I have this one from Overland Addicts - Planar 2KW. It is perfect.
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Sounds like you have a pretty decent budgetā¦
I bought one of the cheap Chinese heaters off of Amazon. I am actually pretty impressed at the volume of dry heat this machine can push out and with minimal fuel consumption. It cost in the neighborhood of $125 and was pretty easy to set up (install exhaust & air intake pipes). Way quieter than I imagined (almost zero exhaust sound). Came with an easy to use remote (ON, OFF, UP/DOWN [heat]). I have a 16ā insulted duct/hose coming that will get the air up and into my tent. I imagine a $500 or $1000 unit would be even more amazing. Anyway, diesel heat is definately a game changer in my book (right up there with solar).
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I have the same and been using this one over the fall so far. Works great.
We definitely planned the build for awhile. I put the GFC deposit down over 2 years ago and just finally pulled the trigger & picked it up this month. This timeframe allowed us to plan the RIGD components (arriving tomorrow) the one-step instant āheater in a boxā and the solar rig.
I think the Chinese versions are also fine. I opted for the Planar bc I have a lack of mechanical skills, wanted minimal maintenance, and wanted something that would potentially have less buildup. I read the 2kw versions can be easier to maintain bc you can run them at 40-70% vs running a massively powerful unit at 10% and having subsequent buildup. In any case, easy and more pricey or slightly less easy and way cheaper = but get a diesel heater and you will be thrilled!
Interesting! Are you keeping the Unit outside of the camper when it is running? Or do you pipe out the exhaust?
I am keeping it outside (out of an abundance of caution).
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Same. The yellow box can just sit in a foot of snow all night, or on a little table/shelf with a Yakima Cable lock/simple strap to keep things safe from casual theft or wind gusts.
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Iām still rocking a home built Chinese heater, running it hard. Two years running! Almost a full year with the GFC. Ran it before though the window on my canopy.
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I am sure it has been askedā¦
But what power source is everyone using for their heaters? Is any one using a power station like a Jackery 1000 or similar?
My reoccurring problem when I go down the heater/100ah battery rabbit hole is that I find myself spending ~4k to build a storage cabinet, inverter, charge controller, lithium battery, solar panel, heater, etcā¦ Then Iām approaching used Four Wheel Camper Shell territory.
It would be really nice to just buy a power station and a heater in a box and be done with it. Be able to remove when not in use, etc.
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I have used my goal zero 1400 for multiple days to run mine in the past.
But I do have an onboard battery and solar that I usually use.
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For me, Iām on the 100Ah battery program and I donāt regret it. I am actually going to go the opposite route to your description. I originally had the heater as you see it; but Iām going to do a significant mod and mount it permanently.
Over the last two weeks Iāve found the novelty of portability has worn off. I want to be able to just pull up, turn the power on, pop the tent and go! Hooking up all the crap in the external setup is just becoming tiresome.
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Why do you need an inverter? 100AH lifepo battery is under $350 these days.
Purchased ours from Mainline Overland and run it from a GZ Yeti 1000x.
Easily couldāve saved some money and built something, but decided to err on the side of caution and let a professional handle the build on this one. We absolutely love it, works flawlessly every time and no issues at altitude so far. Running it all night uses about 8-10% of the GZ per day. And at this point, the ānovelty of portabilityā hasnāt worn offā¦yet.
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I feel that, so tempted to see if I can mount mine inside the passenger fender well somehowā¦ Iām not adverse to putting holes in my bedā¦
the heater came with a cable that ends in ring terminals, so for now Iām just packing my optima yellow top. Itās very simple, runs for many nights on a charge & I can also connect it to my solar panel to top off if Iām worried. When not using, I just pull both units and drop in the garage. I could also power from my goal zero 500x, but see no need. May eventually do a battery box with all of the ins-outs, but not short-term.
Inverters are, in my opinion, unnecessary for most people. The CLA port, or multiple USB, will suffice. I am more interested in a DC-DC connection so the battery inside the box can charge from either the running alternator OR the solar panel. The red arc kit from CEP plus a $200 solar rig from renogy is my likely solution. Under $1k, then add whatever battery you have around. Eventually add 100Ah lithium and now youāre at $1600-1800.
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And this is all preference- but I like removing my rig between trips somewhat. I want an empty truck bed when not out on a big trip & the diesel heater is only necessary for a portion of the year in our region. All subjective.
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I clipped off the ring terminals and put on APP connectors. Nice and easy to plug into the GZ.
Here is how mine is mounted! @ScottH and I spitballed ideas on exhaust.
Used it prob 5-6 nights so far. @psymmes loving my bag btw!
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Thatās rad. Not gonna lie, I did order some 12ā 3M double Velcro strips and Iām hunting down dirt cheap bags online to make my own āmounted storageā for $20. Hah.