Propane vs Wood

[isu22andy]

Buying a wall tent here shortly . Is a wood stove really worth the hassle over a Mr Buddy heater ? Convince me one way or the other. I have plenty of access to firewood but I know bringing it across state lines is a no no . Also any cot suggestions ?

 

[madtom]

Depends on the use. A Mr. Buddy to take the edge off in the morning before you get out of the sleeping bag is ok. If you use it overnight, you'll run into condensation issues and of course potential for carbon monoxide issues.

 

[Werty]

I use both, one issue with propane is it will add a lot of moisture to a tent. So if its really damp out you might run into issues with drying stuff out. With that I'll use propane if I dont have access to wood.
Cots, test them out, to each there own!

 

[Cheater]

Wood burning stoves can be a bit of a pain to lug around, but I've yet to find anything that recharges me mentally like a nice hot fire in the wall tent. They are simply good for the soul.

 

[CUElk]

we used buddy heaters last year. They heated the tent really well. However, we went through a pile of propane and it got to be a pain and quite an expense for a 10 day hunt. I have talked to several hunters since then and I have been convinced to switch to a wood stove and use the buddy heater in the morning instead of getting the fire going again. If you can get there a day or two early, you can get all the firewood you need and the best thing, its FREE. You can also use the wood stove to heat up meals and water. there are some good stoves out there at decent prices.

 

[isu22andy]

we used buddy heaters last year. They heated the tent really well. However, we went through a pile of propane and it got to be a pain and quite an expense for a 10 day hunt. I have talked to several hunters since then and I have been convinced to switch to a wood stove and use the buddy heater in the morning instead of getting the fire going again. If you can get there a day or two early, you can get all the firewood you need and the best thing, its FREE. You can also use the wood stove to heat up meals and water. there are some good stoves out there at decent prices.

I was thinking the Kni co Alaskan . Would that be a good buy ?

 

[CUElk]

I am not the one to ask about wood stove quality. I am probably going with the camp chef alpine model, but not sure at this point.

 

[2rocky]

I was thinking the Kni co Alaskan . Would that be a good buy ?

I have the KniCo Packer, but borrowed an Alaskan the year prior. I should have gotten an Alaskan for my 12x12 Alaknak. I think 12x16 is about the biggest for it.
put in your tent size for recommended stove

I like the Kni co stoves. I think they are reputable and worth what they charge. The package deals are the way to go.

ETA: I'm packing in on horseback so size and weight are an issue. Might not be for a guy hunting from a truck camp.

 

[Bulldog0156]

I went with wood. Heats up quick and easy.

 

[Ben Lamb]

I went with the Camp Chef Alpine. It's a nice stove that weighs about 75 pounds all in.

Agree with the above that if you are camping next to the truck and not packing in, a heavier stove will serve you well. The heavy steel stoves hold more heat, and you can even add firebrick to them to hold it longer. Regardless of the stove you choose, make sure it either has a gasket around the door, or you add one. The Alpine I bought was blowing through wood something fierce because of too much draft from the door. The gasket kit was $10 & is making it much easier to control the heat.

 

[WyoDoug]

I like stoves that can use both. When I was in the service we had pot belly stoves that would run on diesel, propane, or wood. Look for one with different burner kits that you can remove and sue wood if you want. It all depends on your hunt plan. If you are going to base camp and have an upper level hunt camp, I would use wood. Base camp I would get something that runs on either diesel or propane.

 

[JLS]

ETA: I'm packing in on horseback so size and weight are an issue. Might not be for a guy hunting from a truck camp.

Riley Stoves in Townsend MT are awesome for horsepacking.

 

[WyoDoug]

I should add to my post, don't make my mistake. Don't go too cheap on camp stoves. The wrong one might emit hot embers up the smoke stack or the smoke stack might get red hot on some. Go with reputable ones made for hunting. Avoid Walmart grade ones. I say this for safety sake. I had a tent fire buying one too cheap because I was short on cash.

 

[JLS]

I should add to my post, don't make my mistake. Don't go too cheap on camp stoves. The wrong one might emit hot embers up the smoke stack or the smoke stack might get red hot on some. Go with reputable ones made for hunting. Avoid Walmart grade ones. I say this for safety sake. I had a tent fire buying one too cheap because I was short on cash.

I've had my stovepipe cherry red a number of times. A good quality stove jack will mitigate this. I have a spark arrestor, but have found it's easier to just run a longer stove pipe.

YMMV.

 

[WyoDoug]

The stove I had didn't have a proper spark arrester and I was using pine. The damper would not open or close properly and was red hot so you could not touch it without using a pair of pliers. What I get for buying a cheap one. Plus the stove pipe was way too short. And so much draft the wood burned way too fast.

 

[rtraverdavis]

Like others have said, the Buddy heater is great for a morning warm up, but in the evenings a wood stove crackling while you’re going to sleep is magic. Wood stoves put out way better heat too.

 

[JLS]

Like others have said, the Buddy heater is great for a morning warm up, but in the evenings a wood stove crackling while you’re going to sleep is magic. Wood stoves put out way better heat too.

I’m fond of getting it so hot I have to lay on top of my bag when I go to bed, then crawl in and zip it up sometime in the night when my lazy hunting partner fails to stoke the stove.

 

[COEngineer]

I’m fond of getting it so hot I have to lay on top of my bag when I go to bed, then crawl in and zip it up sometime in the night when my lazy hunting partner fails to stoke the stove.

I only have lazy hunting partners (ie ones with better sleeping bags than me)

 

[isu22andy]

You guys ever have problems finding fire wood in the plains ? Eastern MT and Wyoming ? Thats what Im more worried about than anything. Can I bring 2x4s or 4x4s cut up from our farm or is that a no no.

 

[WyoDoug]

You guys ever have problems finding fire wood in the plains ? Eastern MT and Wyoming ? Thats what Im more worried about than anything. Can I bring 2x4s or 4x4s cut up from our farm or is that a no no.

The rule for stoves is different. On open fires check the fire restrictions before you start one. I use 2x4s when I go hunting in Wyoming. The only rules I know of is the wood has to be clean, untreated wood.