Spending some days away from your home enjoying thrilling activities and chilling adventures is required to refresh your mind and body. Though you can enjoy these thrilling activities during any tour, the level of fun you will have during camping is something else.
You cannot beat the fun and thrill of camping in a natural environment. Mix camping with hiking and you will have some unforgettable days in your memory.
Nowadays, you can double the fun and thrill of camping by opting for car camping. Driving your car on difficult paths and exploring new things is something you never want to miss out on. Subaru Outback or Jeep Wrangler is the best car for camping. The regions you opt for camping in are usually mountainous and have cold weather. Things will get even more chilly if you are planning car camping in winter. You have to deal with cold weather and maybe snowfall as well if you are in a region of high altitude.
This winter you will have the true fun and thrill of camping along with comfort as we are telling you about heaters for car camping that can use to reduce the effects of weather. You must have read and heard a lot about car camping heaters but this will not be enough to choose a suitable one. Don’t worry! We will guide you about everything related to camping heaters so you can enjoy the true fun and thrill of camping in cold weather.
Exploring hilly areas and deserts during winter is one of the most thrilling adventures you can experience from the comfort of a vehicle, but freezing temperatures, unscheduled snowfall, and suddenly heavy rain can put you in significant trouble and ruin your whole trip. However, the use of a portable heater for car camping can help you to enjoy this thrilling adventure safely.
If you are not aware of such heaters or looking for more information about them, you are lending on the right platform. We will provide you with every detail linked to car camping heaters and their installation.
What Are Car Camping Heaters?
These are portable devices that are used to keep the vehicle warm during a winter road trip to hilly or mountain areas. You can find a rechargeable heater for camping in various sizes and shapes. Each has different fuel or power resources and unique features to perfectly fit all types of vehicles and customer requirements.
Though camping heaters come in a wide range, most users prefer to use electric and catalytic heaters because they protect from fire incidents and poisonous gasses. Different heaters also have various heating capacities and working durations. Therefore, make sure to always choose the right type of camping heater according to your traveling needs and weather broadcasts.
Types of Car Camping Heaters
There are various types depending upon the fuel and their mechanism of working. Going through these types will enable you to opt for a suitable heater that fits your requirements and is compatible with your vehicle as well.
Gas Heaters
Gas heaters are regarded as one of the best camping car heaters. The best thing about them is that you don’t have to install a new power source for them. Most camping cars already have a gas supply for the stove and some other appliances. Therefore, you will simply have to get your gas heater connected to the supply and don’t have to worry about power resources. Furthermore, its consumption of gas is also very low.
Note: Burning of gas may produce carbon monoxide in your vehicle which is not good for your health. Make sure to install a carbon monoxide detector in your vehicle to avoid any risk. You must contact highly qualified and experienced professionals to get your gas heater installed in your campervan or car to avoid any mishap.
Petrol Heater
When opting for winter car camping, make sure to install a heater in your vehicle. A petrol heater could be your ultimate choice if your vehicle has a petrol engine. You will simply have to connect your heater to the petrol tank of your vehicle and there will be no restriction on the energy source. You may be thinking that this type of heater can make you run short of petrol during your journey. Don’t worry! Petrol consumption is very low for such heaters. It will only use around 0.07 gallons per hour. So, you must refill your petrol tank accordingly.
Though it is super comfortable to get installed and use a petrol heater in your vehicle, it’s not the greenest option. You will emit different things in the air through the dual consumption of petrol i.e. in the engine and heater.
Electric Heater
An electric heater for the car is one of the modern-day solutions to stay warm during your camping in cold weather regions. One of the biggest advantages of installing this heater will be quick and efficient heating. It will start producing heat and delivering it to you as soon as it gets the supply. Heat will spread evenly if there is a fan in your electric heater. The best thing about such heaters is that they are very eco-friendly. These are emissions-free so don’t release any CO2 or other gases into the environment.
However, you need to supply high voltage current to run such heaters. The efficient heater requires at least 230 volts. So, with a portable supply system, it cannot remain active for a long time. However, if you are near a campsite, where you have an electricity supply, nothing could do a better job than an electric heater to reduce the cold weather effect.
Rechargeable Heater
You can say this is a portable electric heater. These are usually small in size, yet effective to produce some resistance against freezing weather in high altitude regions during winters. The mechanism of working is pretty simple. You just have to charge and turn them on when required to get warm air waves in your vehicle. A good rechargeable heater for camping will last for 10 to 12 hours once you charge it fully.
So, one-time charging from the campsite or your home can help you to stay two nights away as it will keep your vehicle warm for 5 to 6 hours each day at night. Fast charging mechanisms and long-lasting batteries have solved a lot of problems related to these heaters. It is obvious that rechargeable ones cannot produce heat like big electric camping heaters. However, it is still effective and highly functional.
Wood Burning Heater
When it comes to buying a portable car heater, you can hardly pick something other than a wood heater. It is one of the latest versions in the category of camping heaters. Meanwhile, wood heaters are regarded as the primary or oldest type as well. We all know when wood burns, it will produce heat that can be used for different purposes.
From cooking to warming your vehicle, everything related to heat is possible on such heaters. You just need to get a wood-burning heater for your automobile and then make it functional to enjoy heat when it’s cold outside. Small pieces of dry wood are used in such heaters. You need to burn them by providing energy from outside. Using dry wood is required to avoid incomplete consumption which will result in a lot of smoke filling in your vehicle. This smoke may contain chemicals such as Carbon Monoxide, Nitrous Oxide, or Sulphur Oxide which are not good for your health at all.
Also, make sure that there is enough space in your vehicle or campervan to exhaust smoke before using such heaters. If your vehicle has enough room to place a heater at a distance from other things and a wide chimney, then wood burning heater should be your ultimate pick. It is the most affordable yet very effective heater.
Propane Heaters
When talking about standard auto portable heaters, propane heaters are one of the widely used weapons by tourists for staying warm while camping in an area of extremely high altitude. It works just like firewood heaters and uses fire to generate heat. However, it uses propane instead of wood.
The use of propane heaters is a bit risky because of carbon monoxide emissions and fatal fire-burning incidents. Therefore, make sure to take preventive measures before using such heaters inside the car.
Catalytic Heaters
If you are looking for a reliable portable heater for your car to avoid fatal accidents and poisonous gasses, a catalytic heater is the best choice for you. It uses chemical reactions to generate heat instead of fire and does not involve any type of flaming activity.
The best thing is that it also does not emit poisonous carbon monoxide gas and allows you to enjoy comfortably sleeping in a car during your thrilling off-road experience. Therefore, they are gaining rapid popularity among the best car camping heaters.
Diesel Heater
Its function is similar to the petrol heater. The mechanism is also somehow the same. The main difference is in the type of fuel that both types of heaters used. A diesel heater can be used to avoid the shortage of fuel that you may have to face when using a petrol or gas heater. You have to get petrol or gas from their respective stations.
You may have to wait in line as there are fewer gas or petrol stations around camping areas. Furthermore, if a nearby station runs out of these two things, you will definitely have to spend a night in cold weather. Therefore replacing your gas or petrol heater with a diesel one can prevent you from this problem.
Read more: Fix your Car heater
Tips To Install a Camping Car Heater
You need to install a camping heater in your automobile to make it functional and provide warm air whenever you want during your thrilling journeys. However, you cannot just go and get your desired heater installed in the vehicle. You need to follow a few things. Following are some of the most effective tips for the installation.
- Camping heaters are found in various types and forms, but each has specific features and is not a perfect fit for all kinds of vehicles. Therefore, the first thing you have to do is to choose a heater. Never make a choice just based on the latest trends. You need to keep an eye on your requirements and choose the one that fits the most. Firstly, if your car has a CO detector and exhauster system then you can opt for a gas, petrol, or wood burning heater. You also need to keep an eye on the resources as well. Free space in your car to fit a heater will also matter the most.
- Always keep in mind that residential heaters can be used to warm your vehicle, but it’s pretty dangerous to use a car and can ruin your whole trip.
- Make sure to choose the best place to install a camping heater in your vehicle. For example, if you are looking for a place to install a diesel heater, under the exhaust seat is the best location ever. However, make sure to point inlet air and exhaust pipe in different directions to avoid any trouble.
- Portable camping heaters are one of the most valuable gadgets to enjoy a comfortable road trip and to sleep in a car safely, even during harsh winter weather or snowfall. However, they can easily damage and fail to generate heat. Moreover, fuel or power shortage issues also exist. Therefore, always keep more than one heater to tackle such unwanted incidents.
- Always choose highly qualified and experienced professionals for the installation of car camping heaters. You all know what a slight leakage of gas or petrol can result in. Therefore, don’t rely on inexperienced workers to save some bucks and prefer to spend some extra amount but hire a highly skilled person.
- Make sure to keep a fire extinguisher in your vehicle. It will be super effective to deal with any mishap related to the heater.
- Keep things away from the heater to avoid them from catching fire through radiation.
FAQs:
Is it Safe To Sleep in a Car?
Yes, it’s safe to sleep in a car. You need to park it at a suitable location and turn the engine off before sleeping. Make sure to lock the doors as well.
How To Sleep Comfortably in a Car?
To sleep comfortably in the car, you need to get in comfortable clothes first. If you are the only one, then you can easily sleep in the back seats. Otherwise, tilt your seat backward, keep your seatbelt on, wear an eye mask, wrap a blanket around you, and sleep.
How To Warm Up Your Car Faster?
Using a heater at its maximum level will help you to warm your car faster. Similarly, installing a heater with a fan will also help in the spread of head waves in the vehicle and warm it quickly.
Final Thoughts
As promised, we have guided you about everything related to camping car heaters. Heaters are one of the primary car gadgets that you must have installed before setting on for a camping adventure. Always make a wise choice regarding heaters depending upon the available space, exhaustion system, and availability of fuel resources. Follow the installation tips as well.
It’s time to enjoy your winter camping adventure comfortably.
Last Updated on May 2, 2023 by Umar Tanveer
Mac is an Automotive enthusiast. He owns up to 15 vehicles. He deals with Auto problems and shows his skill to Car owners who are seeking any type of Car help.
