The TARDIS - A Four Wheel Camper Build
- Thread starter Overland Hadley
- Start date
Overland Hadley
on a journey
Heater v2
Okay, after a couple days of thinking about not much more than propane and camper heaters I have come to a conclusion. I do need a really good heater in the camper, not a cheap little piece, but a solid built in heater.
Thanks for all the advice, here is what I have come up with.
Olympian Wave 3 Heater.
Link
(From [ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BUV1RK/sr=1-2/qid=1282100813/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1282100813&sr=1-2&seller="]Amazon[/ame])
Paired with the Ragasco fiberglass propane tank. (Featured in the Summer 2009 Overland Journal)
lpgastanks.com Link (OJ readers get 10% off, as of 2009)
The heater weighs 6 pounds and will be mounted to the back wall of the camper. The tank weighs 7.5 pounds empty and will be stored at the bottom front of the camper, keeping the weight of the fuel low and forward on the rig.
Note: I did have a hard time deciding between the Ragasco tank and an aluminum propane tank. So if anybody has a reason why aluminum would be better please let me know.
Okay, after a couple days of thinking about not much more than propane and camper heaters I have come to a conclusion. I do need a really good heater in the camper, not a cheap little piece, but a solid built in heater.
Thanks for all the advice, here is what I have come up with.
Olympian Wave 3 Heater.
Link
(From [ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BUV1RK/sr=1-2/qid=1282100813/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1282100813&sr=1-2&seller="]Amazon[/ame])
Paired with the Ragasco fiberglass propane tank. (Featured in the Summer 2009 Overland Journal)
lpgastanks.com Link (OJ readers get 10% off, as of 2009)
The heater weighs 6 pounds and will be mounted to the back wall of the camper. The tank weighs 7.5 pounds empty and will be stored at the bottom front of the camper, keeping the weight of the fuel low and forward on the rig.
Note: I did have a hard time deciding between the Ragasco tank and an aluminum propane tank. So if anybody has a reason why aluminum would be better please let me know.
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washington taco
Explorer
If you plan on winter camping, I think you might find the BTU output to small. MI can be very cold!
Overland Hadley
on a journey
I have thought about that. And in the end I am not sure what I will need to heat a popped FWC.
Most of the time I would be camped in conditions not colder than 20*F during the day and around -10*F at night. But I would like the heater to be able to take the chill off on a mild evening, and not have to torch myself in high btu.
So what do you guys think? 1600-3000 btu or 3200-6000 btu?
Here is the spec sheet for the Wave heaters.
JCMatthews
Tour Guide
I have been looking at both the Flip Pac and the FWC, as I recently sold my rig, and going to build up a new adventure truck. Kinda leaning towards the FWC, since I do backcountry skiing. I found a wrecked late model Tacoma. The rear has been smashed, perfect candidate for a flat bed/camper. Flat bed would have tool boxes with either a FWC, or a Flip Pac bolted to the top of the tool boxes.
Thinking of doing a small collapsible table that hinges to the side of the inner camper wall, keep it folded up whole hauling gear. Deployed while in camp mode. I do currently have two 24X48" portable tables that work great for cooking on outside the vehicle. Small enough to fit across the front of the bed of the truck, they take up very little room when stowed. I bought them at ACE.
Thule makes a table that attaches to a wall or the outside of a trailer. AT uses it with one of their trailers. It would work for what your talking about.
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Northern Explorer
Explorer
The Finch is a small camper but I would say you would be best off with the wave 6. I have a Mr. Heater portable Buddy that is rated 4000 - 9000 btu and a Coleman sportcat rated 1500 btu that you can check out tomorrow for comparison.
Overland Hadley
on a journey
Thanks for the links. Another good solution.
Overland Hadley
on a journey
Overland Hadley
on a journey
The heater that FWC installs is 12,000 btu. So I think it should be the Wave 6, maybe even the Wave 8?
deadbeat son
Explorer
Just found this thread, and I'm really looking forward to your build Hadley. I'd really like to get a FWC for my Taco, so it's fun to watch you go through the planning process.
Mntdog -- Amazing looking setup!
Mntdog -- Amazing looking setup!
Overland Hadley
on a journey
Thanks Jason (Northern Explorer) for showing me around your FWC! :beer:
Regarding heater sizing; I have a '04 Eagle with the OEM heater, which I take winter camping in the eastern sierras. The Eagle is a pretty small space; even on cold nights with the thermostat set to minimum the heater will cycle about every half-hour or so; if anything I'd consider a slightly smaller capacity heater that would have a longer on-off cycle.
-Dan
-Dan
Overland Hadley
on a journey
Thanks for the information Dan! Good to know.