tent/shelter heater idea

[wizardbiz]

i had this idea for a tent/shelter heater (not sure if its my idea or ive reinvented an old idea) you need a metal can with a lid ( like those commercial coffee tins with a push on lid) pierce several small vent holes in it and fit a wire loop handle so as to hang it up. fill it with smooth round pebbles pop the lid on and hang over an open fire for an hour. take it in your tent and hang it from a tripod well off your ground sheet and you have a smoke/fume free tent heater. make sur you use pebbles that are dry with no cracks or fault lines on them coz they will explode as the moisture in the heats up. if anyone has tried this method of tent heating, how did it work for you??

[Ben Casey]

I have not heard of it but it sounds cool :)

[Martin]

That does sound like a good idea. I'm not fond of the idea of naked flames or fuel being burned inside a tent so this may well work. The only thing I would say is that I doubt you could store enough energy in the stones to heat the air inside a tent for very long but I may be totally wrong here.

Martin

[Silverback]

night storage heaters (all the rage once on economy 7) work on a similar theory so i cant see why it wouldnt work.

[Humakt]

That sounds like a good idea, but I bet it's a right pain.
I imagine that a tripod with a scolding hot piece of metal hanging off it will take up a reasonable amount of space in a tent, and even more if you're trying to move around so you don't burn yourself or knock it over.
The whole structure sounds like a 'theory' more than a 'practical' solution.

[wizardbiz]

i havent tried it yet but would expect it to work better with 1 very large stone wich takes up most of the room in the can, the larger stone holding heat for longer. alternativley a full can of small pebbles wich compleatly fill the can up. i used to night fish on chesil beach and usualy had a fire to warm my hands on cold winter nights. (this was how i discovered that pebbles can explode) i noticed the pebbles around the fire were always still hot long after the fire had gone out.

[Martin]

night storage heaters (all the rage once on economy 7) work on a similar theory so i cant see why it wouldnt work.

Very true. T^

Martin

[Dan XF]

I seem to remember Michael Palin in Bhutan being kept warm at night by the rocks they had used around the fire being used as a sort of hot water bottle. Didn't someone on here talk about using a Trangia burner to heat a rock which was then used to heat a shed? One good thing about using lots of pebbles in one big tin is that if one of them explodes the dissipating energy should be absorbed by the pebbles around it and the structure of the large tin. What about one of those big Land Rover jerry cans? Built out of thick steel and able to handle pressure. They'd be up for the job. I might have to look into that for my summer house (I keep my weights and bench out there).

[Martin]

night storage heaters (all the rage once on economy 7) work on a similar theory so i cant see why it wouldnt work.

Having given this some further thought; night storage heaters were huge and weighed an absolute ton to heat even a modest sized room. Not sure it would practical in a tent.

Martin

[Fletching]

...if one of them explodes the dissipating energy should be absorbed by the pebbles around it and the structure of the large tin...

That'd certainly wake you up and probably fill your sleeping bag with your supper. ;)

[jus_young]

That'd certainly wake you up and probably fill your sleeping bag with your supper. ;)

:D

[cuppa joe]

Just fill two aluminium bottles with hot water and hold one against your stomach(but not bare skin ) and put one at your feet (socks on)....toasty....