Heaters for Cold Weather

There are two choices for heating the Cumberland in cold weather.

Camping with electricity:

If you have access to a 110V 30 amp RV hookup, you can use a portable heater up to 1500 watts plugged into one of the 110V 15 amp wall outlets in the Cumberland. 1500 Watts is equivalent to 5200 BTUs. The advantages to an electric heater are that ventilation is not an issue and you are not using your limited supply of propane. We recently used a 1500 Watt heater with the outside temperatures in the low to mid 30s. The heater kept the camper 20+ degrees warmer than outside with all the windows zipped closed.

Camping without electricity:

Since the Cumberland is meant also to be used in locations without developed sites, you will likely use propane for heating.

In the few times that we have camped in the cold, we have used a catalytic propane heater - the Camco Olympian Wave 3 heater. It is very efficient (99.9% efficient according to Camco) and does not produce obnoxious fumes. It is Camco's smallest catalytic (no flame) propane heater with a maximum output of 3000 BTUs. With temperatures in the mid 20s, it will keep the Cumberland warm enough for comfortable sleeping in a good sleeping bag and sufficiently comfortable for sitting inside wearing warm clothes - but with mid 20s outside, it is chili getting up. It is recommended for inside use with "sufficient ventilation", but our test with a carbon monoxide detector shows that we can run it all night long with all the windows zipped shut without tripping the detector or noticing the usual fumes associated with other types of propane heaters. We did that on three nights of boondocking recently. On our previous use of the Wave 3 we did not have a CO detector, so we erred on the side of more ventilation than is necessary and had the windows zipped partially open - which, of course, wasted fuel and heat.

We recommend monitoring for carbon monoxide when using propane heating and cooking devices inside the tent.

The Olympian Wave 6 heater with an output of 6000 BTUs would hold higher temperatures but use twice the propane.

A pound of propane will provide very close to 20,000 BTUs of heat. With a full 20 pound tank of propane, a Wave 3 heater set to maximum heat of 3000 BTUs will operate for 140+ hours. A Wave 6 will operate for half of that (70+ hours) on high, but it can also be set to run at about 3000 BTUs on low when the higher setting is not needed.

The Cumberland's cover should be used in cold weather even if no rain is expected. It combines a rain repellant material with a radiant barrier (patented) that will hold in more heat than a typical tent and cover. Any heater will work better in the Cumberland with the cover than without.

An Olympian Wave heater can be connected directly to the Cumberland's propane quick connects with a propane hose with a 3/8" female flare fitting on one end and a 250 male quick connect plug on the other.

FYI, Tractor Supply is a good source of propane. They are not as handy as tank swapping at Walmart or a convenience store, but they are less expensive and you buy only what your tank needs to top it off - and you know the tank is full.

Using both electricity and propane:

Many 1500 Watt electric heaters are inexpensive and very compact. The one we use is about 6" in diameter and 10" high. We store it in one of the Cumberland's cabinets. Using a 1500 Watt electric heater and the 3000 BTU Olympian Wave 3 is a good combination when electricity is available. With both running, you will stay warm inside the Cumberland and may not need to use the propane heater at all. With outside temperatures around 35 F recently, we were comfortable using only the electric heater.

For safety we recommend

Monitoring for carbon monoxide when using a propane appliance inside the Cumberland. We recommend using a propane gas detector while heating with propane. However, there are no battery powered combustible gas detectors since they consume batteries quickly. One approach is to use a plug-in propane gas detector when electricity is available which will provide detection part of the time.

The Cumberland's propane line is robust and leak tested before delivery, but it is not warranted against a leak developing after delivery. Most of the propane line is on the exterior.

We recommend keeping the valve on the Cumberland's propane tank shut when propane is not being used.

We recommend using a catalytic propane heater. The carbon monoxide detector will tell you if you have sufficient ventilation. With a little experience, you will also know how to ventilate without ventilating too much which requires using more fuel than needed or being colder than needed. Our experience showed that we could run a 3000BTU catalytic propane heater all night with all windows zipped shut without setting off the carbon monoxide detector; nor did we detect any fumes that other propane heaters produce. The Olympian Wave catalytic propane heaters are advertised as 99.9% efficient by the manufacturer and are approved for inside use.