Heating a Canvas Wall tent

...i have a 16 x 20 canvas wall tent with a stove pipe pass through patch on the rear wall above a screen patch and below the inner support beam

...i have used an 18" x 1' x 1' wood stove which will make it hot enough in there at -10 so that you cannot stand it...it also dries out clothes really well if they are hung along the inner ridge pole

...unless someone gets up to stoke the stove a couple times in the night it will get nippy by morning

and

...i worked for an outfitter who had barrel stoves to heat canvas tents (20' x 40'?) that were placed over wooden platforms and knee walls...same experience there

and

...i did some construction in the BC interior while living under smaller canvas where we used a sunflower heater on propane...and again that stove could cook us out

it's hard to heat a big tent quickly with a wood stove

if it is moderate in size get both wood and propane...use wood when you are lounging...use propane for a quick heat in the morning or returning home in the evening

my tent is 23 years old and still going strong...love wall tents

congrats on the purchase!

PS both diesel and kerosene STINK!
 
What size is the tent? Wood gets my vote, for its abundance in the bush and it's drying ability. Propane is good for quick or steady heat, but between it's water vapour, and the guys snoring, it can make for some frosty / damp walls.


I'm with MW MB for a combo, the propane side can be a cheap sunflower head, nothing fancy..

We leave the propane on low at night, but still try to feed the stove..

ITB
 
Wood is by far the best: least problematic and ultimately free. Only issue is having to stoke it on occasion.

Other thing to watch for is sparks out the chimney: not just as a fire hazard during a dry period but also because they can land on your tent and burn pinholes every where. For this reason I prefer side exit stove pipe as opposed to top exit.
 
Stoking the wood stove at night is left to those who have to get up three times at night to go and have a squirt.
Propane creates moisture when it burns and it is generally damp enough in a wall tent....
Couple guys I know have added more steel to the wood stoves and have heard of a couple guys thta use some coal at night to keep the stove going till morning.
That requires some customization of the stove though.
Dont forget to leave a kettle on the stove at night too ;)
Rob
 
Wood or Diesel, NOT propane.

We used a wood stove (we build it) in my 14x16 for years in the mountains in our sledding camp and at moose/elk camp. Then the new 16x20 tent about 8 years ago (moose/elk camp) we used the wood stove the first year then invested in the diesel heater (prospector model from Deluxe Wall Tents).

Works great. Sometimes it will not be convenient for use of diesel but for our hunting group, there is always someone going past the truck/trailers usually every day or 2 or when we go out to the main road to pick up a few of our young boys coming out to spend a couple days with the dads being dropped off by the moms ( trucks are about 5-6km from camp)and will bring in another jerry can when needed. We haul in 3-4 jerry cans initially to fill the tank and depending on how cold it is and the temperature setting on the heater for how much fuel we go thru. Some years been warm out and we didn't burn very much and even had to shut off the furnace so guys topped off their trucks when we headed home. Last year was the first time in 7 years we had to turn up the temperature control a bit more....which is good as we like it cold in the bush..gets the moose and elk moving.
 
The tin can Campbells style sold at P/A and Peavey Mart work well.
The bigger one.
Then buy a cast eyerun dutch pawt to fit the opening.
Pewt yer vittles in there, lower the heat and come back to a kewked meal.
Like a slow cooker.
Grouse, geese, roast, and all the fix'ns.
Hmm hm gooder.
 
We use wood in our tent tried a propane heater and made it too damp, as far as stoking it goes it's only an inconvenience to the one who has the lighter sleeping bag ��


Close but not quite accurate. Its important not to have the worst bag because you become the fire stoker. Nearly as important is to not have the best bag in the party, because the fire stoker will cook you right out of there. Ideally you want the second worst bag. :)
 
A small wood stove at one end and span some 4" dryer pipe( the cheap tin stuff that you buy flat and snap together) the entire length of the tent and have it exit out. Hang it with coat hangers and you should be good to go. We used this set up for many years at moose camp and it worked like a charm.
 
This is what we used for years in our wall tent.
ht tps://www.greatwestmetal.ca/products/air-tight-heater

throw some dirt in the bottom, about an inch to cover it all. store indoors in of season and will last a long time.

what ever you decide on here's a tip most stoves will accept the stove pipe either way, Make sure the smaller end (the end that is crinkled) is pointed down into stove. If you get a bunch of creosote weeping out if pipe is going wrong way it will burn the eyes right out of you when it drips down. we found out the hard way. nothing like trying to flip the pipes when it is really hot in the middle of the night
 
You want a wood stove that has a fairly thin gauge steel. My stove is about 1/8" thick. The reason for that is, not only is it lighter it also heats up quicker when you light it up. I have a good sleeping bag so I let the stove burn out at night. I cant sleep if its too hot anyway. I have everything ready for a quick start in the morning, we also turn a burner on the camp chef to take the chill off which takes about 1 min, till the wood stove heats up. Wood is the best heat IMO.
 
I made my own stove from a 20lb propane cylinder. Got a 30lb'er to make a new stove with this year. Kept us nice and warm in - 15 overnight the other year.
 
Make sure you have a good spark arrester. My brothers group burnt theirs down a few years ago in the daytime when they were gone . They usually had a camp guy that didn't make it , they THOUGHT the fire was out bla bla bla
 
Back
Top Bottom