Cut hole in back of FT Pro for Big Buddy?

[Swimmer]

I have a Fishtrap Pro, and I was gifted a Big Buddy heater. Well, the Pro is a one-man flip, but with a stadium seat it will fit the "activities director" (thanks to the guy who used that in another post) too. But with the addition of the B Buddy, no room whatsoever.

So how about cutting a hole in the back of the shelter slightly smaller than the outline of the heater, glueing on some velcro to the middle of the heater, and velcro on the "flaps" that you left on the Pro? You would probably want to set the B Buddy on a milk crate or something outside the shelter. Presto, no bulky heater sitting in front of you. Possible problem could be not getting enough heat on to the floor???

Any experiences or thoughts on this would be helpful before I take the knife to the Fish Trap!

[BDR]

I would avoid taking the knife to it. I would suggest to the "activities director" that you need a bigger house.

A small sunflower would heat a pro quite well and not take up much space.

[PierBridge]

Very creative.....Don't do it!!!!

Take it back or sell the Big Buddy and get the Buddy it's perfect for the Pro.

[Gus]

Put the big buddy all the way in front of you. The back and sides of it do not get hot so don't worry about it touching the canvas. Just slide the chairs back a little so your are more sitting over the middle of the sled not the very front. You'll be fine. If you do decide to cut a hole in the canvas and it doesn't work out, you are out a chunk of change to replace the tent.

Fellow FT Pro and BigBuddy user- Gus

[ZapBranigan]

I just bought a Pro this year and am faced with the same issue. It's mighty nice for one guy to haul around and less dragging work but a bit scrunched when you load it up. I got a used buddy to use instead of the Big Buddy. This helped on both space after set up and space in the sled to drag stuff out on. (Thanks AirJer it works great). I would not go with a sunflower in confined spaces. You will be spending too much time keeping an eye on where that heat is directed. Buddies are better for this they have safer heat distribution. Not to mention the CO2 factor. Any way a buddy to one side or in the sled behind you works great a big buddy uses too much sled space. Cutting a Pro would be my last choice. You'll really be sorry on the warmer days at the end of the year. Travel lighter without heater when its warm. Maybe not an option once you cut a slot in the canvas.

[Swimmer]

I think there might be a way. If you were to cut a "U" in the canvas then you could bring the flap back down. Attaching a 2" piece of velcro all the way around the cut with 1" hanging over to bond to the tent side, then you could seal it up when heater not needed.? I already have the super-bright-LED strips in there, so I could use the extra battery for powering a computer fan too -- to move warm air down/foreward.

[ZapBranigan]

You need to stop the whole mess from fraying and coming apart after you cut it. Mine is under a bit of pressure when I extend out thr poles. Or add the new back extension pole to keep the back of the unit from blowing back inward. Another nice new feature on the newer ones. Anyone out there have a tear in theirs? Maybe they could tell you if its going to start to come apart on you.

[Borch]

My wife fishes out of the FT pro and uses a Dynoglo heater(same as the buddy heater by a different manufacturer). She rarely has the unit on the hi setting other than the first 15 minutes or so. After that it's usually on low unless it's really cold out.

I'd venture a guess that the Big Buddy heater would cook a person out in that small one man house.

[hovermn]

Swimmer,

You have the LB1 in the Pro? How does it work? Is there enough light using one, or would two be best? Like pretty much everyone else, I'm looking to get rid of the lantern using LEDs.

[vern]

I would trade the Big Buddy for a regular Buddy (plenty of heat) or upgrade the Pro to the Fish-Trap Guide. I own both the Pro & the Guide & the Guide is very comfortable for 2 people. I wouldn't cut the fabric on your Pro. Velcroing the canvas to the heater sounds like a fire hazard to me. Good luck, Vern

[Swimmer]

First of all, I use the BIG buddy because: 1) has three heat settings; 2) holds two 1# tanks; 3) the battery powered fan is very effective; 4) I use it in my garage; 5) will need the heat for future cabin style shelter; and 6) not worth the hastle to exchange for buddy. I would like to pick up a buddy cheap though.

Question. I heard some people set the buddy up IN the sled. No problems with burning flesh?

Oh yea, as for the LED's. They are the LB1's. I followed somebodies post (thanks whoever you were!) and used aquarium under-gravel tubing that consists of a three foot tube of durable hard clear plastic. I bought three LB1's, but only used two so far. I used the 4" connector from SBLED's to connect two LB1's. Soldered my wires straight to the curcuit board "+" and "-" solder points, and soldered alligator clips to the ends of the wires. Slid the LB1's into the clear tubing, lined them up and squirted some silicone into both ends of tubing to hold them in place. When the silicone set-up, I filled the ends of the tubing with silicone to seal them up. Used quality rubber bands to attach them to the top of the flip pole so that they could be rotated, and presto, all the super-efficient light you could want. I bought an extra Vex battery, but I don't think it will be needed as I use the Lowrance Ice Machine which is so battery efficient that I should be able to hook the lights up to that battery and still get around 40 hours of use out of the combo!

I think one LB1 would be OK, but two is perfect...I can see enough to tie a line (though I use a LED headlamp too), and I could rotate the light to reduce light output if wanted. The only thing I plan to do differently is run the light wires through the pole, so they are completely out of the way.

[hovermn]

Good info swimmer. Thanks! I'd like to completely eliminate the lantern and LEDs seem to be the hot ticket right now. I've just learned about the LB1's and after a look on their HSOforum, I was a bit skeptical. I guess I may be wrong?

Thanks for the review and recommendation.