Brun

I decided that the way to see places on the cheap, was camping so a tent was bought
Being a bit of a tart who likes his warmth, i figured that a source of heat is required which will also double as some light for my good self.
Whats out there that will cover my criteria? I assume a fuel lamp of some description is in order, but one which doesn't give off nasty gasses!

My mate has a fishing lamp which runs off petrol and covers both of my criteria but i i assume Carbon Monoxide will be a bit of an issue?

Brendan Hughes

Set light to your tent?

RoadrunnerV2

Burn baby burn ..yeah .....burn ya tent down...Ooo that got ta hurt

yet another login

Trangia(sp?) stoves should be safe to use for cooking inside tents. They were apparently design by Scandinavian armed forces and run on meths. For lighting the battery lanterns give a good spread of light especially when hung, still not sure about heating the tent though, just stick another layer on.

f1

you can get leccy heaters designed for tents. Of course no use if ya ain't got any leccy tricity !!

imlach

You can obviously get the camping gas lights.....but still a bit of an issue if you fall asleep with it on.....

If camping by car, a better alternative may be a rechargable light. I bought one of the ones that had a flourescent light on it - could recharge it from the car charger, and lasted hours on one charge.....

Perhaps a combo of the two - use the fuel based light when WIDE awake, and switch to a battery light once in sleeping bag in case of any issues.

I also have a wind-up light, which lasts about an hour on a few minutes of winding....enough light to read by.

imlach

PS the camping gas light didn't give out much heat to be honest....

Brun

Wind-up light Where from?
Maybe an excercise bike will keep me warm in the tent????????????

imlach

It's more of a torch to be honest

http://www.freeplay.net/website/product/sherpa.php

About £30 from B&Q/Argos etc etc

Riprock

You betcha........right near the quad damage with a chaingun

stevem2k

Snowpeak Gigapower lantern is what you want ....

http://www.snowpeak.com/gear/gl100a.html

MJW

Camping's great, and there's loads of good places to go in the UK - the Dales, the Lakes, etc. and its pretty cheap leaving more money for checking out the pubs with dubious closing times !

The best suggestion for keeping warm is plenty of jumpers / fleeces - either that or sit in the car with the heater on ! Field & Trek website and Gear Zone should give you some pointers for essential camping gear.

andypugh2000

check this one out for sale on Ebay, trust me these things really give out some heat, I have one too

clicky

ChrisB

You need a heater for camping? Stick to B&B

Good kit (ie a decent sleeping bag) and you'll be fine in the UK.

Just ensure you've consumed plenty of food and beer before going to bed and you want have any problems.

FASTER MIKE!!

except pi$$ing you sleeping bag

Dracoro

Set your tent up in a nice warm hotel room

On a serious note, I've done a fair bit of camping in my 'youth' (whilst travelling round europe and israel) and have never had the need for any heating. Biggest problem is it being too hot in the summer! Unless it's less than 5 degrees I wouldn't worry too much. Get a good sleeping bag instead. If you're planning on going somewhere very cold and remote then heating would be a good idea as per suggestions by others above.

Graz

On a serious note a few people are killed each year from using gas appliances in tents. The problem is being made of nylon they burn very quickly and cover you in molten nylon. Not very nice!

Best to use the gas bits outside (i.e. cooker, lamp etc). Get a decent sleeping bag and thermal mat to insulate you from the ground and you will be warm enough.

RichWalk

I wouldnt let anyone know your going 'cruising' then 'camping' afterwards- could be very misconstrued

Brit_in_Japan

For warmth, make sure you have good warm clothes on and make sure you use a foam mattress or Thermarest.

For light something with the LED's gives good light with light weight and long battery life.

Best not to cook inside your tent if you can help it, but if you *must* then something like a propane gas burner is the least risky option, most controllable and easiest to light (just don't knock it over !)

VaTaNeN

Hi Brun,

I’m a carp angler and fish overnight almost every weekend Friday to Sunday, and at least two additional nights in the week. I do this right throughout the year hot or cold, and often fish for weeks away at a time both at home and abroad. I work for a large angling website and have used/reviewed almost every bit of kit on the market for heating and lighting.

My advice would be to have separate kit for each purpose. For heaters, just get a stove – much easier and quicker to use and also there for cooking and brewing up when you need it. Most of the butane types are crap; the canisters are only good till about half full, then they lose pressure and so take ages to boil a full kettle, and replacements can be costly.

Liquid Fuel stoves are much, much, better and cost a fraction of the price to run. By far the best type I’ve ever used is the Coleman stove You can run them on normal unleaded petrol and they are a sinch to use; you just fill with fuel, pump up to pressurise and light. The pressure is unbelievable and they have *loads* of power, far better than butane. I once did a test where I boiled a full kettle in the kitchen and the same amount on the Coleman – there was hardly anything in it!

The Coleman is great for using as a heater as well – as long as you use your common sense. When fishing sub zero temps (not that you’d be camping in such) it’s great and you only need it on for a couple of minutes to warm the bivvy. Just make sure you allow ventilation (while it’s on).

They are pretty bombproof as well. My current one has been in the lake on more than one occasion and still kicks it out with ease! For summer use when the surrounding temps are higher you could get away with a butane stove, and they are a little easier to use I suppose – I use one during the warmer months, again I use the Coleman butane version – better than any others I’ve tried.

As for lighting, I would not bother with the Mantle type burners; way too much hassle. If you are constantly moving them about packing/unpacking, etc, the mantles just keep breaking – and they are a real ball-ache to keep replacing (and expensive). Again, once the canisters are below half full you can’t keep the light at a constant rate and then there’s the fumes, etc.

Best bet would be to use a Krill Lamp – these are high powered but long lasting lights that will give constant light for hours on end and you just switch them on and off - H3 do a few different ones – I use their kit and it’s good. The smallest gives off over 120 hours light on 2 AA batteries – you can’t beat’em. Loads of other lighting stuff on their site.

Julian