Portable Hut question

[Domi1983]

Hello to everyone, New Member here...

So this year, was a really nice winter here in Northern Ontario for ice fishing. Since the weather was so nice, I started using my portable hut more then my actual ice hut. I like to hit a lot of back lakes, in remote locations for walleye, and Northern Pike. I had always used just a buddy heater, with a propane tank to heat the portable hut.

But that got me thinking since I ended up using the portable hut, more this year. And don't really like to make only day trips, about heating it so I can spend the nights or weekends.. So my question is can or has anyone installed a wood stove, or other type of heater in their portable's so they were able to spend the night or weekend?

I was debating buying a tent jack, and having it sewn into my portable so I can use a small wood stove. My fear is the wood stove would be to much? Any tips or info would be great. Thank you

[RyanW]

That seems like a tremendous amount of work to heat a portable. I actually don’t use a heater at all when ice fishing so please take my comments with a grain of salt and hopefully some more experienced people will chime in.

First, What portable are you using? I would think that the chimney pipe of the wood stove (or the whole stove in general) would get way to hot for a portable to the point of melting it especially for the length of time it would be running overnight. You’d have to insulate the shelter from the extreme heat of the stove.You would also have to insulate the surface of the ice so your stove doesn’t melt a hole through it. Most portables are made from 600-1200 denier nylon fabric. Or to put it another way, heavy duty shrink wrap. If that sucker catches and melts, you don’t stand a very good chance of survival especially in a remote location on the middle of a frozen lake.

Personally, I’d just stick with Buddy and and bring a 20lb propane tank. Way less of a hassle than dealing with extreme heat issues and hauling firewood.

[Badder]

Look up "Steve Wallis" on YouTube, he has been camping in a hub style shanty for 8 weeks in Alberta while going to school, all the while heating with a woodstove. He installed a stove jack and it seems to do the trick.

I'm with the other guy on running a 20 lb'er. 3 of us camped out a few weeks back here in Michigan in a Eskimo hub and ran a Little Buddy heater with a 20 tank. We stayed nice and warm but it did only get down to 25 degrees F.
Hope this gives you some direction.

[perch chacer]

How are you going to flip open a portable hut and move to the next spot with the stove pipe up through the top of the hut or move a pop-up hub with a heavy wood stove?  Seems too much of a hassle.   I use a buddy heater with 20 lb tank when we stay out over night.   Works great and I'm on the move in minutes.  Good luck which ever way you go.

[Domi1983]

The portable hut I use is the Arctic Sheild double layer with a floor. I was thinking about using a wood stove, because my portable is made pretty close to my artic oven tent, which uses a wood stove. But seems like a hassle to install a wood stove,so my buddy heater is the way to go the. Thanks

[kayl]

In my opinion you'd be better off saving the money that a wood stove would cost and buying a nice quality 0° F down sleeping bag and using that in conjunction with a buddy heater. Don't forget a battery powered carbon monoxide detector!

[Whopper Stopper]

Welcome Domi!


              WS

[TheCaveman]

personally id just save the money and pick up a double buddy heater if thats not what youre running, because if you run that on full blast youll have to turn it down withing an hour as long as you have an insulated ice house, never tried sleeping with one but those things get real hot real quick

[gonehunting]

X2  Carbon Monoxide detector or two

[RapShack]

X2  Carbon Monoxide detector or two

Yea, sleeping in a buttoned up shack with the propane heater running is a good way to wake up dead.

Have any of you ever tried a tent cot?  Seems like one of those with a good cold weather sleeping bag inside it could work.  Crank the heater up for a little bit to get it warm in the shack then get tucked in nice and tight.

[ajv5148]

Have any of you ever tried a tent cot? 

Cots are super comfy but from my cold weather camping experience you do not want air circulating beneath you. It's proven a foam floor helps insulate a shanty, and when snow camping a thick foam mat will insulate so well you don't even melt the snow underneath. That means you're not loosing any body heat. So maybe a couple layers of foam and sleeping on the those would keep you warmer than a cot. Just my 2¢