Sweeney
Administrator
I am not the biggest fan of winter camping, but I have braved the cold on a few occasions. The biggest challenge is that firewood has become expensive due to restrictive campground wood policies, and managing the fire can be demanding, though I do enjoy it to some extent. There are times, however, when I just want a simple solution, and it's tempting to rely on propane flames and heaters.
Keeping a side-room tent or ice-fishing hut warm is nearly as good as being outside, and these setups are ideal for heaters like Mr. Heater. The downside is that they rely on 1-pound propane cylinders. While you can get adapters to run them off 20-pound tanks (or any propane tank size, including the 10-pound tanks we have), this adds complexity since you'll have to carry additional propane tanks along with the heater. Until now, I've been buying 1-pound cylinders, but on high settings, I can go through two cylinders in just a couple of hours, which can get expensive. $12 for 2 pounds which is nearly what it costs for me to refill a 20 pounder.
Last week, I attended an RV trade show where Mr Heater and Flame King were set up, and they both sell a similar prodduct --- refillable 1 pound cylenders. Theoretically, can can refill the green ones -- but there are problems with that, and for safety concerns I've made the decision that it isn't worth the risk....
looking at Flame King and the Fuel Keg, I chose the fuel keg, bougt the kit with 1 bottle and added 3 more empties to the cart --- for around $110 bucks. This should pay for itelf reasonably quickly. The link to the master-kit is below --- its is NOT an affiliate link, I make nothing off of this.
The instructions are clear, and the system worked very well -- filling a cylender takes aboute 60-90 seconds, and is tool less. The FLame King has been around longer, but requires a allen key to open the fill valve -- the Mr Heater Fuel Keg is 100% tool free...it just has a twist valve on the canister which opens easily.
Things I immediately noticed:
1. The tanks themselves are heavier, their walls are much thicker than those of the green cans.
2. The refilling process is simple and fast. Following the instructions takes only a few moments to set up. The stand occupies significantly less space than the Flame King stand, although the Flame King stand is taller. The Fuel Keg system requires the cylinder to be suspended from the edge of a table, but this is not a major issue.
3. While filling the canister, a valve remains open, allowing some propane gas to vent into the air. Although it isn't a large quantity, it does produce a noticeable odor. I can imagine that if this were done in an open campground, it might raise concerns among people nearby.
4. KEEP IT AWAY FROM FLAMES WHILE FILLING. Safety, safety, safety. This is probably my only real concern.
But I was impressed with how fast, affordable, and convenient it all is. If you don't want to pay $6 for 1 lb of propane -- this system is well worth the money.
Keeping a side-room tent or ice-fishing hut warm is nearly as good as being outside, and these setups are ideal for heaters like Mr. Heater. The downside is that they rely on 1-pound propane cylinders. While you can get adapters to run them off 20-pound tanks (or any propane tank size, including the 10-pound tanks we have), this adds complexity since you'll have to carry additional propane tanks along with the heater. Until now, I've been buying 1-pound cylinders, but on high settings, I can go through two cylinders in just a couple of hours, which can get expensive. $12 for 2 pounds which is nearly what it costs for me to refill a 20 pounder.
Last week, I attended an RV trade show where Mr Heater and Flame King were set up, and they both sell a similar prodduct --- refillable 1 pound cylenders. Theoretically, can can refill the green ones -- but there are problems with that, and for safety concerns I've made the decision that it isn't worth the risk....
looking at Flame King and the Fuel Keg, I chose the fuel keg, bougt the kit with 1 bottle and added 3 more empties to the cart --- for around $110 bucks. This should pay for itelf reasonably quickly. The link to the master-kit is below --- its is NOT an affiliate link, I make nothing off of this.
The instructions are clear, and the system worked very well -- filling a cylender takes aboute 60-90 seconds, and is tool less. The FLame King has been around longer, but requires a allen key to open the fill valve -- the Mr Heater Fuel Keg is 100% tool free...it just has a twist valve on the canister which opens easily.
Things I immediately noticed:
1. The tanks themselves are heavier, their walls are much thicker than those of the green cans.
2. The refilling process is simple and fast. Following the instructions takes only a few moments to set up. The stand occupies significantly less space than the Flame King stand, although the Flame King stand is taller. The Fuel Keg system requires the cylinder to be suspended from the edge of a table, but this is not a major issue.
3. While filling the canister, a valve remains open, allowing some propane gas to vent into the air. Although it isn't a large quantity, it does produce a noticeable odor. I can imagine that if this were done in an open campground, it might raise concerns among people nearby.
4. KEEP IT AWAY FROM FLAMES WHILE FILLING. Safety, safety, safety. This is probably my only real concern.
But I was impressed with how fast, affordable, and convenient it all is. If you don't want to pay $6 for 1 lb of propane -- this system is well worth the money.
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