In looking through this website, it appears that most individuals prefer Boondocking rather than the typical campground experience with full hookups. I hope the following may help some stay warm for longer periods of time.
With Winter upon us, it seems the annual questions of heating alternatives arise.
As I use my Roadtrek through the four seasons in New Hampshire and Maine, and have to be self-contained, I searched far and wide for the best alternative for me.
While the Roadtrek came with a Suburban heater (which eats propane and amps like it is having its last meal), I needed something that was not designed during the Jurassic period.
I tried the Buddy Heater, as well as the Olympian Wave, and found them both to be less than desirable. Being non-vented heaters, and as a result of combustion, the moisture output of both added considerable moisture to the interior, as well as possibly discharging carbon monoxide.
While many are satisfied with the above, my sensitive lungs would shut down in a short period of time which was not going to work.
In searching for a safe alternative, which would use a minimum of propane and amps from my battery bank, I came upon a fine solution.
I was fortunate to discover the marvelous Vented Platinum Cat Heater which is produced by Mr Arnie Lind in the beautiful State of Washington.
I knew I just had to have one of these gems, but fitting this unit into my relatively small Roadtrek was going to take a little bit of planning, and a lot of help from Arnie. As the stock units come with the exhaust port on the back, I would need one where it was on the bottom left side, and to incorporate the electrical wires and propane supply in the same area. Arnie welcomed the challenge and produced a beautiful custom unit to fit my application.
As the Platinum Cat Heater produces radiant heat, the unit should be pointed towards the area you mainly wish to heat. With this in mind, I decided to have the unit pointed towards the back of my Roadtrek when in use, and to disappear when it was not needed.
To accomplish the above, I installed two heavy duty drawer slides in my forward closet, to which the Vented Platinum Cat Heater is attached. With the flexible exhaust hose, and the propane/electrical bundle, the heater slides in and out perfectly. And to avoid drilling another hole in the side of my B, I routed the exhaust hose to the side water heater panel.
This 3000BTU Vented Platinum Cat Heater burns only 1/8th of a pound of propane an hour, and according to my Trimetric meter, is drawing only 0.4 amps an hour. That means you can run the heater for 34 hours on ONE Gallon of Propane.
The best part is that All of the combustion byproducts are safely vented outside. That means zero carbon monoxide and zero moisture. I do however utilize three CO detectors just in case there is ever a mechanical failure, as well as two propane detectors.
Needless to say, I am very pleased with the Vented Platinum Cat. The unit is meticulously built and well thought out, and it was a pleasure dealing with a company who take's great pride in what they do. Below is a link to their website:
http://www.ventedcatheater.com