Contributors to this thread:
How feasible is this for a truck camp? If I have a good battery and an electric heater turned on low can I get through the night and still start the truck?
The other option is a small electric blanket just to take the edge off.
I’m heading out west for three or four weeks and my Tacoma and it has a plug in the back it’s just a matter of how much I can do with it.
I will test it but I want to get a ballpark idea to see if it’s even remotely possible
I hate to burst your bubble but, the chances are slim and none. Electric heating pulls a lot of electricity and an inverter off a battery won't handle it. Carry an extra battery if you try it.
Not feasible at all to run an electric heater off a battery. I have a 6x12 enclosed trailer that I insulated and use on hunting and trapping trips. I heat it with a small electric heater off a 2000w honda generator. A 1000w generator isnt enough to run my chest freezer and heater.
It would have to be a tiny heater to run off a battery
If you can drive close enough to take the truck, why not just an extra battery and charge it periodically with jumper cables off the truck? Done it many times with a trolling motor.
But...if you can drive the truck to camp, why not use a propane heater?
X2 Ben, your gonna have to research your amps and what the Tacoma plug is rated at. Over drawing what the plug is rated at can toast a battery, the inverter, and or wiring or all of the it.
Why not use a down comforter if in truck? Or pile on the blankets?
I bought an SUV that allowed me to sleep diagonal in the back if I have a hunt where can road camp on BLM or other public land. To make it fast to free up a sleeping zone, I pack most everything in plastic bins. I unload the bins next to the SUV, toss a tarp over the bins to keep off dust and rain, and then roll out a sleeping pad and bag. If is warm and mosquitoes then I put mosquito netting over two of the windows so can get some breeze. If cold, I have a wool blanket and will lay clothes on the sleeping bag then drop the wool blanket on top. I have sleep nice and cozy down to -5F. If is brutal cold, will sometimes reach up to the steering column and run the engine for 10 minutes or so until heat gets things toasty until I can fall asleep again. I usually hunt solo so works for me.
The Tacoma 120 volt outlet only works when the engine is running.
Check the amp draw from the heater and your available amps from your battery. That will tell you how long you can run the heater. ........more than likely not long.
A light wool blanket should work just fine
Propane heater in the morning works just fine for me.
What treewalker said is what I have done, but years ago.
Do you have a pull starter on the Tacoma??
G
Someone above said slim and none. They were half right. A propane buddy heater is by far the best option. They cost little to run, make little noise, have little order, and have a low oxygen shut off for safety.
I have used them in trucks, ice shanties, hunting blinds, tents, you name it.
I actually used one frequently here in WI last winter to keep my truck warm for my dog when I went to visit my dad before he died. A one pound cylinder would keep the truck toasty all day in sub zero temps.
For most western hunts you would be fine to run the heater for a while when you were ready to go to sleep and then light it again when you woke up.
I am always shocked at how many guys use propane. Besides danger from low oxygen they produce a lot of water. I find condensation annoying to the point I would rather be cold.
Opening windows etc solves both issues but defeats purpose.
Nearly impossible to dry stuff with wet heat from propane (or any other fuel I could find besides wood).
I will get a deep cycle marine battery and my truck is stick so I can pop the clutch - maybe.
I am debating generator and 2 batteries with chargers. Also possibly rigging a way to disperse heat from exhaust or a wood stove. Think about a pipe with a few fins running the length of the bed. I am also concerned about stuff freezing.
Thanks~!
If you put a boot (commercial or temporary blanket, etc. between the cab and camper and open up the windows you could run the heater in the cab and it might provide a little warmth in the bed.
Regarding manual transmission, I can pop the clutch and get my rig started in reverse at like 0.5 mph; barely moving. Reverse the gearing is much better for a roll start. Now that I think about it maybe putting it in 4wd low would accomplish the same purpose. I'm so confident in the ease of starting by popping the clutch that I was heading out at 3am on daughter's oryx hunt with truck fully loaded only to discover the battery was dead. Rather than reload everything into my wife's truck I just roll started on our gentle driveway and never parked anywhere flat for the duration of our hunt. I was worried that it was the battery going bad, which it was, as I had to roll start it several times during the hunt. But zero worries. Love my manual transmission.
Get a small candle lantern if you have to have heat. Blankets will be fine. Uco makes a great one: ucogear.com
I agree a small candle lantern provides lots of heat in a small space. Leave a window cracked a tad and you will be good. They can be had for 20 bucks or so and are pretty safe to boot. Shawn
Buddy type heaters are rated for indoor use and have a low oxygen shut down as a backup so I don't worry about them in the least. Any combustion creates water vapor, whether propane, candle, or wood.
Don: with alternators and not generators popping the clutch does not always work if it's dead enough.
Don: with alternators and not generators popping the clutch does not always work if it's dead enough.
Omg, just gets your balls out of your wife's purse and put some rogain on them!!! You'll be warm all night!!!
I use a Honda eu2000 inverter and an electric blanket . Most nights I have to turn the blanket down . I've used it in negative 5 degrees and stayed warm on a 2 week hunt in WY. Inverter , electric blanket and a comforter and you'll be sleeping like you were at home.
I have seen 12v electric rear window defroster w/fan for sale in JC Whitney catalog (auto accessories) that may provide enough heat. Also 12v electric blankets for sale. Install a second battery with a isolation switch. Check with camper sales/service dept. The 120v outlet on the Tacoma only works when engine is running, 100w driving or 400w when idling. This is a CO2 hazard when sleeping.
