Heater for Car Camping?

[Eva_Hunts]

Hey all, what sort of heaters do you use when camping in your car/suv/truck? Is there anything safe out there? If I leave the windows slightly open and use something like a portable Mr Heater will I die in my sleep?
Any recommendations would be great as waking up periodically to crank the car heat is bullsh**.

Thanks

[Whonnock Boy]

Do you have a tent, and good sleeping bag? You will be better off sleeping on the ground.

[Fixit]

x2 on the tent, sleeping in a vehicle is laying on a big metal heat sink, that has wind above and below it.
tent is more comfortable i find anyways.

or if you must, invest in some good foamies, or the hard pink/blue foam board, made a hell of a difference in the bed of a truck

["No Choke"Lord Walsingham]

IDK what's good but I really like to be insulated from the ground in the cold. Raised is fine. Pick a good spot and you may even have a decent windbreak. Soft lining and a sleep system as you'd use elsehwere, probably wouldn't even need a heater. But if it got bad, smol generater and an electric heater. No propane/fume type shyte in any enclosed space.

Or just Wall Tent?

lol

[adriaticum]

I never leave the heater on at night. You only really need it in the morning to change and get out of bed.
I wouldn't leave a propane heater on while I sleep

[tuner]

^^^ The generator running a small wattage electric heater is the safest in terms of emitting no dangerous fumes,
However you still have to be cognizant that it is set up in a manner that it won't set anything on fire, a two thousand watt generator would be a minimum, in order to run up to a 700 W heater.

[Gateholio]

Sleeping in vehicles other than actual camping vehicles sucks, but if you really want to do it- get something to insulate you really well from the bottom. Then you want lots and lots of blankets above and below. Enough so it doesn't matter how cold it gets outside you are nice and cozy.

In the morming, start car and turn on the heater. I wouldn't use a gas or propane heater while I slept, even with the window open.

[Bonz]

ive used the small heaters in tents all the time, their vented enough, i wouldnt do it in a vehicle, once temps get real cold, being in a car is worse than a tent. the ,metal turns to an ice chest and golds cold in

[nature girl]

If you get a 6" foam and half decent sleeping bag for the cold you should be good. I to would also not use a propane heater while you are sleeping. I have slept in the back of the truck many times and have not been cold since we got our better sleeping bags. Are actually getting hot during the night now.

[boxhitch]

....... If I leave the windows slightly open and use something like a portable Mr Heater will I die in my sleep?
........understand anything with a flame or that burns fuel, consumes Oxygen and produces poison CO
Battery operated CO monitors with alarms can be had for under $20

But the cost and effort for a more comfortable sleep is so easy, I would never consider sleeping in a vehicle for more than a couple of hours nap.
And if the party is too loud, just walk a little further away

[adriaticum]

I also have a 3 inch thick foam from the foam shop that completely insulates me from the truck bed.
That and 2 sleeping bags make sleeping very comfortable down to -15.

[Ride Red]

You can use a product that the plumbers wrap hot water tanks in. It's a thin bubble wrap with foil on either side. This material has approx. an R6 value and is 1/4" thick. The foil reflects the heat/cold with the bubble wrap center being the thermal break. It is tough as hell and can mould right around you. I've used it for mutiple uses, but can be layed right on frozen ground before you put your sleeping pad down.

[tuner]

I don't get all the resistance to sleeping in a vehicle, I do it quite often through out the year, and I'm always quite warm and comfortable. Tents are a pain in the ass in the rain or snow, are noisy in windy conditions, and slow you down if you want to be highly mobile. A cast iron pot with lid tossed in a fire for a few hours before bed time and then placed on bit of reflective duct insulation will radiate heat and a UCO candle lantern strategically placed will warm and prevent condensation in winter conditions.

[Eva_Hunts]

Appreciate the feedback guys, lot's of great ideas! Lining the bed with pink or blue foam and bubble wrap insulation are all genius, so is using a candle lantern etc.

Just to be clear fellers, this car camping solution is for those nights where you absolutely can not drive any further and need to sleep roadside, or as Tuner mentioned when the rain/snow/wind is too immense for a tent and you need to temporarily escape (I'm not hardcore enough just yet to withstand some modern comforts). My thoughts are that a good car camping solution adds to your arsenal of flexibility as a hunter when and if you need it much like a leatherman does.

Thanks again! More ideas are def welcome!

[Sunzuki]

Webasto

https://www.webasto.com/gb/markets-products/car/retrofit-parking-heater/our-parking-heaters/small-cars/

[SaintSix]

ive slept in my ice fishing shelter with a mr heater going all night with no issues, but if you were to try it in a car I would suggest getting a carbon monoxide alam, they sell battery powered ones very cheap. but I agree with most to say I don't get a good nights rest in the back seat. if its only for one night, or a few hours I just let my truck run, its fairly new and I'm not to worried about a exhaust leak.

[twoSevenO]

sleeping in a car has one huge benefit for me .... I can get to the trail head the night before and just take off in the morning, without having to pack up my tent. I sleep on a plywood platform i made in my jeep and put my thermarest on top of that. Works well for me even in sub zero temps.

Sleeping in a car has one huge downside as well .... condensation. I always end up with condensation inside when its cold outside. If there isn't much wind it happens in the tent too .... just not enough air flow to keep the air from moving and condensing against the tent fly.


As for heaters .... i don't run one and i never would. A vehicle is a very small space to be using a heater. Just get a better sleeping bag and wrap a spare shirt around your face if your exposed face is cold.

[604ksmith]

I have a 1/4 inch plywood bottom to get a nice flat surface, a 3 inch foam pad from my cot, and a -12 or -28 sleeping bag.

I keep the front window (closest to cab) 1/2 open, and put a cut pool noodle on the top of my canopy covering the gap between cab and canopy. It helps keep rain out with the window open.

[adriaticum]

Some guys go to great lengths....


https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Z1yJWhRWBzA/maxresdefault.jpg