redkow97 Posted February 10, 2012 Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 (edited) I've been kicking around the idea of a small propane heater for trackdays and emergency use, and the garage heater thread got me wondering what everyone uses at the track.I am pretty much sold on propane, because electric heat is so inefficient, and Nelson & BeaveRun don't have electric hookups at the track. If i were to run a generator, the generator itself would be more expensive than a propane heater, and then use a lot more money in fuel as well.So I've been considering the following models:The coleman SportCat$35. 1,500 BTU, and runs 14+ hours on the small 16 oz. disposable propane tanks. The main drawback to this one is that it puts out relatively little heat, AND lacks a low oxygen shutoff sensor (more on that later)"Mr. Heater" also makes a similar model, but it's $60, 3,800 BTU, and DOES have a low oxygen shutoff sensor. Will burn for 5.5 hours, and claims to heat up to 100 square feet (why they don't list it in cubic feet is beyond me...)And the next step up with Mr. Heater is the 4,000-9,000 BTU "buddy" heater for $80+ That has all the features of the smaller one, but heats twice as much space, AND it can be hooked up to a larger propane tank if you want. Burn time on the small tank is around 4-5 hours on the 4,000 BTU setting, and obviously less if you crank it to 9,000...Right now I sleep in a tent when the weather is good, and in the back of my tow vehicle when it's cold or obscenely wet. With that in mind, I'm looking at only around 50 square feet at most. My biggest concern is the heater burning up all my oxygen if i fall asleep with it running (which I know is ill-advised, but come on... I want to be warm so I can sleep comfortably)The coleman is cheap, but the Mr. Heater model has the low oxygen shutoff. the bigger model would be more practical for heating a bedroom in a power outage, but 2 of the smaller models would probably work too...What says ORDN? Edited February 10, 2012 by redkow97 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2talltim Posted February 10, 2012 Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 Buddy heater with 20# tank FTW...i love mine, i use it in tents, sheds, trailers, house,..its got a CO sensor that kills it if levels get highwe took it to bristol one year that it snowed in the spring nascar race and let it burn the whole weekend in the tent and only used 1/2 the 20# tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowdog Posted February 10, 2012 Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 ^^^This, I love mine as well, have it in the garage right now and heats great. Used Tim's last year in my enclosed trailer to heat up before i went to bed. Heated the trailer very fast. Overall great product. Mr Buddy for the win! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkow97 Posted February 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 you don't think the 3,800 btu model would be enough in a tent?the tent is vented well enough that I'm MUCH less concerned about oxygen in there than I am in the car, which is where I plan to sleep when it's that cold anyway. while the 20# tank is awesome if i'm using it for extended periods in my house, I don't want to find room for it in the car overnight... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcat6183 Posted February 10, 2012 Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 Good thread, because Im about to buy the Buddy too, just wanted a few reviews. TSC and Menards sells them on sale OFTEN man, keep looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2talltim Posted February 10, 2012 Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 ill use the throw away ones on one night trips in my small tent on low setting and it will run 6-7 hours...but for my bigger tent 7x15 the 20# is a must on high setting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcat6183 Posted February 10, 2012 Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 http://www.tractorsupply.com/mr-heater-reg-portable-buddy-trade-heater-9-000-btus-215069959.99, and NOT on sale. Definitely this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkow97 Posted February 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 Bass Pro Shop has it on sale for $79 right now, but the kick in the nuts is that the 5' hose to connect it to a 20 lbs. tank is another $20. I guess that's how they get ya...The option to run it on the smaller tanks is still nice though. for tailgating, I don't need heat for more than a few hours, and on trips where packing space was at a premium, 10 small tanks packs easier than 1 large tank.Now to convince the wife we need this "in case the furnace dies," and totally leave out the part where I want to use it for trackdays Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2talltim Posted February 10, 2012 Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 keep an eye on craigslist i see them on there often...id sell you mine if i can find a BIG buddy heater at a good price Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoblick Posted February 10, 2012 Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 use thishttp://www.tractorsupply.com/mr-heater-reg-big-buddy-trade-portable-heater-18-000-btus-2133493with a 20lb tank.it will last a long time on the low setting, and has a fan built in that can run off batteriesand if you need the fuel filter and line to hook the 20lb tank up i have them. ill sell them cheap (they are expensive as shit in the store) i bought one of those to use in my garage till i got my wall unit. worked pretty damn good for what it was in my 20x22 garage lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flounder Posted February 10, 2012 Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 Get yourself a good rated sleeping bag (0 Degree) and you will be fine. Ive slept in my bag in a tent with no heat down into the teens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20thGix Posted February 10, 2012 Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 (edited) Good sleeping bag?What flounder said. Edited February 10, 2012 by 20thGix im to slow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcat6183 Posted February 10, 2012 Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 Also, for reference you can buy the 1lb refill nipple from Harbor Freight for like 5.00. Filles it from 20lb+ bottles. I think the filler lines can also be bought at HD and lowes in the grill section for like 30ish or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJC1000rr Posted February 10, 2012 Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 I got my oversized kot in from Bass Pro this week to sleep in and have my North Face Zero degree mummybag. I have a Haier portable air conditioner that I hook the exhaust up to a 3" pvc pipe I put in the floor. Worked great at summit last year and kept the inside a cool 62 degrees when it was 80+ outside. As far as heat, I'm just using a small electric heater. I'm going to get a nice Yamaha EF3000ise/b that I can run quietly at night instead of the champion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcat6183 Posted February 10, 2012 Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 I got my oversized kot in from Bass Pro this week to sleep in and have my North Face Zero degree mummybag. I have a Haier portable air conditioner that I hook the exhaust up to a 3" pvc pipe I put in the floor. Worked great at summit last year and kept the inside a cool 62 degrees when it was 80+ outside. As far as heat, I'm just using a small electric heater. I'm going to get a nice Yamaha EF3000ise/b that I can run quietly at night instead of the champion.Dang dude, dropping some coin this year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJC1000rr Posted February 10, 2012 Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 Looking at it as an investment more then anything. I can use the kot for hunting and so on. New inverter will will be the primary gene for racing and can be used at night for sleeping. And at the house without pissing off the neighbors. Sleeping in trailer is also a lot cheaper then hotel costs over a season! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simplysix Posted February 10, 2012 Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 My father-in-law uses the "buddy" in his 2 1/2 car garage and it gets the thing toasty! He has had nothing but good things to say about it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simplysix Posted February 10, 2012 Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 Get yourself a good rated sleeping bag (0 Degree) and you will be fine. Ive slept in my bag in a tent with no heat down into the teens.Sleeping bag would also be good, but has limited use, hard to heat a garage with a sleeping bag Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcat6183 Posted February 10, 2012 Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 Cox for reference, Sams Club and Costco sell invertors now too, not 3K 2K but they ll run 1 set warmers or everything you'd need to run. Cheappppp too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkow97 Posted February 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 i have a 0 degree mummy bag, but that only keeps me warm when i'm in it. getting out of the bag at 6 in the morning, and putting on leathers that have hung in the cold car overnight is not a fun experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue03636 Posted February 10, 2012 Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 i have a 0 degree mummy bag, but that only keeps me warm when i'm in it. getting out of the bag at 6 in the morning, and putting on leathers that have hung in the cold car overnight is not a fun experience.Yea, this sucks. I may need to pit next to steve and give him gas for his fancy new geny. I keep debating on getting a heater and every year I freeze my ass off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r1crusher Posted February 10, 2012 Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 Asians like cold behinds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcat6183 Posted February 10, 2012 Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 Asians like cold behinds. Fact Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.