Heater or no heater?

[Another Rube]

I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on a Kestrel shell for my Tundra and the last real debate is the heater. When you add the separate battery it's a big dollar item. My wife doesn't see the need (but then she doesn't hunt elk in Colorado). For those of you with the heater, how often do you use it? Thanks.

 

[lqhikers]

my answer to heater or no heater

we use a wall mount cataytic propane heater i open one of the covers that is used to reach turnbuckles crack the roof vent been using this set up for years,no batt. drain, quiet ,also sewed up insulating pads that cover fabric walls our shell (fwc) came with velcro along top so it was a easy job to put up pads or take down,anyway it works for us (have used in Idaho in winter with great results!) drive slow and enjoy "its the journey"

 

[DLN]

Rube,

We didn't have the heater installed when we bought our Eagle at the alleged good advice of some friends and regretted it right away. We used portable heaters and they just didn't cut it. If you camp at elevation or especially in non summer seasons bite the bullet and get the heater option. I installed the heater last winter myself and we love it. Parts cost $515.00 + shipping and my time to install vs $495.00 as a factory option now. Do it now and you won't regret it. Just my opinion.

Also welcome to the forum.

 

[Blazer]

Heaters seem to be needed to prevent buildup of condensation... In '88 I met some folks in BC traveling in their brand new fwc... they hated it because it was raining inside the camper... the problem was no heater, and the condensation of two sleepers overnight. This was in September, on the Kispiox, wet weather...

Art
'86 Blazer

 

[Another Rube]

Solid advice guys, thanks.

 

[craig333]

I mostly camp in the mountains. It can be nice and warm in the day and then be freezing at night. Mine gets used quite a bit. I also like that I can use a more comfortable sleeping bag. Don't have to use down mummy bag or anything like that.

 

[kcowyo]

I've had several outings that could have been miserable if not for my heater.

Few things are better than being able to stick your arm out of the sleeping bag and flipping the heater on for 5 minutes before you get up. Really knocks the chill off. Having to hole up in the camper all night in the rain with a heater on isn't nearly so bad.

One night in Death Valley it dropped to 16 degrees. By turning on my heater throughout the night, my water supply didn't freeze unlike my travelling companions. I was up drinking coffee the next morning while they were still trying to get their water thawed out.

It's too nice of a feature to have, to not have one.

 

[HERR42]

get the heater....dont argue! just do it!

 

[simimike]

I've owned a FWC without a heater and one with a heater. I like the heater a lot. Here's a thought on why a vented heater would be a good idea. Since you will be using propane for cooking you can tee off the heater line for your stove. This will save on the disposable bottles. Also some disconnect couplings to the exterior, some hoses and you can cook outside. Hook up a lantern and a BBQ. MMMM BBQ. With the built in propane system already installed this could make customizing your shell a little easier. Since you would have to store some kind of fuel for cooking and lighting why not a built in refillable system? The only storage space you would lose would be for the actual heater.

Just my thoughts on the subject. Hope this helps you decide.

Cheers,

Mike

 

[jimjxsn]

What's a Kestrel?

Heater - I use the heater every night on the lowest setting. Some nights it comes on, some nights it doesn't. The heater is the first option I would choose. The next options would be a sceen door and a front slider window.

 

[Sam]

I think you get the idea but.....Get the heater!

 

[Another Rube]

Excellent work. I think you've given me ample ammo to convince my wife (and myself) that the heater is essential.

Kestrel - is the FWC code for a Hawk chopped two inches to fit a 1st generation Tundra.

 

[Pete D]

When I was FullTiming in my Scamp 13' (inside dimension is about 6'x10'), I got by fine with a 6KBTU unvented LP heater, very much like the small catalytic heaters, but I didn't sleep with it on, just used my sleeping bag.

The standard RV heater has two major drawbacks; it will use a lot of 12VDC to run the fan system and it is inefficient on LP compared to the non-vented heaters. Also, it takes up more space.

The unvented heaters have their drawbacks also, one of them being that they are essentially a radiant heater (unlike the RV furnace, which is a convective/conductive heater), so it may take a while. Also, they need some ventilation because they are burning (cleanly) inside air (and have safety shutdowns in case of oxygen depletion). Also, a byproduct of combustion is water (aka condensation; about 1 oz of H2O per 1000BTU per hour), while the RV furnace dumps the byproducts outside (along with a lot of heat, which is why they are LP-inefficient).

It was easy enough to vent the condensation (from the heating, cooking and me) out the roof vent because the hot air, containing most of the water vapor, would rise and exit.

If I were to do my Scamp overagain, I would use either two Coleman 3KBTU Black Cats (Two to heat it up and then only one to keep it that way) or an adjustable Mr Heater Buddy connected to a larger LP tank.

Also, you can take a portable heater to the campground toilet and shower rooms.

 

[jimjxsn]

Kestrel - is the FWC code for a Hawk chopped two inches to fit a 1st generation Tundra.

So, is it chopped in height or in length??? I have a 2000 Tundra and I will say that not much else that is currently made has the same bed size as the Gen1 Tundra. I only mention that because your new FWC will probably way outlast your Tundra and may be hard to fit on another truck. Just some food for thought.

 

[Coop]

Beware Where The Thermostat Is Mounted.

My older Keystone camper came with the heater built in, right at the very back end of the camper, and at floor level, by the door. The thermostat control was mounted to the cabinet wall just about 15 to 18 inches “directly” above the heater…? This essentially, for obvious reasons, made the heater “worthless! It got toasty warm right by the back door and the heater would shut off, but… the front end of the camper, and particularly the bed cab-over area remained…cold! It was a waste of propane! I have no idea where the factories are mounting the thermostat these days, but it needs to be mounted somewhere up toward the front end of the camper, far away from the heater itself, if you want to be able the heat the camper anywhere near efficiently/overall.
Since Blazer brought up the subject of “condensation” and the need for a heater. Here’s a thought. The newer campers condensate and rain inside far more than the older campers ever did because the top material they are using these days…does not breath! The original top material had “breathability” which cut down on condensation formation a whole lot. There was/is never any condensation on the walls/fabric of the top at all. The “only” places condensation forms in my Keystone are along the ceiling/roof trim strips and on the two folding top support end panels and hinges. And… the glass windows, of course! With all due respect, and thanks, to both Stan and Ben, who have been very responsive and helpful with regard my inquiries about the old “Tan” material they used to use. We need to “lobby” you fella’s to seek out a more “Gore Tex” like, breathable, top material! And… it wouldn’t hurt to return to a much friendlier, warmer, more natural environmental color as well..? Just a thought! Thanks!
Coop.

 

[craig333]

Should be pretty easy to move the thermostat. I"ve never noticed a condensation problem in mine. I wonder if its just because I've been in different conditions or what.

 

[Coop]

Move Thermostat...???

Yep! I thought about it. But...didn't like the "propane drain" anyway,and, for a variety of other reasons I took the thing out, and made a storage locker out of the space. And, similar to Iqhiker, I use a small portable Coleman propane catalytic which does a good job of taking the chill off!
Besides, since I never left the heater on all night anyway, many a time the propane regulator has frozen during the night and we'd have no propane for either the...heater or the stove...in the morning anyway? The portable unit took care of that problem. At least we had...heat! If no ...hot coffee. Yeah! Guess the condensation issue depends on where you go and the weather,temp,humidity and all those other factors...? Gonna' be a problem for some, and...not for others I suppose...???

 

[oly884]

Winters in Montana can be cold, as in Colorado. I'd be dead right now if not for the heater in my FWC. -10°F and it kept the camper very cozy! When you go hunting for elk (or dear), there is nothing else better than coming back to a nice warm camper.

 

[lqhikers]

more thoughts on heat/propane issue

as we use catalytic heater (uses no power) hooked up to propane bottle we have eagle shell so no built in stove cooking almost always done outside,but we do use on occasion a one burner stove that screws on to small disposable bottle as we did build in a single sink and portable gal holding tank(holds enough to start the day)so i set the one burner in sink make coffee,soup etc if its to rough to be outside this way its safe as it cant fall over and cause fire,gets pretty cold in Idaho but never had regulater freeze up if its that cold its time to head to baja! i always try to remember why we bought a fwc small gets you into large areas thats what it is all about! drive slow and enjoy remember "its the journey"

 

[Coop]

BAJA...Huh?

Yeah! Right! Baja's one helluva long way south when you're 200 miles north of the Artic Circle in...Inuvik, North West Territories, Canada!
But...joking aside, propane regulators can and do freeze up! Just depends on where and when you like to roam, I guess...??? Just pointing out, if you plan/prefer on spending your time out/up in the cold country, rather than Baja, you might want to take steps to insulate the propane regulator!
Coop.