With the popularity of gear for winter fishing and the number of adherents of this type of recreation does not want to decrease, at least no one will argue. A huge number of people find it enjoyable to sit on the river with a fishing rod, spend a weekend hunting, or simply go on a long hike in their free time. But in winter the most big problem brings cold. And if it is not possible to put a stove in a tent, then an autonomous safe heater will make outdoor recreation enjoyable and not harmful to health.
Tourist heater for a tent should be something that is both simple, repairable and carefully thought out, safe. Such a device must meet a number of requirements.
- Safety. This is the first and main condition. The device must not create hazardous factors for humans, be fireproof (subject to the rules of use), and prevent spillage or emission of the fuel used. Winter outdoor recreation always means distance from centralized emergency services and medical facilities.
- Compactness. No one wants to carry a whole potbelly stove on their back. Similarly, there is no point in transporting a heater for a large tent, dedicating the entire trunk of a car to it. A compact device is more convenient to place, transport from place to place, prepare for use and transfer to traveling condition.
- Economical. A camping heater that burns a lot of fuel and requires constant monitoring is of no interest to a tourist.
- Variability of use. In addition to its main function, an alcohol heater will be more useful on a hike if you can use it to heat a kettle, cook food, or dry wet clothes or shoes.
Important! Air temperature should be taken into account. Thus, the IR heater will be redundant in the fall and spring, generating too much heat. And a small alcohol unit will not help in any way in the bitter cold.
Finally, portable mini tent heaters should be simple in principle of operation, refueling and starting. This is necessary so that even people without special knowledge can use them.
Types of heaters
Today, the industry offers many types of tent heaters. All models can be divided into large groups based on energy source. It's liquid solid fuel, gas Separately considered electric heater. Depending on the source of its energy, it may also require the use of one or another fuel.
Kerosene
Kerosene tent heaters have long been used by tourists. The device is different average level fire danger . In devices of this type, kerosene from the fuel tank enters the wick device, where it burns. The flame is localized quite compactly and heats the heat emitter cylinder. Ignition can be carried out either with a regular match or with a piezoelectric element in expensive models.
When heated to a high temperature, the emitter grid emits waves in the infrared spectrum. They transfer heat to surrounding objects. A comfortable atmosphere is quickly created in the tent. Most modern kerosene heaters can be used to cook food, and some can be used to dry clothes.
Important! The advantage of devices of this class is their simplicity, efficiency and functionality. The amount of heat generated is large, and fuel consumption is acceptable for a tourist.
Gasoline
The gasoline heater has come a long way in technological improvement. From an ordinary burner burning liquid fuel, it has turned into complex system. In a modern gasoline appliance, the air-gasoline mixture burns , as in an internal combustion engine.
Devices of this class are functional and economical. In addition, they are very versatile. Fuel can be found almost effortlessly, especially if a tourist travels by car. On gasoline heaters easy to prepare food, they generate a lot of heat.
Important! Their main drawback is the constant smell of impurities contained in the fuel.
Alcohol
An alcohol camping heater can be built on two types of design solutions. In one version, it is extremely similar to gasoline - liquid alcohol is poured into it. The second design option is simpler. The steel body serves as a container for several dry alcohol tablets.
Devices of this class emit relatively little heat, especially when using dry fuel pellets. However, in spring or autumn, such a heater leads in the preferences of tourists. On him you can cook food, and buying fuel is not difficult at any hardware store.
Solid fuel: wax and paraffin
Wax and paraffin tent heaters work based on the principle of a burning candle. They are offered both in the form of tablets with a wick, and in the format of a dissecting emitter-body with a fuel vapor afterburning system.
Complex models can give a lot of heat. Wax and paraffin devices are easy to use; for heating, you do not need to carry many kilograms of fuel on a hike. In addition, it does not require special containers, does not spontaneously ignite, and does not ignite from an accidental spark.
On a note! You can assemble a wax or paraffin heater for a tent with your own hands.
Diesel
Diesel heaters are the largest among liquid fuel devices. These are large burners covered with a safety screen. It also serves as a heat transmitter, heating up to a high temperature. A solar heater is indispensable for cooking, but it highlights unpleasant odors fuel, so it is not very popular for creating comfort in a tent.
Gas
A gas heater generates heat by burning fuel on an infrared ray emitter. It can be a metal mesh or perforated ceramic structure. Heating to enormous temperatures, the emitter quickly transfers energy both by air convection and infrared rays to surrounding objects. Such a device not fireproof. It should not be installed near things that could catch fire.
Important! It is worth remembering that liquid gas cylinders do not release fuel well at temperatures below -5 degrees Celsius. This fact must be taken into account before going outdoors.
Overall, a direct gas heater is very efficient and functional. Not only does it quickly warm up the tent, it also allows you to regulate fuel supply and cook food, but also weighs little.
Catalytic systems
Catalytic tent heaters are mistakenly considered to be gas heaters only. Such devices can work on:
- gasoline;
- liquid alcohol;
- gas and gas mixtures.
The operation of a catalytic heater is based on the release of heat during chemical reaction. No open flame is formed.
Important! The devices show fuel utilization at levels ranging from 85-90% for liquid heaters to 99% for gas heaters.
The catalytic heater is considered the safest. But he has a number of important shortcomings.
- You cannot cook food on the catalytic head. Entry of liquid or food particles may damage or extinguish the device.
- Inexpensive models do not require replacement of the catalyst unit. They are essentially disposable, although they have long term services.
- In some devices, fuel is not supplied from a cylinder or tank, but comes from a disposable, replaceable cartridge, which is quite expensive.
Despite such disadvantages, the usefulness and convenience of catalytic heaters has already been appreciated by many people, and the popularity of such devices is continuously growing.
Electrical
It’s worth setting the accents right away. An electric heater powered by batteries, or more precisely, high-current batteries, is a device for individual use. These are a wide variety of jackets, boots, pants. But they are not designed to create comfort in a large tent.
Electric models that can work are more useful for tourists on a 12 volt battery or from the vehicle's on-board network. This is quite convenient, since you can simply not turn off the car’s engine, leaving it at minimum speed all night. If it is possible to transport a fairly large load, an electric tent heater can easily be powered from a generator.
All devices of this type are built on resistive film elements or thermal cables. The system does not heat up above 45 degrees, the temperature can be finely adjusted. The electrical appliance is intended for heating purposes only.. Solutions that allow you to cook food are not very popular among tourists, as they require an exorbitant amount of energy, which is difficult to obtain from both the generator and the vehicle’s on-board network.
Important! Without exception, all types of tent heaters have their drawbacks. The safest electric one requires power supply and is single-functional. All others are capable of causing a fire. The degree of danger varies from medium for catalytic systems to high for liquid systems (tipover, fuel spill). Therefore, each type of device must be handled carefully and be sure to follow the safety instructions and rules for placing the device in a tent.
To choose the right tent heater, you need to carefully evaluate not only its operating mode, but also the nature of the trip itself. Let's give a few examples.
The leader of choice for all tourists without exception are catalytic heaters.. Liquid systems are especially interesting. This device is similar in size to a regular camping flask. At the same time, it generates a huge amount of heat and runs for several hours on one glass of gasoline.
Since the energy generated by one compact device is only enough for a small tent, a large one will have to include several of these heaters. Despite the fairly high price of catalytic models, they are preferred by a huge number of tourists and travelers.
The best tent heaters
Gas stove KOVEA Handy Sun (KGH-1609) on Yandex Market
Portable gas heater Tramp TRG-037 on Yandex Market
Fast heat - heater on Yandex Market
Gas stove Hyundai H-HG2-23-UI685 on Yandex Market
Gas tourist heater Radek on Yandex Market
Camping with a tent is always an adventure. And it doesn’t matter what time of year it is: winter is not a hindrance for true lovers of forest tourism. Experienced travelers know how to stay warm in a tent: they stock up on insulated sleeping bags, double-layer tents and warming tea (read more about how to choose a sleeping bag). Choosing a parking spot away from the wind is half the battle. It is necessary to ensure that the tent is warm and comfortable at night. Nowadays, there are many ways to heat a tent. Let's consider in more detail.
Heating a tent while fishing
The first thing you need to do is decide on the volume of the room that will need to be heated. A tent for one or more people is a challenge for different types heaters. On the topic of how to heat a tent during winter fishing, there are many videos and opinions of experienced fishermen. We will try to put together basic information on this issue.
Way to heat a tent
Gas canister-based stoves and burners
The first thing that attracts winter fishermen to this method of heating a tent is the affordability of such cans. But as soon as the temperature drops below - 10 degrees, the can will freeze and will need to be warmed up.
The burners heat a winter fishing tent well, but the risk of fire is extremely high due to possible gas emissions and fire. And it’s worth transporting it separately from other things so that no debris gets inside the burner. Otherwise, nothing good will come of the heating: it will either not light up at all, or it will burst into flames.
Spray tiles are good more in summer, perhaps in the fall. A tile packed in a black suitcase is especially convenient: you can warm up something, for example, tea or coffee.
Liquid fuel stoves, alcohol stoves, burners
What's bad: you need to carry a canister of fuel with you. Moreover, the canister must be of high quality to avoid leakage. Plus, if there is direct contact with your hands, the smell of gasoline or kerosene is extremely difficult to get rid of. What’s good about it is that it heats beautifully and you can cook anything.
You can use kerosene lantern heaters. Single tents provide excellent warmth and excellent illumination of the hole. But the minus is still the same - fuel.
How to heat a tent while camping
All of the above can be applied not only for autumn-winter fishing, but also on a hike. Let's add a few more to these methods.
How to warm a tent with a candle
This method is more suitable for autumn than for winter cold. Let us first note the danger of heating a tent with a candle: it is still an open fire. However, if you have insomnia and can watch the flame all night, then this is just your option. You can also place the candle in a safe burner. At one time, tourists came up with a method using an old flask thermos. The candle is placed in it, and when it falls, it remains there. And heating the walls of the thermos with it increases heat transfer.
Heating a tent with candles
Heating a tent with stones
The old way. Designed for extreme cold. But in order to preserve the heat of the stone for a long time, it will be necessary to carry out a number of simple manipulations. The first option is to put it in a container (kettle or pan with thick walls) and cover it with a lid. The heat will dissipate more slowly. The second option is to wrap the stone in foil, preferably in several layers. This way the stone will remain warm for 6-8 hours. If you feel that the temperature has decreased, it is tedious to remove one layer of foil.
Stones in the tent
Heating with water
The container with water is heated and covered with a lid. All this simple device is installed on pre-prepared pieces of wood or stones. 3-4 hours of warmth are provided to you.
How to heat a tent with a fire
Another common way to heat a tent is to place it on the spot where the fire was burning. Dig a hole the size of the tent and maintain a fire in this place for several hours. After the large coals have burned out, it is covered with a layer of earth no more than 10 cm, dry grass is placed on top and a tent is installed in this place. The warmth will remain until dawn.
How to warm a tent
An old-fashioned way to warm a tent
People with imagination, of course, can come up with many devices from scrap materials in order to heat a tent. Alternatively, use a kerosene lamp and a piece of tin.
- The tin square is rolled into a cylinder with a height of approximately 40 cm and gets drunk. The diameter should match the diameter of the top of the kerosene lamp.
- Next, six circles are cut out from the same material and with the same diameter. It is better to place small “petals” along the edges, so that it is convenient to solder them to the cylinder.
- Several holes are made in each circle. They are made closer to the edge of the circle and not over the entire area, but only in one place. There should be a cluster from 6-8 holes.
- These circles are located inside the cylinder at an equal distance from each other so that the holes are not on the same line, but alternate in location. That is, the air will rise through them not in a straight line, but in a wave-like manner.
- The top of the cylinder is closed with a lid with a small piece (approximately 10 cm) of metal hose inserted into it. Warm air will eventually come out of it.
- This entire structure is attached from above to kerosene lamp. The heat will rise to the top, spreading throughout the tent. This way you can heat your tent while fishing in winter, there is detailed video instructions for this.
The best way to heat a tent - reviews
Oksana, 39 years old.“My husband and I are mountain climbers. And mainly in winter. The air there at this time is such that you can’t breathe. And how many health benefits! At one time, a dog was eaten on tourist equipment. We often go away for more than one day, we can spend a night in the mountains, or even more than one. When heating the tent we use stones. We’re already used to it: it retains heat for a long time, you can always find them in the mountains, even in winter. And it doesn’t require much physical effort. Wrap it in foil.”
Author of the publication
I am interested in hiking and traveling, photography and videography.
I have been going hiking since childhood. The whole family went and went - sometimes to the sea, then to the river, to the lake, to the forest. There was a time when we spent a whole month in the forest. We lived in tents and cooked over fires. This is probably why I am still drawn to the forest and, in general, to nature.
I travel regularly. Approximately three trips per year for 10-15 days and many 2 and 3 day hikes.
Good day, friends! This review will focus on heating in a tent in winter time. I posted a post on the blog - I’m looking for an answer, since the review will be educational in nature for me in particular. At the end of the post I will formulate the questions that interest me.
The frosty season is approaching, which cannot please nature lovers, fishermen, tourists, athletes and simply active people. Whatever category you fall into, I need your experience, if you have any, experience in heating a tent in winter. More precisely, the temperature range is 15-20 Celsius overboard.
Specific conditions for using heating devices are a dome tent, without a bottom (these are used for fishing). The outside of the skirt is covered with snow. There is spruce branches on the floor, a layer of 20 centimeters. On top of the spruce branches there is a tarpaulin tent, sometimes foam (depending on whether there will be spruce branches at the overnight stay or not and the weather....) and a good cocoon sleeping bag - comfort -15 Celsius.
The problem is that during my overnight stays in the forest I used several methods of heating the tent. And not one of them suits me at all. Either you’re still freezing, then you make sure you don’t burn, then you ventilate... As a result, you don't get enough sleep. I would like to have 360 minutes of undisturbed sleep... So that I can be alert and rested in the morning.
I had to sleep near Nodya a couple of times, but it’s not comfortable having to turn around like a carcass on a spit. He heated one side, cooled four... This is not a rest, this is so as not to freeze!
And so the ways:
- Gas stove
Pros.
It’s convenient because you can cook on it in a tent and it’s difficult to turn it over if you kick it in your sleep. That’s all!
Minuses.
The consumption of cans is very high, if you use it for heating, you need to have only high-quality cans for low temperatures, but they are expensive. As a result, using expensive raw materials, we still freeze, we have to wake up to check the combustion or change the cylinder.
-Candles.
Pros.
Cheap. It's not hard to carry.
Minuses.
Cold.
(You always have to watch to make sure you don’t turn it over when you toss and turn and sleep like that once.)
- Kerasine lamp.
Pros.
Light + Heating is not bad (a C grade).
Minuses.
Constantly ventilate! Constant control so as not to tip over in your sleep.
- Gas heater.
Pros.
You can cook on it, you can dry clothes over it. I had one of these (yes, it floated away), we constantly burned it while fishing, but since we traveled either on snowmobiles or by car, we carried a propane tank with us. 
The cylinder lasted for a very long time (for 2-3 fishing trips for sure). The only source of heating that moderately dries the air and prevents condensation (in the literal sense of the word) from falling out in the form of snow inside the tent (whoever slept knows that there is such fine snow dandruff in the morning inside the tent). Warm, comfortable, doesn’t stink, sometimes I even had to unzip the sleeping bag.
Minuses.
Gas consumption is the same as a stove. I described this minus. And carrying propane on your back is not an option.
- Potbelly stove.
In ancient times, a platoon of soldiers had to sleep in a combined arms tent. One potbelly stove on moderate burning heated the tent with a bang. (Firewood is prepared, the orderly monitors the stoves).
Pros.
Like indoors.
Minuses.
As in the case of a propane tank (weight, volume ...)
- Just wrap yourself up.
Pros.
With good thermal underwear and a high-quality sleeping bag (sleeping system), you won’t have to worry about getting a good night’s sleep.
Minuses.
Getting up in the morning, getting out is disgusting! Crawling out to the toilet is disgusting. Everything cold in the tent is dandruff everywhere, in order to drink tea you need to light a fire or a tile inside the tent, everything that is damp is frozen... brrr... I had such mornings several times when, having given up on everything, I turned out the candles, primus stoves, tiles in order to sleep peacefully.
I am skeptical about salt heating pads, catalytic heating pads in a sleeping bag (they will only warm a certain area of the body, not for long), bottles of boiling water, I haven’t tried heated stones in a tent, but you need a cobblestone the size of your head, there are no such things in our forest. And open sources of fire (candles, Lebedev's lights ...., this is not safe). There is a sound idea for candles, but where to find such a chandelier?
Today I don't have optimal option. Neither in my backpack nor in my head. Before asking a question, I’ll say right away that I understand that there is no ideal means of heating. But there is hope.
I would like to purchase it at a reasonable price, so that I don’t have to worry about a fire in the tent, so as not to suffocate, so that the weight is not heavy, so that flammable consumables are available, not expensive and available in stores (and not by ordering online). And the main thing is that it’s really warm (not like in a bathhouse, but so that steam doesn’t come out of your mouth in clouds inside the tent.) Someone may know something like this, extreme case I am ready to sacrifice some of the benefits I have listed.
???
And may the force be with you!
On winter fishing you have to deal with different temperatures– from zero degrees or a slight plus to frost below -30. Good clothes and equipment selected according to the weather should provide good protection from any cold weather. But for greater comfort and best results For fishing, you can also get a heater. With it you can raise the temperature in the tent to make fishing more comfortable. As a result, you can sit over the hole and feel almost at home. In addition, the water on the surface will not freeze, which will also make fishing more convenient. Choosing a heater for winter fishing - let's look at what options are available and how to choose the best one for yourself.
The simplest thing that can be used for heating during winter fishing.
Advantages:
- cheapness;
- ease of use, no need for any additional equipment;
- additional space lighting;
- light weight.
Flaws:
- low power;
- inconvenient to use as a heater for winter fishing.
Since the power of one candle is about 40 watts per hour, you need 40 of them to replace a portable gas heater. It’s not very convenient to tinker with so much, placing it around the tent and lighting it.
If the frost is mild, you can raise the temperature in the tent with a dozen candles. In any case, you can’t count on strong heating. But in mild frost, candles can perform their function quite well - it becomes comfortable in the tent, and the holes do not freeze. The main thing is to choose the right quantity.
Alcohol
Alcohol burns without soot or odor, so you can choose heaters for winter fishing that run on this fuel. A simple homemade alcohol lamp can be made from tin can. But in order to constantly use such a heater, you need to have constant access to fuel supplies for it, which not everyone has.
Dry alcohol is also a good fuel option for heating a tent during winter fishing. One tablet burns for 10-15 minutes, just like liquid alcohol, without producing any odor or soot.
Advantages of this option:
- lightness and compactness, ease of transportation;
- simplicity and ease of use.
Flaws:
- Not a large number of heat;
- quite high price of fuel and difficulties with its acquisition.
Primus
When did “Ogonki”, “Bumblebees” and others go on sale? gasoline burners, they have long become the main type of heaters that were used to heat tents during winter fishing. And today many people use Soviet-made primus stoves for these purposes. There are also higher quality options from foreign manufacturers - for example, Coleman - and Chinese.
You can choose a heater for winter fishing of this type for anyone who simply has an old primus stove in working condition, and for those who can buy it inexpensively. If a gasoline burner is made with high quality, it will serve well for decades.
Advantages of Primus:
- work in the cold much better than their main competitors - gas heaters;
- compactness and light weight;
- high calorific value.
A gasoline primus, even a consumer-grade one, is a powerful heater that produces a lot of heat. Therefore, it allows you to quickly warm up during winter fishing and allows you to maintain a comfortable temperature in the tent.
Flaws:
- difficulty to use;
- the smell of fuel that you will have to breathe;
- unreliability.
Lighting a primus stove is more difficult than a gas heater, and it takes longer to light. It can explode if overheated, so you need to handle it properly. Another disadvantage is that primus stoves require careful care and periodic cleaning.
Gasoline and other liquid fuels also produce soot and a strong odor when burned. Being in a tent with a heater running on these types of fuel, you will quickly get used to it and stop noticing it. But an “outside observer” looking inside will immediately feel this aroma. In addition, the smell will permeate your clothes and all fishing equipment, in which you will then have to return home.
The smell of gasoline or other fuel from your hands, which appears after you adjust the fire, will not be critical for you. But it will fall on the bait, which you will put on the hook or adjust - and so on. This can have a fatal effect on the bite.
Gasoline heater
It is a burner that runs on liquid fuel. In addition to gasoline, you can use other options - diesel fuel, kerosene, and so on. There are quite a few options for such multi-fuel burners on sale today. This gasoline heater is a modern version of a primus, which is created using new technologies, easier to use and more efficient.
Why you should choose this type of heater for winter fishing:
- simplicity and ease of use (compared to both “traditional” gasoline stoves and many other types of heaters suitable for ice fishing);
- compactness and light weight;
- high power.
Flaws:
- high price.
With such liquid fuel heaters, you can also use additional devices - diffusers, afterburners, and so on - that cannot be installed on a regular primus stove. They increase the efficiency of the burner.
Gas heater
There are both gas stoves on sale, which can be used for heating and cooking, and gas heaters. Fuel for them may be:
- in a small disposable gas canister;
- in a volumetric (for example, 5 liters) cylinder.
What to choose - a tile or a heater - everyone decides for himself. The advantage of the first option is that you can heat water on the stove, warm it up, or even cook breakfast, lunch or dinner right while fishing. With a gas heater that was designed specifically for heating rooms, this will either be impossible or not so easy. But it performs its main function better than tiles, for which it was designed - space heating.
Disposable cans attached to the heater either directly or through a flexible hose. The volumetric tank can be left outside the tent to allow more space inside.
Gas heaters, to which a disposable cylinder is connected via a hose, are more resistant to low temperatures. With the operation of models to which the can is connected directly, difficulties arise already at -5 degrees.
To choose the right heater for winter fishing, powered by gas from disposable cylinders, you need to understand that some of them are suitable only for cylinders from a certain company. They may be difficult to find for sale in small towns. It is better to clarify this point before purchasing.
Advantages:
- long work from one refill (when using a five-liter gas cylinder);
- a large amount of heat;
- ease of use;
- accessible and fairly inexpensive fuel.
Flaws:
- bulkiness and heavy weight (in the case of a five-liter gas cylinder);
- fire hazard;
- problems with working in the cold.
It is better not to leave a gas heater running unattended, even for a short time. This will help avoid unpleasant incidents. Due to unsteady pressure, the cylinders may spit gas. As a result, heaters powered by them spit fire. In a worst-case scenario, this can cause the tent to catch fire and burn out in less than a minute - 10-30 seconds. If the entrance to it is closed, it will be difficult or impossible to get out of it in time. The same spitting can occur during cleaning, as a result of which you can singe your eyebrows or damage your eyes.
In the cold, gas cylinders freeze. As a result, there is a risk that the selected heater for winter fishing on gas will not be able to light at all, or it will go out during use due to the fact that the gas in it has cooled.
Bake
Despite the fact that today in the store you can choose a heater for winter fishing of small size and weight that will run on gasoline, gas or other fuel, conventional stoves do not lose their relevance. Today they are used for fishing mainly in rural areas. But city residents should also pay attention to this option. A stove that you can take with you to the ice is quite easy to cook from sheet metal.
The assembled structure looks like this:
- there is a stand on the ice, thanks to which the oven will not melt the ice;
- the stove itself stands on a stand;
- a pipe comes off from it, which goes out through a hole in the wall (less often the roof) of the tent.
The hole through which the pipe comes out of the tent must be edged with non-flammable material, such as fiberglass.
You can use wood or coal as fuel. A medium-sized bucket of coal is more than enough for one fishing trip.
The stove has important advantages compared to other heater options:
- efficiency - a lot of heat;
- safety - cannot explode, does not burn oxygen in the tent;
- free or low price of fuel.
Due to the fact that the stove does not burn oxygen, there is no risk of poisoning. In addition, the air inside the tent remains fresh. And even the heat that the stove provides is different, not the same as from a gasoline or gas heater - it is more pleasant.
Of course, there are also significant disadvantages:
- heavy weight, inconvenient transportation - the weight of the fuel is added to the weight of the stove itself;
- You need to periodically add firewood or coal to the stove while taking a break from fishing;
- In order for the stove to produce heat, you need to constantly maintain a fire in it.
The thicker the walls of the furnace and the larger its size, the longer it retains heat. Cast iron stoves take quite a long time to cool down; this process takes even longer in the case of brick stoves. But for ice fishing, you can only take a light and small stove. Accordingly, it cools down after the fire in it has burned out, almost instantly.
Safety regulations
When using an oil or gas heater in a tent, precautions must be taken. If you forget about them, you can get severe poisoning.
When burning any carbon-containing fuel - gasoline, fuel oil, diesel fuel, natural gas, firewood and coal - carbon monoxide(CO). It is colorless, tasteless and odorless, so it is impossible to feel it.
Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning:
- headache;
- heaviness and throbbing in the head;
- dizziness;
- noise in ears;
- stunned;
- suffocation;
- dry cough;
- nausea and vomiting.
If you feel signs of poisoning while near a gas or liquid fuel heater, you should immediately move to fresh air. However, the likelihood that this will happen in a tent during fishing is small. But you shouldn’t sleep with the heater running, it’s quite dangerous. At least the next morning, you can expect a severe headache that will last for more than a day, and in the worst case, you can simply not wake up.
- When using dry alcohol for heating in winter fishing, every 15-20 minutes you have to kindle a new tablet if you need to constantly maintain high temperature in a tent. On the one hand, this does not take much time, on the other hand, it distracts from fishing, which can be inconvenient, especially if there is a feeding frenzy. You can make your own kind of stove for dry alcohol, which will hold several tablets at once. The outlet must be made adjustable so that the draft can be changed. In this case, a stove loaded with several tablets can be made to burn for a long time.
- It is better to carefully pack gas and gasoline burners before transportation. It’s good if the kit comes with a suitcase or case in which you can place the device, isolating it from other things. If a piece of debris accidentally gets into the heater, heating may end before it even begins.
- To transport gasoline or other liquid fuel, it is better to buy a reliable canister, although it is not cheap. Spill flammable mixture one and a half liters or five liters is not a very reliable option and carries a risk of leakage. It will work as a temporary solution.
- The less propane and more other gases in the composition of the mixture that is in the cylinder, the more likely it is that its contents will freeze and it will not work to use a gas heater. Therefore, having chosen a gas-powered heater for winter fishing, it is advisable to select cans of the right composition- with the most high content propane. On some cylinders, the composition of the contents is not written at all; they are not so rare on sale. It is better to refuse to buy such a pig in a poke. If you nevertheless purchased such a cylinder, be prepared for the fact that the heater can work poorly from it in the cold.
- Some warm the frozen gas cartridges on an open fire to make them work again. Naturally, this is a rather extreme method of heating, which can lead to an explosion. Solve the problem with heaters powered by disposable gas cylinders, it is possible in a different way, without risk to health and life. You need to take two cans with you when fishing. While one is working, the other needs to be kept in your bosom to keep it warm. When the first cylinder freezes and the gas heater goes out, you need to swap the cartridges. This way you can maintain heating in the tent for as long as you like. The disadvantage of this option is that you have to put an ice cylinder with gas in your bosom, which is not very comfortable.
Fans of winter fishing and tourists know firsthand how difficult it is to heat a tent during the cold season without special equipment. Heaters are designed to help with this - gas, infrared and wood-burning stoves, which we will talk about in this article.
The publication discusses the advantages and disadvantages of different types of this equipment, and also provides recommendations that will help you choose the right tent heater.
Tent heaters for winter fishing
Heating a tent in winter is needed not so much to ensure comfortable temperature inside the tent - you can always dress in such a way that any frost will not be terrible - main task heating is to prevent freezing of the hole, which when sub-zero temperature air becomes covered with an ice crust in a matter of minutes.
A good tent heater must meet the following requirements:
- safety - modern tents are made of flammable synthetic fabrics, so the presence of an open fire source inside the tent is unacceptable;
- possibility of autonomous operation - this criterion immediately eliminates all heaters powered by electricity and narrows the choice to gasoline and gas equipment;
- efficiency - the fishing tent has small sizes, and therefore a good heater will heat the air in it as quickly as possible;
- high-quality assembly - the device must be resistant to shocks that may occur during transportation, and resistant to low temperatures (preferably the absence of polymer materials prone to cracking in the design, etc.).
- low weight and compact dimensions - ice, especially thin ice, has limited strength and load-bearing capacity, which is why the weight of the equipment should not be too large (the previously widely used potbelly stove, in the presence of more advanced analogues, is not the best choice).
As a result, you have to choose between heating with candles (which is only suitable for mild frosts), using gas or gasoline-type heaters, and using heat exchangers.
Trying to heat a tent with a candle at an ambient temperature below -5 degrees is a futile exercise; this method is only applicable early winter or in the spring at near zero temperatures. In addition to the availability of advantages, it has practically no advantages, while the disadvantages are obvious - candles burn quickly and have low efficiency, and for long-term fishing you need a fairly large number of them, which can hit your pocket.
1.1 Types of equipment
A gas burner is the most advantageous way of heating a fishing tent in terms of price/efficiency ratio. Depending on the principle of operation, gas-powered equipment is divided into two types:
- gas with a metal working fluid;
- gas-ceramic.
These units can be made in the form independent designs with a fuel cylinder, or as attachments for gas stoves.
The combustion zone of such burners is made in the form of a perforated container, inside of which there is a gas supply nozzle - gas combustion occurs on the surface of its walls. In this case, the device is equipped with a reflector - a reflector that directs heat rays in a given direction.
The advantages of burners with a metal working fluid include affordable cost, but the disadvantages are relatively low operating efficiency and heat transfer, due to which for efficient work This equipment requires a large amount of fuel consumption.
A gas heater with a ceramic working fluid does not have the above disadvantages. The gas in it burns on the surface of a perforated ceramic plate, which has maximum heat-saving abilities - during operation it heats up to orange color and gives off its energy in the form of heat waves, which heat not the air inside the tent, but the objects directly located inside it.
When using gas equipment of any type, you must comply with following rules security:
- Periodically it is necessary to ventilate the tent in order to remove gas combustion products from it;
- the heat exchanger must be installed at a distance of at least 50 cm from its walls;
- It is prohibited to leave the device operating at night without supervision;
- devices can only be connected to special cylinders equipped with automatic safety systems that automatically turn off the gas supply when the burner goes out or when excess pressure inside the cylinder.
Heating equipment must be installed on a stand made of non-combustible material, the area of which is 50% more sizes the device itself.
1.2 Heat exchanger “Copressi Ripos” (video)
2 Review of popular heat exchanger models and recommendations for selection
Having studied tourist and fishing forums, we came to the conclusion that the most quoted heating equipment for tents are “Ripus” heat exchangers from Italian company"Copressi". In the budget category, the leaders are the domestically produced “Snegir” heat exchangers.
Heaters Ripus work on liquefied gas, this is an infrared type equipment with a working fluid made of heat-resistant of stainless steel 0.8 mm thick. The Ripus heat exchanger is designed to work with common tourist tiles of the Tourist and Hephaestus series. The device is equipped with a fan that provides accelerated heating of the tent due to forced circulation warm air. The fan consumes a current of 0.3 A and is powered by a built-in battery.
Let's look at the characteristics of this equipment:
- Efficiency - up to 90%;
- dimensions - 14*14*35 cm;
- weight - 3.9 kg.
Ripus is also equipped with a chimney pipe that removes gas combustion products outside the tent. The diameter of the pipe is 57 mm, it is made of plastic and can be removed from anywhere in the tent.
As a budget alternative to the Copressi Repus heat exchanger, you can consider the Bullfinch stoves produced by the domestic company SnegirFishing. Snegir heat exchangers are produced in two versions - with and without a built-in fan, the difference in price between the models is 500 rubles - 4700 and 4200 rubles, respectively.
The principle of operation of the Bullfinch equipment is quite simple - the structure is installed on top of an open fire source (this can be gas-burner or a gasoline stove), its flame enters the receiving funnel and enters the heat exchanger spiral, through which carbon monoxide is discharged out through the chimney pipe. As a result, the air in the tent warms up due to the thermal energy given off by the walls of the structure. The presence of forced airflow provides more efficient heating by increasing the volume of air in contact with the walls of the heat exchanger.
The gas heat exchanger for the Bullfinch tent is equipped with adjustable legs, which allows it to be used with tiles of any size. This company, in addition to heating devices, also produces other equipment for fishing - winter and summer tents, gas stoves, camping tables and chairs, PVC film floors.
