with a handle that easily folds down when the product is not being carried, along with a swivel-out regulator.
This is a durable option with appropriate safety features installed to keep you safe while you are sleeping. It is also very easy to connect the Mr. Heater F232000 MH9BX Buddy to a propane tank and to get the product up and running, to heat your tent and allowing you to stay warm, even when the temperatures outside are dropping.
What I liked
What I didn't like
The Mr. Heater Little Buddy offers 3800-BTU heating power, which is enough to heat up 95 square feet of space. While this may not be a good candidate for camping out in a single tent with a lot of friends, it certainly is a great product for you if you are planning to sleep in a smaller tent or simply would like to heat up your personal area where you will be sleeping.
The product comes with convenient safety features as well. Should the heater tip over, it will immediately shut off in order to prevent complications, such as burning through items that are laying on the floor, or perhaps starting a fire. Additionally, the heater will also automatically shut off once elevation reaches 7,000 feet. When low oxygen levels are detected, the device will switch off to prevent possible complications.
The Mr. Heater F215100 MH4B Little Buddy comes in two different colors that you can choose from while shopping for the heater. These two colors include red and Cameo.
What I liked
What I didn't like
The product comes fully assembled out of the box. You simply need to plug the heater into a power outlet and then switch it on in order to start enjoying its heating capabilities. This, however, may be a problem area for some people – if a power outlet is not available and no generator is taken with you on the camp, you will likely not be able to use this particular heater.
The Lasko Model 100 MyHeat Personal Space Heater comes in four color varieties. When you decide to choose this heater, you can choose between black, purple, blue, and white colors.
Safety features include overheating protection, which ensures the device will not overheat, along with a cool-touch shell, which ensures you can touch the external shell of the heater without the risk of burning your hands.
What I liked
What I didn't like
Best Backpacking Tent Heater
There are different ways to use the Coleman SportCat PerfectTemp Catalytic Heater – and even though promoted primarily for attending sporting events, this is a truly great choice for those who enjoy camping, but can’t seem to bear the cold temperatures.
The Coleman SportCat PerfectTemp Catalytic Heater features eyelets that are built-in, making it very easy to hang the heater from almost any surface – even in your tent. This extends the usage of the product and means you do not necessarily have to keep it on the ground next to you.
In addition to these features, the heater also offers an easy-grip handlebar that makes it much easier to carry the heater with you while you are walking to the camping site or perhaps from one location to the next.
What I liked
What I didn't like
Best Heat Generating Tent Heater
The Mr. Heater Hunting Buddy offers a single control system, along with a swivel regulator that allows you to adjust the temperature according to your preferences easily. The product runs off a 1lb propane cylinder but is compatible with other cylinders up to 20lb in total. This gives you greater flexibility in terms of packing an adequate amount of propane to last your entire trip. A hose, along with an appropriate filter, is required in order to connect the heater to larger propane cylinders.
The safety features that come built into the Mr. Heater Hunting Buddy ensures you, your tent, and all of your other possessions are safe at all times. The trip-over detection feature ensures the heater can immediately shut down if it falls over. The ODS system also ensures the heater is able to detect low oxygen levels and automatically shut off to prevent possible complications.
What I liked
What I didn't like
Best Value For Money Tent Heater
The heater can produce heat of up to 3,000 BTU in output power, which is quite surprising considering the small size, as well as the low price that the product is sold at. This ensures the heater is able to heat larger areas than many competitors – at the same time, note that this is not the ideal heater for large tents.
The product has a number of safety features built in. If the flame of the heater goes out, it will automatically shut the valve that releases the propane. The product is compatible with 16.4 oz propane cylinders, which can provide several hours’ worth of heating time.
The burner itself is made from stainless steel, which is a durable material that will last for a significant amount of time. This provides better value for the money that you will be spending.
What I liked
What I didn't like
What To Consider When Buying A Tent Heater
When browsing the various options out there in the case where you might be interested in buying a tent heater that can help you stay warm and cozy while camping out, you will notice that the products that are currently available on the market vary a lot, but still have many similarities – these are the factors that often make it difficult to know which particular one to choose. Unfortunately, with a tent heater, things aren’t always as simple as choosing the best one – as there isn’t a single product that would be ideal for every particular scenario.
Heat Generation
You are planning to buy a tent heater most likely because you wish to avoid being too cold when you decide to camp out. Thus, the device’s heat generation capabilities should really be first on your list when it comes to determining which particular heater would be an appropriate option for your tent. This is a relatively complicated factor to consider, however, as you would not only have to look at the heat produced by a specific heater, but you will also need to take into account how much heat would be required in your tent. Start by considering the size of your tent. The larger the tent, the more heat will be required to make sure everything can keep warm while they are sleeping inside the tent at night. A small heater would usually be sufficient for a one or two-man tent, while a larger heater would be required when you are planning to make use of a tent with multiple compartments or one that sleeps a larger number of individuals, for example.
Portability
The portability of the heater that you are interested in should also be a very important concern. When it comes to using a tent heater, there is a chance that you may have to carry the heater with you for some time – such as when walking toward the area where you will be camping. This is why it is important that you do not opt for a heavy heater that is not portable at all. This will make carrying it to your camping site significantly harder and may lead to delays in your ability to enjoy the camp itself.
Opt for a smaller and more portable heater, but still ensure it has enough power to provide heat throughout the entire tent. This will ensure you can easily carry the heater to your camping site without any issues, and will also make it much easier to move the heater around once inside the tent.
Safety
Another important factor that needs to be taken into consideration would be the safety of the heater. You are planning to place the heater inside your tent while you sleep – inappropriate safety features can increase the risk of your tent, sleeping bags, or other items that you will be keeping in your tent while you sleep, setting on fire. This can not only lead to a loss of the money you spent on these valuable items but could even put your life – as well as your friends and family members who decided to come out on the camp with you – in danger.
The majority of manufacturers will provide you with details on the safety features that are installed in a tent heater. In some cases, a heater will be promoted specifically for camping purposes, but there are many indoor heaters that can also work well for keeping the interior of a tent warm at night. Closely consider all of your options and take a look at the safety features that each of these heaters has to offer.
Power Source
Another important factor that should go into the thought process when buying a tent heater would be the power source. This factor also requires you first to understand what particular power sources would be available while you are camping out. If you are camping in a dedicated area where power will be available, then an electrical heater might do the trick. The same goes for cases where you might be taking a generator with you.
In other cases, however, you will likely find yourself away from electricity sources and would need to opt for a tent heater that rather utilizes fuel, propane, or other particular ways of generating heat. Be sure to opt for a heater that will be compatible with the potential source of power that will be available to you at your camping site.
Final Thoughts
We reviewed some of the best tent heaters that we could find on the market at the moment – all of them will serve a good purpose in ensuring you are kept warm during your nights out in a tent, whether camping out in the mountains, hiking through the forest, or attending an event where you get to camp in the outdoors. Still, there are some important differences between these products that should be taken into account.
While out there shopping for a tent heater, always put safety first. Make sure that the heater is protected and equipped with appropriate materials, along with accessories, that will help to avoid your tent being set on fire through the night. You also want to ensure the heater you end up buying can produce an adequate amount of heat to keep your entire tent warm, and you want to ensure that it runs on a power source that will be available during your camp nights.
Rider, designer, and hustler. Adventurer and vagabond. Beer connoisseur. Conqueror of Africa, a survivor of bandits and anti-malaria crusader. I have been on the road for 15 years, traveling to far-flung lands on bike, horse or backpacking. Today, running a number of online ventures in the motorcycle industry. – Currently, Traveling in Asia.
