Heating when you can't afford a Mr. Buddy

[bigsallysmom]

ive read in the past that old school tenters suggest that if you wake up because you are cold, make hot chocolate.

 

[lenny flank]

Yeh, fridge probably helps. Body heat in a van is negligible, though. Despite "The Matrix", humans are not a good source of heat energy. We can heat up the small volume of a sleeping bag (and mummy bags are warmer because they have less volume), but barely make a dent in a large volume like a vehicle.

 

[Almost There]

The one thing that the above posters forgot to mention about all the various clothing that can be worn.

Do NOT wear the same clothing as what you wore during the day. Your body produces moisture even when you aren't aware of it. Daytime clothing will be somewhat damp.

Always change in to night time clothing.

I've slept outside in a hammock in below freezing temps quite comfortably...well except for when I had to get up in the middle of the night...  

Heavy socks, microfleece thermals - tops and bottoms, a microfleece hoodie and a fleece insert inside my hammock quilt. Oh and a couple of those hand warmer packs, one at the small of my back and one being shared in my socks.

 

[waldenbound]

And the one tip no-one thought of...eat.

The byproduct of the digestive process is heat. Mountain climbers and winter campers eat something with a lot of fat before bed.
Here's an analogy.

Think of sugars as tissue paper thrown on a campfire. Poof, they're gone in seconds.
Think of complex carbohydrates as kindling, that will keep a fire going a little bit, but not long.
Think of fats as putting a big, fat, dry log on the fire. That will burn long and slow and keep you warm.

 

[sreesekelley]

Alas, a candle does not put put enough BTUs for any useful heating. Even several candles all at once will not heat up a volume the size of a van or RV to any useful degree. It may feel warm if your hands are a few inches from it, but it will not heat up the interior of a vehicle.

so all my experience proves is that my house is well insulated : Maybe it was all in my head.  I do know that outside was having the worst ice storm since I've lived here and in 18 hours with no power my house internal temperature dropped by only 11 degrees.  I read all the physics answers and  agree with you based on just science.

 

[lenny flank]

I've slept outside in a hammock in below freezing temps quite comfortably...well except for when I had to get up in the middle of the night...  

You are tougher than me.  .    I always used a hammock for three seasons, but in winter I always used a tent. I tried a few different pads and under quilts in a hammock, and none of them worked very well for me.

 

[Almost There]

You are tougher than me.  .    I always used a hammock for three seasons, but in winter I always used a tent. I tried a few different pads and under quilts in a hammock, and none of them worked very well for me.

Well, it wasn't deliberately done....  

Early October weekend in central Ontario, went to bed when it was raining, woke up to a very white world. Had to paddle out in low 30s temps in water shoes. it took several hours for my feet to defrost and we all had to share one lonely snow brush to clean our vehicles off....sigh!

An underquilt has to be properly fitted to the hammock and then adjusted once you're in it so that there are no drafts. I made my own equipment so the quilt fit very well!

Most people never get a pad to fit properly because of it's inherent design.

 

[John61CT]

In a well-insulated space the tea-candle flowerpot and body heat together keep a van quite comfortable down to pretty cold temps if you're reasonable dressed.

Same with just the pilot light on any heater.

Just don't forget to crack the window.

Where you're parked, exposure to wind etc make a big difference too.

 

[lenny flank]

In a well-insulated space the tea-candle flowerpot and body heat together keep a van quite comfortable down to pretty cold temps if you're reasonable dressed.

Same with just the pilot light on any heater.

Just don't forget to crack the window.

Where you're parked, exposure to wind etc make a big difference too.

I'm just not seeing enough BTUs in it.........

 

[John61CT]

That's why I corrected you.

Try it and see.

Human body is like 100w on its own

I'm just saying the candle under a clay pot does make a noticeable difference.

Key condition is *well insulated* and *proper clothing*

And we're not talking full-timing in ski area parking lots.

Maybe some is psychological.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Trying to heat the inside of a cold van with a couple of candles doesn't work well even in moderate cold, much less in the deep part of winter with howling winds and subfreezing temps. It just doesn't.

A standard candle puts out roughly 200-300 BTU/hr, in other words, not much.

You'd have to have a dozen candles burning every night....and the fire hazards, CO hazards, plus the cost of burning a dozen or more candles all night every night for 3 months puts you way above the price of a good propane heater.

BTW the human body at rest also puts out around 250-300 BTU/hr and that is just about right for heating up the inside of a nice well-insulated sleeping bag...but not much else.

 

[lenny flank]

Math, alas, is inexorable.

 

[jonsun]

ohhh I know...a couple hamsters running in their wheels which turn a junkyard alternator which powers a heating blanket

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

We go through this discussion almost every fall.

As tx2sturgis said: the paraffin in a tea candle has about 300 BTU, which is about the amount your body emits per hour when sleeping.  I did a very quick and dirty calculation on a space 5' X 12' X 6' (van interior?) and an R value of 6 (about an inch of polyiso) ->  You need 221 BTU to raise the air temperature 1ºF.  Tea candles are about double the cost of propane per BTU.

My concern is what is emitted by paraffin: [font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]H2O, CO2, Formaldehyde, Acetaldehyde, Acrolein and soot.  Plus the [/font][font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]cheap Chinese candles have been found to emit lead.  [font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Beeswax and vegatable wax burn cleaner but still emit toxins.[/font][/font]

 

[lenny flank]

ohhh I know...a couple hamsters running in their wheels which turn a junkyard alternator which powers a heating blanket

The hamsters would need little sweatpants. 

 

[DannyB1954]

Like HDR mentioned a sleeping bag, but I would add two sleeping bags, (put one inside of the other).
Insulation helps a lot. Cardboard makes OK insulation and it is free most of the time. You can glue layers together and even paint them with latex interior paint. You can tape them in place, but remember that they will burn so keep heaters away from it. I insulated a work shed with cardboard and used it for a number of years no problems.
If you go with candles, you still will need some ventilation to be safe. Anything that burns will put out fumes that you are better off not to coat your lungs with. Also make sure that if the candle gets hot and melts it will not run out. They can be a fire hazard.

The smaller the space is, the easier it will be to heat. You can get used quilts from second hand stores cheap and hang them across parts of the vehicle to make the living space smaller.

 

[akrvbob]

I use my Coleman single burner propane stove as my sole heat source, I've been doing it for 10 years. At mild temperatures or a well insulated van, turn it down to the lowest burn and it's plenty of heat.

My stove is $38 on Amazon, but you have to have a stove and the heater then becomes free.

 

[user 37446]

I thought Bob might chime in, Alaskan native that he is.
I looked up "heating a cabin in the arctic" and got this article from a Fairbanks journal, though it has nothing to do with heating (its about water use), it was interesting reading:

https://www.adn.com/features/article/cabin-living-grid-frigid-alaska-labor-love/2012/11/16/

This "prepper" article gives a couple ideas:

http://www.theorganicprepper.ca/pure-arctic-outbreak-staying-warm-during-the-polar-vortex-11132014

(mostly the small Mr. Buddy as well as ways to insulate using not normally thought of materials like shower curtains), but the better advice was clothing:

begin quote

[*]Keep your wrists and ankles covered.  Wear shirts with sleeves long enough to keep your wrists covered and long socks that keep your ankles covered.  You lose a great deal of heat from those two areas.

[*]Get some long-johns.  Wearing long underwear beneath your jeans or PJ’s will work like insulation to keep your body heat in.  I like the silky kind like this[img=1x0]http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=prepping0a-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B002NPBTVE[/img] for indoor use, rather than the chunkier chunkier waffle-knit outdoor type[img=1x0]http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=prepping0a-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00K7LKJ3A[/img].

[*]Wear slippers.  You want to select house shoes with a solid bottom rather than the slipper sock type.  This forms a barrier between your feet and the cold floor.  We keep a basket of inexpensive slippers in varying sizes by the door for visitors because it makes such a big difference.  Going around in your stocking feet on a cold floor is a certain way to be chilled right through.

[*]Get up and get moving.  It goes without saying that physical activity will increase your body temperature.  If you’re cold, get up and clean something, dance with your kids, play tug-of-war with the dog, or do a chore.

[*]Pile on the blankets. If you’re going to be sitting down, have some blankets available for layering.  Our reading area has some plush blankets[img=1x0]http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=prepping0a-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00CFQUJK8[/img] which we top with fluffy comforters for a cozy place to relax.

[*]Use a hot water bottle.  If you’re just sitting around try placing a hot water bottle[img=1x0]http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=prepping0a-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000P6ESVG[/img] (carefully wrapped to avoid burns) under the blankets with you.

[*]Use rice bags.  If you don’t have the cute ready-made rice bags[img=1x0]http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=prepping0a-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00JU7C732[/img], you can simply place dry rice in a clean sock.  Heat this in the microwave, if you use one, for about a minute, or place in a 100 degree oven, watching carefully, for about 10 minutes.  I keep some rice bags in a large ceramic crock[img=1x0]http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=prepping0a-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B002P4LY6I[/img] beside the wood stove so they are constantly warm.  You can put your feet on them or tuck them under the blankets on your lap. (The insert from a defunct crockpot will work for this as well.)

[*]Insulate using items you have.  A friend recommended lining the interior walls with bookcases or hanging decorative quilts and blankets on the walls to add an extra layer of insulation. It definitely makes a difference because it keeps heat in and cold air out. If you look at pictures of old castles you will see lovely tapestry wall-hangings – this was to help insulate the stone walls, which absorbed the cold and released it into the space.

[*]Layer your windows.  Our cabin had large lovely picture windows for enjoying the view.  However, they were single pane and it’s hard to enjoy the view if your teeth are chattering.  We took the rather drastic step of basically closing off all the windows but one in each room for the winter.  First, we used the shrink film insulator[img=1x0]http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=prepping0a-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B002GKC2GW[/img] on every window. Then, we insulated further by placing draft blockers at the bottom in the window sill (I just used rolled up polar fleece – I’m not much of a sew-er.)  This was topped by a heavy blanket, taking care to overlap the wall and window edges with it.  Over that, we hung thermal curtains that remained closed.

[*]Get a rug.  If you have hardwood, tile or laminate flooring, an area rug is a must.  Like the blankets on the walls, this is another layer of insulation between you and the great outdoors.  We have no basement so our floor is very chilly.  A rug in the living room protects our feet from the chill.

[*]Wear a scarf.  No, not like a big heavy wool scarf that you’d wear outdoors – just a small, lightweight one that won’t get in your way and annoy you.  This serves two purposes.  First, it covers a bit more exposed skin. Secondly, it keeps body heat from escaping out the neck of your shirt.

End of quote

 

[scottorious]

What's your location? Mr. Heaters at the farm store are down to 72 bucks on sale. I just did a quick craigslist search for sleeping bags and found a bunch. If you can find the 3 piece military sleep system I can personally vouch for their ability to keep you warm. 9 years in the service and sleeping on the ground at least once every winter when it was below freezing really proved their effectiveness. Plus they give you a lot of versatility. One is listed in my local area with a hammock for 100 bucks. Maybe you could find one close to you for less.

 

[Ralph Furley]

Here are some tips, not covered by anyone yet.
* Don't shave any body hair off
* If there is no sun, better off letting the the snow sit on your RV/Van/Rig
* Gain some body weight
* Train yourself to start getting used to the cold, adapt.
* If you're really cold, don't leave your skin exposed without clothes, including your face (be sure to have a hole for you mouth).