Kodiak canvas w/ buddy heater review

[Newtosavage]

That is a trap. The rubber hoses will eventually bleed oils into the line and this filter traps them. The longer the hose is under pressure, the more likely you will have impurities flowing. You don’t want that stuff to get trapped and clog in the pilot or burners. It should always be used with the hose to the large bottles. Not needed for the 1lb cylinders.

Thanks. That's a good tip. I'll have to find one for my setup.

 

[granite7]

I’ve been considering a similar sized tent for Southeast AK rainforest Nov deer hunts.
There will be wet wx and lots of wet gear to dry out.
Will the buddy heater dry out gear? Very surprised to hear how little condensation it creates!

I haven’t noticed condensation until the very cold nights this year (below zero each night). Even then, it was just a little frost in the corners.

I was able to dry out my boots and gloves by placing them in front of the heater for radiant heat. It works, but not very quickly. A wood stove really drives a lot more heat and does the job better. After an hour or so, all of the snow had melted from the floor. In another hour the floor felt dry.

As @Newtosavage mentioned, a clothesline would help. These heaters put off a hot stream of air straight up. The difference in heat from bottom to top of the tent is intense.

 

[Newtosavage]

As @Newtosavage mentioned, a clothesline would help. These heaters put off a hot stream of air straight up. The difference in heat from bottom to top of the tent is intense.

Yup, probably 30+ degrees difference in the bottom foot and head height. Maybe more. The nice thing about the KC tents is that they taper at the top and collect heat there quickly, then it works it's way down.

Kinda reminds me of swimming in the deep end of a pool where your feet are cold but the top layer of water is nice and warm.

Within 2-3 minutes of turning on my lantern and stove in the mornings, I am in a t-shirt, regardless of the temperature outside.

 

[4rcgoat]

After reading all these posts it seems that no one has had any bad experiences with using a propane heater. Definitely saves a little room versus a wood stove.

 

[idcuda]

Thanks. That's a good tip. I'll have to find one for my setup.

There's at least one hose that doesn't require the filter. I just got the 10ft version. It's made of different material, internally, so it won't shed particles into the heater.

 

[DmrbigEshotT]

I haven’t noticed condensation until the very cold nights this year (below zero each night). Even then, it was just a little frost in the corners.

I was able to dry out my boots and gloves by placing them in front of the heater for radiant heat. It works, but not very quickly. A wood stove really drives a lot more heat and does the job better. After an hour or so, all of the snow had melted from the floor. In another hour the floor felt dry.

As @Newtosavage mentioned, a clothesline would help. These heaters put off a hot stream of air straight up. The difference in heat from bottom to top of the tent is intense.

Regarding the clothesline, Kodiak sells a gear loft for like $10 that serves this purpose (and others) pretty well, in my opinion. They sag on a bit of an angle towards the middle of the tent when you have something other than clothes up there, but still very easy to manage. You can also clip them so they function as a hammock and hang tighter to the wall.

I haven't run a heater all night as I primarily use the "flower" type of screw on heater. Running it for 30 minutes or so before bed has produced a bit of condensation, but those suckers pump out heat...probably too much. (Late October in N. Michigan with nighttime temps around 25).

 

[Dos Perros]

Folks I've run a Buddy in a Cabelas Alaskan Guide tent, the big geodesic dome ones, and we hang a small fan from the ceiling to circulate the air. Point it down if possible. That keeps the heat from stratifying so much. You'll notice a big difference if you try it, well worth it. Even a little fan on low does a good job.

 

[Newtosavage]

After reading all these posts it seems that no one has had any bad experiences with using a propane heater. Definitely saves a little room versus a wood stove.

After using my Buddy heater for probably 30 nights now in my basic 10x10 KC tent, there is no way I could be talked into using a wood stove.

 

[Coopsdaddy]

Im hoping someone will have a Black Friday deal on a 10x14.

 

[Newtosavage]

Im hoping someone will have a Black Friday deal on a 10x14.

I hope you get a good deal. I have no idea why they were on sale when I got mine, but I'm sure glad they were! I paid $349 for a basic 10x10 with a footprint, shipped. One of the best investments I've made in hunting gear, ever.

I see those 10x14's are $499 here:

Kodiak Canvas Flex Bow Tent 6044 10x14 8-Person Capacity

www.competitiveedgeproducts.com

 

[DmrbigEshotT]

^^That's a good price. Cheapest I've seen over the last couple years is $450 for a regular 10x14

 

[Coopsdaddy]

Thats the basic tent,is it worth it to upgrade to the vented or large window version,we camp in temps from 20-80.

 

[granite7]

Thats the basic tent,is it worth it to upgrade to the vented or large window version,we camp in temps from 20-80.

IMO, yes and no. I upgraded to the vented version. I open one top vent at night and crack open the door zipper a little. That creates a chimney effect and pulls fresh air over the buddy heater all night. I always run a CO alarm and it has never registered any CO this way.

I would say no on the screens. The screens keep bugs out, but they don’t pass much air. I’m a mountain camper, so 80 in the day can still be in the 30s and 40s overnight. I wouldn’t take a canvas tent for an 80 degree night time trip.

 

[Baron85]

I bought a 10x14 KC tent and buddy heater because of this thread and have been very impressed with it so far. We used it for 10 days so far this year and my only issue was I bought the smaller buddy heater and it wasn’t enough to keep us warm on a few nights in the low 20’s and 30-40mph winds. After we came back from that trip I bought the big buddy heater and it is awesome.
What fan are you guys using to help circulate the heat? The fan built into the big buddy heater doesn’t seem to do much.

 

[FLAK]

I've had a foot in the door of one of these for a while.
Looks like I'm gonna have to pull the trigger on one.

 

[DmrbigEshotT]

Just got back from a Northern MI deer hunting trip with nighttime lows in the high teens/low twenty's and here are some thoughts on my 10x14:

3 regular sized cots, a camp chef 2 burner explorer stove, camping pantry (similar to the camping pantry Cabelas sells), 20lb propane tank, and single tank top heater can fit and be comfortable and is not too cluttered. We still had room for a tote or two inside that could slide under the stove or in a corner and that could easily be substituted for a table to play euchre on. Just slide it between 2 cots and you have seating plus a table. We also have several of the organizer pockets, gear loft to help with placing tableware, etc.

FINE MESH - As mentioned above, the mesh isn't great for air flow. I bought a smaller battery operated fan to place on the gear loft pointing down to help circulate some heat and the air could barely make it through that mesh. The gear loft mesh is the same as the windows.

FAN - The thermoelectric fans look like a good fix if you have a buddy or big buddy heater as you can easily mount them on top, but won't work for my tank top heater.