I have all three of the models you show plus a double burner sunflower heater. I have used all four in several different ice fishing portables and prefer the 3,800 BTU small one by far. I have to dress fairly warm to get to the site anyway and the small one keeps even my larger fish house warm enough to sit all day in a sweatshirt and bibs. Even at -10*. It should be plenty to keep a ground blind comfortable. Plus it is easy to carry and doesn't take up valuable space.
How quiet is #1 & #3? Are they deer blind quiet? Do you see anyway to be able to take #3 and be able to retrofit it to make it so you could hook it up to a bulk tank?
I prefer the Mr. Heater's. They are very quiet and do a great job. I have two different sizes of them.
You could probably retrofit #3 with the same equipment you'd use for #1. It would be difficult to get it to stand up though. If you are determined to use a bulk tank I'd recommend #1 over #3. Both are quiet. Much quieter that #2 or the double burner one I have that sits on top of a 20# propane tank. #2 and the double burner sound like a Coleman Lantern that burns white gas and you need to pump up to have pressure to make it run. Pretty noisy. FYI, you can't point #1 or #3 straight up. You can #2 though. Stay warm!!
Brad, I will solve your problem for heating up soup... Heat it up before you go out and put it in a thermos. Besides, you don't want something that smells up your blind and gets you winded anyway...right?? teehee
Yeah I could do that. We actually stock our blinds with cans of soup and spaghetti o's and there is nothing like freshly heated piping hot soup. But maybe I need to concede. :-) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I use an older model of #1 and love it! I have had zero issues with it and it has never failed to keep me warm. I just rigged up something like this over the top of the heater to cook soup on.
The 'lil buddy'(#1) is plenty of heat for my mother in her 10x10 blind in temps down to 15deg. It is not a well insulated blind and most often one window left open. I have a couple and use one for ice fishing on Lake Superior, and at 10 below and 20+ mph winds I am still taking the jacket off inside the 2 man Otter tent/sled. I have heated pork&beans on a little stand set right in front of them and just rotating and that works fine but that rig Mechdoc showed looks like the way to go if you have the room. The 'big buddy' my friend uses is overkill for most needs imo. I also have seen an adapter somewhere for #3 to run it off a 10 or 20 lb tank. Most everyone I know up here uses the Mr Heater products for blinds and ice shacks now.
I used #3 one morning at it was not all that great. But the last morning one of the guys in camp let me borrow his mr heater and it was awesome! I had to turn it on low to keep from sweating.
No doubt the Mr Heater, either the single or double. We have them in all our campers and never had a problem... great units
I picked up #1 last night. Going to put it in the blind this weekend so it is ready to go. Thanks guys.
Why not pick up a cheap little cooking stove to put in the blind as well? I have seen probably 20 old ones at yard sales, and I wouldnt imagine a new one would be that expensive? Just dedicate it to cooking and forget about it. I personally use Canned Heat(http://www.sternocandlelamp.com/pro...oking-fuels/sterno-brand-2-hour-cooking-fuel/) and I have a homemade little top I sit between the top of the can and the can of soup. It works perfect. I have cooked numerous cans of soup on the ground as well as in the treestand!!
I use a MR Heater (Pic 1) in my camper but I never thought of using it in a blind. I would think the propane odor would keep everything away.
Me and my dad use option 1 for ice fishing and could not be happier. -5* outside and we are in the little "shanty" deal we have in t-shirts sweating. I agree with not trusting the low oxygen sensor, but if you use common sense you will be fine.
