A Guide To Camping Heaters.
What type of camping heaters are safer? Which propane or electric heaters are the best? What kind of tent heater is flameless? After doing research on this subject I came to realize there are a lot more cheap ineffective heaters than there are good quality ones. This article will help to answer your questions about which one to get. Propane camping heaters If you're looking for a propane heater take a look at Coleman's ProCat 5053A751 Utility Heater. Coleman assures it's designed for indoor use and puts out 3,000 BTU which should help keep you warm on all but the coldest nights. The really neat thing about this heater is that it has a battery operated fan so that you can direct the heat where you want it. This will also help to heat the surrounding area much more quickly than a radiant type of heater, but you can use it without the fan if you want. The fan runs on 2 D cell batteries that last up to 18 hours. While the 16 ounce container of propane lasts up to 8 hours. Though it's a little bulky it's also nice to use other places like ice fishing, in campers, or for home emergencies. As with any heater, or camping gear for that matter, follow the instructions. And make sure you use it with adequate ventilation, because even though it might give off less harmful gases, remember it still consumes oxygen to create heat. Adequate ventilation will insure that you'll get enough air. Pros: Fan and catalytic heater combine to put out 3,000 BTU's of cozy warmth. Electronic ignition makes for easy start-up. Cons: A bit bulky and heavy for backpacking. Coleman also has the SportCat catalytic heater which puts out 1,500 BTU's and will run for about 14 hours on a 16 ounce can of propane. The SportCat has a smaller footprint, but I'd really lean toward getting more BTU's. It's bad enough being cold, but it's worse having a heater and still being cold. Cons: At 1,500 BTU's it puts out half the heat of the Procat. Heat in reserve is better than not enough, and 1,500 isn't much. Electric camping heaters If you're looking for possible electric camping heaters for your camper I did some research and I think I've come up with the best portable camping heater you'll come across. But you shouldn't use this one outside, it's better for the camper. The Pelonis Disk Furnace V (Model HC-461) has got to be one of the best thought out heaters available. It has a safety tip over switch, a overheat protection device, electronic temperature control, and an ambient temperature sensor. The honeycomb elements are made of a ceramic that increases its resistance to electricity as the temperature increases. This happens rapidly making the maximum temperature about 380 degrees F, so it's safer than typical red hot radiant heating elements. Part of this is due to each element having about 1,500 holes to efficiently heat the air moving through them. So what you get in the end is a camping heater that heats quickly without the dangerous red hot elements. The fact that they use stainless steel electrical contacts says something about the quality of the unit as does the 3 year warranty. It's small too at 9.3" L x 7.1" W x 9.5" H and weighs 5 pounds. Pros: Safe. One of the most efficient and powerful camping heaters at 1,500 watts/5,200 BTU's. Compact. Cons: A little more expensive, a bit heavy at 5 pounds. I hope this guide has helped you to choose from the many available camping heaters.
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The electronic ignition makes for an easier start. The platinum and ceramic catalytic head produces heat without a flame making it a safer choice to use rather than a flame-type heater. What? You say you'll miss the smell of singed hair? ;-)
Pros: It's smaller and easier to carry than the ProCat. Since it puts out less heat a 16 ounce can of propane can last up to 14 hours. Less expensive.
Their patented ceramic disk design actually optimizes the wattage to heat ratio by approximately 80%, which means that you'll get about 80% more heat out for the power you put in. Very cool... I mean hot. ;-) 
