IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
IceShanty Main => General Ice Fishing Chit Chat => Topic started by: tater140 on Feb 18, 2020, 08:36 PM
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Should I buy a Buddy Heater or the Big Buddy Heater.... For Ice fishing purposes only. I will be heating a bigger 2 man flip and a hub style shanty mostly on bigger all day ice trips. I have never had a heater and usually just used a lantern for both light/heat while night fishing. I'm not looking to upgrade to a nicer heater.
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I have a big buddy & love it. in my 2 man otter it's nice to be able to run it on low when it's nippy & high when it's brutal, having 2 tanks is a plus.
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Unless your fishing in an uninsulated on the bitterest of days the Portable Buddy would probably suit you just fine . Note the Big Buddy Heaters no longer comes with a fan ..unless you find some old stock . But both units aren't that much different in size.
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The portable buddy is what i run in my big hubs.i run it on low and it works good and 2 one pound tanks last all day.the big buddy heater is a propane sucker and needs a big tank with hose to be efficient.jmo
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Assuming you're dressed appropriately for the weather and trip, I can't imagine needing more than just the buddy heater. It's a small space, you'll be dressed for the occasion, no sense in going big for no reason. Even if you're in an un-insulated shanty.
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I only have a regular buddy and it's hot as frig..on low most days, but I have an insulated shelter also..
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I have a big buddy in my one man clam kenai and usually run it on low unless it’s brutal. I like that I can cook on it as well. Some people have made some cool cooking mods. Me I mostly just heat up sandwiches wrapped in foil. For a couple extras $ I’d go with the big buddy
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I run the buddy heater in my hub, turn it on high to start then just run it on low
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I was never a portable guy till this year. I have both so the first day I took the Big Buddy & 20# tank for a 2 man insulated Otter. Way too much heat except on low at 12 degrees. Next day I took the smaller one. 10 degrees and 15 mph wind, it never got off the low, 4000 btu, setting. I even turned it to pilot a few times. I had the vents open the whole time too. All I had on were jeans and a long sleeve t shirt. I did not go in and out a whole bunch so that’s a factor too.
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I would say the Portable Buddy is all you will need. Its all I have used on my flip or hub. Most times we only have it on low all day, and sometimes just the pilot. Run it to high towards the end to run out the propane bottles. Two bottles will last all day, or about 8-12 hours.
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According to the Mr Buddy website, those heaters should last 6 hours on low or 2-3 hours on high on a single 1-pound propane tank. No reason to bring the big 20 pound tank unless you're doing an overnighter or its 30 below outside.
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Thanks for the feedback. So i'm leaning towards the Buddy Heater. Is that the same heater that folks are referring to as the portable buddy?
if so is this one able to be adapted to a 20 lb tank should I choose to do so?
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Yes the portable buddy is the mid-range model, the little buddy sits on top of a single 1-pound tank and the big buddy takes 2 1-pound tanks. The portable buddy takes a single 1-pound tank that screws into the side, or it can be adapted to hook up to an external tank of any size (5, 11, 20 pound).
Both the portable buddy and big buddy have front grates you can flip over to cook, or are compatible with a number of aftermarket cooking grates.
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Thanks for the feedback. So i'm leaning towards the Buddy Heater. Is that the same heater that folks are referring to as the portable buddy?
if so is this one able to be adapted to a 20 lb tank should I choose to do so?
yeah theres 3 buddy heaters.little buddy,portable buddy and big buddy.portable and big buddy can be hooked up to big tanks/hose.little buddy screws on top of the 1lb tanks.
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Don't forget the hunting buddy ...it may be a discontinued item ..lil more BTU with a smaller foot print then the Big Buddy..maybe alble to find a deal if you do some searching
https://www.sportsmans.com/camping-gear-supplies/camp-comfort/heaters/mr-heater-hunting-buddy-portable-heater/p/1368924?channel=shopping&msclkid=030d311b1a7415aeaf286f565475a281&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Bing%20-%20Shopping%20-%20Branded&utm_term=4580771606359545&utm_content=Shopping%20-%20Branded
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There are other versions of the Mr Heater from various farm n fleets ..Dewalt has a version which uses their battery ...but looking at the features/size the Hunting Buddy seems like the win
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I use a big buddy in a uninsulated fatfish 949. Depending on temp and wind it varies between med - high with a 5 inch clamp on fan attached to the top. Fan runs off USB port on my power box. Unless weight is a factor go big or go home. Literally if you don’t have enough heat you will end up going home. A week ago it was 19 below with a 37 below wind chill and we only quit fishing because it was 11 pm and we needed to get home. Maybe with a small shelter or a insulated shelter you can get by with a smaller heater but I would rather turn down the heater than wish I had more heat
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I have the small buddy heater.
It works for my pullover with insulated top, i have also used in in my 5 sided pop up with insulated top only. I have never needed to use the high setting, low has been good for me even in very cold weather.
I get about 4-5hrs on a disposable tank on low
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Thanks for the feedback. So i'm leaning towards the Buddy Heater. Is that the same heater that folks are referring to as the portable buddy?
if so is this one able to be adapted to a 20 lb tank should I choose to do so?
definitely look at the 5 pound tanks..they last forever and are so small..I used a 20 pounder for a bit but found it was taking up too much room in my sleigh and was friggen heavy..i'm on my second fillup of the 5 pounder now..works so well and is so small..
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Are those easy to fill up yourself. I just had 2-100 lb tanks installed at my house... Might there be a way to fill up off of those?
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I think you can but i've never done it..I just get them to fill it up for 5$ when I need it..
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reality is big buddy does 1 more thing then little buddy and thats 18000 btu so if you willing to spend the money and dont mind the space buy the big one i have it and love it
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I manhaul my gear, so I obsess over weight. Where I fish, air temps rarely drop below 0 degrees. I use the Portable Buddy and rarely use the higher heat setting. I also use the 1-lb cylinders and have never gone thru 2 in one day. I bought the Flame King rechargeable system and I can recharge the cylinders pretty inexpensively. Finally I fish in a 2-person Clam flipover and the smaller heater (vs Big Buddy) saves space for other equipment. Good luck.
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;) Buddy heaters for sure big or small. . My small one spent 3 weeks in 8' of water once when my gear went through the ice. . I got everything back. . Let the Buddy dry for a couple weeks. . New tank and it fired up. . ;D. .
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Big Buddy
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https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mr-Heater-MH9BX-9000-BTU-Propane-Portable-Buddy-Heater-MH9BX/55234301
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I'm a fan of the portable buddy with a bulk tank. I have an 11lber and it's good for half the season on less than $8 of propane.
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If weight is not an issue why not go with the big buddy?? You have all conditions covered. Run it on low but have the option for the bitter days.
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If weight is an issue, the portable buddy weighs 6.5 pounds less than the big buddy. I didn't expect the big buddy to be that much heavier, but that's according to the specs on the mr buddy site.
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Walmart has the buddy heater for under $50
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Walmart has the buddy heater for under $50
Go for it. Gives off a lot of heat. All you'll need for a 2-man flip-over or a small to mid-range hub.
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I use the Big Buddy Heater for my Otter 3 man flip-over. However, the Buddy Heater is what I use for my 1 man flip over. Not so much an issue of weight, but of size. Hard to pass up a $50 Buddy Heater from Walmart.
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I use the regular buddy heater for my big Otter XTH Resort hub shanty, and it heats it up very well. It is an insulated shelter, so that helps a lot. I bought a big buddy this year, but unfortunately didn't get a chance to use it. I got that more for at night, the regular buddy seems to struggle a little bit more when it's frigid and the sun goes down.
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That brings up a good point. There's a significant difference between heating a shack on a sunny day and at night. Even if it's cold outside, the sun alone will warm up the shack to a degree.