Heater ?

[pryorok]

Have been reading alot of the post on heaters esp. the Mr. Heater and Mr. Buddy.  I have an older model pull over fish trap one man shack.  My concern is that the btu's from the Mr Heater ie: (4000 to 9000) will be to hot for such a small space even on the lowest setting. I am using a coleman sport cat now (1100 btu's). It's compact and easy to carry but on some cold/windy days, it just doesn't do the trick.  Anyone had experience with the Mr. Heater in a small one man shack?  Thanks for any responses.

[kerosenecounty17]

I also have an older model fish trap.  I got a sport cat for Christmas this year, and you're right.  Enough heat to warm up your hands, but that's about it.  Alot of guys here love the buddy heater, and their advice has been spot on so far for me, so listen to them.  I don't have one myself.  I was going to buy one, but according to the site I looked at the shipping weight is 7 pounds.  Most of the time I'm the only horsepower towing all the gear, so I watch weight pretty close.  I use a sunflower style heater made by Paulin.  It doesn't have push-button ignition or auto-shut off like the buddy (great features), but it was cheap ($15 I think) and it's very light.  Maybe 2# with the tank.  It will last me 4-5 trips on the ice, and it keeps the trap warm enough that I can fish with bare hands and the hole never freezes in the worst weather. 

kero

[munchy71]

Pryorock,

I too had the Coleman Cat and was sorely disappointed by its lack of horsepower.  Just got a Mr. buddy this year and I love it!!!!  I have a 1-man Eskimo flipover and on the lowest setting, the Mr. buddy is just about perfect.  The nice thing about the Buddy is that if it does get too hot, you can turn the knob down to "PILOT".  On "PILOT" the heating element turns off but the pilot light remains lit.  Once you start to get cold again, just turn it back up to "LO" or "HI" and the pilot light re-lights the element.  No matches needed and you don't even have to push the sparker to restart the heater. 

My hut is quite deep from front to back so I put my Buddy at the very front of the Flipover in front of the hole my Vexilar and camera.  Another nice feature of the Buddy is that the back stays cool to the touch, so I can push it right up against the canvas at the front of my hut.  Hope this helps.  Good luck!!

-Munchy71

[HIMO]

I have owned a mr. buddy heater for 2 years now and won't go without it. just be aware that they are prone to blow out in a breeze. that is the only problem I can find for this heater. well worth the money. go to www.northerntool.com and check out the price on this heater. almost half off. good luck.

                                           HIMO