As we enter the fall season when nights get a little crisp many forgo camping at gatherings with out electricity. Many state campgrounds are affordable but don’t offer power. I have discovered a trick that works very well. Besides what many already know that a good sleeping bag or wool blanket makes all the difference in the world. But sometime climbing in to a cold teardrop is no fun. So here is the trick. Purchase a heating pad that does not have an automatic shutoff feature. Plug it in to your power stations AC outlet. It will only consume 50 watts of power and place the pad under your sleeping bag or bottom sheet if you prefer traditional bedding. The warmth that this produces is amazing. Many power stations in the mid range size (1024 watt hours) will have no problem keeping you toasty warm in the cooler nights. My set up is a Sunbeam heating pad , a Bluetti elite 100 V2 and 200 watt solar panel. I can’t tell you what a difference this made!
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Great idea! We have yet to boondock, but have been eyeing up Harvest Host options, so this will be good to know in the future.
Thanks for the share! -
I'd be interested in cooler weather camping (the wife not so much). I don't plan on being at a non power site, but a small heating pad does sound like a nice minimalist addition though. Much bang for your wattage buck since you are directly heating yourself instead of the whole camper interior.
We've got a 120v heated blanket that we realy haven't used yet. Wonder how much that thing draws by comparison.. maybe I could check the tag/stickers if I didn't already remove them. I know there are 12v heated blankets too. I put one in the wife's trunk for emergency use (IE stuck in the snow). I bet that is a hefty load for 12v though. Not that I'm trying to say these are a better idea or anything.Comment
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I put Hot Hands in my bed. They are a little expensive though.Comment
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We discovered a little heater called mr heat. We run it through a thermostat to prevent it from running all night. It barely taps into our jackery stored power. The thermostat will turn it in and off to maintain the selected temp. We got this idea from another teardrop vlogger we follow.Comment
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I always thought these were a nice option since it hangs directly off the outlet and has a built in thermostat. Only 400watt compared to a standard home space heater that usually pulls 750/1500watt on low/high. It even rotates on the outlet if your outlet is at a non standard orientation. Which I figure might be common to have sideways orientation on tears.
it looks like the non-deluxe version without remote is 350watt:
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I've been using the heating pad trick for a couple years Scott. Not having the auto shut off is key. It really does make a big difference, especially if you have a memory foam mattress (they get pretty hard when it's cold).
If you don't have a power source another great option is a good quality large hot water bottle with a good screw in plug. It's wonderful for warming up the bed. I learned that trick from my Aunt in Ireland. She used to tuck one into my bed when I stayed with her when I was young. It was so cozy!
Here's a link to the one that I have used many times in the camper on chilly nights.
I also have one of the small 400w space heaters that were mentioned above. I just got it last year for the big camper. It's nice for warming up the sleeping area. It does a good job of taking the chill off without drawing too much power.All the best,
Theresa
GNW & New England Chapter DirectorComment
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