What do you think to this idea?

[Celtic Dragon]

When I was a kid, I came up with an idea for a tent warmer, but got shouted down when I drew it up. I designed it to be placed ijust in front of the door.

Now I'm older and wiser I thought I'd see what you all thought to it.

Its basically a small biuscit tin with something that looks like a mini pig sty on top with a highly polished inside. In the bottom tin you put something like a baking cooling tray in to act as a raised grate. You light a very small fire in this contraption, and the convection heats your tent.

 

[arctic hobo]

How would you give it a good air supply?

 

[tomtom]

whats the pig sty for?

 

[Celtic Dragon]

the bottom tin below the grate line has holes punched into it. Something like Fenlanders stove pics.

 

[RAPPLEBY2000]

sounds a bit smokey?

during my mountain leadership course i used to cook rather tentatively in the porch of my tent and it did indeed warm up the tent.

using wood as a fuel is slightly more risky as sparks could pop out into the tent.

in princaple it's a damn good idea as long as you can control the fuel/heat and smoke.

 

[Celtic Dragon]

whats the pig sty for?

I originally but it in to protect the tent from the flames, but it also acts as a reflector.

 

[Celtic Dragon]

in princaple it's a damn good idea as long as you can control the fuel/heat and smoke.

It could run on bbq charcoal, or anything that would be safer. Dry birch or pine thats not loaded with resin could also be used safely.

 

[beachlover]

whats the pig sty for?

The pig sty is what you sleep in after your tent has burned down ):

 

[Andy]

couldn't you just do a large scale version of the charcoal hand warmers?

Use an ammo box maybe

 

[TwoFourAlpha]

Sorry for first-posting like this, but this is an extremely dangerous thing to do.

Forget setting fire to the tent, smouldering charcoal is happily giving off carbon monoxide. Even though you are in a tent, the elevated levels of CO in there could quite happily make you drift into the 'long sleep'.

A friend of mine died this way a few years ago, with a disposable barbecue in a hut on a beach in Thailand.

Don't do it, kids.

Oh, first post, BTW.

 

[Celtic Dragon]

Welcome aboard TwoFourAlpha . Just to clarify, I didn't mean for this to be placed by the internal door, but by the external 1. I never have a flame in the "porch" of a tent.

 

[Wildpacker]

Don't see a problem with many heat sources inside the tent, but wood based fires are not one of them. I have cooked many times in the tent with gas, kero and gasolene stoves and also used them to raise the temperature in a hurry. I've seen woodburners being used for heating in big multi-occupancy tents, but ventilation has also been a priority.

 

[TwoFourAlpha]

I reckon you should still watch your wind direction. A quick googling shows that CO poisoning can produce clinical symtoms an levels as low as 100 parts per million.

Better be safe, I reckon.

 

[Goose]

The only thing I have seen that is similar but working on gas is a catalytic heater from a caravan. I used one in largeish ridge tent to take the chill off(I would never have left it on overnight) it made the roof space pretty hot but wasn't very effective on the floor were the bodies were.
I think the idea is good but the problems associated with it,safety and effectiveness would rule it out pretty much.
Suppose a hypocaust system would work,but would take a lot of digging!

What about an airbed filled with hot water?! :rolmao:

 

[zackerty]

I know! I know!
Drink lots of RUM.... that will keep you warm, and fire safe, and sleepy...

 

[PC2K]

in japan it's very "populair" to comit suicicide by burning charcoal in confind spaces, usually cars, there... Try NOT to do the same thing in a tent or let CO levels rise in your tent.

i have read in a article where they tested CO levels inside tents with porch and vents all open, even so CO levels quickly rised to dangerous levels.

 

[ChrisKavanaugh]

Back to the issue of heating the tent and putting aside safety issues. You want a warmer tent primarily at night wilst asleep. Daylight brings physical activity and eating. So, as stated earlier we need to primarily heat the floor. The classic bushcraft method is to create a subsoil firebed with heated rocks. Most tents have a sewn in floor so this is out. Alternatives are a thermos of hot water replicating hot water bottles, some sort of solar charged, battery powered electric floor mat a la' electric blanket. Oh gee, what was that post about rum? Do crop circles emmanate higher ground temperatures? :Crazy_071

 

[EdS]

that is where the Patypus stule drinking bag comes in - boil some water put it in the bag and you've got a hot waterbottle

 

[george]

Of course what you could do is have a totally sealed unit that takes in air from the outside and vents outside too - a bit like a balanced flue system for central heating. That way no nasty smoke or fumes inside the tent.

If you burn anything inside a tent you're going to end up with CO in your tent. Thats why I use a wood stove with chimney in my kata not the firebox that moskoselkatan suggest. It might be ok when the fires roaring and all the vents are open - but at the end of the evening when you snug things down to go to sleep and let the fire go out, its still pumping out good old CO for a couple of hours.

Read this http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4832a1.htm

george

 

[george]

and this http://www.spiritburner.com/backpacker_stove_safety.htm

george