Heating The Portable

[WildBill33]

Hey All,

I was just looking for a new heater for my portable, the best option and the most popular seems to be the buddy heater. My question is do they give off good heat, and is it worth the extra money for the larger one of the two heaters.

Thanks, WildBill

[bigswede]

I would spend the xtra $ on the big buddy. It has 3 heat settings vs. the 2 that teh buddy has. Not to mention that the fan on the big buddy helps to circulate the air which is nice.I have had both and when it got real cold like the trout openers have been the last few years, the buddy heater didnt cut it. THe big buddy, I think, throws 18K BTU on the High setting.

[picksbigwagon]

I have the smaller buddy, but I would like to get the big buddy, but you can't run bulk tank to the big buddy can you?

[jphersh22]

I used to use a Mr Heater Cooker/Heater and felt like it was cooking me. I changed to the smaller Buddy heater and love it. It keeps things warm enough.

[Tripleplay]

The buddy is more than sufficient for a large number of portables. I've got a 2-man Fishtrap Guide which gets steaming hot with the buddy alone. I usually end up without my coat on and the heater on low and it is still warm.

On the other hand, I used my buddy in my deer stand last year (4' by 8') with myself and a couple of 12 year olds and it wasn't quite enough heat on the really cold days so a big buddy is in the works for the deer stand.

[huntingislife]

They make a fitting to connect the big buddy to a bulk tank. Much easier than going through so many small ones.

[AQUAJOE]

Mr Heater does have a fuel filter that you can attach to the Big Buddy(highly recommended).

You attach this to one side of the Big Buddy and put a 2lb. empty on the other side.

Then connect the appropriate end of the hose to the Fuel Filter and the other to your propane tank and you are all set.

I have this setup and use it in my Clam Voyager it does well down to about 0 degrees. If there is a strong wind not so good.

I would say the biggest down fall is the if there is any breeze what so ever and that hits the heating pads they kind of go out. Which in turn means less heat.

They are a very safe unit. The slightest tip and they go out.

I hope this helps.

[huntingislife]

The empty 2lber is unnecessary. I run the filter and 5lb tank on the one side with nothing on the other.

[AQUAJOE]

It's not? Cool one less thing!

huntingislife how long do you get out of the 5lb tank? I run a 20lb.(what a heavy pain in the butt that is)

[Down Deep]

I had the Buddy and went back to the heater cooker. I was not satisfied with the amount of heat that the Buddy threw off. I also like the cooking flexibilty.

[huntingislife]

I have a 5lb pancake and I ran out once on a weekend trip to URL late sunday night. I had it running almost the whole weekend on medium to high. Otherwise I am not quite sure how long it lasts. Quite a few one day trips where it is hard to keep track.

I will also say the regular sunflower heater puts out more heat than the big buddy. But the big buddy is much more convenient and I can't burn my tarp on it.

[bigswede]

Not to mention that the big and little buddy are quiet. I do agree that the sunflowers seem to put off more heat, but teh ceramic plates are nice and quiet and wont burn your fabric.