Mr. Buddy Heaters

[muskie35]

Just wondering if Mr. Buddy heaters work well in portable shelters? I have heard they don't heat very well. My portable is a small 2 person portable. Any feedback would be appreciated.

[DLK]

I have the big buddy heater i use for my voyager and it heats it nice

[JigginIsLife]

the regular buddy heater really doesent do the job adequatly as you will find out if you buy one, but the modifications that took place on the big buddy really put out some heat and move the air around as well, very nice if you going to spend the money on the buddy heaters, might as well spend the extra 30 bucks and get the big buddy or tough buddy

[Kyle Sandberg]

They will work plenty fine for that size house. Get the big buddy tho, you'll regret it if you don't.

[chris63]

DLK,was just wondering?,what are the btu settings on a big buddy?The sunflowers lowest setting is 8000 btu's and that seems to heat a guy out of the portable unless the wind is howling or its below zero.c63

[Kyle Sandberg]

c63, if your getting too hot just leave the door open a bit. If you do so and the heater is by the door, some of the heat'll exscape and it won't get to bad in there.

[chris63]

With the door open then we'll get too cold!c63hmmmmm i wonder if they ice fish in iraq?c63

[picksbigwagon]

I use a buddy heater in my voyager. I keep it in the sled behind the seats, and I have never been frozen out of the ice house. Of course I also have reflectix on the roof of my ice house. that is the reason I can get by with my buddy heater.....

[havefunlightenup]

I've experienced some issues with the Big Buddy heater...we're on #4 now, the first three were bad, some sort of defect. Hopefully the new one is better, it seems to be so far! The ability to put it right by the canvas is a huge plus over the standard Mr. Heater.

Good luck!

[jb426]

I have the big buddy and a Shappell 4000 portable. The portable measures about 5' by 7'. The big buddy with the fan on heats it very nicely. I did however use it on a overnighter without the fan and it was a little cold, temp was 7 below. But all in all it works at any temp in this size portable. Two of the gallon propane tanks last about three hours on high and up to five or six on low.

[Faner50]

I have fished with the single sun flower heater for years. We have both 4X8 and 6X8 portables. Hardly ever had to put the heater on high unless it got -10 degrees or below. If you fish outside you might want the big one but in the portable, single is comfortable for me anyway and doesn't take up much room.

[chrismackmn]

I had the Mr Buddy first and if it was 5 above or less the heater wouldn't do the job. Now I got the big buddy and I can't keep it past med. That thing is great for with my Yukon.

[iceman16]

i have the big buddy as well. the first one i got worked great for 5 hours. put new one pound tanks on and wouldnt fire back up .returned it and got another and has worked just fine. i have a otter wilderness walleye and i also put it in the tub behind me and usually keep it on low or med.

iceman

[2iceman]

I was on Mille lacs in the deep freeze a couple of weeks ago, I have the Yukon portable shack and the big buddy heater heated it fine, I had it on high with my coat off. Tough movin around that weekend. Every move my shack would frost up inside. So it was -24 degrees and the big buddy heater worked well, I also hook mine up to a five pound tank and make sure you buy the filter for the propane.

[Big River]

i have the mr. buddy (small one),heats fine done to about 15 degrees, but thats it (fish trap pro). any kind of breze the pilot light goes out. otherwise no problems.

[JBMasterAngler]

I just bought the portable buddy (little one), I have a clam junior, I'm thinking that should do the trick. I see on these posts that once it gets down to a certain temp (looks to be about 5 degrees or less) it doesn't put out enough heat. Obviously I'm concernced about that. I'll try it out for myself this weekend, but should I be looking at a different model for a better outcome?

[harvey lee]

I have used the Buddy heater in a Canvas Craft insulated portable, the Lodge size and it does just fine.

[walleyeJoe]

big buddys are the way to go big time.... they were just on sale a while ago for 99.00 they really throw some heat... i usualy keep my jacket on and keep it on one side with the fan on and its perfect

[iceking]

i also have a yukon and big buddy, sometimes use 20# tank. just wondering what the filter is all about?

[GudeMN]

I have a Fish Trap Guide and the original Buddy. Heats the shack fine but banking the skirt and the sled are a must. Any draft eliminates heat inside and blows out the pilot. I haven't tried setting it in the sled behind me though. That might take care of the pilot light problem. I'm happy with it though. I have a Mr. Heater Cooker with a hose I use on COLD days. Quicker set up as well regardless of temp. or wind because it kicks out so much heat I don't have to bank my skirt or sled. It's nice to have both, let's put it that way.

[jwhjr]

For those who run external tanks for the Buddy Heaters, do you use the filter and hose, or the quick connect hose with the regulator on it? On the Mr. Heater site it states that no filter is needed if you use the one with the regulator, but with all the posts I've seen with people having issues without a filter I thought I'd ask before buying one or the other.

[GRAVEY70]

I have a Mr. Heater and wether I use two small cylinders or a five pound cylinder with a hose it stops working after about 2 hours. the cylinders are all frosted up. the last time this happened I had my old sunflower along so I ran that for about half hour then the mr. heater started again. ANY EXPLINATION?????

[Royce Aardahl]

I have a 5 foot hose on mine that just hooks stright from heater to 10 pound tank. Works just fine.

[jb426]

I have a quick connect 12' hose with the regulater only. Hook it up to the 20# tank and have no problems. Lasts about forty hours on high.

[jwhjr]

 Originally Posted By: jb426

I have a quick connect 12' hose with the regulater only. Hook it up to the 20# tank and have no problems. Lasts about forty hours on high.

Thanks, I ended up ordering the same hose. I'll be running it off of an 11# so I'm guessing I won't have an issue (I always bring an extra so I'll have plenty of propane).

[only ice]

I have the Big Buddy and without the filter I pluged one regulater up!!I run a 10# of it. Now for the last 2 years no problems. Propane is DIRTY!!!

[jb426]

interesting, Ive only burned about one 20# tank through mine had no problems. I have burned 100# through my 125000 btu torpedo heater that only has a regulator that hasn't plugged up. Does propane come in different grades? Mybe the big buddy heater it self has something to do with it. This filter, does it go on between the tank and the regulator. how much is it?

[jwhjr]

The filter is around $10 I think. If you go to the Mr Heater site and look up the hose you have with the regulator, it states that a filter is not needed for the Buddy heaters (if you look up the buddy heater and look to the accessories listed below that's where I saw it).

[JuiceBox]

I see this got to be a long topic but I thought I'd throw my 2 cents in too. I have a clam voyager that's 5 years old and use a small buddy heater. It seems to heat just fine, but I also wear good boots and a good pair of pants so it depends on the clothing too. I used to use a sunflower heater, but those can be dangerous in a tight space. I agree with everyone that it could be chilly if it gets too windy or below zero. If you can pack around your portable, that helps a lot too. They go through those 1# tanks pretty fast though, so I bought a hose and filter for mine and use it with a 20# tank.

One thing to remember is that sunflower heaters and buddy heaters are "radiant" heaters. Like most guys, I like to set mine in the sled right behind me and that way it radiates heat to my seat. It feels like sitting in your car with the seat warmer on!! Gotta keep the cheeks warm!!! Once you start warming up the seats and plastic, those items help warm the whole house. You can do that with either the small or the big buddy, but I would never try it with the sunflower heaters.

Good fishing, and stay warm!

[mr walleye]

the filter is to remove the ethylene glycol that is in bulk propane. it's not in the 1 pound tanks. the ethylene glycol clogs up the small tube that goes to the burner and the heater stops working. for the pilot light cut a small piece of tin to go across the bottom of the guard to block the wind.