Mr. Heater Cooker

[WolfmansBrother]

Does anyone else take one of these on trips?

I have been using one for the last few years. Since I have had it I rarely have a campfire. I'll use the heater for warmth and for cooking. No gathering and processing wood or breathing in smoke all night.

On the low setting the one pound tanks last a good couple hours. I have the hose to connect to a 20 pound tank and that works well too.

Sitting in a leanto or under a tarp with one of these is comfort camping.

 

[Boreal Birch]

I went on a canoe trip in the middle of October with some people I didn’t know very well. Nice folks that I enjoyed being with. One guy brought along one of those Mr. Heater’s he was up most of the night fiddling with it in the dark, trying to keep from freezing to death in his not very warm sleeping bag. The next night I took my bedroll out under the tarp were it was nice and peaceful.
I did buy one of those Mr. Heaters, for ice fishing works pretty well, if it’s not super cold. Keeps a small pop up ice house warm enough to fish bare handed. Also will boil the kettle for tea when needed.
I wouldn’t take it on a long canoe trip with portages or winter camping though. The number of bottles and their weight would be a detriment. Much better to bring a wood stove and hot tent it.

 

[WolfmansBrother]

My trips are generally only a few days with little or no portaging, so it's not bad to bring along, but yeah, on a longer trip with portages I probable wouldn't bring it.

I've never had a problem with mine, and the guy who introduced me to it has had his for many years with no issues. I wonder what issues that guy was having.

I've been looking at wood stoves and hot tents. I'd like to get into that at some point.

 

[Boreal Birch]

His worked fine, he was concerned that it would kill us with carbon monoxide. So he would wake up cold, fiddle around in the dark light it, let it burn for awhile until he warmed up, shut it off. A hour later repeat the process. I couldn’t sleep through all his futzing around. Next few nights, I slept few dozen yards away, never heard him that way, slept like an old log.

 

[Keeled Over]

Use it all winter steelhead fishing. Keep the fingers nimble and helps with the occasional frozen reel.