# Propane Heaters



## icebucketjohn (Dec 22, 2005)

Lookin to get a heater for my ice shanty.

Brands, Models, Comparisons, Experiences, Pluses & Minuses

Mr. Heater vs Texsport vs Coleman or other brands?


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## SGPitman (Apr 23, 2008)

I have a colman black cat. It smells and isn't as worm as my fiends mr buddy, but it was only 25 dollars.


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## BIGDADDYDB (Jul 1, 2006)

My experience with my Mr. Buddy portable (9000 btu) has been great. I have a Frabil Recon DLX 2 man shelter and it heats it pretty well and keeps the holes ice free. Won't smoke you out of the place but you can take off your jacket on the coldest days. Also, it has a safety low O2 and tip over shut off so if you kick it, you have to restart. In 1 man shelter, this thing would make it tropical on high! Propane consumption is good in my opinion. I go early fish late and can't remember using more than a couple of 1lb cans in a day. Good example is a day 2 yrs ago fishing Willard when it was about -10 or so. You couldn't fish outside and we had the sled buried in. We kept warm and had clean holes in my shanty and used 2 1/2 cans of gas. My buddy had a square cheap heater, maybe a coleman, and went through 4+ cans in a 1 man clam that day! Those blackcats are useless IMO...not to bash. If you have a bigger shanty or fish alone out of a 2 man, the Big Buddy would be awesome but the little buddy is a good fit. My only complaint is that it can be a little finicky to start sometimes but is still reliable going into it's 5th season. Look for a deal on one and get it right the first time instead of wasting money on a cheaper one that you'll end up replacing or wasting fuel over time.


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## Lightman (Jul 22, 2008)

I agree with Bigdaddydb's post - I have a mr buddy heater and it works great. I was at gander the other day though, and it looks like they changed their models around perhaps - or maybe what they had was the 'big buddy'..the one they had was a hundred bux and took TWO propane cannisters...cool! I have a 3 man eskimo shanty that is pretty roomy, and I always can take my jacket/gloves off to fish, and RARELY turn the heater higher than the low setting. In my 1 man clam, it's overkill, I have to shut it off and turn it back on cuz it gets HOT in there, but that's not a bad thing!


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## hardwaterfan (Apr 6, 2004)

i will concur with everything said so far. i have a one man pro, i originally started out with the power cat 3000 btu because it is a very efficient, clean burning heater. but on the days when you really need it, it just doesnt have quite enough punch. i then went with the regular size buddy, they call it the portable buddy now. you can have it on either 4000 or 9000 btu. i almost always have it on 4000 or just turn it off. VERY rarely will i switch it to 9000 btu, and then only for a short time.. i have had it for about 4 years and ive never had a problem with it. id say usually for a full day i go through about a can and a half of propane. im really happy with the portable buddy!

ive never heard of texport but after looking through their PDF of propane heaters i would shy away from them. for me at least, (bull in a china shop type) they look like an accident waiting to happen. the portable buddy has a fairly low, stable profile, and the heating element area is sunken in, and fairly well protected.


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## davef (Aug 7, 2007)

I also agree with everyone so far but I use the Coleman heater (procat I believe) and it works fine to keep my line from freezing while fishing inside. That's really all I need it to do plus I can carry it along with my outer coat and pants in a five gallon bucket. Once I'm set up to fish I get the outer layer of clothes on and fire up the heater if I'm going to use it that day. A tank of fuel usually lasts a couple of days but there is a trade off in amount of heat produced.

I have a Shappell DX 3000 and with 2 fisherman in tends to get crowded with all the gear. The Coleman sits nicely in between the 4 holes and seems stable.

If I could drag unlimited gear I would probably upgrade to one of the Buddies but since I drag everything by hand I try to get by as light and compact as possible.


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## icebucketjohn (Dec 22, 2005)

Looks like the Mr. Buddy Portable is the way to go and the major recommendation of this forum. 

Another Q:

DOES ANYONE USE A 5 LB PROPANE TANK VS THE 1 LB MINI GREEN TANKS?
a. Where can I get the "adaptors, hoses & filters?


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## freyedknot (Apr 10, 2004)

where do you gat a 5 lb tank. i have an old 11 lb for my mr.heater tank top heater. a 5 lbr would be even better.


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## icebucketjohn (Dec 22, 2005)

.. Read on different forums of guys using a 5 lb tank instead of the 20 lb. I may check with some RV places to see if they have them.


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## SGPitman (Apr 23, 2008)

icebucketjohn said:


> .. Read on different forums of guys using a 5 lb tank instead of the 20 lb. I may check with some RV places to see if they have them.


Try harbor freight.


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## BIGDADDYDB (Jul 1, 2006)

I thought about getting a 5lb tank but decided against it due to size. I try to stay real organized. I have a rod bag from cabelas ($20) and gander sells the same bag with their logo on it. I can fit 4 rod / reel combos and my scoop in the main compartment, all my tackle and bait in the one side, and 2 1lb cans extra gloves, cleats etc in the other pocket. This means all I have in my sled is a rod bag, auger, sonar, heater, and camera if I bring it. With 1 tank on the heater and 2 in the bag, that's all I really ever need. If I had the 5lber, unless I was refilling it after every trip, I would find I needed to carry a 1lb for backup. I suppose it would be a little cheaper but I know guys who refill the 1lb cans if cost is an issue. I just buy a case of colemans when I see a good deal. I bought 2 dozen last year at $2.09 per and still have about 5 or 6 left after summer camping.


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## icebucketjohn (Dec 22, 2005)

... Will be checking these places to see if they carry it:

Cabela's: 
Gander Mountain
Dick's
Kames
Lowes
Home Depot
Kmart
Harbour Freight
Ace Hardware

Others???


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## freyedknot (Apr 10, 2004)

sorry , i never saw a 5 lbr. GM used to sell pancake 11 lbrs.


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## Lightman (Jul 22, 2008)

IcebucketJohn -try Tractor Supply Co. I know when I stopped in there in Chardon to pick up some propane cannisters, they had all the adapters/fittings to switch to a bigger external propane tank. however, if you're talking about committing as much room and funds as a 5 gal tank or so would take, I would recommend just getting the bigger mr buddy heater that holds 2 cannisters, which I'm sure would last a long time. With my portable mr buddy heater, I can usually fish all day with one cannister on low, maybe 1.5.


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## lovin life (Jan 2, 2010)

Hey John. I know this is no comfort now, but early spring last year I got my Mister Buddy on clearance at Lowes for $39. God what a deal ! I thought about buying a half dozen but didnt have the cash ! DANG ! So if you can wait you'll save big bucks.


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## icebucketjohn (Dec 22, 2005)

Deciding whether a Mr. Buddy Jr. would be sufficient or should I spend the extra bucks and purchase the std Mr. Buddy portable.

Mr Buddy Jr - 3,800 BTU's
Mr Buddy Std - 4,000 -9,000 BTU's

Anybody use either one?....


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## hawgjam (Jan 29, 2007)

icebucketjohn said:


> Deciding whether a Mr. Buddy Jr. would be sufficient or should I spend the extra bucks and purchase the std Mr. Buddy portable.
> 
> Mr Buddy Jr - 3,800 BTU's
> Mr Buddy Std - 4,000 -9,000 BTU's
> ...


I too have been using the the 4000 - 9000 BTU model for years and rarely turn it above the lowest setting. I bought a Jr model this summer with some left over credit card points. I'm hoping to save just a little weight and shanty space and I'm thinking 3800 BTU's should work just fine in a one man Clam Pro. I'll probably still use the standard model when fishing in the two man tent.


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## hardwaterfan (Apr 6, 2004)

was in Gander Mountain last night....they have the portable buddy for 79.99 with a $20 mail in rebate. $60 is a very good final price. the sign says you have to ask for a rebate form from someone. 

unfortunately the sign said today was the last day for the rebate (Sunday, 11-28) 

looks like they made some improvements to the heater, it has a swing out port for the canister, folding handle, maybe a couple other things also, i cant remember.



> Deciding whether a Mr. Buddy Jr. would be sufficient or should I spend the extra bucks and purchase the std Mr. Buddy portable.


hope you see this first. with the rebate, both are the same price (59.99, based on Gander Mountains prices) i know ive seen the regular buddy for as much as 99.99 (dicks sporting goods)


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## Lightman (Jul 22, 2008)

I would recommend the Portable Buddy.. While I rarely use the high/9000btu setting, I didn't say NEVER  It's nice to have when it's really cold and you first get in the shanty to get things heated up more quickly, and then turn it down. It's not a very big heater and it's reasonably rugged, my thought is that it's better to have a little more heat than you'll need than not quite enough! With either, it's a good idea to crack open a window or vent to allow the fumes to escape. I know a lot of guys don't, although I've gotten a headache in those situations.


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

You mean you can heat those shanties??

Joking. I'm excited to just have a shanty!
I do have a Mr. Buddy hanging oround the garage though. . . .


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## tomb (Oct 9, 2004)

Mostly use the low setting on the portable buddy. High comes in handy to get shanty heated up on a very windy day on Mosquito or Erie. My buddy has the two tank Big Buddy model. We used it once in the shanty----got cooked! Even on low it's overkill. Better suited for heating his garage to do some work in the winter.


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## snake69 (Sep 26, 2005)

Just to see how well it worked, a friend and I turned my heater up full blast on a day it was 18 degrees out. With a good digital thermometer inside the shanty with us, it got up to like 69.7 or there abouts!! And like someone else said, sometimes fire up both sides initially, to get the cold out and then turn it down. Nice to have!!


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## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

icebucketjohn said:


> Looks like the Mr. Buddy Portable is the way to go and the major recommendation of this forum.
> 
> Another Q:
> 
> ...


I got the hose/adaptor for the larger tanks where I bought my Mr. Heater at Tractor Supply. Prices are as good as anywhere esp. when they have a sale or coupon mailer.
ps-You can get a valve/adaptor from Harbor Freight to recharge the 1# cans from a 20# tank. There's a bit of a "procedure" to getting them nearly full but I think it's covered in the accompanying directions that come with the valve.


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## hawgjam (Jan 29, 2007)

I took the Buddy Jr that I bought last summer out of the box to see what it's all about. I'm a little disappointed. It's just as heavy as the portable model and just as big. I was really hoping to save some weight and space. I think I'll just stick with my portable model. Anyone want to buy a Buddy Jr???


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## icebucketjohn (Dec 22, 2005)

I purchased a Mr. Buddy Portable from Mark's Bait & Tackle (St Rt 14 between Ravenna & Streetsboro).

I also picked up an adapter from Harbour Freight to fill the 1 lb tanks from y 20 lb grill tank.

Thanks everyone for your insights, comments & suggestions.

Keep the local bait & tackle shops in business. Check them out first for you ice gear needs.

Come On Ice!


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## Lightman (Jul 22, 2008)

John, good call. I know I am very happy with my buddy portable, and am sure you will be too. 

Tell us more about the valve to fill the little tanks from the big ones, the process, and the projected cost savings?


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## Poohflinger (Feb 2, 2010)

Dyna-Glo is another Buddy Heater rip off. Exactly the same unit, tan /grey in color. Walmart had them for half the price of the Buddy Heater. Worth checking into.


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## hardwaterfan (Apr 6, 2004)

good choice, Im sure you'll be happy with it.


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## Grizz (Apr 21, 2004)

I take the $10 off $25 for dicks and by $25 dollars worth of propane canisters for $15 every January. You get about 10 or 11 for $15. I also get the Dicks Gift Card at Giant Eagle for the fuel perks to pay for the propane.


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## Lightman (Jul 22, 2008)

CJ stone thanks for posting about that adapter, I just ordered one. For anyone else who wants to see it , hopefully it's ok to post this link from HF.

http://www.harborfreight.com/propane-bottle-refill-kit-45989.html


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## BIGDADDYDB (Jul 1, 2006)

I have heard that when using the adaptor, due to the lower pressure of the big tank vs filling station, you can only get them about half full or less. I'd like to know how well they fill up.


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## thebige22 (Oct 26, 2007)

I fill my own 1 lb. tanks from a 20# tank and typically you can get them 80% or more full if you follow the directions. Make sure the 20# tank is at room temperature and the 1# tanks have been in the freezer for 15-20 minutes and it works great.

TheBigE22


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## hawgjam (Jan 29, 2007)

I found that it works even better when you put the filling tank in a tub of hot water. I set mine in the laundry sink and filled it up. I don't have a scale to measure how much of a difference it made, but I thought that the 1lb tanks felt heavier. I don't really know about cost savings. It was just something I wanted to try a couple of years ago.


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## BIGDADDYDB (Jul 1, 2006)

They have reconditioned portable Mr. Buddys for $59. Pretty good deal. I think I paid $80 for mine and that was about 3 yrs ago. Short of waiting for off season sale, this is a good price I think


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## tomb (Oct 9, 2004)

The price has really gone up on that adapter. I only paid $5.00 for the same one about ten years ago. Sorry Dave, never thought to mention this to you. Bit of a pain to use in the winter. The large tank has to be warmed before using it to fill the small tanks. I won't say how I warm the tank------people will want to be giving me a "sign" They generally fill 80%-50% depending on how full the large tank is.


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