Little Buddy Heater

[Bullwinkled]

Anyone tried the Little Buddy heater? It must be new product. Output is 3800 BTU vs 4000 for the Buddy on low setting. I have a Fishtrap Pro and currently use a small sunflower which likes to burn holes in everything it touches, such as Pro fabric, Artic Armor etc. I would like something safer, but warm and of course space is a premium in the Pro and even the Buddy takes space.

[BartmanMN]

I am curious on this too, since I will be in the Trap Guide this year. Trying to decide if I should just step up to the big buddy.

[Shawnny B]

I have both the original buddy heater and the Big buddy heater, if you can afford it go with the Big buddy heater, on those nights/days when its extreamly cold, and blowing wind, you will be glad you had more heat, I have yet to use my big buddy on the high setting, will other than the, Hmm..wonder how hot it could get..., usualy Im turning it down to low or medium to make it "just right" I have the original for early/late ice when I just dont need the big buddy and I know i wont get "cold" because of not enought heat.

Shawn

[slipperybob]

Is this the new personal heater that runs on 1# tanks? It looks cool and slightly smaller than the Coleman ProCat. I don't like stand alone personal heaters because they are easily tipped over, even with a base attached.

[Bullwinkled]

Yes, it is a stand alone competes directly with the Coleman ProCat which only puts out 3000 BTU.

[Northlander]

I have one and have used it twice this year. Both times it was about 15-20 degrees and overcast with a bit of wind. I was in my Camo Otter Cabin. This little unit was the ticket for such days. I like the easy push button ignition and push button shut off. Just push the button and hold it for 30 seconds and your good to go. Its a great 1 man heater for sure. Takes up little room. Now if it was real cold and windy I would use a stronger heater. Im thinking below zero it would just take the chill out. Im impressed with it considering I havent had any other buddy type heater that worked like it shoud out of the 4 or 5 I have had.

I also like how long it went on a 1# tank. I fired it up at about 12:20 and I left the ice at 5:30 and it still was going and I had some propane left in the tank. Maybe 1/8th left.

Indoor safe as well.

[woody1975]

We have the Original and it worked great for us last year. Even when it was really cold and windy, it kept us comfortable. The nice thing is that we used to use a sunflower heater on a 20# cyclinder and that took up a ton of room in the fish house, with this, there is a ton more room. Now with the Buddy heater, we can use a 1# and we also have the adaptor to hook up to a 20# via a hose that runs to the tank on the outside of the tank.

DL

[dfv87]

Buddy Heater owner here and I like it a lot...

Compact, simple to operate, runs on 1# or a 20# (with adapter) For me it was nice as you could have a lantern and buddy and buy a bunch of 1# tanks and be set for either. It will keep you comfortable in sub zero in a portable of any size but we fished a -20 day/night on Red lake in a X4 double flip and we had one on each side and it was really warm...T-shirts (we were banked and sealed up pretty tight) and it wasn't real windy.

All in all I really like mine... the big buddy has a fan but I know they had issues with them initally, I assume they fixed the issues. But the Big buddy is bigger and space is a premium for me when ice fishing.

[Shawnny B]

Wow, thats a little different than what I was thinking, but for 70 dollars, I think i would stick with the Original Buddy heater, not only can i Still use the 1 lber, but i cna hook it up to an 11 or 20 lb tank.

[Rope]

Haven't tried it but it sure looks good.For runnin and gunnin should be the ticket.

[slipperybob]

Yes, it is a stand alone competes directly with the Coleman ProCat which only puts out 3000 BTU.

It would be a good competitor, but I can say that the ProCat is not a space heater. It's a personal heater. The advantage to the ProCat is that it's a heatsource and any heatsource is better than none. It's more built for the camper tent. You leave it on low and it can last about 7-8 hours, just enough for sleeping. The ProCat takes up a lot of room, but it has a very sturdy base. The only bad thing about the ProCat is that it's difficult to tell if it's on. It has a very low glow.

Higher BTU also means it burns more fuel. I didn't look at the specs on the Little Buddy Heater. So if it has an adjustable valve you can get a longer burn time. If not, then I'd guess it'll be about 3-4 hrs on one 1# tank.

[NCLaker]

I'm with Shawnny. For the money, I also recommend the Buddy Heater. I have a FT Pro and it works well for that shack. You could go th Big Buddy, but I think that is too bulky for the FT Pro - especially since I usually run two holes in mine.

[Rope]

Northlander,are you talking about the new Base Camp heater?This post is kind of confusing.

[Ace]

I had the same question...Cabela's has the 'Base Camp Heater' listed on their site as 3800 BTU, but it looks an awful lot like the 'new' "Little Buddy Heater" listed in the Gander Mountain ad...Also 3800 BTU...Same thing, I'm thinking?? I like my original Buddy, but it can be too much bulk sometimes with a big tank. Looks like it would be big enough to take the chill out or keep warm on an above zero day...Probably about the right size for me to kick down the hole though...

Anyone ever have trouble threading the darn 1#'ers to their heaters?

[Ed Carlson]

Turn the bottle counterclockwise first tell the threads drop (tic), than tighten to the clockwise and they should line up ok.

The Buddy BaseCamp heater/ Little Buddy is a good little unit, not little enough to get kicked down a hole though...unless it is a spear hole..than maybe...it should float none the less.

[federline]

For the Pro, you should still consider an original Buddy. I fish an Eskimo Quickflip II 2-man insulated with reflectix with an original-sized Buddy heater down to -10 deg. When it gets downright brutal cold, you'll appreciate being able to hook it to a 5 lb or 20 lb bulk tank, too - remember, less propane volume and surface area means you'll get less percentage usable out of your 1 lb-ers as the mercury drops.

[walleyematt]

i have a fish trap yukon with the buddy stay plent warm sometime it will even get to hot and on the cold night i have my lantern nice hearter all around

[PmDavis300]

i had a buddy heater and it was just to small for anything under 10 or 20 degrees, i sold it and now use a sunflower style heater. im sure that little buddy wont do much at all.

[Drewski]

It works in 0+ degrees but when the temp falls below 0 it can get pretty chilly. The wind can knock it out too. I fish in a fish trap pro and the buddy heats it up pretty well, but if you get a portable any bigger it probably won't heat it as well. Overall I like it though.

[DU1152]

I have both the original and the Big Buddy. I use a 20lb tank on both. I have a Fish Trap Voyager, and the Buddy works great in warmer weather with no wind, but when I go up to the Lake of The Woods the last week of the year I like the Big Buddy better. I run it on medium and stay plenty warm. You can't beat Northern Tools price of $99.00 either.

Danny

[gritsnham]

Buddy Heater orginal is perfect for the fish trap pro in my mind. Sunflowers get way to hot for that small of an area so I like the buddy for all weather conditions in my pro even in cold weather on high it is plenty for me and I dont have to worry about burning my tarp

[adamr]

men-rds has the buddy on sale for 60 dollars