Heating solutions

[Punk'n_Willy]

So the wife and I are hoping to get out for our first trip this fall after we get our daughter settled back up in college. We will be sleeping in the Jeep utilizing the DeepSleep4Jeep mattress. Would a 12v plug-in heating pad or blanket be our best solution for this current setup? I am also assuming I should have an alternate source of power to use this as well?

 

[genocache]

Hi Steve, Thanks for your service, from one skimmer to another? 69-73.

I think a lot about heat depends on how cold you are going camping and what sleeping system you have. I didn't see anything on the deepsleep site regarding R values, since they live in Phoenix might not be any(?). My self, I like to sleep a little cooler. Being solo I take a 10°F sleeping bag when I go winter camping, trust me it gets COLD in Death Valley in December!
My wife an I used to sleep in the back of our Land Rover in the 70's(we were both thinner then) on a 3" foam pad with a double sleeping bag. Those old Coleman flannel bags were not up to the 17°F we hit at the Grand Canyon on our honeymoon!

Personally I like the idea of a 12v electric blanket, BUT, The energy costs must not make it worth it or one would see more use of them. I would opt for one of those cheap Chinese diesel or petrol heaters in a stand alone configuration.

Something like this;

 

[lhoffm4]

Not sure how your Jeep is set up (solar?) or if you have an extra 12 battery in a Jackery or some other rechargeable 12v system, but I can say a 12v blanket is absolute GOLD, when camping in the fall or winter. We have had one for years that stays under the back seat of the truck. My Wife is a self proclaimed lizard and is always cold. Happy Wife-Happy Life...

 

[El-Dracho]

I think the answer to the question of whether you need a heater, heated blanket, etc. is very dependent on personal feelings and your own circumstances. We also drive our Land Rover in winter without interior heating and sleep in the folding roof. We have winter sleeping bags that are comfortable down to about minus 20 degrees Celsius/ -4 °F. We get along fine with them as long as it's just sleeping in the car. Sitting in the vehicle for a long time is out of the question, of course, but we prefer to sit by the fire anyway. I was many years also in the winter with the motorcycle on the road and have slept even in clear frost in the tent, a good sleeping bag provided, for me completely ok. A hot water bottle can be quite nice when falling asleep then.

When we are at a campground with electricity during the cold season, I carry a small electrical heater. That is a nice pleasant comfort. Then it's also cozy in the vehicle. Sometimes that's nice too. Sometimes like this, sometimes like that, everyone as he likes. If you use an electric heater or electrically heated blanket, I would pay close attention that your auxiliary battery has the sufficient capacity, all cables are properly sized, etc. When using a diesel heater or something else which heats with combustion, it is very important to pay attention to the exhaust gas flow. I would also always use a carbon monoxide detector for safety reasons then, when I sleep in the rig. Our West Europe Director @Polaris Overland did a very good write up related to this saftey factors some time ago, take a look here, please:

Diesel Heater Exhaust Recommendations.

Many of our members have recently invested in diesel heaters and having seen a few installations I wanted to just mention the recommendations around placement of the exhaust when installing the heater in the vehicle. Firstly it is recommended to be clear of the vehicle. Webasto state:- "Level...

www.overlandbound.com

Please think safety!

 

[Punk'n_Willy]

Thanks, everyone for the replies. We are just starting out so I'm trying to still figure a lot of this out. I eventually would like to have a solar system installed in the Jeep but seeing how we are new I don't want to go all overkill just yet. I have been looking at the Bluetti portable battery systems so I plan on having some sort of Aux power in the beginning. @genocache I didn't even know there were values to sleep systems like you mentioned with the "R" value so that is something I am going to have to look up as eventually we will move from sleeping in the Jeep to a RTT or even possibly some kind of tow behind system.

@lhoffm4 my wife is a damn lizard as well and is always cold so this is mostly for her as I like having a cooler night's sleep with my COPD. I will have to research blankets may be that we can lay on top of the mattress with our sleeping bags on top of if that is safe. I saw two of you mention diesel heaters, and I have thought about that as I watch Venture4wd and he has a system like this in his Jeep but it seems he has had a few issues with it as well it is rated for certain altitudes? Now I'm not looking to drive up Everest but I try to cut cover my behind in all conditions because we don't know how far we'll push ourselves once we get going down this new Overland venture of ours.

I will take everything here and do some more deep dives into all the solutions and ideas brought up here, thank you everyone for taking the time to reply :)

 

[Dimitri_Raptis]

An air diesel heater in my opinion is the best solution

 

[Alanymarce]

It obviously depends on your metabolism and the outside temperature, however.... We have no heater - they use power, either fuel or electricity, which implies adding fuel storage and handling, or charging capability.

We use layers - in very hot weather, a sheet; in cold weather, thermal underwear+sleeping bag+duvet+"technical" blanket. In between these extremes we choose the number of layers as appropriate. Most of the time the duvet is adequate.

We've camped in temperatures from -14 C to +35 C (nighttime temperature) and have always been comfortable (although at 35 C it was getting a bit too hot for us I must admit.

 

[Olen]

An air diesel heater in my opinion is the best solution

Cost wise, an Amazon Chinese diesel heater gives you a lot of bang for the buck. Especially if you already have a diesel vehicle.

 

[Kent R]

I am trying an electric convection heater in our OVRLND Camper that is rated at 250 watts. The only issue is battery storage, but otherwise I really like how it works and it makes no noise.
Ill report back in a couple of months once I get all the bugs worked out.

 

[lhoffm4]

Cost wise, an Amazon Chinese diesel heater gives you a lot of bang for the buck. Especially if you already have a diesel vehicle.

I agree 100%! There are some pieces of kit that are considered "game changers", imho- a diesel heater is one of them! I'd buy a diesel heater before a 12v fridge, before a discada, before a smokeless fire pit, and even before a roof top tent! I have acquired all of those pieces of kit and believe each of them bring A LOT to the table! Roughing it for deer camp or scout camp is one thing, and I have gotten by with little more than a good old Coleman Stove and a sleeping bag, but the Wife won't... A dry, warm, comfortable night's sleep is a MUST, if I want the pleasure of her company in the wilds... Nuff said.

 

[Dimitri_Raptis]

I am trying an electric convection heater in our OVRLND Camper that is rated at 250 watts. The only issue is battery storage, but otherwise I really like how it works and it makes no noise.
Ill report back in a couple of months once I get all the bugs worked out.

Nice. You will need a lot of Ah lithium battery. How many Ah do you have?

 

[Rock-and-Trail]

So the wife and I are hoping to get out for our first trip this fall after we get our daughter settled back up in college. We will be sleeping in the Jeep utilizing the DeepSleep4Jeep mattress. Would a 12v plug-in heating pad or blanket be our best solution for this current setup? I am also assuming I should have an alternate source of power to use this as well?

I sleep in a small Kamp-Rite tent. My 2-door Jeep is too small to sleep inside. I use a 110-volt heating pad designed for a massage table. It's exactly the size of my sleeping bag, and on the LOW setting will run all night without the inverter shutting down to preserve the battery. Running on a setting higher than LOW requires a restart of the Jeep's engine once during the night.

I camped in 18-degree weather two weekends ago. I had the heating pad on HIGH and simply idled the Jeep's engine all night. The 2.0L engine drank about 2.5 gallons of fuel to idle 10 hours.

I believe you'll be extremely happy with the 12-volt pad.

 

[Kent R]

Nice. You will need a lot of Ah lithium battery. How many Ah do you have?

currently 200 and it worked for six hours before the inverter started to alarm due to low voltage. I am trying to figure out a location for one more battery.

 

[John and Mandi]

We carry a Wave 3 and have only used it twice, Expo West 2015 and in Denali N.P. August that same year. We're in a van so we came up with a decent system for staying warm without the need for the propane heater. Doing over we would install a diesel heater but at this time it's far down on the list. In short, we would make lots of tea with a butane stove. That not only warmed us up a bit but it also put heat into the van. We also cooked dinner inside, mostly soups, stews or curries. When it was really cold we would crack off the van and crank the heat just before going to sleep under down sleeping bags with an alpaca wool liner (it's actually a poncho but it works great as a liner). Our sleeping bags are mummy style but we are able to still mate them into one bag. We also hung whatever random fleece blankets we had behind the front seats to block off the windows as much as possible, doing the same across the back doors. That change, and not having to pop-up, were the biggest help and when we pulled the blankets down in the morning we could feel a noticeable difference in the temperature. We also slept in Patagonia base layers but we wore them 100% of the time anyway when it was really cold. Things we would do different, besides a diesel heater, are we'd use merino wool base layers instead of the synthetic ones and we'd use more wool instead of the sleeping bags. We now own a nice wool lined comforter and a merino wool blanket. Over the years we did adjust more to the cold since we were living without a fully climate controlled space for so long, that had to play a big part of forgoing the heater. Friends used a 12v blanket and swore it was their game changer. They travelled in a 4-Wheel camper that had to be popped up to sleep. Other friends in a pop top Troopy had a diesel heater but they were afraid to sleep with it running through the night. They too had to pop-up to sleep so they also had a "system". What sold us on the diesel heater was great friends of ours, an older couple in an XP camper, it was like a sauna in their camper to the point we were all in t-shirts when it was freezing outside. At high altitude, everyone with diesel heaters had them act up and not work several times so they too had to layer up and figure out how to keep the rig as warm as possible. We do have friends that had some sort of tank heater installed on their truck. When their diesel heater failed in the Andes they engineered a way to direct the heat to the habitation or to the cab. Ironically, they were making fun of that exact heater in Baja and wondered why the original owner/builder of their rig had installed two different heaters. Of course, later they were praising the genius of the decision.

 

[OTH Overland]

Thanks, everyone for the replies. We are just starting out so I'm trying to still figure a lot of this out. I eventually would like to have a solar system installed in the Jeep but seeing how we are new I don't want to go all overkill just yet. I have been looking at the Bluetti portable battery systems so I plan on having some sort of Aux power in the beginning. @genocache I didn't even know there were values to sleep systems like you mentioned with the "R" value so that is something I am going to have to look up as eventually we will move from sleeping in the Jeep to a RTT or even possibly some kind of tow behind system.

@lhoffm4 my wife is a damn lizard as well and is always cold so this is mostly for her as I like having a cooler night's sleep with my COPD. I will have to research blankets may be that we can lay on top of the mattress with our sleeping bags on top of if that is safe. I saw two of you mention diesel heaters, and I have thought about that as I watch Venture4wd and he has a system like this in his Jeep but it seems he has had a few issues with it as well it is rated for certain altitudes? Now I'm not looking to drive up Everest but I try to cut cover my behind in all conditions because we don't know how far we'll push ourselves once we get going down this new Overland venture of ours.

I will take everything here and do some more deep dives into all the solutions and ideas brought up here, thank you everyone for taking the time to reply :)

Venture4wd has a gasoline heater in his rig, much more susceptible to altitude and seems a lot more finicky, although when piped into the jeeps fuel tank you eliminate the need for a second fuel source and the place to carry it. We just got back from testing our new all in one diesel heater on a two week trip, and have some mixed feelings so far. The noise, size of the unit, need for an extra rotopax of diesel, storage of enough hose to reach the RTT etc are defiantly negatives, the super warm DRY heat that they put out is very nice, never waking up to a wet condensated tent a huge bonus. for this past trip it was just not cold enough to justify the extra room used and time taken to set the thing up, if it was very cold and wet each night it would have been a different story. One night on the coast there was very heavy fog, and we had turned off the heater as we were too hot, by morning the tent was soaked inside and out, fired the heater up and in ten minutes the tent was completely dry along with everything in it, no damp gear the next night to set up. For mid season trips we will likely stay with the electric blanket, powered from our 100 ah house battery it easily will run all night if needed and RedARC manager 30 charges the battery in less than two hours the next day. full on winter will be bringing the diesel heater. on this trip we used less than 2-1/2 gallons of fuel for the whole trip.

 

[tjZ06]

I sleep in a small Kamp-Rite tent. My 2-door Jeep is too small to sleep inside. I use a 110-volt heating pad designed for a massage table. It's exactly the size of my sleeping bag, and on the LOW setting will run all night without the inverter shutting down to preserve the battery. Running on a setting higher than LOW requires a restart of the Jeep's engine once during the night.

I camped in 18-degree weather two weekends ago. I had the heating pad on HIGH and simply idled the Jeep's engine all night. The 2.0L engine drank about 2.5 gallons of fuel to idle 10 hours.

I believe you'll be extremely happy with the 12-volt pad.

I assume you're using a co2 detector when sleeping in your rig with it running? If not, please do. ;)



Anyway, when I tent camp out of the WJ or X I have a 2,500Wh power supply and a basic heated blanket. I can run it on low (which is plenty so far) for at least 3 nights off the power supply. The heated blanket I have is a 110V AC so I might be able to improve runtime if I got a DC unit so I'm not going through the power supply's inverter...

-TJ

 

[Rock-and-Trail]

I sleep in a small Kamp-Rite tent. My 2-door Jeep is too small to sleep inside. I use a 110-volt heating pad designed for a massage table. It's exactly the size of my sleeping bag, and on the LOW setting will run all night without the inverter shutting down to preserve the battery. Running on a setting higher than LOW requires a restart of the Jeep's engine once during the night.

I camped in 18-degree weather two weekends ago. I had the heating pad on HIGH and simply idled the Jeep's engine all night. The 2.0L engine drank about 2.5 gallons of fuel to idle 10 hours.

I believe you'll be extremely happy with the 12-volt pad.

I assume you're using a co2 detector when sleeping in your rig with it running? If not, please do. ;)



Anyway, when I tent camp out of the WJ or X I have a 2,500Wh power supply and a basic heated blanket. I can run it on low (which is plenty so far) for at least 3 nights off the power supply. The heated blanket I have is a 110V AC so I might be able to improve runtime if I got a DC unit so I'm not going through the power supply's inverter...

-TJ

I don't sleep in the Jeep. Being a 2-door, there simply isn't enough room. I sleep in a Kamp-Rite tent so no chance for carbon monoxide.

 

[tjZ06]

I don't sleep in the Jeep. Being a 2-door, there simply isn't enough room. I sleep in a Kamp-Rite tent so no chance for carbon monoxide.

Duh, sorry I must not have had enough coffee when I first read your post!

-TJ

 

[Rock-and-Trail]

;)

 

[Rock-and-Trail]

;)