Mr.Buddy Heater in Truck Cap?

Howdy All,

Haven't posted in a while, still lurk from time to time. I am planning on putting a truck cap on my Tacoma to camp in. I have a Mr. Buddy Heater that I am thinking about using inside of said top this fall during the hunting season. Has anyone ever done this? My plan is to only use it to warm up inside until I get settled in for the night. The cap has sliding/screened windows on either side so ventilation shouldn't be a problem. Any thoughts?

Thanks,
LW

I suppose it depends on how well you ventilate. If you can give the propane heater air from outside the cap you should be fine. There’s a YouTube on using a similar propane heater while camping in a tent which might be useful — Carbon Monoxide Test using a Propane Heater in a Tent - 16 Hour Test. (Mr. Heater)... He has his tent set up to cross ventilate with lots of fresh air by the heater.

The CO detector with digital readout is an excellent idea — Kidde Battery Operated Carbon Monoxide Alarm with Digital Display. I’d take any CO build-up above zero as a bad sign. Maybe I’m over-cautious.

I’d strongly recommend caution, and the CO detector should be considered mandatory.

What temps are you anticipating? Folks often camp in 0F and below with no heater at all, just a good sleeping bag and suitable clothing.

I don't recall ever using a heater in a tent, and I have slept well during some pretty cold nights.

Hard no

The Mr. Heater Buddy heaters purport to burn more cleanly than, say, a camp stove. I wouldn't trust my life to the built-in oxygen sensor, though.

There's not a lot of air volume in a truck cap, so it won't take much to break the chill. If you're only using it to warm the inside for a few minutes while you change, I don't see a big problem -- provided you have excellent cross-ventilation.

It does pay to be paranoid though. I would run it on its lowest setting. A battery CO detector, which is not expensive, would be a very good idea.

I would not sleep with it running, period. Too much can go wrong. It could be The Big Sleep. Or a fire as you roll around during the night.

I do this all the time without issue. You will be fine so long as you have adequate ventilation. I wouldn’t blast it for hours on end or fall asleep with it going, but simply taking the chill off when you get out of wet clothes or when getting out of the Fart sack in the early AM to go hunting is what this thing is designed for.

Heats the cap of a truck or small tent very fast. I love this thing. Once fall hits and the mornings get crisp I don’t leave home without it.

Thanks everyone for the replies. I have been out of town hence the slow reply. I'm going to give it a whirl. As recommended, it will be a brief period of time, just to thaw out or dry off. Separate CO detector seems to be a really good idea.

Thanks again,
LW

Why not start the truck, turn on the heat and put a fan in the window between the cab and the cap?

Apparently pretty common for #vanlife people on youtube