Camping hacks - A discussion

[Geraldsh]

Have you seen the diesel tent heaters available now? I walked past one in a campsite this spring and the campers looked happy in spite of the unpleasant weather. It looked like an ordinary tent with a 4 or 6 inch flex pipe stuck in the door, heater was set up outside.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Geraldsh

Have you seen the diesel tent heaters available now? I walked past one in a campsite this spring and the campers looked happy in spite of the unpleasant weather. It looked like an ordinary tent with a 4 or 6 inch flex pipe stuck in the door, heater was set up outside.

Hmm these seem pretty cool and seem more controllable by being able to just shut off and pull out in a tent with chimney situation than a stove burning solid fuel. It's a reasonable price at $140-240 with how pricey some of these portable wood stoves are. Worth considering! Neat!

[GGG]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

With my existing gear, I am not actively considering winter camping. Not designed for that at all. I was thinking that with a tent that has the stove option, it opens up the option to do winter camping along with reducing misery relating to inclement weather for spring/summer/fall camping. I normally wouldn't use the stove, but like the idea of potentially having a stove option for additional comfort and to ensure a camping trip doesn't get derailed. Thinking if we had gear that could handle a mild winter type camping, the other seasons would be a breeze.

Do you have a recommendation of what you were using for winter camping? Budget dependent, but I was thinking of maybe a higher quality tent with camping cots vs 6 person tent and mattresses.

My current 6 person tent is a design from like 10-20 years ago and completely ####e. The only way to redeem it is buy an extremely large tarp that can cover the whole thing to make it work, but then it'll look like something out of a tent city, and the tent did poorly last weekend and sagged/twisted a lot when a smaller tarp was pulled taut but not tight against it.


However, looking at 6 person tents, I'm already looking around the $400+ ish range, so I was thinking whether to get something better for a few hundred bucks more. That's how I ended up running into these stove inflatable and yurt tent rabbit hole. Also seemed more luxurious than a typical tent plus if the reviews said people were using them for winter, then other seasons is a total breeze.

My context for winter camping was cross country skiing and backpacking with two people so no real recommendations on the 6 person tent side. I took an older MEC 4 person dome tent and added a stove jack to i and used it for two people. I had a seek outside medium stove. I got rid of it a few years ago as I didn’t really use it much after my first few trips.

Friends of friends had a massive yurt style tent 8 person or so that we used a few times but I don’t know the brand of it and they dealt with all the stove set up stuff and this was car camping based. They had it as a hunting tent. It sounds like this is kinda what you are looking for.

For your application though I’d be looking tent heater.

[BlackArcher101]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

With my existing gear, I am not actively considering winter camping. Not designed for that at all. I was thinking that with a tent that has the stove option, it opens up the option to do winter camping along with reducing misery relating to inclement weather for spring/summer/fall camping. I normally wouldn't use the stove, but like the idea of potentially having a stove option for additional comfort and to ensure a camping trip doesn't get derailed. Thinking if we had gear that could handle a mild winter type camping, the other seasons would be a breeze.

Do you have a recommendation of what you were using for winter camping? Budget dependent, but I was thinking of maybe a higher quality tent with camping cots vs 6 person tent and mattresses.

My current 6 person tent is a design from like 10-20 years ago and completely ####e. The only way to redeem it is buy an extremely large tarp that can cover the whole thing to make it work, but then it'll look like something out of a tent city, and the tent did poorly last weekend and sagged/twisted a lot when a smaller tarp was pulled taut but not tight against it.


However, looking at 6 person tents, I'm already looking around the $400+ ish range, so I was thinking whether to get something better for a few hundred bucks more. That's how I ended up running into these stove inflatable and yurt tent rabbit hole. Also seemed more luxurious than a typical tent plus if the reviews said people were using them for winter, then other seasons is a total breeze.

I have a "hot tent" with a wood stove. Been camping in colder weather in fall/spring to trial it and this year will be taking it winter camping for the first time. Can see pics here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZBFdGvBoAeReDRhy9

IMO, if you aren't going to do winter camping, and if you goal is to heat the tent prior to going to sleep, a wood stove is overkill. There are some downsides to it, one is that it takes up a LOT of room in a tent, so if you get a 6 person tent, you can now only fit maybe 3. Another is fueling it, of course it takes wood, but if you do intend on running it during the night, be prepared to wake up every 3-4 hours to put more wood in. You can alleviate this by getting a bigger stove, but then you will bake yourself out of the tent and takes up even more space. The mid-size one I have, I have to put more wood in every 3 hours, and keeps the tent at about 26C when it's -5C out. I put up with it because I just love the ambiance.

With kids as well, a wood stove can get dangerous. I think a diesel heater would be what you are looking for, easy to use, and all you have to do is get the tent modified with a hole and velcro flap to seal up when not in use. It can suit any type of tent as well.

If you aren't camping in very cold temps, and just want to take chill off a bit, then looking at the sleep systems alone may be enough. Use cots to get off the ground, and buy some quilts or thermal liners for when you want to extend the season a little bit.

[Russic]

What I'm hearing is we need tent stoves with auto-feeders like a pellet stove.

To add to the "simpler ways to stay warm" my go-to is hot water bottles and thin face-masks. You look like the Manson family, but then there are upsides to that.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Russic

What I'm hearing is we need tent stoves with auto-feeders like a pellet stove.

To add to the "simpler ways to stay warm" my go-to is hot water bottles and thin face-masks. You look like the Manson family, but then there are upsides to that.

I think they have those, though my memory may be fuzzy. My dad's friend had a massive tent we went backcountry skiing to. He had built a wood platform and everything. He even had a rope toe you used with a waist strap and vice grips. You'd start it on the first run and leave it idle, and the rope moved slowly. When you grabbed it with the vice grips it would send tension back to the motor and the throttle would crank to full, and launch you at ridiculous speed. Anyway that tent had a stove in the center, and I'm pretty sure it ran on wood pellets. Will have to ask my dad about that one.

[Scroopy Noopers]

What are the best easy but enjoyable meals for a 2 night excursion with a tiny kid?

[Russic]

Originally Posted by Scroopy Noopers

What are the best easy but enjoyable meals for a 2 night excursion with a tiny kid?

Pasta was always our go-to when the kids were super little. Almost zero choking hazard, hardest part is boiling water, and sauce can be as lazy or as involved as you'd like it to be (and could be pre-made).

For a fun dessert with slightly older kids, we would hack the top 1/3 off an orange, hollow it out like a pumpkin, fill it with cake batter (just a box mix you combine in a freezer bag), put the "lid" back on, foil it and then bake in the embers.

Almost impossible to burn due to the foil+water in the peel, and you basically get a vanilla orange cake that works every single time. Biggest failure risk was undercooking, which is fairly easy to remedy with time.

[para transit fellow]

When it is bitterly cold, a quinzhee is the ticket to winter camping

upside: -25C out side and -4C inside during a January night
downside, it takes time to make and your clothes can get damp during construction.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Scroopy Noopers

What are the best easy but enjoyable meals for a 2 night excursion with a tiny kid?

Excluding the cleaning aspect...

Use a wide necked bottle with all of the necessary fixings to make an omelet. Bring cheese slices and wraps to turn it into an easy breakfast wrap.

Instant noodles that are elevated using cheese, fish balls/meatballs and sausages is great. Basically extra or shared stuff you can grill over the fire for fun.

Stews can be awesome too if premade and frozen before you camp, and just heat up when you are hungry.

Certain types of "fancy cereal" always makes for a nice type of thing as a snack to just nibble on.

I'm not a huge fan of smores. Kids are little pyros and honestly just like lighting marshmallows on fire. If you want an actual half decent desert, using tin foil with waffle cone, chocolate and marshmallow inside to slowly heat up is a better option than a smores kit.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by BlackArcher101

I have a "hot tent" with a wood stove. Been camping in colder weather in fall/spring to trial it and this year will be taking it winter camping for the first time. Can see pics here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZBFdGvBoAeReDRhy9

IMO, if you aren't going to do winter camping, and if you goal is to heat the tent prior to going to sleep, a wood stove is overkill. There are some downsides to it, one is that it takes up a LOT of room in a tent, so if you get a 6 person tent, you can now only fit maybe 3. Another is fueling it, of course it takes wood, but if you do intend on running it during the night, be prepared to wake up every 3-4 hours to put more wood in. You can alleviate this by getting a bigger stove, but then you will bake yourself out of the tent and takes up even more space. The mid-size one I have, I have to put more wood in every 3 hours, and keeps the tent at about 26C when it's -5C out. I put up with it because I just love the ambiance.

With kids as well, a wood stove can get dangerous. I think a diesel heater would be what you are looking for, easy to use, and all you have to do is get the tent modified with a hole and velcro flap to seal up when not in use. It can suit any type of tent as well.

If you aren't camping in very cold temps, and just want to take chill off a bit, then looking at the sleep systems alone may be enough. Use cots to get off the ground, and buy some quilts or thermal liners for when you want to extend the season a little bit.

Circling back to my good 3-4 person tent and acquiring diesel heating system might be the better option. I'd love a 6 person though because the rest of my family sleep like star fish.

It also for a moment seemed kinda cool to have a bunch of normal tents on a campground, and then there'd be one random looking tent set up.

Ah, we shall see. I don't think we will camp enough to justify spending a small fortune on nicer stuff.

[Garbs]

We have used a propane buddy for heating the tent and it works great. Just burns those little propane tanks (~1 if its on all night) and has a bunch of safety features so it doesn't fall over etc. Our tent always just had air flow to feed it open a crack. Even used it out in the garage a couple times while working on things and it is great.

150$ feels more than what we paid for ours....

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/mr-...RoCEMkQAvD_BwE

[Torture]

Ya'll are putting heaters in your tents? I just know I'd knock it over in the middle of the night and burn my tent down, or get carbon monoxide poisoning. A diesel heating system? WTAF?

I just have a very thick mattress with a healthy R value (seriously, this thing is as comfortable as my bed - https://www.nemoequipment.com/en-ca/...tvmAkz8wrY3NM1) and a warm sleeping bag.

This seems about 1000x smarter than having a heater in your tent.

We bought a couple of battery operated throws from Costco, and used them when tent camping later in the season. Added bonus is you bring an extra battery and it extends your time you want to spend around the fire.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Torture

Ya'll are putting heaters in your tents? I just know I'd knock it over in the middle of the night and burn my tent down, or get carbon monoxide poisoning. A diesel heating system? WTAF?

I just have a very thick mattress with a healthy R value (seriously, this thing is as comfortable as my bed - https://www.nemoequipment.com/en-ca/...tvmAkz8wrY3NM1) and a warm sleeping bag.

This seems about 1000x smarter than having a heater in your tent.

I wasn't ever planning on running the heater with items in the tent. It seemed sketchy to me, but I thought I might as well ask about it because it showed up more frequently in the higher end tents. The diesel heater option where you can pipe the heat in and leave the rest outside looked good. I agree the propane one makes me quite concerned it could accidentally melt something or worse. The more I think about it, the more that most heating options don't seem like a good risk for those that aren't seasoned campers. The only one with a bit of promise for amateurs might be the diesel option which you can keep outside of the tent.

I've just dealt with scenarios with a lot of condensation and occasionally inclement weather that some form of heating seemed like it'd be a nice to have to keep the enjoyment of camping from being horribly derailed.

I kinda understand where you're coming from, but for those mattresses, needing over $1K in mattresses doesn't seem feasible to me either. At least it doesn't really give me incentive to consider moving away from a camping cot with memory foam topper option.