The outdoors present many challenges for campers. You can’t control the weather and just have to deal with whatever comes your way. Backpackers who set up camp might escape severe temperature conditions at night. But as it gets colder, you need to know how to heat your tent to get cozy.
A camping tent gives you temporary protection from the elements. However, most camping shelters are made from thin polyester. This material will protect you from the wind and rain. Nevertheless, it has terrible insulating capabilities. As such, you would need a secondary means of heating your outdoor refuge.
What Are Your Options?
There are two ways you can heat a tent: using electricity or gas-powered appliances and going all-natural. Electrical appliances are convenient, and you only need to flip a switch to get it running.
However, to get the entire camping experience, you can always go back to the basics. You can still heat your tent using locally available materials to make it nice and cozy at night.
We considered both options and found out the merits and downsides of each. Keep reading to discover how to effectively heat your tent and at the same time guarantee your wellbeing.
1. Electric Heaters
Electric heaters are powered by electricity, so you will have to carry a backup generator to get some of these appliances working. A recharging battery powers the others, so you’ll save up on luggage space.
Before bringing along any electrical heaters, you will need to check with local campsite authorities. Some sites discourage electrical appliances, but others provide outlets to power appliances.
• Electric Radiator
If you don’t know how to heat a tent, it would be safer to use an electric radiator. It is the most common household heater available on the market and, frankly, the simplest to operate. However, these thermal gadgets can be large and more demanding to haul around.
Radiators are usually electric powered and can connect to a mains power socket. Also, they conduct heat energy in two ways. One variety uses a solid heated surface, as the other employs liquid conductors such as oil.
Oil-filled tent heaters are pretty bulky. Most come equipped with wheels that should lessen the burden of moving them around the campsite.
These machines are powerful heaters. They boast multiple temperature settings and heating options that you can easily control on an LCD. And unlike generator-driven heaters, they operate noiselessly.
This heater has to accommodate an oil reservoir. And this pushes its weight to a hefty eight pounds. For most backpackers, this machine can be a tad too heavy. There are smaller heaters that with ceramic heating elements and weighing a fraction of the oil-filled appliance.
The latter heaters are equally noiseless, feature multiple heating modes and temperature controls. This heater can warm up to 200 square feet of space while weighing just over two pounds. Additionally, you’ll have little trouble carrying the heater inside your backpack.
Since it is a small gadget, it raises the temperature quickly, and in addition to a forced-air mechanism, the heater will warm your room quickly. There is no risk of fire with this heater. It has an automatic kill switch for when it tips over.
• Electric Blanket
Blankets and sleeping bags are a must-have for any hiker. Because you must rest when it’s dark, you’ll need something with which to cover yourself. An electric blanket will allow you to experience a whole new level of coziness.
Thermal blankets are better than halogen heaters and regular radiators when it comes to saving weight. Most weigh around three pounds. You can easily roll them up and pack them into your backpack.
Most backpacks even have a dedicated slot where you can slip your thermal blanket. Moreover, you won’t have to carry extra bedding if you’re bringing a blanket. A standard heater is a separate appliance and less versatile than the heated covers.
Like standard heaters, thermal covers also offer multiple temperature settings. You can easily change the heat settings from slow to fast and achieve maximum comfort inside your tent. What’s more, it is a blanket, and when temperatures drastically drop, you can quickly increase its heating efficacy to counter Mother Nature.
Just like your regular covers, this blanket can go inside a washing machine. It has a detachable controller, and you only need to take it off to clean your camping blanket quickly.
• Electric Halogen Heaters
Most heating elements take time to rise to their working temperature. Halogen bulbs have been around for a while. Besides giving off a stunning hue, the gas tends to heat up quite fast. The resulting energy is then spread across the room to warm up your tent.
Halogen heaters are the smallest on the market and probably the most practical solution to your camping heating problems. They also emit light, which makes them fairly versatile. This glow also enhances the ambiance of your tent.
Halogen usually heats up quickly. As such, the heaters will heat up in no time. However, this can sometimes translate to a potential fire hazard if you aren’t careful. That is why some camping sites regulate the presence of electric heaters. Because if it accidentally topples over, it will quickly ignite your clothes and luggage.
Also, you cannot pull it closer in case it gets colder, unlike hot water bottles. Alternatively, campers can acquire a hanging halogen tent heater. The probability of an accident occurring is lower because it is suspended in mid-air.
2. Gas-Powered Heaters
Gas-powered appliances are a favorite for a lot of outdoor lovers. Propane has excellent utility in the wild, from cooking your food, warming up the inside of your tent, and even serving as a light source.
These heaters are powered using a blend of propane and butane gas. Once ignited, these flammable gases will supply a steady dose of thermal energy into your tent.
Most gas-powered heaters have a raft of safety features. For instance, they are usually associated with carbon monoxide emissions, an incredibly toxic gas. The gas poses a life-threatening hazard to your health and wellbeing if something goes wrong.
Therefore, all gas heaters should only be used in properly ventilated tents, as venting allows the deadly gas to escape. If you buy a regular propane heater, then your tent should have a wide vent that’s around 4 square inches.
Not all propane heaters are easy to haul up a hiking trail. Some have an accompanying propane tank from which the heater draws its fuel. Others have a built-in reservoir that saves precious weight even though it is bulkier.
3. The All-Natural Way
Camping permits you to be one with nature. If you work in an office, you’ll rarely ever experience the wild outdoors. Most times, you might be stuck behind an office desk furiously banging on your computer. And when you decide to venture on an outdoor camping trip, you still deserve to be cozy without having to haul complicated heating equipment.
Fire is a critical feature of any camping expedition. Fortunately, you can use many organic materials in the woods to heat your campsite and, most importantly, your sleeping tent.
You should be able to find a few twigs and fallen leaves lying around. Venture into the woods, and you’ll gather a decent cache of firewood to get that campfire going.
To heat your tent naturally, you must involve thermal mass and consider a couple of innovative materials. Thermal mass points to how well an object retains heat which gets slowly released after being plucked from the fire.
This method is inherently safer because the heat releases gradually into the environment. Your heated rocks won’t fall over, and if they do, they’ll be cool enough to avoid burning your tent.
Here are some simple ways you can heat your tent all-naturally.
Heated Stones
The principle is quite simple. Heat a bunch of rocks until they get hot enough. Then transfer them to your tent, cover them up and watch as they radiate all that pent-up thermal energy throughout your tent.
First, you will need to find the best rocks. Smaller ones tend to lose heat faster since they don’t have an adequate mass to store energy. You should find plenty of stones around the campsite. Additionally, nearby streams are another perfect spot to collect rocks.
Next, you will need to get a campfire going. A campfire is essential when camping, so you should have this sorted out. You don’t need to drop the rocks inside the flames. They may get hot faster, but you’ll have trouble taking them out when you need them.
You might wait for the fire to die off, but remember that the stones will also release all that precious energy.
Instead, place the stones by the bonfire. They should be close enough to absorb as much heat as possible without radiating the energy outward.
Once your heated stones are ready, carefully lift them and place them in your tent. Wrap them in old rages to prevent them from burning your clothes.
Place them at the corner points, ensuring each rock is far away from the next. A well-heated tent should have several stones spread out to allow for ideal heat circulation.
Heated stones store more energy because they are denser. Also, they tend to release it faster than other materials because you will have just under 5 hours of heat discharge. Depending on how well your sleeping area is insulated, you can stay warm until sunrise.
Remember, to get the most out of this method, make sure to heat up plenty of rocks and spread them out all around your tent.
Hot Water
Instead of stones, you can also heat water, store it in containers, and allow them to slowly release some of that heat into your tent.
You will need plenty of water as well as sturdy plastic or metal bottles. Rigid solids won’t lose heat quickly, and they’ll allow you to enjoy the warmth for longer. Also, since you will need boiling water, some plastics will easily deform and start leaking.
As with the heated stones, use the campfire to boil your water inside a heating pan or pot. Once ready, fill your bottles, tightly seal them, and set them carefully inside your tent.
Remember to spread the hot water inside your tent. Depending on the robustness of the bottles, you might stay warm throughout the night. It all depends on how fast the bottles lose heat.
If it starts to get too cold, you may not want to snuggle up with the heated stones as they aren’t very comfortable. However, you can easily pull warm water bottles closer to your body as the temperature drops during the night. You’ll have a delightful night’s rest without getting scalded or wet.
This method of heating a tent is best suited for smaller tents. For family-sized tents, you’ll need more bottles and a lot of water, which may not be very efficient.
Candle Heater
Candles are a surprise entry into this list because you’ll have to buy a dozen or so before heading out. Nevertheless, you can warm your tent quite quickly with a bunch of candles. They are mainly used for lighting, but with the right equipment, their naked flame will produce just enough heat to keep you warm.
A candle heater is a handy device that channels heat to its surroundings. They often look like lanterns that house at least three candles. The device has glass walls through which light penetrates to illuminate your campsite or tent.
A candle has a naked flame which is its primary heating element. Put three candles in the holder, and you’ll get a decent amount of warmth for the night.
Some lanterns include a heat shield that is heated by the candles. You can even use this surface to heat water for your coffee. It also radiates enough heat that should keep things cozy inside your camping tent.
Campfires
A campfire is a phenomenal source of heat, light, and security. There isn’t a camper out there who would wait out the night in total darkness. The flames will keep wild animals at bay while giving you some much-needed warmth. You can also use the fire to whip up a quick meal.
Additionally, a strategic campfire will give off enough heat to heat the entire campsite. But it needs to be sizeable and central to the whole site.
Nevertheless, if you are out on a solo hiking trip, you don’t have to set up a gigantic pyre to heat a tent. A campfire inside a trench should help keep you warm all night long.
You will have to dig a sizeable trench, place your fire in the hole, and use it before retiring for the night. The idea is to accumulate as many hot coals as possible, so you need to gather plenty of wood to burn.
Once it’s time to set up camp, all you have to do is bury the campfire with dirt. Afterward, pitch your tent above the extinguished campfire.
The coals aren’t going to die out as fast as the flames. Instead, they will slowly release their heat. This thermal energy travels up through the soil, penetrating through the ground and into your tent.
If you opt for this heating method, do not place an insulating blanket or sleeping pad on the ground above the buried coals as they will insulate the floor instead and direct that precious heat back underground.
This is a straightforward method, and your tent will be heated all night long. However, it also has a couple of drawbacks. First, you’ll have to extinguish a perfect campfire. Doing so means you will have no security in the wild.
Second, because you must set up camp over the campfire, you’ll have no choice but to do so well into the night. This method is sequential. The first order of business is the campfire, and the last is your tent after you have exhaustively used up the fire. It is not fun, especially since you’ll have to put out your primary light source to put up your sleeping quarters.
Tent Insulation
Heating your tent is only the first step to getting all cozy in the wild. To keep all that energy inside your bunker, you should consider the kind of insulation you use.
Tents are usually made from sturdy but thin material. Thermal energy will quickly cross over to the other side faster than you can heat the entire tent. That’s why you have to protect your space by taking care of insulation.
Proper insulation goes hand in hand with other tent heating methods. Ground insulation, for instance, keeps the heat circulating inside the tent instead of escaping through the ground. You can use a blanket spread over the surface to ensure optimum thermal energy circulation.
When you consider heating your tent with an extinguished campfire, you wouldn’t want to insulate the ground. This is because the dying embers release heat which flows upward towards your shelter. Covering the ground below only bounces these waves back and robs your precious thermal energies.
It gets trickier when you consider gas-powered heaters. The carbon emissions have to be eliminated lest they accumulate and lead to disaster. Adding a vent to your tent removes any insulating capabilities you had as precious heat will escape with the gas.
On the bright side, thanks to their impressive reservoirs, these heaters remain active for more extended periods.
How to Heat a Tent Safely
Heating your camping tent is pretty dangerous because you’ll be exposing the fabric to potentially damaging temperatures. This could destroy the tent and leave you exposed to the cold. So, to be on the safe side, there are a couple of precautions to keep in mind the next time you are out camping.
Venting
Candles, propane burners, and wooden stoves usually emit a highly poisonous gas, known as carbon monoxide. Campers must find a way to get rid of this gas as quickly as possible. That’s why having a canopy ventilator is essential.
A vent directs this gas outside your shelter, which will keep the air inside as pure as possible.
Cover the Hot Rocks
Using hot rocks is cheap and effective. However, the stones tend to burn most materials they touch. Nevertheless, you still need to keep them covered to slowly release their thermal energy into your tent.
You must be mindful of the fabric you’re using to shield the stones. It should be robust enough to resist burning.
Automatic Cut-Off Safety Feature
Most people aren’t aware of how much they move while they sleep. If you keep a heater inside your tent, you wouldn’t want to knock it over by accident. Halogen heaters tend to heat up quickly and can ignite upon contact with fabric.
You need an appliance that automatically switches off when it falls over. Better yet, get one that will be active for a certain number of hours. Once this period elapses, it automatically switches off.
Camping is a fulfilling adventure that allows you to explore the great outdoors. But if you are going outside, you still need a level of comfort in your tent. And if you know how to heat a tent, then you can afford to bring along some of the appliances discussed in this article to spruce up your outdoor shelter.
FAQs
1. Is there a safe way to heat your tent?
There are some perfectly safe tent heating methods to consider when camping. Water bottles and heated stones indirectly release thermal energy throughout your tent. Setting up camp above an extinguished campfire is also quite safe. There is no risk of fire as the heat slowly ebbs upward into your shelter.
2. Are tent heaters dangerous?
Yes, all tent heaters pose a danger to the inhabitants inside, whether it is through leaking gas, fire or electrocution. You must handle these gadgets with care. Electric heater cables need to be arranged properly. On the other hand, wooden stoves and gas heaters require ventilation.
3. Can you sleep in a tent with a propane heater?
While they pose the risk of leaking gas, propane heaters are quite safe. You need to follow their accompanying instruction manual to learn how to operate it correctly. Consider the proper methods to use when turning on and off. Also, check out any cut-off features bundled in the heater to prevent a fire.
