Mr Buddy Portable vs Big Buddy

[niterydr]

Just wondering if anyone has had first hand experience using both of these. I just bought a Quickfish III hub style tent, which if I am calculating correctly has 216sq ft of room in it.

The portable series heater (14"x7"x14") says it can heat up to 200sq feet, the Big buddy is a bit larger (17"x10"x17.5"), a bit more expensive ($20 more at Northern Tool), and requires double the fuel. It also does double the space.

$20 is $20 and if I don't need the larger heater, I won't get it. Has anyone used one of these in a hub style (aka tent) house with success?

[Lights]

I have the same shelter, a little Buddy and a regular Mr. Heater on a small pancake LP tank. The little buddy is not big enough for the QF III. I would go with the regular Mr. Heater setup. I am not a fan of the Big Buddy heater. The Little Buddy works great with a Scout or Pro single flip over though.

Mark

[Grogan]

I have a clam 5600 and a buddy heater honestly on those really cold days I wish I had got the big buddy. It just doesn't seem to get the house real warm.

[cold one sd]

I have the buddy heater (small one) and a Frabill XL Twin flip over shelter. The buddy heats it ok unless it gets cold and windy at which time I use an 11lb tank with a Paulin sunflower heater. The Paulin keeps it warmer and I keep busy tying new jigs on since I seem to burn them off quite often. I have no experience sith the big buddy.

[SomethingFishy*]

I have a Big Buddy for my Otter Lodge and in real cold weather I switch over to a Mr Heater Cooker. I run Bolth of a 10lb Pancake tank and a 12 ft hose.

[DoubleB]

I have a little buddy cause I didn't think I needed to spend the extra $20. I also have a buddy who has a BIG Buddy ( 2 panels instead of 1). He can run a single panel or both if needed and if it's really cold I'm stuck lugging around the sunflower and 20lb tank! Hindsight being 20/20, I'd spend the extra money...

[Caleb S]

If you do a search you will find that this topic has been hashed over a lot of times.

[heat checker]

We have the same house and the little buddy heater. it heats it fine unless it is really cold or windy. We are now building a pernament, if we would have known that two years ago we might have got the big buddy.

[MuskieJunkie]

The regular sized buddy heater isn't enough heat for a 2 person uninsulated portable. IMO.

[toughguy]

Big Buddy. Hands down.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

The Big Buddy is Ok, but could use a little more power. The smaller buddy heater is junk and shouldn't even be sold in my opinion. I bought the small one last year, took it back and got the big Buddy heater. If you've got a really large shack and fish on cold windy day's get a sunflower with a small tank.

[Jesse Drummer]

mr heater for me!

[redbandit]

Little Buddy for one-mans Big Buddy for anything bigger. Sunflower or heater/cooker if you want it real warm.

[jwhjr]

I have the big buddy for my Otter Lodge, and I have the sunflower for backup. Slightly off topic question - Has anyone had issues with the plastic on the Big Buddy breaking on them in the cold? I'll have to put it on top of the sled because it's too tall to fit in the compartments in my portable. It could get knocked around when pulled out on a snowmobile etc.

[slipperybob]

Big Buddy, cuz it's got a fan.

[graybeard2]

I bought a Buddy last year, and it worked just fine in my Frabill Hideout. In below zero weather I never got cold. I don't strip down to a t-shirt, but I kept comfortable. That being said, this year my son bought a big buddy to use in his deer shack, and since he doesn't ice fish and lives in an apartment, I'm sure I'll get to store it for him. So if I need it, I'll use it.

[niterydr]

If you do a search you will find that this topic has been hashed over a lot of times.