Ice Fishing Shack Heater?

[Tig]

I'm looking for a heater for my new ice shack. Something like a "MrHeater" Compact and portable. Can anyone recommend a portable heater? It will travel out to the shack each trip and then be brought home.
The shack is very well insulated and I figure 4-10,00 BTU will be plenty of heat.
Here are my thoughts on the various fuels and technologies;
Radiant propane. Quiet, clean. pain to lug the bottle and hoses around. Disposable bottles are kind of pricey.
Naphtha burners and lanterns. (Coleman) Self contained fuel supply. Lanterns give good light and heat but are a bit fragile during transport. Burners rugged, good heat, open flame is a nuisance in confined spaces.
Radiant Kerosene. Could be the best of both worlds? I have no experience with these heaters. I could not find one small enough in my searches.
Comments? Experience?
Thanks.

 

[Low Bucket]

I have this heater for my deer blind.

Mr. Heater - America's Most Popular Portable Heaters

Then I bought one of these to refill the 1lb tanks.- I bought mine at HF and it has saved a lot of money.

K-M Products ... home of the MacCoupler.

 

[NSBound]

They may not even exist aymore, but I remember when I was a kid and we went camping, my Dad used to have a Coleman Tent Heater. It ran on naptha, and had a round domed surface about 8" or 9" across which would flame up a bit when you lit it, but then no visible flame. You could cook an egg on it if you really wanted to, it was hot enough, and you had to be carful not to put your hand down on it, but it sure kept the tent trailer warm all night on one fill in the self-contained little fuel tank.

 

[MossRoad]

I just saw a gallon can of Coleman fuel at Meijers last night. It brought back fond memories of camping, flaming tents, fumes and spilled fuel... Ahhh, The Boy Scouts were great! Oh yeah, the gallon of Coleman fuel was $9.98!

I bought a portable ice fishing shelter last year. I got the Shappell DX3000 with ski kit. Nice hut!

First time I ever used a shelter. I was a die-hard sit-on-a-bucket in the wind kind of guy. Anyhow, I got inside the thing, fired up my Coleman two mantle propane lantern and was nice and toasty very quickly. It was very cold outside and I had to take off my jacket and gloves inside. Very nice. It got dark, everyone but me left the lake. I was happy. I noticed a thing sheet of ice had formed on the inside of the roof of the tent and on the walls, too. I figured it was from my breath condensing. I decided it was time to leave. I went to open the zipper. It was frozen shut. I could not get out of the tent. I opened the little windows and looked at all the lights from the houses on the shore. No one around but me. Good grief. Stuck in a tent on a lake in the dark. I ended up turning the lantern at an angle and rubbing the hot top of it on the zipper and after about 10 minutes got it opened enough to get out.

What I found later was that propane gives off a lot of water vapor as it burns. That is what was condensing on the walls and the metal zippers. I also found that you are supposed to wax your zippers to prevent this.

Anyhow, through further experimentation during daylight hours I have found that my breath alone is not enough to cause much condensation but the propane will do it very fast. If your ice fishing hut is sealed well, you will get a moisture problem in there. Also, heaters can burn up your oxygen, and give off fumes enough to kill you if you fall asleep in there, so vent it properly.

 

[Egon]

Oh whatever happened to the Hardy Old time Ice Fishermen??

Felt boots, woolen Stanfield's, overalls and a nice heavy parka with wool mitts in a leather MIT and a fur cap.

Weld up a wood burning stove and haul firewood out!

 

[MossRoad]

Oh whatever happened to the Hardy Old time Ice Fishermen??

...

I'm not sure. I think it started when I took a thermos with a warm drink in it with me two years ago. That made me a wuss! Now I gotta pull a 65lb sled with half a kitchen, chairs and other junk with me.

I'll tell you why I really got the tent.... so other clowns can't see what I'm catching. It never fails that I go out on a lake, way out all by myself, and within 20 minutes my solitude is broken by some guy setting up camp 20' away from me. At least I can hide now.

 

[Egon]

Moss,you gotta get a ratcheting device that will move underneath the ice surface. Circle the guy and catch his hook!

Or attached a waterproof speaker and pull that under him. Lots of different sounds but cracking ice may be good for a laugh.

 

[Tig]

Low Bucket, that "Mr Heater" is the best I've found. IMO It was the refillable bottles that turned me off. Now that MacCoupler is something I considered making but had not seen commercially. Probably not safety approved. I'll have to see if I can buy one somewhere.
NSBound, that is what I was looking for and you seem to be right, they are not available anymore.
Moss, Egon. I've paid my dues sitting on the ice in all kinds of weather. Enjoyed every minute. Now that I live at the lake I can look after a shack and enjoy the comforts. It takes regular monitoring and upkeep to avoid freeze ins etc. I have six windows three of which slide open for ventilation. Based on my lantern test this afternoon I'll need them open to let heat out.
Egon my first and last welded up, wood buring, hut stove has been at the bottom of the bay for almost 30 years. Good place for it.
Among my creature comforts planned are solar lighting and internet. I have a couple of high powered transmitters and yagi antennas. I'll direct a peer to peer connection from my house to the shack. Initial tests are good. I might have to do some tuning of the handshake to make it work but the signal looks stong enough to carry a connection a couple miles. Why would I do this you ask? because I work from home and my shift finishes at 5. If I want to fish I have to be ready to drop a line at 5. I can take a 15 minute break at 3:30 and settle in at the shack. If things are quiet I can set up for the evening fish. Since I usually start an hour early each day I have no trouble getting 8 hours of productivity in. Technology is wonderful.

 

[IH3444]

NS, Coleman Dome Gas Heater:

 

[kyspartan]

i would use a petromax or a coleman kerosene latern they give off alot heat and are cleaner running than a white gas lantern. i would not run a white gas lantern in a small enclosed space. kerosene gives off carbon dioxcide while white gas, naptha, coleman fuel give off carbon monoixcide when burning

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