Do you really NEED a diesel heater? 3+ years with Buddy 

Wow that was a close call. Good thing you caught it in time. I have a wave 3 too and it’s been fantastic. Buddy heaters are great for blasting heat quick and wave 3 is better at maintaining a more comfortable temperature for a longer period of time.

A catalytic converted heater or external vent is necessary

Wow that’s crazy . Glad you’re ok But yeah gotta just turn it all the way up before bed and heat up the space you’re sleeping in . Ans turn it off before bed And if needed in the middle of the night turn it on one more time for a little if it’s THAT cold . Otherwise I usually just turn it on before bed and after I wake up in the mornings .

@@VidadeAP That's exactly how I use my Mr Heater Buddy now if I'm not using my diesel heater.

Good to know about the odorant, I have done a similar thing in the past with my Wave 3.

@@scottalpine Highly above-average!

I'm gonna give this a try. I have a little USB-powered fan kicking around here somewhere I can plug into my power station. Do you have a particular strategy for fan placement or is mostly just about getting the air to move around in some way?

@softroadingthewest if using 1 fan, I'd recommend having it face the center of your space. If using 2 fans, I would set them in opposite corners facing parallel to create a circular air flow. I do the 2 fan approach and can attest that there is virtually no condensation buildup outside of the most extreme cold. This setup also works great in cooling during the warmer/humid months as well. Hope that helps, and I look forward to your next episode!

@@EigerSummitOffroad Thanks so much. I have to admit, in my head, it seemed like it's still just the same moist air moving around, so why wouldn't it still yield condensation, but clearly the air movement makes a difference as numerous commenters have reported fans to be helpful. I'll try it for sure!

@softroadingthewest a simple test would be to wipe some water on a counter and let it dry on its own. Then do the same experiment with a fan blowing on the water. You'll see the water dry rapidly as the fan pushed air crosses it as opposed to sitting there waiting a while for the water to dry on its own. Same principle in the truck space with condensation.

@@softroadingthewest Do a search for Buddy heater upgrades Thermo-electric fan for a wood stove , set on a painter’s tray clipped to the handle . You can even boil water or cook a bit. Also directs the heat toward you. We use one in our Casita trailer when we don’t have hookups (no furnace). I’ve used it by myself in my pickup shell like you do..

Best use of Primal Outdoors swag 😂

Absolutely. I think I fill mine to 35oz total weight. Worth it.

Yes, I wish I had remembered this detail, it's definitely best to refill canisters designed to be refilled.

After having used them both, my buddy heater has been relegated to a borrowable heater when camping with friends. My Diesal heater is just a million times better, more efficient and puts out dry heat.

like Donald said, for regular use the diesel heater is king. For a few nights a year a few degrees below freezing...Mr Heater is just fine. @@oldrango883

These do not produce carbon monoxide, that's why they're considered safe for indoor use. Ventilation is needed to bring in fresh oxygen, because oxygen depletion is a possibility, but apparently carbon monoxide is not a by-product of this combustion process. And yes, it's a wet heat, that's the biggest "con" and I talked about it extensively in this video. I'm not promoting this as the heater of choice. I'm simply sharing my experience with this particular heater. A diesel heater may be the best option for many people, though it may not be the best option for some people. 🙂

Again, not saying this is a superior heating method - it's not - just sharing my experience with this particular, very commonly used heater. Full time road truckers have different needs than people who maybe camp a handful of times per year in cold weather. Plus, truckers are already carrying diesel anyway. If I had a diesel rig, I would run a diesel heater too. 🙂

Apparently these actually do not produce carbon monoxide. That's why they're considered safe for indoor use. Ventilation is needed to bring in fresh oxygen, because oxygen depletion is a possibility, but a CO detector may provide a false sense of security since carbon monoxide is not a by-product of this combustion process. Lots of commenters here report they run their Buddy heaters overnight, though you won't find me doing that. 😆 I've had issues with butane once the temperature drops below about 30°. I used to use a butane stove (which I otherwise loved) but I stopped using it when I started doing some real winter camping and would have to constantly swap out butane canisters over the course of cooking a single meal (keeping one warm inside my coat). I would take the canisters to bed with me so they'd be warm enough to make coffee in the morning...not very comfortable inside my mummy bag. 😄

That's funny...if I remember right, it was you who alerted me to the sale price which prompted me to go buy this! 😄 High elevation is a good point, I don't think I've ever been above maybe 6,500' with this heater...my higher elevation trips have all been in summer when I wasn't carrying the heater. The electric blanket is an absolute game-changer. Even if I had a heating system that could safely run overnight and keep the camper warm, I don't think I could bring myself to burn the fuel when the blanket keeps me so incredibly comfortable.

@@softroadingthewest haha yes I did, whenever I run solo, I carry it with me all the time as its compact and uses the same propane tank for cooking and heating. When the wife is coming, depending on how cold it is, I'll resort to the diesel heater to ensure she keeps camping with me lol. I'm glad the electric blanket is going to do it's job, maybe I can get away with just that without having to carry the other ones, or a combo of both for absolute warmth.

For sure, this to me is the biggest disadvantage of the Buddy-style heaters.

These were something I was considering for sure. I do plan to upgrade my heating in some way eventually, because very cold+very wet are conditions I'm likely to experience again. 😄

@@softroadingthewest I started w a buddy heater. Don't like the CO. So we tried a cubic mini woodstove cuz we have acres w hard and softwood. That is way too much work. The wave heater is catalytic and not as big as a fire hazard. Also it has smaller clearances for tight space. We have the wave 6 in the van and the 8 in the cabin. We are so sad we waited to use it. Got it used but new

Excellent points.

I use one and they work great. There are a couple tricks to using them because you have to purge the release valve in the green canister a bit to get rid of the air. Try it a couple times and you will get the hang of it. Refilling it from a 20 pound container is super cheap.

Multiple people have mentioned the fan. I definitely need to give this a try.

My husband and I call it Mr Stinky, because it has the unpleasant odor. We still use it anyway.

I think his is a petrol heater because it’s tapped into his fuel tank and his jeep is petrol

I'm definitely gonna try this. I have a little USB fan kicking around here somewhere. Where do you place your fan exactly, or does it not matter that much?

I think either rear corner about where the top of your side frame is would work. Just point it down and across the interior so it can pull the warm air down and push it toward the lower part of the cabin.@@softroadingthewest

Though I will have backup electrics too... e-bike batteries

If you have a Sports Basement nearby, they sell the refillable bottles fairly cheaply AND- get this- if you are a member of Sports Basement- they REFILL them for FREE! Now that is the ecological WIN-WIN!

Interesting. The Mr Heater website specifically says: "• Indoor safe radiant propane heater emits 4,000 or 9,000 BTU" but then off to the side it also says: "Country restriction: CANADA" 😄

I've only had a couple of opportunities to use the Tacticool fire pit but it has worked well. It saved the day one chilly rainy afternoon at Expo Mountain West when basically all the attendees had disappeared because of the weather and we were standing around the booth wet and cold, just waiting for closing time...everyone was super grateful for a fire to huddle around. :-)

Thank you Donald!

My friends and I now use refillable propane bottles the same size as the basic Coleman green bottle. Basically, this size bottle is now what I run my camp stove and lantern off of already. I used to carry a bigger camp stove and propane tank but have realized its pretty much overkill for the kind of trips we do.

I can't tell you how many times I've circled back to considering electric...I would love to find a way to make that work, though my camper loses certainly way more heat than your perfectly insulated trailer and I think a low-wattage unit would struggle to keep up. I love the idea of getting rid of the electronic interface on the diesel heater, that's the component that makes me the most nervous.

@@softroadingthewest Yes the digital ones are way to complicated. I get it figured out and then the next time I needed to use it I had forgotten how it worked. The dial one is plug and play and just a on/off switch and a dial for the temp you want. Works great and simple. Highly recommend it if you get a diesel heater.

These are spendy but definitely appealing, and I've taken a pretty close look at them, to the point of trying to figure out how I could mount one and run the chimney. There is unfortunately just no way for me to mount one in my camper, or rather, it's the chimney that's the tricky bit. Can't run it out the roof because the roof moves. I don't want it sticking out either side, definitely gonna take a tree branch on the tight PNW trails I end up on. And can't go out the rear because the entire rear opens up. If there was a way I could make it work, I'd probably be willing to make that purchase.

@@softroadingthewest thanks for your response. If you can find a way to make it work, you wouldn't be disappointed. Keep doing what you're doing, enjoy your content.

@@softroadingthewest I know in our cargo trailer conversion we got pretty low on oxygen that a lighter wouldn't light inside. Some people don't realize the danger till it's to late. The way you use your Buddy is probably the only way I would use it also. We have a Nucamp now and love the Alde heat and having a thermostat lol.

Good to know!

I was wondering about this. You use the DampRid with a Buddy heater? I was curious if a product like this could keep up with the moisture when there's not only the heater but also me coming into the camper soaking wet bringing in even more water that needs to somehow dry...

I've used them in all my cars and trucks as I live in the humid south and they tend to get a little funky after being parked. I won't say it's the cure all for condensation but I feel it helps. I do have the same heater but I have the twin thermo-fans mounted on top@@softroadingthewest

@@slol144 Cool. Many people have reported good results using fans so I'm gonna give that a try for sure. Thanks!

The point of this video isn't to talk about diesel heater pros & cons, it's to share my experience with the Buddy heater - good and bad. I talk about diesel heaters for all of 45 seconds in this video, simply to point out some issues I've observed with diesel heaters. You are correct that I have no experience heating my own space with a diesel heater, though yes I have been inside diesel-heated spaces, and I also have personally observed all of the issues I mentioned occur to various friends of mine who run diesel heaters. It's entirely possible to run your heating & cooking off the same propane tank, I know plenty of people who do so. While yes, in my case at the moment, using green canisters with the Buddy heater means I'm carrying heating propane in a separate container from my cooking propane, as I said in the video, the green canisters are much much easier to transport than if I needed to also carry diesel because I can tuck them in anywhere. This video is not a slam on diesel heaters. If you are pleased with how it has worked out for you, that's fabulous. Many of my friends use them as well. Nor have I claimed the Buddy heater is somehow better than diesel; I spent half this video talking about problems with the Buddy heater. I want a better system for sure and I'm hoping this will be my final winter with the Buddy. :-) The Buddy heater is, nonetheless, a simple and inexpensive unit which _may still make more sense_ for _some_ people who don't want/need to go to the expense and hassle of getting set up with a diesel heater. Have a read through the comments for the experiences of many many people who have found Buddy heaters to be the right solution for them. That doesn't mean the Buddy is the right solution for everybody. There are also plenty of comments from people who are satisfied with their diesel heaters. That doesn't mean diesel is the right solution for everybody either. The only way I would consider a diesel heater is if it's something I could build in as a permanent install. The way I travel & film, the whole set-up/run ducting/etc/break-down process at every camp that most of my friends with diesel heaters go through is way too cumbersome. But a reliable diesel heater I could build-in is as expensive as a reliable, installable propane heat system, and if I'm going to spend that kind of money, I'd prefer a solution that uses the fuel I'm already carrying. That's what makes sense for _my_ usage. Might not be the same for you or the same for other people. The point of this video is not to convince people to use a Buddy heater - I don't care at all what heater other people use, makes no difference to me - but to share my experience and hopefully help people trying to decide what makes sense for their specific scenario. :-)

These are interesting for sure and I was seriously considering the Wave 3 (haven't necessarily ruled it out). The main disadvantage I see is that they're more of a long-term heat, whereas my main need is for a high intensity blast to instantly heat my camper when I come in from the campfire or get up in the morning. I mean, I think it would be manageable by thinking to turn it on in advance. A lot of people talk about these in RV forums. They seem like a good heater though I've read a lot of stories about them being finicky, especially if they get dusty. It's still combustion inside the camper so moisture accumulation remains an issue, which is one of the main reasons I hesitated. I feel like if I'm gonna spend more money on a system, I'd like to get into some truly dry heat. Less of an issue for desert-dwellers I imagine.

@@softroadingthewest from what I could find it seems that since it’s a catalytic radiation heater and less of an open flame like the buddy’s there a lot less condensation. Still some but as long as you have a vent cracked up to 2 1/2” you should be good. Which could work well with my Super Pacific it has a 3 vents up top in the tent. You can hard mount them on the side of the camper too! They also have covers for them to keep dust off of it that I would probably have on at all times until I needed it. I’m on the same fence as you, I’ve been using buddy heaters but I had a baby and I want to take her out when she’s a bit older. I probably need constant heat and I don’t want a diesel heater it seems to be too finicky and more of a hassle to have to worry about 3 different fuels on a trip. Thanks for your reply! I’ll let you know if I get one how it goes 👍🏽

@@mattheword That's interesting. I've been mostly okay with moisture from the Buddy most of the time - it was just that one extreme cold/wet scenario a few weeks ago where it truly become bothersome. If the Wave 3 generates less moisture, that's promising. It didn't make sense to get into it in this video, but I have kind of a hazy long-term plan for upgrading my heat. I had too many other things I needed to do on the camper to dive into it for this winter but if all goes well, maybe I can pull it off for next winter. Please do update me on what you end up doing, especially since you have such a similar camper. Thanks!

There are simple low wattage AC marine units that draw 50 or 100W, but they need to be operating for several hours to raise the temp noticeably. A small under desk unit will draw at least 300W, so it will use battery capacity even faster. Depending on what your other electrical power needs are, you'd probably need at least 2000Whrs to run most of these heaters in cold weather too.

I've experimented with it in the past, but a heater capable of taking a literally freezing cold camper up to a comfortable temperature is going to be pulling at least a thousand watts, which would deplete even my Jackery 1500 in little more than an hour. I have a 200w heater I keep at my desk, but it can barely keep my legs warm under my desk in my 66° office...it wouldn't stand a chance against real cold. I would LOVE to make electric work - it's dry and safe - but I would need probably an additional, super high capacity power station, and even then, I don't think I'd be able to sit in camp more than overnight...would need to spend the next day driving to recharge the batteries. The extra advantage of burning propane is that you can be equipped to camp for multiple nights. It's hard to gain any appreciable solar power in typical winter conditions, at least here in the PNW. 😄

I don't like how top-heavy those are. And while the Portable Buddy is a little overkill for my little camper, I do appreciate that it can heat the entire space almost instantly, since that is my usual scenario, coming in from the campfire or getting up in the morning. Since it's such a small space, it's not really troublesome to manually regulate if I do spend a little time inside, as I'm right there next to it at all times. 😄

Technically, he was flying his drone, but I like your story better. 😂

Butane must be kept warm in order to work. The nominal low temp where butane has a hard time turning into a gas is 40ºF and lower. So if you keep it warm, then it will work, but if the ambient temp stays at 40º or lower, the liquid inside the canister will have a much harder time turning into a gas, which means it will fail. As a back-up butane works well, but you need to pre-heat the area to around 55ºF prior to using butane. Propane or Kerosene are the top two choices for heating, cooking, etc., and let us not forget, for an area the size of Donald's truck, or even a van you can use a Coleman propane or kerosene lantern as a heating, cooking and lighting source. This way you get a three-for-one, and the Coleman lanterns are not as finicky as The Mr. Heater Buddy.

Very informative and interesting buddy, thanks for sharing ❤

I stopped using butane-powered devices shortly after I started winter camping. It's not uncommon to end up in the 20s or teens in the mountains here and the butane stove I used to use (which I otherwise LOVED) would stop working at around 30°. I would have to carry one canister of butane around with me inside my coat to keep it warm and swap out multiple times over the course of cooking one meal as the canisters would freeze up extra quick with use. I'd also have to take my butane canisters to bed with me so I could make coffee in the morning...not very comfortable in my mummy bag. 😄

What blanket do you have?

You can get 12V electric blankets. I don't know if they're significantly more efficient since there's no AC inversion...perhaps it's still about the same amount of power. My 12V blanket draws 54 watts. I usually shut it off after an hour or two and my 0° bag keeps me comfortable for the rest of the night. On very cold (and/or damp) nights, I might wake up chilly at 4am and turn it back on for a while. I can go quite a few nights running off my Jackery 1500.

@@softroadingthewest I didn't want to deal with having just one 12v outlet from my power source. That is reserved for my 12v fridge. I only use about 1 or 2% of battery capacity over the course of one night with my blanket, and the fridge doesn't run at all at night, so my 200 watts of solar quickly tops off my Ecoflow by 11am.

Have you used one?

@@chublez yes