Heating of a tourist tent. Heating in a tent, in winter

Are you going to sleep in a tent in the forest or in the mountains? Then you need a good sleeping bag. It will take up a certain place in your backpack, but it will provide you with warmth. And the best thing is to get a special tent heater. With its help, you will create comfortable conditions in the tent space for a long overnight stay and an equally long day stay. The industry produces many portable heaters, so there will be no problems with their purchase.

In this review, we'll look at:

• The main types of tent heaters;
• Features of certain heating devices;
• Equipment selection criteria.

After reviewing the presented material, you can choose and purchase excellent equipment for heating tents.

Types of tent heaters

Portable heaters fall into three main categories:

• Liquid;
• Gas;
• Catalytic.

Alcohol heaters can be made by yourself, for example, from cans, but this is not the most safe way get warm.

Liquid models run on alcohol or refined gasoline. Alcohol candles are small candles that burn with a bright flame and give warmth. The disadvantage of such a candle is the presence of an uncovered flame - in fact, we have before us the simplest burner, like those found in chemical, biological and medical laboratories. Therefore, for heating the tent in which people will sleep, such a burner will not work - the likelihood of a fire is too high.

Gasoline Camping Tent Heater You Can Buy From Many specialized stores, is a combination of a heater and an ancient kerosene lamp. This symbiosis of two devices made it possible to create miniature devices that give good results - they quickly create a comfortable atmosphere in tents of almost any size, filling their space with invigorating warmth.

What's wrong with gasoline models?

• Poor quality gasoline leads to unstable operation;
• Liquid fuel can accidentally spill, creating additional problems;
• Even the purest gasoline does not smell very pleasant.

Nevertheless, gasoline stoves remain quite popular travel accessories.

The emergence of compact gas cylinders led to the rapid development of all kinds of heaters, used not only for heating the tent volumes, but also for cooking... What can we find in specialized tourist shops?

With a gas infrared heater, you can easily, not only reheat food, but also cook it.

• Ceramic Gas Tent Heaters Powered by infrared principle actions;
• Heaters with classic metal radiators;
• Heaters with built-in and plug-in gas cylinders.

Ceramic emitters give a powerful flow of heat (due to infrared radiation absorbed by surrounding objects), requiring minimum costs gas for heating the tent. At first, these heating devices work at full capacity, and then the intensity of combustion can be removed. Compact stoves with metal radiators work in about the same way (they are less fragile, but also less effective). Both those and other devices are made in the floor version or are nozzles on the cans.

There is also a division by the type of gas cylinders - there are tent heaters with built-in cylinders and with plug-in ones (through a collet or a flexible hose with a reducer).

All of the above devices to one degree or another create combustion products of gaseous or liquid fuel. So tents should be ventilated... As for the catalytic models, they heat due to the exothermic chemical reaction decomposition of fuel in the presence of a catalyst. Gas catalytic heaters are not compact and are more suitable for heating large camping tents, but a gasoline catalytic heater for a tent can even fit in a pocket - it is focused on small tent volumes.

Conventional stoves and burners, which do not have radiant elements, are not suitable for heating - they are focused on cooking. You can also cook food on some ceramic floor models.

Which tent heater is better

Such appliances are great for heating tents. They are mobile, and their power is more than enough.

You can buy a tent heater at any store that sells tourism goods. If in your locality there are no normal points of sale, use the help of online stores - there are many online shops in the network, where you can find everything from shoes to multi-room camping tents. How to choose the right gas heater for your tent?

When choosing any products, first of all it is necessary to answer the question - in what conditions they will be operated and what is required of them? If you are faced with the task of heating a small one-room tent, feel free to choose a floor-standing gas heater or a model for attaching to a cylinder. The former are more powerful and safer, but the latter are distinguished by their mobility - their operation requires caution. But they win in terms of compactness, which is very important in long autonomous hikes.

Here the essence of the choice comes down to the following - if you are traveling by car, feel free to choose the floor model. But for advanced and avid tourists who wander through the forests and mountains for weeks, more compact samples are suitable.

We recommend floor-standing gasoline and alcohol models for fishermen and those who live in a campsite, where there is always close access to fuel. But in long-term autonomous activities, their operation will lead to the need to carry around a solid supply of gasoline. If you don't feel like messing with the gas, we recommend using a catalytic tent heater. What is it good for?

• Many hours of work on 100 grams of gasoline;
• Compact size - such a heater is somewhat similar to a small flask;
• No flame - work is carried out by catalytic oxidation of the fuel.

By pouring 50 grams of refined gasoline into the device, you can ensure yourself cozy and warm nights away from civilization. But for spacious camping tents, such a heater will not be enough; floor portable models are needed here.

Portable infrared tent heater is an absolute must for outdoor enthusiasts. With the help of the IR emitter, you can create comfortable conditions for an overnight stay during winter fishing, hunting or hiking.

When choosing an IR installation, special attention should be paid to the manufacturer, the type of fuel used and additional aspects that contribute to the safety of operation.

Is infrared heating of the tent possible?

The principle of operation of heaters is based on the conversion of thermal energy into infrared radiation. As a result, even a portable camping gas infrared tent heater is able to create and maintain a comfortable temperature. A metal or ceramic plate used as an emitter focuses the rays and directs them to surrounding objects.

Small-sized tourist infrared gas heater for winter tent uses a natural heating process in the process, which is similar in structure to solar radiation. During the heating process, it is not the air that heats up, but the surface of objects. Excess heat energy is removed by natural circulation. Under the direct influence of rays of heat, a person feels a temperature about 10 ° C higher than that of the environment.

Mobile heaters are the best option for fishermen and hunters, as well as those who, due to their occupation, often have to spend the night in a tent. The warmth is felt immediately after turning on the unit. The unit goes into normal operating mode after 4-6 minutes.

What types of outdoor infrared heaters are

The principle of operation used by IR heaters of various modifications is generally not much different from each other. Therefore, when choosing the right equipment, attention should be paid to the type of fuel used.

Domestic and foreign manufacturers traditionally make burners operating on bottled and main gas, gasoline and kerosene. Each of the heaters has its own disadvantages and advantages.

IR heater for kerosene and gasoline

Liquid fueled portable tourism heaters have one nice extra feature: the hob at the top of the appliance. Using the installation, you can cook food without lighting a fire, warm up water for tea, warm up tackle and at the same time warm up a small tent.

The Russian tourist gasoline infrared heater for tents Pathfinder is popular. For the convenience of buyers, the company that manufactures the heater offers a complete travel kit.

The package includes:

1. Tableware.
2. Liquid fuel tank.
3. A travel case is included for easy transportation.

The disadvantage of the compact kerosene camping infrared heater for the Pathfinder camping tent is its relatively low power.

IR gas heater

The heating area of ​​gas heaters is much larger. Unlike gasoline burners, it is possible to heat the tent up to 15 m², in winter, when fishing or hunting. It is considered that gas devices Are the most economical heaters.

Judging by positive reviews, the most popular are the emitters of the following manufacturers:

• Pathfinder - the manufacturer is considered one of the leaders in the production of equipment for tourism and fishing. The company offers modifications: Hephaestus, Hearth, Kemp, etc. The design includes a piezo ignition, a gas supply control unit and other modifications that increase the comfort during the operation of the device.
  Gas Infrared Heater Pathfinder, depending on the model chosen, it is easy to cope with heating a tent of 5-15 m².
• Sibiryachka - a feature of the device is that the catalytic element is made of ceramics. Gas combustion takes place inside the plate. As a result, maximum operational safety is ensured.
  The Sibiryachka tourist heater has a power of 1.12 kW, which is enough to heat a single or double tent. A more powerful 2.3 kW model can be purchased. The light weight of the product, only 1.2 kg, makes it easy to carry the burner if necessary.
  Sibiryachka is also used for industrial purposes, for heating garages, greenhouses, communal and agricultural premises.

All modifications can be operated both from small gas cylinders and by connecting to the main pipeline. The pressure is automatically regulated using a special reducer.

What is the best IR heater for a winter tent

IR heaters are somewhat similar to standard gas burners. The main difference in the design of the former is the operating principle used. Therefore, when choosing a suitable modification, you should pay attention to the following:

• Correct location of the heater... Heating is carried out thanks to directional radiation. Anything that is not in the beam scattering zone will remain cold. Therefore, one of the main criteria for a high-quality radiator is the ability to change the angle of inclination. Camping gas infrared heaters for tents are usually made on an adjustable tripod, which slightly increases the weight of the product.
• Emitter type - a heating plate in which the combustible mixture is burned, it can be metal and ceramic. According to their technical specifications The catalytic gas infrared ceramic tent heater is virtually indistinguishable from its steel counterpart. The only difference is the longer service life of the first option.
• Fuel type - Gas and liquid fuels are traditionally used. The advantage of the latter is that after the gasoline has run out, it is easy to refuel the fuel tank yourself. The disadvantage of liquid fuel burners is the high cost of gasoline. It is more economical to use gas.
• Heating area- an infrared gasoline burner-heater for a winter tent is the best option for those who are used to relaxing alone. The device has simple design, it's easy to install and run. For larger tents, it is better to choose a gas radiator.

Safety rules when heating a tent

Infrared heaters fueled with kerosene, as well as with gas, are highly safe. But in order to exclude possible unpleasant consequences, it is recommended to adhere to the following recommendations:

• Ignition - performed only from the side of the emitter using a match or piezo ignition.
• Ventilation of the room - a certain amount of combustion products enters the air. Ventilate the room to ensure sufficient air flow.
• It is forbidden to cover the emitters with clothes and other objects, place the equipment near flammable materials, fuel cans, etc.

Domestic infrared heaters are distinguished by high reliability and performance, as well as unpretentious operation. Good decision for tourism, winter fishing and hunting.

To create comfortable conditions for outdoor recreation, when there is no electricity, it is customary to use gas appliances. A common such device is a gas heater for a tent. This is a relatively safe and economical way to heat up while hiking. Modern design consists of:

• gas burner block;
• heat reflecting screen;
• control systems.

In a tent for the winter, a similar unit is simply necessary. Durability and safety are tested by manufacturers who provide product warranties. Another important advantage when traveling is light weight. Propane butane fuel is available and optimal.

The durability of the gas tent heater makes it suitable for many travels. It often has to be used in the summer as well. After all, for example, in the mountains there are especially cool nights. Such a heater will help to warm up and dry after the rain. Every winter tent should be sold with similar equipment. Its capacity is usually sufficient to heat a multi-person tent, even at very low air temperatures outside.

The cost of a gas heater for a tent is quite affordable. It is especially important to buy this device for those who often go hiking. Its choice depends on the volume and weight of the tent. You should also pay attention to the following indicators:

• power, its adjustment;
• fuel, operating time without refueling;
• the presence of piezo ignition;
• safety valve;
• design;
• weight.

Often a tent for winter is sold complete with a stove. This is also a good heating option. But very troublesome. It will be easier to purchase a gas heater that will easily solve heat problems.

The latest technology manufactures make infrared gas tent heater an excellent modern way to create comfort. Korean manufacturers called it "little sun". Portable heaters are manufactured by many companies. Model consultations are available in specialized stores and on the Internet.

Many winter tents have a special "skirt" to keep out the snow. It also has a heat-saving function and can withstand wind and frost.

If you have a hiking trip in winter or at another cold time, you should thoroughly prepare for it. Pick up quality equipment and may you be lucky!

Overnight in a tent is great. But when it's cold outside, it requires special preparation, especially if children are taking part in the hike. Today we will find out what methods exist for heating a tent in the cold season. Let's start with the simplest and end with the most technologically advanced and costly.

Clothes and sleeping bag

An important role in the issue of heating is played by the tourist's clothing, him and the mattress. If all these attributes are selected correctly and performed with high quality, then they will be quite enough to comfortably spend the night in the autumn forest. However, with the arrival of real cold weather, such heat will not be enough. It will not be enough for children, and there are two reasons for this. Firstly, children get colder. And secondly, in a dream they love to toss and turn and open up. Therefore, it is important to keep the entire tent warm.

By the way, if you are spending the night in a, in principle, and in any other case, try to make sure that the parts of your body are in maximum contact with each other. Take your hands out of your sleeves at a minimum. The principle of a mitten works here, which, as you know, heats (or more correctly, retains body heat) much more efficiently than a glove. To keep the night in the sleeping bag warmer, before the severe cold comes, a simple bottle with hot water to take with you in your bag. You will get a kind of heating pad.

Candles

The second simplest way is to heat the tent with candles. It is suitable in the fall, when you need to slightly warm it up, but in winter there will not be enough candles. Live fire in a tent is very dangerous, so it can only be used in two cases. The first is when you are awake and can follow the candle burning and its vertical position. Usually, winter fishing lovers use candles, who set up a tent not at all for sleeping, but for protection from wind and precipitation. Well, the second case is when the candle is in a safe burner. The design of such a burner was invented by tourists. You just need to take a metal shell from an old thermos flask and put a candle in it. This burner has several advantages. Firstly, if the thermos falls, the candle will remain in it and will not do any harm. Secondly, the candle heats the thermos, which means that the heat transfer surface increases significantly.

Stones

Heating the tent with stone / stones - old way characterized by its simplicity and reliability. It is suitable for more severe cold weather than the previous two. But here, as in everything, there are some nuances.

If you just take a heated stone and bring it into the tent, it will be hot, but not for long. Literally in an hour the stone will cool down and the cold will come again. The first way to increase the cooling time of the stone is to place it in a pot and close it with a lid. Such a simple manipulation will provide heating of the tent for three hours, but this is not enough for a comfortable sleep. It is necessary to slow down the heat transfer of the stone so that it remains hot for at least 6-8 hours. For these purposes, a simple aluminium foil... It is non-flammable, lightweight and very compact. If the stone is wrapped in several layers of foil, it will cool much more slowly and will not create stuffiness in the first hours of cooling. Heat will be retained by the air gap between the layers. If you feel cold in the tent, just peel off one layer of foil.

A hot stone can burn through the bottom of the tent, so it is placed in a pot or saucepan. It is good if the stone gets stuck in the bell of the container and does not heat up its bottom. Otherwise, put a piece of wood under the pot. Another important nuance: Do not heat the stone too intensely in the fire. Due to the sharp temperature drop on the surface and inside, it can crack.

A hot water canister works like a stone. Only heat transfer is much faster.

Heated earth

Now let's find out how to warm up a tent on a hike in severe cold conditions. Old and reliable way- put up a tent at the site of the fire. There are two options here. The former takes more time and energy. First, at the place where the tent will be installed in the future, you need to remove the sod. Digging should be to a depth of 20 centimeters. Then a huge fire with wide logs is made in this pit. The main goal at this stage is to dry and warm up the earth, as well as get large coals. When the coals are ready, they are evenly distributed over the pit and covered with a 7-10 cm layer of earth. It is important that the ground is dry. If there is none, you need to use the second method below. Dry grass or spruce branches are laid on the ground, and a tent is erected on top. Heating of the tent for the whole night is provided.

The second option is less energy intensive. In this case, it is unnecessary to dig a hole. All you need to do is light a large fire, and when it burns out, carefully remove the coals to the side. On the ground hot from the fire, spruce branches are laid and a tent is set up.

Heating the tent with a pipe

Let's move on to more sophisticated and technologically advanced methods. To bring this idea to life, you need to take 5-6 meters of duralumin pipe with you on a hike. It can be divided into meter lengths for easy transportation. Better yet, take pieces of different diameters and fold them into each other. But do not forget about the seal at the joints, otherwise all the heat will go into the air. The weight of such a set will not be significant at all.

So, to begin with, a fire is kindled a few meters from the entrance to the tent. The pipe is placed on the fire in such a way that one end goes into the tent, and the other protrudes beyond the flame so that smoke does not get into it. The end of the pipe that goes into the tent should be 1.5 meters higher than the second end. This design works very simply: cold air entering the pipe heats up and rises, getting into the tent. The steeper the slope of the pipe, the more the air will circulate. And the closer the fire is to the tent, the hotter this air will become.

To provide yourself with efficient heating, you can go further and make two pits, as in the picture below. The first is needed to protect the tent from fire, and the second - to ensure good airflow. If it is too hot in the tent, you can simply close the pipe.

Heating a tent using the above methods is energy and time consuming. In conditions when you move to a new place every day and get very tired, this is completely inconvenient. It is also uncomfortable if there are children in the hiking group. Therefore, many people prefer to use modern technologies... We will talk about them below.

Gas heater

- a device that is simple in design, has compact dimensions and copes well with heating the tent. By itself, it works very unproductively. It simply heats the air, which is mixed by natural convection. To make a real heater, a special nozzle (working fluid) is put on the burner, which accumulates heat and gradually releases it to the air. It is the nozzle on the gas burner for heating the tent that determines the type of device. The attachments are made of metal and ceramic. In addition to the nozzles working in tandem with the burner, there are independent heaters, which also have a metal or ceramic structure as a working medium. Let's take a closer look at each of the types.

Heater with metal working fluid

Such a traveling heater can be either a nozzle for a gas stove or an independent device. The first option requires special care, because its hot surface, as a rule, is not protected. Therefore, it is not recommended to leave such a heater overnight.

Self-contained structures are more suitable for heating a tent at night. They are more stable on the surface and have protection of the danger zone from objects from the outside. These heaters can have one or two independent burners. Thanks to the parabolic reflector (reflector), the working fluid can be directed in the desired direction. There are a lot of such heaters on sale, both foreign and domestic. The advantages of the device are simplicity of design, low cost, safety. Cons - low return, insufficient efficiency.

Heater with ceramic working fluid

A portable heater of this type has a stronger heat transfer, and therefore, it is more economical. The combustion process takes place on the surface of a ceramic plate, which has a shape similar to a honeycomb. Heat is removed much more efficiently than with an open flame. Up to 50% of the combustion energy is converted into heat radiation. The advantages of ceramic burners are efficiency, compactness, unpretentiousness, a little carbon monoxide is emitted during operation, a directed action. Unfortunately, domestic heaters are inferior to imported ones on all fronts.

Petrol Tent Heater

Gasoline heaters work on the same principle as gas heaters. The main advantages of such products are availability and the ability to work in any weather. Gas-burner for heating the tent at a temperature of -5 degrees and below starts to junk. However, along with all the advantages, gasoline heaters have significant disadvantages. The main one is danger. If used improperly, the balloon can be very harmful. And the fuel itself - gasoline - requires careful transportation.

Safety precautions when working with gas and petrol heaters

Using these products in a tent, you should pay special attention to the following safety rules:

1. The tent must have at least a little ventilation to remove combustion products.

2. The tent heater should be at least half a meter away from the wall.

4. It is desirable to have sleeping place at a height of up to 25 cm from the floor. Carbon monoxide is heavier than air, so it accumulates at the bottom.

5. Only special cylinders equipped with automatic protective equipment are suitable for use in a tent. It blocks the gas supply in the event of a burner extinguishing or overheating. Also, the cylinder must have a certificate allowing its use in residential premises.

6. The heater must be installed on a non-combustible support with an area at least 30% larger than the burner.

Well, the most effective method to heat the tent - to put a stove-stove in it. This is the method used in army tents. Of course, it has more modest dimensions than the army one, but the essence is the same. This heating method is not suitable for a small tent. You will have to tinker with the stove, but the result will be more than decent. There are few such products on the market, but they are still there. And some even adapt to gas and petrol. The stove, as a rule, comes complete with a collapsible chimney. It is made of light metal and does not weigh much at all. The advantages of the stove - it gives a lot of heat, has a simple, but reliable design hoods, is inexpensive, does not require refueling.

Conclusion

Today we have figured out how to warm up a tent on a hike. There are many ways to make your camping life more comfortable and safer, from using simple candles to full-fledged stoves. Which of this variety to choose depends on the time of year, the place of rest, the composition of the group and the personal characteristics of each person. Someone walks in a T-shirt in winter and sleeps in the same sleeping bag, but for someone, a stove will not hurt even in summer.

Overnight in a tent is a fact known to many from fishing trips, picnics and other situations. At night in a tent you can do without heating only in the summer, while in the rest of the months, which are still quite warm during the day, you should take care of the camping method of heating at night, which most often becomes a portable heater.

Manufacturers of camping equipment and camping equipment now offer a variety of compact autonomous heaters designed for heating tents and temporary shelters in the field.

Let's consider the most common heaters used in field conditions in terms of their compliance with the necessary requirements.

Criteria for the suitability of stand-alone heaters for use in a tent

If you do not consider tents and tent structures for industrial or military purposes with the possibility of placement large groups people, a tent is a well-known accessory for a hunter, fisherman, traveler, or just went on a picnic.

Small-sized gas heater Elekon with a standard mini-gas cylinder.

The device is a small volume, frame or frameless type, made of waterproof canvas, which also does not allow air to pass through. The material of the tent, depending on the composition and impregnation, reacts differently to heating and an open flame.

Considering these factors, the heater for suitability of its use in the tent must have the following characteristics:

• safety is the most important requirement for diminutive housing and remoteness from assistance services;
• compactness - for the convenience of transportation by personal transport, transfer and placement in conditions of a shortage of living space;
• sufficient efficiency - a portable heater with a compact design must cope with its purpose;
• efficiency - providing the unit with fuel should not be burdensome;
• rational functionality - the possibility of using the unit for cooking or heating outside the tent is encouraged;
• ease of use.

Infrared portable heating device in a tent with the ability to focus the heating.

Types of heaters for a tent and their device

Types of heaters industrial production used in field conditions, there are many classifying signs even more. The main difference between these heaters is the fuel consumed and the heat output.

Important! The use of home-made heaters, especially in tent conditions - with limited living space, is explosive and fire hazardous, therefore, they can be used only in extreme situations in the absence of an alternative. In all other cases, only industrial devices should be used.

Liquid fuel appliances

Liquid fuel tourist heaters, depending on the design, consume kerosene or gasoline. The calorific value of such devices is quite high, but their operation is accompanied by the following negative factors:

• combustion of even purified liquid fuel is accompanied by the presence of an unpleasant odor in the air at a certain period;
• the procedure for refueling the heater to avoid fuel spills requires caution;
• not all types of devices have the constructive ability to be equipped with a device for automatically stopping combustion when overturning;
• the quality of liquid fuels when buying is not predictable.

Small kerosene heaters

Heaters on kerosene for outdoor use refers to infrared heating devices, but can also be used for cooking.

The device is a housing, in the lower part of which there is a fuel tank with a filler neck. In the upper part of the tank, as in a kerosene lamp, a wick device with a flame regulating mechanism is mounted. The wick is a sleeve made of special fabric, the lower part of which is immersed in kerosene, and the upper part is located inside a mesh metal cylinder-emitter. The wick is ignited manually or with the help of a piezo device, and after heating the device (5 minutes), its length is adjusted until there is no soot during combustion - in this case, not kerosene is burned, but its vapors.

The metal mesh (shell) heats up to glow and begins to emit infrared waves, heating the surfaces of objects in the path of their propagation. The appliance can be used with metal utensils of a suitable size for cooking.

The advantages of such "kerosene" - compactness, functionality, efficiency, affordable price.

Flaws - smell in the air from the combustion of kerosene before the device goes into operation (the first 5 minutes), the absence of a device for automatically cutting off the fuel supply in the presence of the possibility of overturning.

Petrol Tent Heaters

Gasoline heaters have been used for heating temporary light housing for a long time, but earlier they were primitive devices based on a conventional burner with a high degree of fire hazard during operation.

In the process of improvements, modern gasoline heaters are effective universal devices that consume not gasoline as fuel, but an air-gasoline or air-alcohol mixture.

Small alcohol heaters: on the left - Dometic Origo 5100 burner, on the right - Dometic ORIGO A100 stove.

However, the presence in the air of the smell accompanying the combustion of foreign impurities in gasoline or alcohol makes these devices less popular.

KOVEA KB-0603 multi-fuel burner designed for gas or petrol consumption included.

More advanced are liquid-fuel camping heaters of catalytic action, the release of heat in which occurs due to the oxidation of fuel, but not during its combustion. In such devices, vapors of preheated gasoline or alcohol are supplied to a heated plate with a catalyst coating, where they are oxidized with the release of heat. Also available in models with removable hob for cooking food.

Catalytic Gasoline Alcohol Tent Heaters

With a high degree of security (absence open flame) such units have a significant drawback - a limited resource, since during the oxidation process, the catalytic substance evaporates under the influence of heating.

Solid fuel units

These devices, as a rule, are not considered as the main ones when solving the issue of heating in a tent or tent, since the limitation in the dimensions of heating devices excludes the possibility of using firewood, and the efficiency of using solid fuel materials, such as dry alcohol, is not great.

However, as a means for quickly warming hands or warming up a mug of tea, canned food cans, solid fuel devices are quite applicable.

Gas devices

There are many varieties of gas heaters for a tent, therefore, it is not realistic to present a description common to all such units. Each line of models has individual characteristics, and only the type of fuel consumed, compactness and efficiency are common to all campers.

A tourist gas heater is most often designed to use disposable propane cylinders inserted into the body of the device or connected via a hose. But models are produced with the ability to install on a standard household cylinder, suitable for cooking.

Important! Devices on a standard cylinder, due to the physical characteristics of liquefied gas, are suitable for use at temperatures up to -5 degrees, and this should be taken into account when transporting the cylinder and the place of its installation. Gas fuel in special cartridges is designed for use at lower temperatures.

According to the heating method for use in tents, a portable infrared gas heater is the safest and most effective due to the absence of a directed stream of hot air during operation, which is fire hazardous in a small room.

Gas heater from a cylinder, equipped with a conventional burner without infrared emitter, effective when used outdoors, for example, for fast food food in the cauldron.

Infrared heaters for outdoor use are divided into three groups:

• with a metal emitter;
• with ceramic radiation generator;
• catalytic action.

Metal emitter gas infrared tourist heater is a steel mesh heated by a burner and equipped with a reflector-reflector. The emitter does not come into contact with the material of the burner and is equipped with a protective grid for safety of use.

Despite the fact that such heaters are universal - they are used both for heating an area of ​​5-6 square meters, and for cooking, the price range of devices with a metal emitter is available to a wide range of consumers, but when buying, you should take into account their increased gas consumption.

Infrared camping gas heaters with metal radiator.

Ceramic infrared generator in portable tent heaters made in the form of a perforated plate, also heated by the flame of the burner, to which the gas-air mixture is supplied. Ceramic infrared gas heaters are intended only for heating, it is impossible to cook on them, while an analysis of the statistics of the use of these devices shows a high fire hazard. However, due to their compactness, low weight (on average, 0.7 kg without spare cylinders), the minimum emission of gas combustion products and the economy of fuel consumption, such heaters continue to be very popular among tourism enthusiasts.

Infrared gas heaters with ceramic emitters: on the left - tabletop Orgaz Heater SB-602, on the right - floor-standing Sibiryachka GII-0.8.

Catalytic gas heater for use in tents and tents - the most advanced device for camping conditions, which has a fiberglass panel with a platinum or cobalt-chrome coating in its construction - a catalyst. The conversion of fuel energy into heat in such devices occurs without the combustion process - a preheated gas is also supplied to the heated panel, which, in the presence of a catalyst, reacts with atmospheric oxygen (oxidizes), resulting in the release of energy.

Due to the absence of an open flame during operation and the occurrence of oxidation at temperatures below the combustion temperature, catalytic heaters are the safest for use in confined tent conditions. In addition, the efficiency of such heaters when converting fuel into thermal energy is in the region of 99%, while for ceramic emitters - about 50%.

A catalytic tent heater is a silent unit with a zero probability of emission of combustion products into the air, but the effect of its operation takes some time.

Catalytic gas heaters cannot be used for cooking, so physical impact on the plate or the ingress of liquid on it can render the catalyst unusable or extinguish the device.

Catalytic heater in operation in the open air.

The unit is compact, does not require searching for fuel, but it is designed to use only certain types of disposable cartridges.

The oxidation temperature of the fuel is lower than its combustion temperature, but the heater must still not be leaned against combustible objects or touched with bare hands.

The oxidation process is accompanied by the consumption of oxygen from the air in the tent, so it needs to be periodically ventilated, and for the sake of safety, it is still better to turn off the unit for safety reasons.

Important! The power of some models of catalytic portable heaters of foreign manufacturers is not designed for use in the conditions of the Russian winter. Therefore, for such devices, there are special nozzles on sale that increase the heat transfer area of ​​the device.

The heater is started by pressing the button of the piezo device or by igniting it with a match.

The price range for catalytic heaters starts from 2.5 thousand rubles.

On a note

To avoid repeating other people's mistakes, it should be noted that using a tent or tent for heating homemade devices on batteries or rechargeable batteries is not effective.

At first glance, it seems possible to use heaters based on resistive elements or a self-regulating heating cable for this, but it should be borne in mind that even if the heaters are selected for a battery voltage of 12 V, the battery will need a constant recharge. To recharge the battery, you need a generator, which, in turn, needs fuel, and thus the know-how in the form of "battery heating" will turn into a time-consuming and costly undertaking.

Conclusion

Today, when going fishing or just on vacation in nature, one can be less afraid of dependence on changes in the weather and the availability of natural fuel for a fire - the market for tourist equipment and units for heating temporary housing is saturated enough. Having a camping heater available, you can look for a place to rest without being tied to the presence of firewood there. However, one should not fully rely on the existing unit, and it is better to have another device of a different type in stock. Moreover, the more reliable the chosen tourist heating equipment, the less the likelihood of spoiled rest due to an unexpected cold snap.

The main point of the article

1. Tent heaters are a necessary and affordable accessory, the availability of which during a long stay in nature can hardly be overestimated.
2. When choosing a device for heating a tent or cooking, you need not only to anticipate the upcoming operating conditions, but also the basic requirements for camping heaters: safety, functionality with compactness, efficiency and ease of use.
3. Oil-fired heaters are efficient, but due to the physical characteristics of the fuel, they are inconvenient. In addition, when using them, there is a factor of unpredictability of the quality of the purchased fuel.
4. Camping gas heaters are quite efficient with compactness, while their operation in terms of providing fuel is much easier. In addition, there are 2 modern species gas tourist heaters - with a ceramic radiator and catalytic action, optimally corresponding to the conditions of a long stay in nature.
5. In order to protect yourself from surprises associated with a change in the weather when going out into nature, it is better to stock up, in addition to the main one, with a backup means of heating temporary housing, moreover, with the possibility of using it for cooking.