i dont go camping, luckily i haven't had to worry about it getting too cold during a power outage, but i have an electric blanket to keep warm to go with my power station just in case. too bad the gopro didn't like the cold and shut down. hope you got some alright sleep anyway. maybe that water bottle needs a heating blanket of it's own
During the freeze we had in Texas I thought I would try out the Mr. Buddy Heater in my Class B RV without turning on the generator and using my furnace. Temperatures were at 18ºF and I was using a sleeping bag rated for 10º. To my surprise I ended up sleeping on top of my sleeping bag because it got pretty toasty inside the RV and I had the Mr. Buddy Heater set on low. The green propane bottle lasted all night long which was about 7 hours and the heater was still going when I turned it off. I have been thinking of buying 2 12V blankets to carry in my RV for emergencies but have not bought any because there have been to many bad reviews.
I've placed a smaller Heating Pad powered by My GoaL Zero Yeti 1000Li inside my sleeping bag. Worked well to preheat the sleeping bag, didn't use it all night though. If I were to do it again, I would place the Electric pad or blanket under me wrapped with the wool blanket since heat rises. It might be more efficient and reduce heat loss. I will also look for a good 12v blanket so I don't lose much energy through the inverters 120v outlets.
I dig a 6 foot by 2 foot shallow trench .I burn branches and wood i find and spread the coals out in the trench then bury the coals with abut 6 inches of dirt on top .I then just lay on top of the dirt with sleeping bag and im warm all night , even when it was just below freezing .The heat radiates up .Cheap way to stay warm overnight in the cold . Just have to prep it before it gets dark .
I live full time in a SUV. Here it got to a actual -8° (Feel like-33) this past December. 12v electric blankets definitely keep you warm. But I haven't had much luck with them lasting. A Stalwart lasted through 1 season and a Road Pro less than a month. Disappointing 😞. I find that sleeping with layered unheated blankets work almost as well (except for my feet). On the -8° night I tossed a hand warmer next to my feet and was comfortable. Thanks and always enjoy your your dedicated videos!
I'd say one winter season for a $30 12v blanket is a pretty good investment! They are pretty affordable. I think it all depends how you sleep with it. If it's in your bag or underneath you, it will get much more stressed by your body weight. Laying on top it's probably going to last a little longer. Thanks for sharing your experience, now I know what to expect!
What is it that makes electric blankets break so fast? Is it only sleeping on top of them that breaks it? or is it the washing process? I hope there can be more discussion on this because it seems some people can get them to last but its also true that many do break fast.
@@noahriding5780 NO rhyme or reason. I sleep underneath the blanket (separated by a sheet) and don't wash them per instructions. I now choose to add more layers of non-electric blankets.
Thats been my experience with heated blankets too. It seems like they're made for more leisure use vs camping/vehicle-camping. I think the wires inside just aren't flexible enough and end up breaking the circuit
I just used a sealy 12V electric blanket overnight in my rooftop tent. it was 30 degrees F by morning and I was warm and used only 400W of my 600W battery. I slept better than at home. I did have to turn it on two times as it has a 4 hour timer. It worked great and my solar system in my support trailer charged the 600W in 4 hours making it ready for another night.
Could I ask what brand of 12V electric blanket you used? I recently returned one made by Sealy on Amazon as the heat just wasn't really warm enough and it was too short at 59". My feet kept getting cold!
A fun video. Thanks for posting this one, Jason. I've been doing this for over 50 years and just rough it most of the time but I did recently get an electric blanket as I'm not backpacking these days. I actually put it under me, on top of a sleeping pad, and use an oversized comfy sleeping bag on top. Works great. Keep these videos coming. They are very enjoyable. You might mention the power stations that can't work in the cold so folks don't run out with the wrong one and ruin it. Thanks again and all the best to you and yours.
I like the idea too. And it seems that an electric blanket offers the cheapest power cost of a heat source. Although I'm not sure why some people say they can get electric blankets to last a long time and other people have them break within a month or 2?
Jason! I just had this experience last weekend for the Super Bowl. I got an invite out of state for a Super Bowl party and was rushing to pack my Aliner camper before kickoff. I have the exact same electric blanket, however in my rush, forgot to pack it. I did have a 200-watt space heater and I thought I'd try using it to heat the camper overnight, but early on it was obvious that it was not enough to heat the camper as the temperature rapidly plunged towards 20 degrees after sunset. I had a stout sleeping bag, but it was just uncomfortably cold inside the rig; so just before turning in for the night I turned on the propane and fired up the furnace. One advantage of using the little electric heater though was that I didn't have to run through so much propane to keep the rig warm (about 55 degrees) throughout the night and the furnace didn't wake me up as much, since it cycled far less with the tiny space heater helping out. I was running the space heater on a Dr. Prepare LiFePo battery that I bought with your discount code! I used the Dr Prepare as an auxiliary input into a tiny 240 WH power-station with a small inverter and it lasted the night. Thank you for helping me to purchase the Dr. Prepare battery (with the power-station module) and please keep the excellent product reviews coming! I now have some confidence stowing the Stalwart electric blanket inside my rig, just in case.
I truck camp and use a Pecron 3000 with a small space on low but I didn't like the power consumption, It'll work but you have continual fan noise. This November I wanted to try my UCO candle lantern for heat and was absolutely surprised. For me it was a better source of heat. I had no moisture problems with lantern, no fan noise and no worries of running out of power. I do have 1.5" foam board on the ceiling and a heavy rug on the floor. For safety I use a CO meter. I bent a all metal yard sign into a circle as a light shield to reduce the light.
Use any aluminized insulation product: Reflectix, bubble wrap, floor underlayment, etc. Shiny side towards you to reflect the heat back to you. I'm down to 20F in the desert no heater. Works for me, but a 12v blanket would sure be nice!
Many years ago I slept in those temps in the Colorado mountains. Longest night ever. Tip, do not drink anything before bed because getting up in the middle of the night isn't fun.
I bought both of these products after watching this video and I can not believe how effective it is. I’m cheap…last year I was paying in the $300/month for SoCal gas. I decided this year I’m not using gas at all. This combination along with my 1048wh Powerstation is giving me over 20 plus hours of use and this electric blanket with the wool blanket on top, keeps me so warm! I’m not burning by any means, but very comfortable, even at my feet! I’ve been using this combination everyday day for near a month now. Excellent review, even a year later!
I have slept in a hmmwv in the Army several times and stayed warm through making fart jokes with my colleagues, distracting myself from the ordeal. I also may have seen a ghost.
I think that's a great idea! My brother loves winter camping and says he stays warm inside a tent with a tarp over it, inside a sleeping bag with his head inside. He says exhalation heats his sleeping bag. I think I'd need the heated blanket.
I'm not sure if that works or not. I like that idea and would like to try it. However an added bonus is that some people put the tarps over the tents to make the tent material last longer. A cheap blue tarp is Much cheaper than the cost of a tent. I've also found tent fabric/nylon/whatever you call it doesn't last very long over time in the sun. So putting something over it could have more than 1 benefit.
i have many years of spending the night in the back of my truck in winter conditions(hunting in Montana) use a buddy heater to keep it above freezing and an electric blanket to keep me toasty warm so i get rest at night. Older now and use a camper but still go with the same system. set the heat in the camper as low as the thermostat will work, about 45f and electric blanket to sleep warm and comfortable. Li battery's have been a game changer but to heat space fuel stoves,propane, diesel, wood ect. still rule.
Heaters for sure are the best way to go. I want experiment with multiple 100w heaters (DC, as AC is a power hog) places strategically for air circulation in the car and see how that does. problem is, you'd still need 2.4kwatts of battery for 3x 100w dc heaters for an 8 hour sleep. (one thing i did try was using a smart relay to trigger a heater on and off in intervals throughout the night to extend the battery life of my Delta 2 and that worked ok )
This was an enjoyable video seeing you out of your element. You certainly were braver than me to endure the cold. I need to have warm air around me at all times. I prefer heat from wood is most cozy but not always practical and requires a lot of attention but a mini cub wood stove is amazing. But as a secondary source of heat, then I use a wave propane heater during the day (propane releases moisture but in a dry climate this is ideal for my sinus). My primary heat source is a small electric space heater. I get my space to my cozy 73 degrees using the propane, then in the evening I shut off the propane and use the electric space heater to maintain that temperature. What's great is the space heater does not use that many watts because it has a thermostat that only kicks on twice an hour for less than a minute. So my heater on high using the full 1500 watts, it only uses 25 watts per minute. It kicks on twice using 50 watts. For eight hours, I use 400 watts. The night temperature drops to 40 so for colder climates, your watts used will increase. I like redundancy epecially when it comes to heating. I would use diesel heaters, but I would use the ones that run on gas instead of diesel. But I am buying a Ford F-150 hybrid with a 7 kilowatt pure sine inverter so I can run the electic heater all I want. The truck is huge gas generator which makes a lot of my points mute. lol
Your body makes enough heat, you just need the right gear to retain it. I have a TETON Sports Celsius XL Sleeping Bag that is rated to -25F. I get the XL so I can put my regular flannel sleeping bag inside it when needed. If for some reason you are in -60F, you can put a space blanket between the 2 sleeping bags to retain more heat. Don't sleep with the space blanket on you, you will sweat and then freeze when you come out.
I've watched some of your videos today. Good content. Thanks. Slept in the back of my truck below freezing countless times. 115 AHr deep cycle marine battery wired to charge from the alternator. Used a 12V heated mattress pad. All things being equal, the mattress pad is probably better because heat rises. Opened my sleeping bag like a blanket to trap the heat. First night I used it, it was well below freezing. I woke up wet with sweat. Never ran it greater than medium setting after that. Always toasty.
In our Airstream, we use a 110 v blanket and set the furnace at 50 deg F. Need the furnace to prevent freezing of water lines. The entire trailer is powered by a Delta Max with two extra batteries. We were comfortable at 17 deg F on our latest trip.
I live off grid with solar and I heat my house with a propane furnace. But most nights in the winter I turn it off at night and stay warm with a electric blanket and an extra layer of clothing. If nighttime outside temperatures drop into the lower twenties i will keep my furnace on during the night. I save some good money this way and the 110 electric blanket is still so very efficient keeping warm compared to an electric heater
Having experienced cold temps, including 15 degrees in a hammock during a blizzard, I think it all depends on one's choice of sleeping environment. I would much rather be in a tent rather than in the back of a truck. A truck, being virtually all metal, just acts as a huge heat sink, plus the convective heat loss from below the bed of the truck is significant compared to sleeping in a tent with a good insulated pad and sleeping bag. I wouldn't have any difficulty sleeping below 0 degrees (F) with a thick insulated pad and a down sleeping bag (rated to the appropriate ambient temperatures).
Great points MrWinger! I have experienced some pretty cold nights while backpacking as well and a good insulated pad and down sleeping bag go a long way. I haven't done any cold weather hammock camping though! There are so many different scenarios one can go through, this video was just one of them.
I slept through the same temps. With just one normal blanket, had dogs to keep me warm tho. My battery made it through the super cold weather but as soon as all the frozen condensation started melting the battery turned off because of all the humidity
You'd be surprised how much a dogs heat helps out! They make great little heaters HAHA. I tend to sleep a little on the cold side so the blanket kept me comfortable.
How much ice was on the inside of the camper due to the condensation of your breath? That's always the annoying part of my Roofnest. That is, if I decided to sleep sans heater, the ice on the inside. I am going to get a 12V blanket, but for the most part, it's CDH all the way. I replaced the stock ticking pump with a silent, more tunable aftermarket one, and burn a mix of diesel+kero. Super clean burn, no smoke or fumes, and there is
When I do some car camping in my CX-9 I do a sleeping bag and heated blanket just like you did. I've never been cold, but I usually stay home or look for a hotel if it drops below ~30. I've also used a box truck a few times and went with a propane heater with a CO2 detector. I liked this setup because it heated the entire vehicle and I wasn't confined to my sleeping bag. I use the same heater in a 10x10 insulated tent and I love it. I don't see the value in using an electric heater with a power station of any size. I've got a 7680wh DIY power station(2x300ah/12v) so I could run a small heater, but I have never been impressed with small electric heaters. I'd rather use my power to run lights, TV, and an induction cooker.
All I do is use two quilts no he isnot batteries and just going to nearest quilting your body warms up the blankets are blankets warm up you and you stay warm all night long enactment I know I did that every year when I get home and too tired to start the fire.
Would you recommend putting the batteries under the blanket as well as the water bottle? As for the camera, would you get better results if you wrapped it in a blanket?
heated blanket is much more heat and energy efficient than one that heats the air, pull the blanket up over your head if your noggin is getting chilli.
I bought a 12 volt electric blanket about a year ago, but haven’t tried it yet. We do have a 200 watt regular electric heater for our small travel trailer but it didn’t seem very effective, however, our 1500 watt electric heater is VERY effective. We don’t camp in weather colder than the 40’s anymore, getting too old lol. Anyway, I sure enjoy your videos Jason.
It's gotta be a pretty small space for a small heater like this to work. I'm going to be looking into a cheap portable diesel heater for these really cold trips.
A very informative video - thank you. Question: does the blanket cycle on/off, or is that draw constant all night? Question 2: can you set up a timer for an electric heater to, say, cycle on for 20 minutes and then off for 40 minutes so you don't draw as much power overnight?
Brrrr….I hate being cold. Nice video. Reminds me of truck camping, wish I still had my camper shell. I had the whole back area carpet lined and that definitely helps keep it a little warmer. And of course any leaks around the rear big window need to be sealed. Diesel heaters are great for this, unless your in stealth mode, then its a dead giveaway lol. 👍🏼
I need to take the time to make the back of my truck more comfortable, the problem is I have a slight leak in a seal somewhere so I need to find that first. I was looking at making a stealth diesel heater build. Definitely would provide more heat! If I get time I'll put something together this summer!
@@Jasonoid Check out the suitcase diesel heaters. It’s like a briefcase and a small tank. Just have to vent the exhaust safely and have a CO monitor in the rig..👍🏼 Miss my camper shell, the 5th wheel ruined that lol
Great. But those two blankets on top will compress the sleeping bag loft resulting is much less insulation. Since you are inside of a truck protected from all the elements, would been better to sleep on top of the electronic blanket with wool on top of yourself and zipped open sleeping bag as a top quilt alike.
During the freezing December Winter storm I powered my electric blanket on medium high with one of my Bluetti EB70s and still had about 60% charge after 8 or 10 hours. I accidentally increased the heat by one click and didn`t realize it until I woke up. It was 8 degrees with 35 mph winds and the power kept going off. My manual heater was at my sister`s house and since mine is "cheap" (and I`m an idiot) my nephew brought me his 370 dollar oil heater with digital controls...because it`s "better" than the dumb one I bought....and of course the lights would blink and it kept turning off. His also has a "thermostat" that is either set too low so you freeze or way too hot (no way to adjust) so I had to keep turning it off and on. My "cheap" heater stays on and can actually be fine tuned with a wheel exactly to the right temperature and uses 700 less watts. But he refused to bring it even after I asked several times, explained this, and complained. I`ll buy another one.
@@Jasonoid He started complaining about how stupid my Frigidaire air conditioner is too because it has manual controls and no digital thermostat like his very fancy one that cost 2000 bucks. I mean, only an idiot WOULDN`T buy the fancy digital one like he has. Ask for the most expensive one with the most buttons, buzzers, lights, and knobs. About 15 minutes into him "helping" me move I put a stop to it. Couldn`t listen to any more of his OCD complaining and stalling and obsessing.
Cool video Jason! A lot of people want to stay warm but doing it efficiently is tricky. An electric blanket is a great idea! I wonder how much more efficient the Wave 2 will be vs. a resistive heater....
Great thought! It will be interesting to see how well that heat pump works in these cold temps. Usually when its below freezing they aren't too great since there isn't too much heat to pull out of the air haha
@@Jasonoid You can see my comment about being careful of lithium batteries in the cold above. But I hope it works out and that you can post some results. Hoping for your success and for others also.
Also like when your kids and you go out camping in the middle of winter for a I don't know if some church thing and it's freezing out there and you don't got to hear you just got a sleeping bag and attempted to sleeping in with no heater and no battery and your out by a lake
I thought about getting one of those emergency bags to keep in my car that reflects the heat back to you,It sure was cold last night though, I woke up this morning and All my Panels where Completely Frozen, lol.
Those reflective Mylar Emergency Blankets can cause you to sweat over a period of time. They aren't really designed for prolonged use. Military Surplus Poncho Liners are amazing, they stay dry, breath, and keep you very warm.
I tend to sleep a little on the cold side. Maybe if it was around 40 to 50 I would have tried the heated blanket / wool blanket combo by itself, but we're talking in the 20s, that's frigid! haha
Was trying to judge if the heated blanket could produce enuff heat. I have one & with a blanket & turned up med.-high, it gets too warm; will start to sweat.Maybe Ill search for videos on temp.ratings on heat blankets. Anyhow, good video J.👍
That Honeywell Heatbud is discontinued. Any other 150-170w heaters? The next lowest I can find is the Lasko MyHeat at 200w (no tip over protection), but it doesn't feel very warm at all.
I'm upset they stopped making the Heatbud. I love the adjustable setting! I have a couple Lasko 200w models as well. They seem to work well but the fan is a little lower RPM so the heat seems to spread more slowly. Yes, they are missing the tip-over sensor on the Lasko :( With a heater with that low of wattage, I'm not sure it's as big of a deal VS a 500w or 1000w heater (fire risk).
Most power stations don't have self heating. They can discharge when cold but correct, if you wanted to charge it below freezing your want to find a way to heat it up.
I was wondering that too, because of the problem lithium batteries have with cold. I doubt they have their own warming station upgrades or whatever you call it. HOWEVER, I suspect just by it being on and having a load going through it that may have kept it going and done 'some' warming. But if someone were to turn it off and then half way through the night try to turn it back on with it being lithium batteries that might have had issues then.
@@Jasonoid Yeah its almost as if they we mass recalled.. I have search internet high an low.. Wallmart stopped carrying them, Amazom, the list goes on and on.. I found one place in Canada called Canadian Tire... 25 buck to ship.
The reason your camera didn't work is probably because it has a lithium battery. Lithium batteries don't do very well in the cold and its one of the flaws that anyone who lives in very cold winter states should be aware of. Lithium batteries DO fail at freezing temperatures. Its one of their big flaws. (Lead Acid batteries can work in the cold.)
@Jasonoid - Solar Power, Batteries, and More! Jason check channel "playing with sticks " video " 3 best electric heayers " at 10min 17 seconds mark. He talks about a programmable thermostat for any heater. You mind testing it? It seems like it will extend power bank time by turning the heater on and off while you sleep.
You didn't state whether or not you'd had a chance to test that little mini heater (honeywell) yet and how well it did on a sleeping space to keep it warm?
I'm sure that would work well, it pulls more power than an electric blanket though. The Honeywell pulls 200 watts so that will kill the battery much faster, maybe you could put it on an outlet with a thermastat and it will only run when needed?
I'll add a comment if he had a little frigerator in your vehicle and had two water bottle refrigerator in the refrigerator door is closed the water bottle would not freeze but if you never warm inside your vehicle after while it would freezing now in the vehicle but I'm pretty sure use the vehicle or today and had the vehicle warm as can be of course if I'm going to be out all night long in my vehicle I just let my car run all night long use a half a tank of gas it's a nice and warm but then again I don't live in a vehicle of course if you had a 450-watt heater way to hook up to your generator at a run at all night long NF 49 50 watt heater heat up your whole vehicle.
Electric blankets will keep you warm. Yet, it is not healthy having electrical current running around your body all night long. Buy more and thicker blankets instead.
The little box thing with a screen has a battery in it. It's called a power station. It's super useful for camping! Here's a video showing more about it: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iP34FggANgg.html
I had to make another comment...I noticed your wife and kids are nowhere to be seen. I guess not everyone in the Jasonoid household are smart. Ha. Can't blame them but I do like this video as it is very practical as many of us do camp in winter. BTW...I thought the phosphate batteries aren't supposed to be in below freezing temps. Can you clear up where I'm off base. Thanks Jason.
