I recently purchased an Outbacker firebox and 5m bell tent. I have read a few reviews saying how warm a stove keeps a bell tent, but I am trying to work out whether that means keeping the chill off on a summers night or if you can stay toasty in winter.
Does anyone have experience of camping in a bell tent in winter and have any advice as to how low an outside temperature a 5m bell tent can stay warm in? I know it will get cold overnight when the stove goes out, but I mean in the morning / evening while the stove is on.
Iv stayed in a few pre erected Bell tents and even in winter January February they have been very warm with a small wood burner. T shirt or t shirt and light jumper warm. But you have to feed the fire.
You could use it on the summer nights, but you will be sat in your shorts... (although we were coming from camping in an 8 man poly tent with no heating...)
We only started using it last year, and were definitely a bit on the warm side in the tent through the summer, but wanted to test out the stove.
We did camp later in the year than we normally would though, and had a great couple of nights in North Wales at the end of October. Night-time temps were getting into low single digit figures but we were absolutely fine. Most of the evening entertainment with friends moved from being inside the 'mess' event shelter or around the campfire to being inside the tent. Jumpers were optional but coats definitely weren't required. There was a good temperature difference between the inside of the tent and the 'drinks fridge' (aka. just outside the door...)
Despite (or maybe because of) having a good few years of experience with wood burners in the house, and having the CO alarm etc. I'm still a tad nervous about going to sleep with it still lit, and it does get chilly in the air overnight but as we're on Air 70s and a 10Cm SIM it's never too cold, and it doesn't take long to fire back up in the morning to take the chill back off before the rest of the family get out of bed.
We also have some friends that have the same stove in a 4M bell. That one is like an oven as there is obviously a lot less area to heat.
I would love to be camping in it in lower temps - and snow! The missus will need a little more convincing first though...
I've camped in February in the Brecon Beacons in sub zero temps in a 10 man canvas ridge tent. Used an old paraffin heater and was plenty warm enough. It was 50 years ago now so no H&S worries back then.
Ooh, paraffin heaters - those were the days eh?! That particular whiff... I remember our old Valor (I think it was called?) that used to take the chill off our hallway, with the front that lifted off (the heater not the hall!), and how proud I was to be allowed to trim the circular wick.
I'm just about to purchase a 5m polyester bell tent, I had one of these before and did my first ever camping in it. We had no ehu and it was freezing. Now our caravan has gone, my husband doesn't want the hassle of towing and suggested we give it another try with our fan heater and ehu. Been asked to go away this easter but really worried tent will still be too cold with heater on as we don't want sleeping bags, just duvet under us on airbed and on top, what do you think, too cold for April, I'm in the south?
camping experience at end of April and was so cold I said never again
Quote: Originally posted by Hedgehugger on 22/2/2019
Ooh, paraffin heaters - those were the days eh?! That particular whiff... I remember our old Valor (I think it was called?) that used to take the chill off our hallway, with the front that lifted off (the heater not the hall!), and how proud I was to be allowed to trim the circular wick.
Off the subject, but you’ve brought back an early memory of our Tilley heater in the kitchen - pumping up the paraffin, and preheating with a collar soaked in meths. It had a copper reflector bowl, and leaked slightly! I suppose it was the equivalent of the butane heaters available now.
Quote: Originally posted by evej24 on 15/3/2019
I'm just about to purchase a 5m polyester bell tent, I had one of these before and did my first ever camping in it. We had no ehu and it was freezing. Now our caravan has gone, my husband doesn't want the hassle of towing and suggested we give it another try with our fan heater and ehu. Been asked to go away this easter but really worried tent will still be too cold with heater on as we don't want sleeping bags, just duvet under us on airbed and on top, what do you think, too cold for April, I'm in the south?
camping experience at end of April and was so cold I said never again
Eve, I'm sure you already realise that you shouldn't even think of a woodburner in a plastic tent, and these tents are by their very construction material, colder than cotton or polycotton. I would be reluctant to use any heater with a flame therein, but one could use (heaven forbid!!) an electric supply for a heater, depending on where you go?
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Topic: Hot tenting
via mobile 21/1/2019 at 9:56pm
