Yes!! A Great Vented Catalytic Heater

[cpaharley2008]

Ideally this would be mounted near the door, 12-18" up from the floor, away from the bed and it's combustible materials. It should act as a warmer between the cold air by the door and your bed. I'd not mount them by the bed, leave them on the floor near pets, nor sleep with one operating.
Atwood makes a low draw rv furnace, Everest #1820 with less than 2 amps operating, far better choice and safer.

[dylanear]

I just don't know where I'd tuck that Atwood. If I could swap the side my big screen folded to the cat heater might go nice on the closet.

Or I'd have to rig a fence/rail on the bed to keep blankets from dropping off.

[ruscal]

Dylan,
I installed a Plat Cat in an old motorhome I had in the early eighties. We outgrew the rig after only about 2 seasons and didn't get to use it extensively. As I remember it produced good heat, and I don't recall any humidity issues while camping in the San Diego area and northern Baja. I installed it into a closet door which required a flexible gas line. (hose) The vent was an accordian material which flexed well. A gas hose inside a vehicle may not be a good idea, so mounting to a wall would provide a safer install. The heater was quiet too. My 16' Scamp floor plan doesn't have a proper place to mount a Plat Cat. The bathroom door would be a good location from a heat radiation standpoint, but would be an installation nightmare. The original location under the side dinette seat would fire the radiated heat right at the entry door. Cat heaters should aim at what they want to heat.
Russ

[Mike Magee]

The catalytic heater concentrates the heat output in a direct line from the heater. I occasionally use a Coleman Black Cat (on low) pointed down the aisle toward my bed. Being able to position the unit as desired is a plus, but the fact that it runs on the small LP bottles is a minus.

[DannyH]

Being able to position the unit as desired is a plus, but the fact that it runs on the small LP bottles is a minus.

I have one of these heaters in my scamp, and agree. Ours in the small unit and it points toward the front of the trailer. When your sitting in front of it, you can really feel the heat. When we have it on at night it still heats up the trailer nice, but is much cooler. Dawn sleeps near the wall and can still have a cold spot near the wall.

Having said that, I think the heater is great. I have the thermostat next to the bed and can turn it on in the morning and still be under the covers, the comforts of a small rig. One thing I did, because I was paranoid about accidentally turning on the heater as we usually have a cover on it, is I have an in-line lighted dead man switch near the heater that must be on for it to work.

[Bonnie n Claude]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

The catalytic heater concentrates the heat output in a direct line from the heater. I occasionally use a Coleman Black Cat (on low) pointed down the aisle toward my bed. Being able to position the unit as desired is a plus, but the fact that it runs on the small LP bottles is a minus.

Does the Coleman Black Cat smell when lit? We have a Coleman Sport Cat (bought to warm the Boler while heading south from Canada) and only used in once because of the horrid odor.

[Mike Magee]

The Black Cat puts out a slight amount of odor.

I had gotten one on discount from ebay, and it was very stinky... something wrong with it. I returned it and got one at Bass Pro (we have one here in town, happily), and it has been fine. I will say that even this good one bothers my wife, who has a very sensitive nose, so I would never use it around her; but I think 98% of the population would find it unobjectionable.

[David B.]

We also use the Coleman "Black Cat" in our 13', and find it to be to much heat in such a small space. We can adjust the heat by opening a window or vent more, but I am going to see if perhaps a hiking supply store has something out there with less BTU's which = to less propane use.

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

The Black Cat puts out a slight amount of odor.

I had gotten one on discount from ebay, and it was very stinky... something wrong with it. I returned it and got one at Bass Pro (we have one here in town, happily), and it has been fine. I will say that even this good one bothers my wife, who has a very sensitive nose, so I would never use it around her; but I think 98% of the population would find it unobjectionable.

So, are you saying your wife is part of the 2% of the objectionable population?

[Bonnie n Claude]

Thanks Mike and David. I tend to agree with your wife, Mike. We tried running it outside as recommended in the instructions that came with ours to burn off any residue that may be on the bits and pieces but it still smells and, although the detector doesn't go off (window over stove left opened a bit), the smell gave me a horrid headache. Hmmm...maybe ours needs a new home away from me!

[Mike Magee]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

So, are you saying your wife is part of the 2% of the objectionable population?

Yep, her sniffer is in the top 2%.

No use suffering with something that gives headaches, when there are other ways to stay warm.

[Westyventures]

I am a new member here, and wanted to introduce myself. I'm a 30+ year mechanic with lots of small RV campervan experience. In 2003, I became the US distributor for Propex Heatsource camper furnaces. I think you will find these are perfect for the application here. We have both internal and external mount 6500 and 9700 btu forced air, vented furnaces. The only thing like it in the US market. Please check them out at wwwpropexusa.com and feel free to contact me with any questions. I am currently supplying quite a few OEM teardrop manufacturers as well as small RV parts suppliers.

Karl Mullendore
westyventures.com

[fred wark]

I just found this very old thread and thought I would add onto it and maybe find that somebody has some newer ideas for my problem,
I am looking for a propane furnace which does not have a blower or require any electricity to run.* I need to save all my 12 volt power to run my inside lights while camping "off the grid" during winter conditions
****** My Buddy heater will heat the inside of the 13 foot*burro ( I am being careful about CO buildup (thanks)), however most of*the condensation which is being created when the propane is burning, is staying inside the trailer unless I leave the roof vent wide open, in which case I loose my heat.* With all that moisture in the air, I have a hard time getting all my sweaty clothing to dry when it is hung up inside.
******** I seem to remember that old (1950's and 60's era) camp trailers had* wall mounted furnaces that directly vented outside, and no blowers.* Probably had to be lit with a match or spark tool.* Does anybody know about these?* Are these still available?*
****** Is there any other propane fueled heaters which will vent directly to the outdoors both CO and the moisture?* Should I be looking at the so called catalytic or ceramic heaters?** Do I need to use a different type of fuel, such as wood, in a small stove?
Thanks

[Johnny M]

Is this what you are looking for?

Everest Star 7900 II Series Heating System - Atwood Mobile

[cpaharley2008]

If I were you, I'd concentrate on using led lights which use very little battery and install a regular rv furnace, such as the Everest Star which uses only 3 amps while operating. No condensation as it vents outside and no oxygen depletion as it uses outside air for combustion. Then get a good solar set up and dual six volts and you will be set for camping.

[Westyventures]

The Atwood, Everest, et al all are grossly inefficient and noisy. The efficiency rating is 75% in these, vs 93% for the Propex Heatsource heaters. The Propex is half (or less) the size, uses less power, and doesn't require a huge hole to be hacked in the side of the camper.