mr heater...safe in a coleman instant tent?

[jcrew6311]

camping w - toddler wife and 2 dogs in a coleman 6 person tent. will be camping in weather as cold as prib 35 degrees up to 60.

will also prob be getting 2 grizzly connector sleeping bags 25+ temp.

seemed mr heater was perfect for us til i read peoples comments. if we left all 4 mesh zippers open completely on the instant tent would it be ok to leave this thing on overnight? my wife is about done w camping because of how cold it gets.

just wondering how safe that heater would be with all 4 panels open (obviouslt mesh still showing)?

[frank6160]

Re: mr heater...safe in a coleman instant tent?

use one in my 8 person version. leve the roof vent open and leave side windows open just enough to allow some cross ventilation. if open too much you will lose all your heat. are you sleeping on an air mattress? is so you will need plenty if insulation between you and it when it's below 40 -45.

[MacGyver]

Re: mr heater...safe in a coleman instant tent?

Personally, I would be more concerned with melting your tent or burning someone in your group than I would the CO issue. I've been using catalytic heaters in tents for years and, obviously, I'm still here to talk about it. Mr Heaters require a lot of clearance above and in front to be safe and I don't know that you'll get that in a 6-person tent full of people and animals. In my 10x10 cabin tent with just one other person, the placement of the heater is already limited because of how much heat it puts out.

[terasec]

Re: mr heater...safe in a coleman instant tent?

As Mac stated i would be wary,
they get very hot and can do damage to nearby items,
i just started using a 1500 btu small cat heater, and have to be very wary of it,
even if at first you touch the surrounding fabric they seem fine to the touch, touch it again 15-20 mins later will see considerable difference
i would not use it unattended around dogs or toddler,
if i was to use it, i would use it to warm up the tent before going to bed then shut it off,
then use it in the morning to help with that morning chill
in a tent i would also try to build/add a barrier around it to protect the fabric and deflect the heat in your direction,

[a65hoosier]

Re: mr heater...safe in a coleman instant tent?

I'm not sure I would want to risk a large size buddy heater going full blast with a toddler and dogs around, much less having it going when I am asleep, but that is me. If you are going to get one, I would only use it as terasec said...on to warm tent before bed, off while sleeping, on to take off the chill in the tent before crawling out of the sleeping bag.

You might be be better off with those warmer sleeping bags, a sleeping bag liner, and good sleep clothing. Before bedtime, eat a hearty meal, exercise some, and hit the "comfort station" to fully relieve yourself (idk how else to say "take a pee"). You can also boil water before bedtime, put it into a nalgene bottle, seal it up and throw it into the bottom of your bag (nice and warm on the tootsies). Also, consider the use of those packages of single use hand/body warmers...open a few, shake em up, give them 15-0 minutes to come up to temp and throw them in your sleeping bags-they last for about 7-8 hours.

Additionally, are you sleeping on cots? A blow up air mattress? You may need a closed cell or insulated pad (or even a thick wool blanket) under your sleeping bag to prevent cold air underneath from creeping up thru the underside of your sleeping bags (which has it's insulative fluff being compressed under your body weight).

If all else fails, try some warmer weather camping if you can so she won't quit on the camping. Nothing wrong with sticking to 3 season camping.