To cold to camp?

E

E2E.Van

Member
VIP Member
Sorry if it's been asked..
But I have a question, is anyone camping overnight in day van without heating?

I have a work trip next week and haven't got my heat source sorted. (Which I think in future will be a electric blanket and a bluettiac180p power station as I only stay away 1 or 2 nights).

Van is carpeted, and I have a bed off the floor (Vanking)

Thanks, I'm a newbie fyi..
 
Is your van insulated?
Do you have an insulated cover for the cab windows (internal or external)?
Do you have thermal curtains or window blinds?
Do you have a woolly hat?
Do you have a winter-rated quilt or sleeping bag?

If you can answer "yes" to each of the above, then you should be warm enough... provided you're not nesh!!!
 
E2E.Van said:
Sorry if it's been asked..
But I have a question, is anyone camping overnight in day van without heating?

I have a work trip next week and haven't got my heat source sorted. (Which I think in future will be a electric blanket and a bluettiac180p power station as I only stay away 1 or 2 nights).

Van is carpeted, and I have a bed off the floor (Vanking)

Thanks, I'm a newbie fyi..
Click to expand...
Make sure that you have a good set of warm clothing, night geat and a even warmer sleeping bag and duvet thrown over the top if you do not have decent sleeping gear. Just warm up the van and then switch off and hunker down. On wake up run engine for a while and decide if it is going to be a good day and get up or just go back to sleep engine off. I would not normally have heating on over night, good gear and it is not needed. The windows may likely be steamed up but if they are insulated that aught not happen. Can always keep two opposing windows slightly ajar for ventilation in any case. Worst thing is waking up for a pee especially if one has had a pint, so have something ready to save going out. I used to camp in mountain tents all year around even in the coldest winter weather. I remember one year the tent being squashed by very heavy snow. Was woken by the strange dead silence. Water supply bottle was frozen solid inside the tent on many occasions. Go back to the 1950's and 60's and before central heating most people may have only had open coal fires and often or not may have gone out or down single pane window all frozen up on the inside. Most people would have had that every year. Just make sure that you can have hot drinks and food and do not drink to much OH. ;)
 
Last edited:
Kind of Blue said:
Make sure that you have a good set of warm clothing, night geat and a even warmer sleeping bag and duvet thrown over the top if you do not have decent sleeping gear. Just warm up the van and then switch off and hunker down. On wake up run engine for a while and decide if it is going to be a good day and get up or just go back to sleep engine off. I would not normally have heating on over night, good gear and it is not needed. The windows may likely be steamed up but if they are insulated that aught not happen. Can always keep two opposing windows slightly ajar for ventilation in any case. Worst thing is waking up for a pee especially if one has had a pint, so have something ready to save going out. I used to camp in mountain tents all year around even in the coldest winter weather. I remember one year the tent being squashed by very heavy snow. Was woken by the strange dead silence. Water supply bottle was frozen solid inside the tent on many occasions. Go back to the 1950's and 60's and before central heating most people may have only had open coal fires and often or not may have gone out or down single pain window all frozen up on the inside. Most people would have had that every year. Just make sure that you can have hot drinks and food and do not drink to much OH. ;)
Click to expand...
Yeh, I remember when I was a kid and waking up in my attic bedroom to frost/ice on the inside of the window. Back in the day, it wasn't uncommon.
 
Bav said:
Yeh, I remember when I was a kid and waking up in my attic bedroom to frost/ice on the inside of the window. Back in the day, it wasn't uncommon.
Click to expand...
I do not know what proportion% wise but loads of people had outside toilets down the yard. I know my grand parents used "chamberpots" to save on an unnecessary trip. Central heating made a huge difference. I use coal here, well anthracite ovals Home Fire is the band and fortunately i replaced the open fires with Multi fuel stoves. I have 20KW main which i can not use at the moment the chimney is blocked and 8 +KW which I modified from wood to multi-fuel so it will run much hotter and sty in longer. I miss the big one because it would stay in a very long time in fact it has been still warm after a weekend away. House needs insulating and windows single pane so I have gone back to almost an old existence. The chimney is not the only thing that needs attention mind. If we went away for any length then the house cools right down and takes an age to get back up to temp. I do actually enjoy the process of keeping the fire going its a bit of an art especially for the smaller stove which also is an oven. Which is just as well we chose it because in those storms we had no electricity for a week and no phone or internet for I think 11 or more days. All cooking done on the or in the small multi and it also burned all wastes, that is human because we have our own water supply pumped from below so no toilet no water no nothing. Used largish pillar candles for light loads of them and quite a few oil lamps . We always have them for electricity down time and any way it s very pleasant in any case. Played cards. The oil lamps are brilliant last quite a while give good light. We had to buy some batteries for an old transistor radio. Just to keep abreast of events. For a while cant quite remember how long Our feebly week mobile signal disappeared also because no electricity at many of the telephone exchanges or relays.

It takes a little while but then its enjoyable lighting up doing the fire listening to the radio, talking, conversation!! Quite cosy! No frost on the windows. Karcher window vacs are good at removing condensation from windies. :waving:
 
Kind of Blue said:
I do not know what proportion% wise but loads of people had outside toilets down the yard. I know my grand parents used "chamberpots" to save on an unnecessary trip. Central heating made a huge difference. I use coal here, well anthracite ovals Home Fire is the band and fortunately i replaced the open fires with Multi fuel stoves. I have 20KW main which i can not use at the moment the chimney is blocked and 8 +KW which I modified from wood to multi-fuel so it will run much hotter and sty in longer. I miss the big one because it would stay in a very long time in fact it has been still warm after a weekend away. House needs insulating and windows single pane so I have gone back to almost an old existence. The chimney is not the only thing that needs attention mind. If we went away for any length then the house cools right down and takes an age to get back up to temp. I do actually enjoy the process of keeping the fire going its a bit of an art especially for the smaller stove which also is an oven. Which is just as well we chose it because in those storms we had no electricity for a week and no phone or internet for I think 11 or more days. All cooking done on the or in the small multi and it also burned all wastes, that is human because we have our own water supply pumped from below so no toilet no water no nothing. Used largish pillar candles for light loads of them and quite a few oil lamps . We always have them for electricity down time and any way it s very pleasant in any case. Played cards. The oil lamps are brilliant last quite a while give good light. We had to buy some batteries for an old transistor radio. Just to keep abreast of events. For a while cant quite remember how long Our feebly week mobile signal disappeared also because no electricity at many of the telephone exchanges or relays.

It takes a little while but then its enjoyable lighting up doing the fire listening to the radio, talking, conversation!! Quite cosy! No frost on the windows. Karcher window vacs are good at removing condensation from windies. :waving:
Click to expand...
There's no gas main where we are, so we have oil-fired CH, but we also have a couple of multi-fuel stoves for the lounge and the dining room. You can't beat a real fire and I won't be giving them up for anyone or for any ideology.
 
I use at the moment about 25Kg of Home Fire per day give or take, depending on weather. Having new windows soonish??? double glassed wow. Then some insulation boy has that gone up. No chance of gas here though we do have a 1930's gas oven and rings runs off a bottle but have not used it in almost 30 years. We now have tons of wood from ash die back and loads of blown downs. I worry about coal being banned or importation costs rocketing. I could possibly run it for a 100years and not match CO2 of a single jumbo jet trip to Australia.
 
E2E.Van said:
Sorry if it's been asked..
But I have a question, is anyone camping overnight in day van without heating?

I have a work trip next week and haven't got my heat source sorted. (Which I think in future will be a electric blanket and a bluettiac180p power station as I only stay away 1 or 2 nights).

Van is carpeted, and I have a bed off the floor (Vanking)

Thanks, I'm a newbie fyi..
Click to expand...
we tried it and froze over night, after a day or so, everything in the van got damp. - so not good.

+++

next time we had EHU and run a small oil less rad which was awesome and we had a great time. - https://amzn.to/3XpPeqi


se have two now - dont ask.

1741079560580.png

++=



time after that we tried the small heater with an ECOFLOW delta2,

that was ok for about 4 hrs, but ultimatly the heater killed that battery within hours,

and it took too long to recharge the following day ( from the 12v van running)

so a mains heater from 12v or battery pack was a no-go.


+++


next we got a derv heater fitted - job done love it.


+++


FYI weve never tried the electric blanket thing - im just not keen on them and dont like the idea of 240v electric in the bed with me - :grin bounce:


...






















.
 
Great thanks..
I like the look of the Dimplex Oil less. Have you run it off your ecoflow delta2?
By the looks of the size it will fit under the bed for storage too
 
E2E.Van said:
Great thanks..
I like the look of the Dimplex Oil less. Have you run it off your ecoflow delta2?
By the looks of the size it will fit under the bed for storage too
Click to expand...
it fits perfect sitting between the front seats when they are swivelled round. - and packs away nice as its small.

plus its low wattage 600w odd - so much better that the 1-2kw fan style blower heaters. . . and safer IMHO.

plug plug in - set thermostat. job done



yes, had it running on a EF Delta2 and the MAX - using the thermostat you can extend the run time.

plus no chance of any oil leaking and ruining your van.

very good heaters, so we now have two lol . . . mainly for a tent heater.

TBF i could prob sell one on,

no we have the van heater - i only need one.
 
Dellmassive said:
we tried it and froze over night, after a day or so, everything in the van got damp. - so not good.

+++

next time we had EHU and run a small oil less rad which was awesome and we had a great time. - https://amzn.to/3XpPeqi


se have two now - dont ask.

View attachment 277364

++=



time after that we tried the small heater with an ECOFLOW delta2,

that was ok for about 4 hrs, but ultimatly the heater killed that battery within hours,

and it took too long to recharge the following day ( from the 12v van running)

so a mains heater from 12v or battery pack was a no-go.


+++


next we got a derv heater fitted - job done love it.


+++


FYI weve never tried the electric blanket thing - im just not keen on them and dont like the idea of 240v electric in the bed with me - :grin bounce:


...






















.
Click to expand...
ill sell this un used one if anyone wants it . .


£50 collected.


.
 
If someone wanted to use a small electric heater i would suggest a small blower heater. Lidle and similar often have these. I have two small blowers one very small the other a bit larger for exceptionally cold weather to defrost the windows but not when camping as I tend not to use regular campsites or places with hookups. i just assumed the OP was going somewhere without facilities Ha :D
 
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