x-country truck canopy heater

[huisjen]

Okay, so it's not a boat.

My wife and I and our three cats that hate each other are going to be moving across the country, from WA to ME, in, say, late February. We would fly and ship everything, but it was hard enough to get one cat taken aboard the airplane before Sept 11, and we will not ship them cargo, as we like them alive.

So, we're going to drive (in my '00 Tacoma pick-up, by way of Portland, Salt Lake, Cheyenne, Denver, St. Louis, Southern PA, Hartford, etc....) That means we need to be ready for a storm or other inconvenience, including the possibility of sleeping in back of the truck, and almost always leaving the cats in kennels back there. To that end I'm looking at getting a canopy and some sort of cabin heater. The RV types don't seem up to spec. I'm looking at a Force 10 Cozy Cabin Heater, output 6000 btu.

Does anyone have experience with these? I understand they're somewhat underpowered for a moderate boat, but that should make them perfect for a canopy on a small pick-up. I don't know how big they are, how adjustable they are for heat output, how much damage I'll have to do to the canopy to install it, etc.

Are there other options I should consider for under $200 (which is what I can get this one for, used)?

Dan

[huisjen]

Okay, so it's not a boat.

My wife and I and our three cats that hate each other are going to be moving across the country, from WA to ME, in, say, late February. We would fly and ship everything, but it was hard enough to get one cat taken aboard the airplane before Sept 11, and we will not ship them cargo, as we like them alive.

So, we're going to drive (in my '00 Tacoma pick-up, by way of Portland, Salt Lake, Cheyenne, Denver, St. Louis, Southern PA, Hartford, etc....) That means we need to be ready for a storm or other inconvenience, including the possibility of sleeping in back of the truck, and almost always leaving the cats in kennels back there. To that end I'm looking at getting a canopy and some sort of cabin heater. The RV types don't seem up to spec. I'm looking at a Force 10 Cozy Cabin Heater, output 6000 btu.

Does anyone have experience with these? I understand they're somewhat underpowered for a moderate boat, but that should make them perfect for a canopy on a small pick-up. I don't know how big they are, how adjustable they are for heat output, how much damage I'll have to do to the canopy to install it, etc.

Are there other options I should consider for under $200 (which is what I can get this one for, used)?

Dan

[huisjen]

Okay, so it's not a boat.

My wife and I and our three cats that hate each other are going to be moving across the country, from WA to ME, in, say, late February. We would fly and ship everything, but it was hard enough to get one cat taken aboard the airplane before Sept 11, and we will not ship them cargo, as we like them alive.

So, we're going to drive (in my '00 Tacoma pick-up, by way of Portland, Salt Lake, Cheyenne, Denver, St. Louis, Southern PA, Hartford, etc....) That means we need to be ready for a storm or other inconvenience, including the possibility of sleeping in back of the truck, and almost always leaving the cats in kennels back there. To that end I'm looking at getting a canopy and some sort of cabin heater. The RV types don't seem up to spec. I'm looking at a Force 10 Cozy Cabin Heater, output 6000 btu.

Does anyone have experience with these? I understand they're somewhat underpowered for a moderate boat, but that should make them perfect for a canopy on a small pick-up. I don't know how big they are, how adjustable they are for heat output, how much damage I'll have to do to the canopy to install it, etc.

Are there other options I should consider for under $200 (which is what I can get this one for, used)?

Dan

[imported_Conrad]

I'd just get a small propane catalytic heater, one that fits a five gallon tank, with a 12-15K btu rating. I've used them camping in a tent in the dead of winter and found them to be predicable and safe. There really is no smell or exhaust, but they do require enough fresh air to keep you supplied with oxygen, which they obviously consume.

As an aside, I've made that drive many times going from Seattle to college in Maine, both ways and at all times of the year. It can get extremely cold. I once drove a Ford station wagon across, and found myself driving while in my down sleeping bag and still cold, even with cardboard blocking the radiator. Don't push it- if it looks like the weather is going to deteriorate stop at a motel/town and wait. There are very few people and the snow drifts are unlike anything you've seen in the NW. Good luck.

[imported_Conrad]

I'd just get a small propane catalytic heater, one that fits a five gallon tank, with a 12-15K btu rating. I've used them camping in a tent in the dead of winter and found them to be predicable and safe. There really is no smell or exhaust, but they do require enough fresh air to keep you supplied with oxygen, which they obviously consume.

As an aside, I've made that drive many times going from Seattle to college in Maine, both ways and at all times of the year. It can get extremely cold. I once drove a Ford station wagon across, and found myself driving while in my down sleeping bag and still cold, even with cardboard blocking the radiator. Don't push it- if it looks like the weather is going to deteriorate stop at a motel/town and wait. There are very few people and the snow drifts are unlike anything you've seen in the NW. Good luck.

[imported_Conrad]

I'd just get a small propane catalytic heater, one that fits a five gallon tank, with a 12-15K btu rating. I've used them camping in a tent in the dead of winter and found them to be predicable and safe. There really is no smell or exhaust, but they do require enough fresh air to keep you supplied with oxygen, which they obviously consume.

As an aside, I've made that drive many times going from Seattle to college in Maine, both ways and at all times of the year. It can get extremely cold. I once drove a Ford station wagon across, and found myself driving while in my down sleeping bag and still cold, even with cardboard blocking the radiator. Don't push it- if it looks like the weather is going to deteriorate stop at a motel/town and wait. There are very few people and the snow drifts are unlike anything you've seen in the NW. Good luck.

[bainbridgeisland]

Be careful with catalytic heaters. I worked with a woman who retired to the RV life. She was asphyxiated by a catalytic heater her first fall in New England. She was normally pretty careful and technically capable.

[bainbridgeisland]

Be careful with catalytic heaters. I worked with a woman who retired to the RV life. She was asphyxiated by a catalytic heater her first fall in New England. She was normally pretty careful and technically capable.

[bainbridgeisland]

Be careful with catalytic heaters. I worked with a woman who retired to the RV life. She was asphyxiated by a catalytic heater her first fall in New England. She was normally pretty careful and technically capable.

[Ron Williamson]

If you want heat while you're driving,your local farm store probably has a rad/fan heater that you can plumb into the cooling system.Insulating the truck cap would help a lot.
If you are stuck someplace,it will be far easier to stay warm in the cab.
R

[Ron Williamson]

If you want heat while you're driving,your local farm store probably has a rad/fan heater that you can plumb into the cooling system.Insulating the truck cap would help a lot.
If you are stuck someplace,it will be far easier to stay warm in the cab.
R

[Ron Williamson]

If you want heat while you're driving,your local farm store probably has a rad/fan heater that you can plumb into the cooling system.Insulating the truck cap would help a lot.
If you are stuck someplace,it will be far easier to stay warm in the cab.
R

[huisjen]

Conrads,

Thanks for the input. It's good to get road stories to know what to expect. Katey and I both have roots in New England, and know what to expect from a bad storm there, but in Wyoming? I don't know.

I've heard of the catalytics. I had one camper repair guy tell me that a cap is unlikely to be tight enough to make CO2 build-up a problem, but I've also heard enough asphyxiation stories to not like them. Besides, I've camped in the back of a truck with a canopy before, and condensation, just from breathing, is pretty bad even with some vents open.

Now if I could find a cheap catylitic that vented....

Dan

[huisjen]

Conrads,

Thanks for the input. It's good to get road stories to know what to expect. Katey and I both have roots in New England, and know what to expect from a bad storm there, but in Wyoming? I don't know.

I've heard of the catalytics. I had one camper repair guy tell me that a cap is unlikely to be tight enough to make CO2 build-up a problem, but I've also heard enough asphyxiation stories to not like them. Besides, I've camped in the back of a truck with a canopy before, and condensation, just from breathing, is pretty bad even with some vents open.

Now if I could find a cheap catylitic that vented....

Dan

[huisjen]

Conrads,

Thanks for the input. It's good to get road stories to know what to expect. Katey and I both have roots in New England, and know what to expect from a bad storm there, but in Wyoming? I don't know.

I've heard of the catalytics. I had one camper repair guy tell me that a cap is unlikely to be tight enough to make CO2 build-up a problem, but I've also heard enough asphyxiation stories to not like them. Besides, I've camped in the back of a truck with a canopy before, and condensation, just from breathing, is pretty bad even with some vents open.

Now if I could find a cheap catylitic that vented....

Dan

[Ed Harrow]

Huisjen, our daughter just presented us with a kitten that she brought back via plane. I think it cost her $75 to carry it on! Seemed like hiway robbery to me; including it she was within her two piece limit, and it fit under the seat in front...

If you're driving because you don't think you can get the cats on a plane, you might want to double check.

[Ed Harrow]

Huisjen, our daughter just presented us with a kitten that she brought back via plane. I think it cost her $75 to carry it on! Seemed like hiway robbery to me; including it she was within her two piece limit, and it fit under the seat in front...

If you're driving because you don't think you can get the cats on a plane, you might want to double check.

[Ed Harrow]

Huisjen, our daughter just presented us with a kitten that she brought back via plane. I think it cost her $75 to carry it on! Seemed like hiway robbery to me; including it she was within her two piece limit, and it fit under the seat in front...

If you're driving because you don't think you can get the cats on a plane, you might want to double check.

[Frank Hagan]

Catalytic heaters do give off carbon monoxide gas, an odorless, colorless, tasteless gas that will cause personal injury or death. To the tune of about 200 deaths per year in this country (that's from all sources, including home furnaces, cars, etc.) CO is slightly lighter than air, and does displace oxygen. But that's not really the way you die. You die because the CO saturates your blood, displacing oxygen at the blood cell level.

If you buy one, make sure it is equipped with the new, required "oxygen depletion sensor" that will shut it off if the oxygen level gets too low. And because I'm paranoid about CO poisoning, I would buy a battery operated CO detector and have it handy too.

And whatever you do, when it goes off, don't sniff and then take the battery out because you can't smell anything. I know a very sad story that starts that way (I work for a boiler manufacturer.)

[Frank Hagan]

Catalytic heaters do give off carbon monoxide gas, an odorless, colorless, tasteless gas that will cause personal injury or death. To the tune of about 200 deaths per year in this country (that's from all sources, including home furnaces, cars, etc.) CO is slightly lighter than air, and does displace oxygen. But that's not really the way you die. You die because the CO saturates your blood, displacing oxygen at the blood cell level.

If you buy one, make sure it is equipped with the new, required "oxygen depletion sensor" that will shut it off if the oxygen level gets too low. And because I'm paranoid about CO poisoning, I would buy a battery operated CO detector and have it handy too.

And whatever you do, when it goes off, don't sniff and then take the battery out because you can't smell anything. I know a very sad story that starts that way (I work for a boiler manufacturer.)

[Frank Hagan]

Catalytic heaters do give off carbon monoxide gas, an odorless, colorless, tasteless gas that will cause personal injury or death. To the tune of about 200 deaths per year in this country (that's from all sources, including home furnaces, cars, etc.) CO is slightly lighter than air, and does displace oxygen. But that's not really the way you die. You die because the CO saturates your blood, displacing oxygen at the blood cell level.

If you buy one, make sure it is equipped with the new, required "oxygen depletion sensor" that will shut it off if the oxygen level gets too low. And because I'm paranoid about CO poisoning, I would buy a battery operated CO detector and have it handy too.

And whatever you do, when it goes off, don't sniff and then take the battery out because you can't smell anything. I know a very sad story that starts that way (I work for a boiler manufacturer.)

[TomRobb]

The Great Plains are NOT to be messed with in winter. I was stationed in eastern Montana. Every winter some luckless soul died in their car a victim of a storm. You can drive across Wyoming for many hours out of sight of any human habitation or help. You might want to consider a more southerly route. DO NOT PRESS ON DURING A STORM. Life is too precious to lose to stupidity or ignorance. Good luck and God's speed.
BTW, try RV/Camper stores for a mini furnace that keeps combustion products out of the truck cap.

[TomRobb]

The Great Plains are NOT to be messed with in winter. I was stationed in eastern Montana. Every winter some luckless soul died in their car a victim of a storm. You can drive across Wyoming for many hours out of sight of any human habitation or help. You might want to consider a more southerly route. DO NOT PRESS ON DURING A STORM. Life is too precious to lose to stupidity or ignorance. Good luck and God's speed.
BTW, try RV/Camper stores for a mini furnace that keeps combustion products out of the truck cap.

[TomRobb]

The Great Plains are NOT to be messed with in winter. I was stationed in eastern Montana. Every winter some luckless soul died in their car a victim of a storm. You can drive across Wyoming for many hours out of sight of any human habitation or help. You might want to consider a more southerly route. DO NOT PRESS ON DURING A STORM. Life is too precious to lose to stupidity or ignorance. Good luck and God's speed.
BTW, try RV/Camper stores for a mini furnace that keeps combustion products out of the truck cap.

[rbgarr]

Sailnet.com, 800-234-3220, is selling Origo HeatPals, an alcohol heating/cooking stove for $85 including sales tax and shipping. I have no idea whether that would suit or be safe to use.

[rbgarr]

Sailnet.com, 800-234-3220, is selling Origo HeatPals, an alcohol heating/cooking stove for $85 including sales tax and shipping. I have no idea whether that would suit or be safe to use.

[rbgarr]

Sailnet.com, 800-234-3220, is selling Origo HeatPals, an alcohol heating/cooking stove for $85 including sales tax and shipping. I have no idea whether that would suit or be safe to use.

[paladin]

I could never trust the various heaters available to run unattended while I slept. I purchased a fistfull of the small hunters heaters that use a two to three hour or so "wick" inside a sealed metal package about the size of a pack of cigarettes...the so calle "hand warmers"...and threw two or three in the bottom of my minus 60 sleeping bag, another under my rolled up "pillow" and a couple in the pockets of my sweats.....of course that doesn't help the cats........

[paladin]

I could never trust the various heaters available to run unattended while I slept. I purchased a fistfull of the small hunters heaters that use a two to three hour or so "wick" inside a sealed metal package about the size of a pack of cigarettes...the so calle "hand warmers"...and threw two or three in the bottom of my minus 60 sleeping bag, another under my rolled up "pillow" and a couple in the pockets of my sweats.....of course that doesn't help the cats........

[paladin]

I could never trust the various heaters available to run unattended while I slept. I purchased a fistfull of the small hunters heaters that use a two to three hour or so "wick" inside a sealed metal package about the size of a pack of cigarettes...the so calle "hand warmers"...and threw two or three in the bottom of my minus 60 sleeping bag, another under my rolled up "pillow" and a couple in the pockets of my sweats.....of course that doesn't help the cats........