Camping Heaters

by Adam Thompson

One of the biggest deterrents to many camping enthusiasts has to be the thought of spending nights in frigid temperatures. After all, who likes to be cold? Not I, for one. I doubt you do either.

Enter the camping heater - now even novice campers can enjoy camping the year round. Camping heaters provide you with much-needed warmth when you are camping at high altitudes or at low temperatures. They are a safer alternative to campfires and thanks to advancing technology new camping heaters are completely portable, extremely efficient and safer than ever before.

Today's portable camping heaters have an inbuilt safety mechanism that causes the unit to shut off automatically when the oxygen levels in the room begin to drop. This is a huge improvement over older models of portable camping heaters, which often emitted dangerous levels of carbon monoxide if used for extended periods of time.

If you are planning on buying a portable camping heater, you should look for the later models, which have these safety devices in place. Look for camping heaters with labels that state ‘Oxygen depletion sensor', ‘Low oxygen automatic shut-off system' or ‘Designed for indoor use'. This means that the camping heater is safe for use in any enclosed area or room.

However, you will still need to take proper precautions when using your camping heater inside your tent. Never place it in close proximity to any flammable materials such as blankets or tent fabrics and always turn it off before you go off to sleep.

Propane camping heaters

Propane heaters typically have battery operated fans, which means you can direct the heat wherever you want it. Most heaters require 2 D cell batteries to run the fan and the batteries are likely to last about 18 hours. These heaters are also quicker at heating up the surrounding area as compared to radiant type of heaters. Most models have an electronic ignition, which makes it easy to start and the ceramic and platinum catalytic head produces a flameless heat, making it a safer choice compared to a flame-type heater.

Electric camping heaters

If you have electricity available, you can consider an electric heater. The better models of electric camping heaters would typically have an electronic temperature control, a safety tip over switch, ambient temperature sensor and an overheat protection device. Heaters that have ceramic honeycomb elements are particularly effective. These elements increase the heater's resistance to electricity as the temperature rises, allowing it to go to a maximum of 380 F , which is safer than average heaters that have red-hot radiant heating elements.