Wood Heaters

[Higgins]

I use propane but I have thought of using a wood heater but I don't want any smoke in the shanty so..........How much smoke goes in the shanty even with a chimney 

[StabinCabin]

My brother just built a shack and he welded  up a small wood stove but he is using charcoal to heat with can burn small chunks of wood  i know cedar burns hot and no smoke.

[Segrat1]

Charcoal is bad ju ju. Gives off poison gas. Puts you to sleep then you die. Had abuddy that the neighbor stopped to see at the shanty. He wouldn't answer the door so he ripped it open. My buddy would not wake up so he dragged him out on the snow where he finally came to. Sicker than adog but alive.

[frostbit]

I was spearing all day by myself once and was getting real tired, figured i'd have a smoke before i packed up, New lighter wouldn't light, When i opened the door to see if something was stuck in it it worked fine and i woke up enough to go stand outside with a bad headache for a while. That was with a mr heater for heat. Ventilation is important, Especially on a spearing shanty where all the light leaks are sealed up.

[Higgins]

Charcoal is bad ju ju. Gives off poison gas. Puts you to sleep then you die. Had abuddy that the neighbor stopped to see at the shanty. He wouldn't answer the door so he ripped it open. My buddy would not wake up so he dragged him out on the snow where he finally came to. Sicker than adog but alive.

 That is some scary stuff 

[kasilofchrisn]

I used to have a 6x8 with blueboard on the walls and a wood stove.
I really liked it. Once it was lit and going there was absolutly no smoke in the shanty at all.
A nice warm dry heat. We once ran out of wood because someone forgot to bring some like they said they would. We just went to the island on the lake and cut up a small deadfall and were good to go.
That shack barely used any wood at all either.
I have run out of propane and it sucks. So does trying to find someone to fill a propane bottle on a Sunday sometimes.

[PikeSticker]

One of my early pike spearing acquaintances was originally from Minnesota and was one of those imported dedicated pike spearos. He had a fold up portable that fit in the back of his truck with a wood floor and some sort of waterproof material for the sidewall/roof. He had a small homemade wood stove inside and whenever I looked over in his direction there was just the slightest wisp of smoke rising from the stack. Eventually I went to visit and see what he was burning because I never did see him handling any tree type firewood. Turns out he was using those Presto Logs you can buy in the grocery store. He said one chunk the size of his fist would heat the shack for a couple hours and it was the ideal fuel to use in the small stove because you could use your hatchet and chip off exactly the amount you needed without any excess.

This is what I'd like to get as a wood burner for a semi-portable darkhouse. http://www.nuwaystove.com/model965.php

If I went with vented propane then this is the one that would probably work. http://www.nuwaystove.com/model2000.php A friend has one of these in his 4'x4' spear shack and its always on "simmer". Works great to keep your ceramic coffee mug warm too.

The downside to having a permanent stove (wood or propane) remaining in your shack (at least in AK) while you are gone is they are vulnerable to thieves. If you lock the shack they automatically assume there is something inside worth protecting...i.e. stealing. Especially on lakes with very few residences around. But these two stoves are only ten pounds so I guess you could take them home with you each trip.