Heat-electric options

[Bobbie Mayer]

I'll be camping in weather likely to be 60-62 during the day, 40 at night. I've never had to use any kind of heat so far. I will have electric at least until 10 PM and after 6 AM (so all but when I am asleep) and may have it all night, but can't count on it. I have an electric mattress pad to take the chill off the bed going to bed and I don't think it will be so cold that I need it all night- if its a three-dog-night, well, I'll have four corgis with me.

But I'm wondering if I will want a small space heater for the waking hours in the evening. I can put the pop top down at night to conserve heat, and that leaves a not-very-large area to heat. But obviously the warmer it is when the generator goes off at 10, the warmer I'd stay all night.

So first, do you think I need any auxiliary heat? And if so, any recommendations? I'd probably want something I could perch up on the stove so it couldn't be knocked over by the dogs.

Bobbie

[Sandra Lair]

Bobbie,
We always take along a little electric cube heater when we camp in cool weather. It takes very little room and gives us all the heat we need. We removed our propane heater so this is the only heater we use.
Sandra

[Gerry]

So first, do you think I need any auxiliary heat? And if so, any recommendations? I'd probably want something I could perch up on the stove so it couldn't be knocked over by the dogs.

Bobbie

Bobbie, We got a small electric heater when we got our 13ft Boler called the "Cube".
In its box it is about 9 inches by 8 inches by 8 inches.
It has safty features so if it gets tilted just a little bit it will shut off.
It has an off / hi or low setting for fan and a dial 1-10 thermostate.
Only draw back was the fan was not sufficiant to get heat to circulate from top to bottom of trailer so heater has to be set on the floor because if set on counter and your sleeping below that level you will be cold.
Once it is on the floor it heats the whole space nicely
Gerry the Canoebuilder

[Donna D.]

Obviously an electric heater isn't going to work if you don't have electricity . I'd get a warmer sleeping bag for the night, get up early and start the coffee for the morning heat. I'm not sure you'd be happy having a temporary propane heater around the dogs.

[Bobbie Mayer]

Obviously an electric heater isn't going to work if you don't have electricity . I'd get a warmer sleeping bag for the night, get up early and start the coffee for the morning heat. I'm not sure you'd be happy having a temporary propane heater around the dogs.

I'm not worried about heat on overnight; I always turn it off overnight anyway. It's the time when I am awake- I figure if it is warm when the generator goes off I'll stay warm enough. Thanks for the warning about being too high to heat the room, too. I'll have to think about how to screen a heater on the floor from the dogs.

Bobbie

[Greg A]

We bought an oscillating electric heater very similar to the cube, but it moves back and forth and has a very good fan. We set it on top of the stove cover and it is out of the way there. We went into the 30's in Sedona on Labor Day and down in the mid 40's last weekend in Cottonwood without any issues. Heated the space great and we were sure glad to have it in the early evening sitting around the table playing cards.

[Bobbie Mayer]

We bought an oscillating electric heater very similar to the cube, but it moves back and forth and has a very good fan. We set it on top of the stove cover and it is out of the way there. We went into the 30's in Sedona on Labor Day and down in the mid 40's last weekend in Cottonwood without any issues. Heated the space great and we were sure glad to have it in the early evening sitting around the table playing cards.

I was re-thinking that and it seems to me with the low roof in the Campster it would have to warm the living space, even from the counter.

It is supposed to be 39 here Tuesday night so what I may do is pull the trailer out of the garage early Wednesday morning and see how cold it gets inside. I don't want to park on the street all night and sleep in it (not a very safe place to do that) but at least I can see how the heater works. I have a heater with blower that I can try out.

Bobbie

PS, I know those of you in cold climates are probably laughing your heads off but this is California and so far our days have not been below 70. I'm not acclimatized for cold!

[Brian B-P]

We tried a tent trailer a few years ago, and used it without a heater with night temperatures on some nights near freezing. Having said that, it would not be my preference.

Bobbie, for the temperatures you're listing, I would certainly have a least a small portable space heater. We can take the cold... but there's no point in suffering unnecessarily!

[Nancy]

Sure wish someone would do a heated floor mod and tell the rest of us how it works out.

I keep thinking about those electric rubber mats with the heat inside for under the table.

Would be nice to have warm feet while playing cards in the evening.
Wondered if left on overnight how much heat they would send up.

Has anyone tried one? I didn't save the url for who sells them so can't remember.

Nancy in north MN

[Bobbie Mayer]

Nancy, I looked online at those mats. But the BTU's were pretty low. I didnt think they would do enough to heat the trailer.

Bobbie

[Benny K]

Suppose that a water bed heating pad could be used as a mat to just keep your feet warm.....don`t know how safe it would be over a long period of time, but they have a temp control attached to them.....I was playing around in my garage the other day and noticed this waterbed heater there and put it on the concrete floor.....I was working in one area and I felt a fair amount of heat thru my shoes......toasty warm.......probably be the same as a heated mat......Benny

[Gerry]

Suppose that a water bed heating pad could be used as a mat to just keep your feet warm.....don`t know how safe it would be over a long period of time, but they have a temp control attached to them.....I was playing around in my garage the other day and noticed this waterbed heater there and put it on the concrete floor.....I was working in one area and I felt a fair amount of heat thru my shoes......toasty warm.......probably be the same as a heated mat......Benny

I think I would disregard the idea of the water-bed heater
I have a water-bed and they work off a thermostat that takes the temp of the water via a bulb sensor to work.
Where would one put the bulb? Also the instructions say never turn on heater until bed is full of water because it will over heat and burn itself out and hopefully not you.
Gerry the canoebuilder

[Benny K]

Gerry, what would result if the bulb was put under the heater pad.....would the heat that results from the pad not shut down the thermostat control........maybe, just for the kibbitz, I`ll try it on the garage floor and see what will happen.....have no other use for the heater anyway.....Benny

[Gerry]

Gerry, what would result if the bulb was put under the heater pad.....would the heat that results from the pad not shut down the thermostat control........maybe, just for the kibbitz, I`ll try it on the garage floor and see what will happen.....have no other use for the heater anyway.....Benny

Benny Please wear rubber soles when you try this out. Will be interesting to see what will happen...Maybe overheat and as you said will will just stop working or maybe a display of sparks or maybe nothing..
I imagine the overheating or if your walking on it you will break the wire inside...
Will await your results.
Gerry the canoebuilder

[Steve L.]

Sure wish someone would do a heated floor mod and tell the rest of us how it works out.

I keep thinking about those electric rubber mats with the heat inside for under the table.

Would be nice to have warm feet while playing cards in the evening.
Wondered if left on overnight how much heat they would send up.

Has anyone tried one? I didn't save the url for who sells them so can't remember.

Nancy in north MN

I have a pair of the 36" mats. Together, they cover the length of the aisle in my Casita. They use 135 watts each. They are toasty warm on my stocking feet in the coldest of weather. However, they don't give off enough to heat the trailer by themselves.

I only bring them on cold weather trips. You can also see them under my underbed storage bins on the how do you organize your stuff thread.One of the mats

Heated Mat Web Site

[Bobbie Mayer]

Well, I got a hookup on permanent electric, not the generator, so did not get to find out how cold my trailer can get. But I think I'd have been okay. I used only the electric mattress pad at night and it actually got too warm. It would have been a bit colder if I had not had it, but not cold enough to wake me out of a sound sleep.

I used a space heater on the stove to warm the trailer before going to sleep, but did not leave it on overnight (and did not turn both the heated pad and the space heater on at once- I wasn't sure about the electrical load so didn't want to chance it.) With the pop top down the space heater quickly heats the trailer and I can run the cord over the top drawer to the outlet so that it is pretty safe from dogs. It got to 30 degrees overnight the second night but I was fine with the electric mattress pad. In the morning I turned the heater on to take the chill off.

Bobbie