Mr. Heater/cooker vs Mr. heater tank mounted

[lakevet]

Have a Mr. heater mounted on tank. Looking at the heater cooker. Was looking at the buddy heater but want bulletproof/durable/dependable for below zero fishing in a portable. Do you set the heater/cooker on the ice? How stable is it. A friend said to mount it in a milk crate. A Mr. Heater mounted on top of a smaller tank seems very compact. How do you manage the heater/cooker/hose/tank. How lightweight/compact can you make that setup? Like the idea of option of hot food.

lakevet

[CRAZYEYES]

I have had both the heater cooker and the tank mount as well as several different size tanks. The stand for the heater cooker is kind of a cheap deal and kind of flimsy. I ended up making my own little stand for it out of some much heavier guage wire. As for cooking with its prett much worthless for anything but boiling water or simple things cause there is not much for temp control. I like being able to have it closr to the ice than my tank mounted and I have the hose assembly so I can keep the tank outside. For cooking I have a little cooker burner that screws right on top of a 1 LB tank and I usually use that. For my tank mount mr heater I have a smaller 5 lb tank that I like becasue it sits a lillte closer to the ice but just doesnt last that long and they always have problems filling those real little tanks.

[chuckwagon]

I have used both, and like the heater/cooker for its size, heat that it generates and being able put the tank out side the house. I have never tried cooking with it but its there if I need it. My experience with the tank mounted units have not been great with keeping me warm for those long days out! My .02

[hamms-scooter]

Why are these tank mount heaters using more propane? Seems like it would be the same to me. I have the htr/ckr, all the options you need when out on the ice.Heat and more heat!Its very stable and I dont think it is a flimsy stand and some guys on here have had theirs for 20 + yrs. For haulin around in my sled i keep it in a plastic crate fits perfectly. When i get to spot the tank goes outside into the crate to keep snow out of bottom of tank.

[THEDOGG]

heater cooker is the way to go number one it is low so it heats more air and you can keep it away from the sides of the shelter. Number 2 and this one is important - you can cook on it and as an added bonus it can run on 1lb tanks if you want to travel light

[PierBridge]

Cooker for sure. And they work great for Cooking remember you can turn the heat down lower than the low setting which will help considerably when cooking.

[schweady]

No way I'd call the heater/cooker frame "flimsy." I recommend it to anyone looking for an efficient way to heat their portable.

[JimmyJames]

Htr/ckr can't be beat, get the cans of ready to eat soup, crack the top,dump a little liquid out , as good as it gets.I've had mine for 10+ years,indestructible.

[jigginjim]

The nice thing about the htr/ck you can set th burner close to your ice holes, they don't freeze up as fast.

[redseal]

its really not meant to cook a 3 coaurse meal, but brats, soup, grab a frying pan and you got all sorts of options! just hold it above a bit if it get to hot. alot easier to get around in a portable also. best heater out their for a portable in my opinion

[lakevet]

What tank size do you usually go with your heater cooker? Was thinking of the 11 pounder with hose and heater/cooker. Will that do a 3 day 20-30 below zero Lake of the Woods trip? Or should I look at a 5 # tank? Have used 20# tank for years. Trying to strike a balance between weight and not having to refill tank alot. Sometimes pull house out by hand on a couple of small lakes. It was mentioned that there sometimes are difficulties on refilling 5# tanks. And what length hose/connections etc. How do you stow it for travel in your portable. Heard the milk crate idea mentioned above. Again looking at simple and reliable.

thanks for the input!

lakevet

[sodajerk]

Where is the heater/cooker sold? I've checked a couple places and neither one carried it. Do they have them at FF? Haven't been there yet.

[hamms-scooter]

Yes that is where i got mine a few years ago but i have seen them there still. Make sure you look though they have one with the clicker lighter on it for 10 or 15 dollars more then the regular one...not worth that in my opinion.

[hamms-scooter]

Got mine for 35 bucks on sale! you wont regret it!

[simple1]

I have a Mr. Heater, but ALWAYS take my cooker just in case I need more heat.

[tsande00]

I almost burned my parents house down as a teenager with the heater/cooker.

I was smoking at the time and decided it would be nice to heat up the 3 season porch so we could smoke in the warmth. So I grabbed teh heater/cooker out of the garage hooked the hose up to it and lit the heater. I walked away for a few minutes. I checked on it after three minutes - no problems still warming up the porch. I checked on it after 5 minutes - flames shooting up all over inside the porch. What happened was the hose had stiffened up due to the cold weather and as the porch warmed, the hose became more flexible and ended up resting against the side of the heater. Long story short the heater melted through the hose and turned it into a propane flame thrower. Fortuantely I only damaged the porch and the house was OK. I ran into the flames, grabbed the propane tank and heaved it off the deck.

With all that said, I would still probably go with a heater/cooker (assuming your not a dumb [PoorWordUsage] teenager that decides to try using it inside the home). I use the tank mounted style but if I didn't have a 3 man house I would like the extra room that a heater/cooker allows for.