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[Spawn Sack]

Anyone use these things? For years I have used an electric space heater (750w low or 1500w high) and 2000 genny/inverter. Keeps my 8 foot x 8 foot ARB awning tent nice and toasty down to freezing temps or so. I don't run the system over night. 750w does not heat the tent enough to bother with and on 1500w the genny idles up too high to sleep. I'd like to have a quieter system that I can run on low over night. Would be nice to sleep with a blanket on my cot, not zipped right up to the eyeballs in a down mummy bag. I mean, ya I'm warm, but not that comfortable in that sausage casing.

My buddy has a roof top tent and diesel heater. He loves it/swears by it. However, if you probe further he'll admit that he had to buy 2 of the same cheap Chinese model, and sort of piece them together, as NEITHER of them worked properly out of the box. After swapping parts back and forth he returned one. I can't be bothered to fart around this much. I want a quality product that will last a while with low likelihood of failing. I don't really care how much it costs.

Can anyone recommend a quality brand/model for my usage? More info: like I said it's an ARB wall tent that integrates into my 8x8 awning. Tent is about 6.5 feet tall, so around 64 square feet and 400 cubic feet. The coldest I'd camp would be -5C or so. More than likely closer to freezing overnight. I'd like to be able to keep the tent say 15 degrees overnight. If I need to warm up or dry gear I'd like the thing to have enough jam to get the tent nice and toasty. I'm aware that I'll have to connect most models to a 12V battery. Also, I want a solf tube to go through the tent zipper, no metal chimney pipes.

The one complaint buddy has about his is it's TOO hot. He says even on low overnight he is usually roasting. So ya I want to make sure I don't get a model with way too many BTUs. I want to be warm, but not roasting and laying on top of the blankets. That's no fun either.

[Spawn Sack]

Had some time to blow today, did a bunch of research on these heaters.

Model I'm thinking of buying is the Planar 2D 12V. They are pricey ($2000ish) but made in Canada. Espar makes a lot of good looking stuff too, but they do not appear to have a "suitcase" style model, which is more what I'm after. Deakin was another brand mentioned a lot; however, they are the type that goes inside your tent, with metal piping venting outside your tent. I am looking for the type where the heater stays outside the tent, with a heatproof soft pipe that feeds inside the tent.

Lots of Chinese models sold on Amazon and similar sites. These can be picked up for cheap, like $200ish. After reading many reviews it seems like one may luck out and get a "good one" or a complete POS. Personally, I'd rather not risk buying one made in China.

The Planar models are certainly pricey but I'm willing to pay for quality. They have a retail store in Surrey which I plan to check out in the new year.