Best way to heat a 1 man shelter

[Crm7290]

Hey guys, I bought a HT Enterprises Quik Shak Ice Shelter at fleet farm the other day. It's really nice and extremely easy to put up and take down.

My question is what's a good way to heat this? There wouldn't be room for a big buddy heater so I was thinking that a lantern would be a good way, plus I wouldn't even need a headlamp once it's dark. Do they put off enough heat to warm up my shack?

Really all I would want is the hole not to freeze up when it gets that cold, and for my hands to not get cold. Any ideas?

[headcheese]

portable buddy is half the size of a big buddy. its not quite enough on those really cold days though. lantern would put out even less plus they emit a lot of CO

[Bluegill1510]

I have an idea but is it chair set up where you flip it over or a ground blind set up? I have a buddy who has the chair quik flip over shelter I think Eskimo makes them and he told me a lantern will heat it, but you don't have much more room either as far as a lantern, vex, tackle and maybe a bait bucket. With the tent or ground blind set up I know a sunflower heater on a 20 lb or 10 lb tank would be plenty but then you would sweat yourself out of the house. Another option is the Mr. Heater cooker that is on a stand and your run a 1 lb cylinder or a line to your tank outside. Or they make a smaller portable buddy heater which you can run on a line or one pound cylinders. That is what I have, and heats my one man flip over house fine.

All I can say is you can try the lantern idea one day/night ice fishing but pick a day where the temps are above 0 and not alot of wind then you can get a good judgement. If your hole can't stay open and your hands freeze then invest in the good heater options like I state above.

[fishinfey8]

You could try the little buddy MH4 I think it's called. Don't have any personal experience but it's smaller than the mr buddy.

[herefish101]

A lantern alone won't cut it, get a buddy heater, not the big buddy, not the little buddy, but the "buddy heater", it has one ceramic panel and is rated at 4,000 or 9,000 btu's, which is more than enough for a one man shack. I use one in my larger two man shack on warmer days, so long as it's above 15 degrees it works great, so it should cook you out of a little one manner.

[amateurfishing]

I have a single tank mr. buddy and a 1 man flip over, i am a naturally hot individual but @ 0 degrees last weekend i had mine on low and it was plenty of heat for me, also had to "air" out couple times cause it got too warm for me. Never saw em lower than $75 in a store but can catch em on HSO-Classifieds once in a while for $50

[WallyGader]

+1 I have a buddy heater and a clam pro and have not needed to use the high setting yet.

[Rippinlip]

I have a Little Buddy and it heats the 1-man Clam I fish in wonderful and I do not have to burn the canvas if it rubs on anything.

[Bullwinkled]

Mh4 budy heater pictured above , reflectix insulation added, no cold problems below zero.

[ted4887]

I had mine out this week in about 20 degree temps. I would turn on my Buddy for about 5 minute bursts every hour just to warm up my hands a little. It was more than plenty warm. I was able to fish with just a sweatshirt on.

I also heard about that reflectix stuff, and it seems like a fantastic idea if you don't have a thermal. I know i'll be doing it this offseason.

[LMITOUT]

Lanterns are no fun because unless they are hung up higher the light is only at ground level and that makes it hard to retie or do anything at eye level. Not to mention you have to deal with broken mantles and the fumes. If any sort of wind is blowing they just aren't enough to give adequate heat anyway. Been there, done that.

I use either a Mr. Heater cooker or a Mr. Heater sunflower on top of a propane tank and that is more than plenty in a flip over such as an Otter Lodge.

[hamms-scooter]

This is known as the base camp heater. thought about getting one for my ft scout nice size.

You could try the little buddy MH4 I think it's called. Don't have any personal experience but it's smaller than the mr buddy.

[mixxedbagg]

Beans. But don't try that in a 2 man shelter.

[Ed Carlson]

The Little Buddy and the Buddy when compared side by side take up almost the same space. The head and the footprint of the Little Buddy is larger then one expects, and the BTU output tops out at 3,800. It also has one setting, "ON/OFF", so you gain no range of adjustment.

For these reasons I personally chose the Buddy MH9BX (4,000 and 9,000 BTU/HR) over the Little Buddy MH4B (3,800 BTU/HR). As it has a more flexible range of heating and I can place it up against the canvas with no worry of it burning it. Space required is slightly wider with the Buddy MH9BX yet it is not sufficiently large enough to warrant the decreased BTU output and range of adjustment when compared to the Little Buddy.

The Buddy MH9BX also is much easier to run off a bulk tank, and that too was a further determining factor in my choice.

[RJMOEN]

Lanterns are a CO2 nightmare...use one for an hour with doors closed...then open them quickly, watch the lantern get super bright. Thats because it suddenly has oxygen again...that also means there wasnt much left in the room. NO oxygen equals death. If you use a lantern make sure to open up every so often and circulate air. Cant fish dead.

[mike meyer]

I have a Quik Shak and I use the Base Camp Buddy for heat. It keeps me plenty warm but I also wear Artic Armor, so the heat is mostly to keep the hole open and my hands warm. I also attached a 1/2" pipe strap to the plasic base ring so I can hook it under the front floor rail to make it more stable. Even without Artic Armor on it is warm.

[Crm7290]

I really like the Quik Shak. I haven't had it out when its really cold yet. Wednesday will be that day. Its looking to be 15 degrees. I will be going it with no heater but I should be fine. Ill be packin some chemical heaters for my hands and feet.

I will probably get a regular buddy heater and just use the 1 pound propane heaters. I dont want to have to worry about burning the shak. I am planning on making this shak last a long time.

[jwenzel]

I have a little one man pak shack it is called and all i bring with is my lantern and it keeps it plenty warm.

[Gadgetman]

I have a small version of the sunflower heater that screws onto a one pound tank and is adjustable from 3 - 5000 btu and it perfect down to zero and also very portable cost $29

[Crm7290]

gadgetman what was that called and where did you get it?

[McGurk]

The Little Buddy and the Buddy when compared side by side take up almost the same space. The head and the footprint of the Little Buddy is larger then one expects, and the BTU output tops out at 3,800. It also has one setting, "ON/OFF", so you gain no range of adjustment.

For these reasons I personally chose the Buddy MH9BX (4,000 and 9,000 BTU/HR) over the Little Buddy MH4B (3,800 BTU/HR). As it has a more flexible range of heating and I can place it up against the canvas with no worry of it burning it. Space required is slightly wider with the Buddy MH9BX yet it is not sufficiently large enough to warrant the decreased BTU output and range of adjustment when compared to the Little Buddy.

The Buddy MH9BX also is much easier to run off a bulk tank, and that too was a further determining factor in my choice.

Exactly what Ed said. I just picked up the new version of the Buddy (MF9BX) for a bit over $50 at Menards. They had all of their heaters on sale, and not many left. I, too, had the intention of getting a Little Buddy, but it really makes no sense when you see the Buddy X and Little Buddy side by side with about a $10 difference in price. The Little Buddy has less potential heat output, looks "tippier", would be a pain to hook up to a bulk tank, and takes up no less room. The new Buddy X (larger and upright heating element, folding handle, swing-out tank coupler, and smaller footprint) is a great option for small house applications, and now at a great price.