Just cos it’s cold doesn’t mean you can’t go camping. Winter camping is one of the best camping experiences where you get to enjoy the chilly nights surrounded by the campfire and cold mornings holding a cup of coffee or tea.
But sometimes in this weather, your sleeping bags, warm jackets, blankets, and thick base layers are not enough to keep you warm in your tent. What you need is a portable heater for camping. So come on, explore the 14 best tent heaters to keep you warm even in freezing temperatures.
14 Best Tent Heaters for Camping During Winter
1. Mr. Heater Portable Buddy Heater
If you’re camping in a cold environment, but you want to sleep warm and cozy, then you need a tent heater like the Mr. Heater Portable Buddy Heater. As one of the best tent heaters for winter camping, it can warm up big tents very fast.
But its main advantage is in its built-in safety features. This means that once it tips over or the oxygen level drops too low, it automatically shuts off. Cool right? And with its Piezo ignition, you just have to twist and click to get heat and a good night’s sleep. Plus, it weighs about 10 pounds and pumps up to 9,000 BTUs, so you’re getting one of the best portable heaters for camping.
2. Mr. Heater Big Buddy Portable Heater
The manufacturers of Mr Heater Buddy went even better and created another amazing camping tent heater – Mr Heater Big Buddy Portable Heater. This tent heater has everything you need, it’s safe, portable, and easy to use for large tents, basecamps, small cabins, and winter hunts.
Pumping up to 18,000 BTUs, even the next tent after yours will feel the heat it brings. This kind of heater makes you forget that there’s cold outside the tent. Surprisingly, despite its power, Big Buddy is still compact and portable. And just like the original Buddy, this one also comes with built-in safety features, so it’s as smart as it is powerful.
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3. Texsport Portable Outdoor Propane Heater
If you want a portable camping heater for a tent, but you can’t afford an expensive one, then you should probably go for the Texport Portable Outdoor Heater. It’s simple, but it gets the work done and keeps you from freezing in a small tent or on a light backpacking trip.
This tent heater pumps up to 2,980 BTUs, so it won’t make your tent extremely hot, but it will give you enough warmth and coziness for the night. Since it’s friendly, you can’t expect features like a built-in igniter and tip-over protection found in expensive tent heaters. But it still comes with a basic safety shut-off valve, which means it goes off when the flame goes out.
4. Campy Gear Chubby 2-in-1 Propane Heater & Stove
The Campy Gear Chubby is one of the best tent heaters that amazes everyone around. With the way it’s small, compact, and adorable, the 9,000 BTU it carries shocks everyone. This camping tent heater also doubles as a mini camp stove. How cool is this?
So it can easily warm up your camping tent, and you can also use it to boil water or heat up your soup. Another major advantage of this tent heater is that it comes with multi-fuel compatibility, so it uses both butane and propane. But it doesn’t have built-in safety features, so please, don’t use it while sleeping.
5. De’Longhi Ceramic Compact Heater
If you prefer a more luxurious portable heater for camping, then the De’Longhi Ceramic Compact heater is just for you. This tent heater is giving off electric, sleek, and powerful. It delivers up to 5,120 BTUs, so it can easily warm up a medium-sized tent.
And since it’s fancy, it comes with an LED interface, a remote control, multiple heat settings, and an oscillating function. But what really makes De’Longhi one of the best tent heaters is its silent system. So with it, you don’t get the humming or buzzing noise you’ll probably get from other electric tent heaters. But, to power it when your campsite needs to have a steady electricity source.
6. Honeywell HeatBud Ceramic Portable-Mini Heater
The Honeywell HeatBud Ceramic Portable Mini-Heater is a low-output tent heater with 853 BTUs, but it is what you need when you’re camping light and you just need a bit of warmth. It might be a mini heater, but it’s efficient, and it’s one of the best tent electric heaters that actually work with portable power stations.
Although it’s tiny, it gets the job done in a small 2 or 3-person tent. Honeywell also includes safety features like overheat protection and tip-over shutdown, so it’s good to use while sleeping. But what makes it one of the best camping tent heaters is its super low power draw, which means it can work with even a regular power bank.
7. Mr. Heater Little Buddy Heater
This tent heater is simple, compact, and safe. It’s also one of the best portable camping heaters for tents because it delivers consistent heat, especially in small shelters. With a power of 3,800 BTUs, this is all you need while solo camping or in a two-person tent.
And with the way it is simply designed, it only has two buttons, one is for off, and the other is for on. This tent heater also comes with a built-in Piezo igniter, a tip-over, and a low-oxygen shut-off. So, you’re getting all the necessary smart precautions in this Little Buddy camping tent heater.
8. Lasko 100 MyHeat Personal 200W Table Top Heater
The Lasko 100 MyHeat Personal Heater is compact, quiet, and doesn’t take as much electricity as the other, bigger electric tent heaters. As the name says, this heater is for personal use. So you can place it near your sleeping bag or use it to warm up your hands in the mornings.
It won’t heat up your whole tent, but it will warm up your surrounding space immediately. With this tent heater, you won’t have to worry about fuel or ventilation. And it comes with a built-in overheat protection, so if it gets too hot, it automatically shuts off. But the most amazing part is that it doesn’t come with any annoying buzzing or fan noise you’d be expecting.
9. Quest Oil Filled Radiator (800W)
This portable camping heater for a tent might be small, but it’s strong and built to heat up a tent fast with its 800W of power. Unlike fan heaters, this oil-filled radiator takes a longer time to heat up your space, but once it’s heated up, the tent will still be warm even after it’s been switched off.
It’s designed for safety and convenience, so it comes with features like built-in handles, overheat protection, and stability. Plus, with the adjustable thermostat, you can easily control the heat till it’s warm enough for your liking.
10. Zodi Outback Gear X-40 Hot Vent Tent Heater
The Zodi Outback Gear X-40 Hot Vent Tent Heater is one of the best tent heaters for winter camping. It’s like bringing a furnace to any cold or winter camping conditions. This heavy-duty tent heater is designed to heat large tents, group camping, and base camps.
This tent heater is seriously powerful enough to warm up a shelter all night, even in freezing temperatures. It also comes with an external heat exchanger design so it heats the air outside and safely vents the warm air into your tent. This is to reduce the risk of carbon monoxide, so with this camping tent heater, you can get real warmth with no health risk.
11. Kampa Diddy Heater
The Kampa Diddy Heater sounds funny, but it’s one of the best compact camping tent heaters. As long as you have access to electricity, with it, you’re going to get warmed up quickly and efficiently. And with its standard 3-pin plug, setup for this tent heater is as easy as plug and get warmed up.
The Kampa Diddy Heater is known for its simplicity, speed, and lightweight design. So as long as you’re in a small tent or enclosed space, you’ll get the cozy, warming heat you need. And if you’re backpacking, it won’t weigh down your gear, and you can easily tuck it into any small space. Since it’s electric, you won’t need fuel, ventilation, or any other fire safety stress.
12. Outdoor Revolution Electric Eco Heater
Some of the best tent heaters, like the Outdoor Revolution Eco Compact Electric Heater, are specifically meant for small spaces. Its compact and lightweight design makes it perfect for backpacking or minimalist camping trips.
But what makes this portable camping tent heater amazing is its clever oscillating cylindrical fan. This fan sweeps warm or cool air across the tent, so it keeps the air fresh and evenly circulated on cold winter and warm summer nights. It also comes with multiple heat settings, a digital control panel, an overheat safety system, and an automatic cut-out switch.
13. Outwell Katla Camping Heater
The Outwell Katla Camping Heater is a quiet and reliable tent heater that makes your cold camping trip even more enjoyable. Since it was designed for unpredictable weather changes, it comes with an adjustable thermostat and two power settings. So you can also switch it to cold settings and use it as a fan during the warmer nights.
This portable heater for camping comes with an automatic oscillation, overheat protection, tip-over safety, a folding carry handle, and a remote control. With the remote control, you can adjust the temperature of this electric tent heater from cool to very warm without getting up or standing up.
14. Quest Bahama Dual Purpose Oscillating Fan Heater
Product image from winfieldsoutdoors.co.uk
Quest Bahama Dual Purpose Oscillating Fan Heater
The Quest Bahama Oscillating Fan Heater is designed to easily warm up or cool a small tent, depending on the season. So it’s purposeful and doesn’t just work as a heater. With its oscillating base, it swings the fan up to 90 degrees so the warm air can spread thoroughly in the tent.
This tent heater was designed to be used safely, so it automatically switches off once it overheats or tips over. With its built-in handle, portable and lightweight, you can easily add it to your camping gear. And since it comes with adjustable heat and power settings, it’s left to you to tailor the heat or cold to your satisfaction.
Conclusion
The best tent heaters for a winter camping trip can make your experience more fun since you’ll be warm, cozy, and comfortable during the chilly nights and cold mornings. You’ll just need to choose a heater that is safe to use and suitable for your tent and camping style.
With the 14 portable heaters for camping listed here, you can go for the luxurious tent heaters like De’Longhi or a simpler and affordable tent heater like Texsport. But the fact is, they all get the job done, and with any of them, you’ll end up warm, cozy, and happy.