Plan on doing a late October brook trout trip this fall, Thinking about bring a buddy-type heater. What issues and gear should I think about with condensation?

Honestly Daryll I would just bring a few extra nalgene bottles and fill them with boiling water before you hit the rack. Not worth worring about carbon monoxide or fires. With a decent bag you will be fine.

brantlars: "... I would just bring a few extra nalgene bottles and fill them with boiling water before you hit the rack..."

Winter camping experience tells you that if you need hot water bottles in your sleeping bag, your sleeping bag is under-rated.

Get the right bag, skip the stove, and go fishing.

i've done that ,,, pull the rock away from the fire an hour before bed time , wrap it nighty night , i'm talking more about the condensation on the sleeping bags if i choose to run heat in a tent , this maybe my last late fall BW trip and want to do more than a few days and be some what comfortable .
my son who has turned the corner(26 years old) ,, if you asked him he'll say i have many more by no choice , which is a great thing to hear :) :) :)
although i have caught many brookies and only 1 close to it's fall colors , me and my son Dan want to write it off the wish list the same year !!!

I used a Buddy Heater in a 4 person REI Basecamp tent last winter for two evenings to get a break from the cold. It was in the mid to upper 30’s for temperatures and very windy and rainy. I used it in the evening only and did not sleep with it on. I didn’t get any condensation.
On the low setting it used a 1 pound propane container in 3.5 hours. The tent was about 55 degrees inside but instantly lost all the heat as soon as I shut it off. It was an unusually cold winter in the desert Southwest and out of the 60 nights camping there I’m really glad I had the Buddy to use on those two evenings!

Have you considered renting a canvas tent and stove? A little added cost but you don't have to lug in a bunch of propane. A lot less condensation to worry about too. There's also something very satisfying about hot tent camping when its relatively warm out.

Otherwise as long as you've got a sleeping bag that can handle a little moisture and keep all your other gear covered (in case of condensation), I'd say roll with it.

Like Zulu, have used a small Portable Buddy Heater with the same results in 4 and 6 person nylon and a 10x8 canvas wall tent. The 10x8 stretched the capacity but took the edge off raising the interior 20-25 degrees. You will dedicate enough room for it that could sleep another person, and provide ventilation when it's on. I worried about tent floors so always used a sheet of wood or such to set it on.

A heat source actually dries out the tent, and less condensation builds up.

butthead

PS: Had to come back and add that the Buddy has an Oxygen Depletion Sensor built in. bh

butthead: "Like Zulu, have used a small Portable Buddy Heater with the same results in 4 and 6 person nylon and a 10x8 canvas wall tent. The 10x8 stretched the capacity but took the edge off raising the interior 20-25 degrees. You will dedicate enough room for it that could sleep another person, and provide ventilation when it's on. I worried about tent floors so always used a sheet of wood or such to set it on.
A heat source actually dries out the tent, and less condensation builds up.
butthead
PS: Had to come back and add that the Buddy has an Oxygen Depletion Sensor built in. bh"

I have had one of those Buddy heaters for quite some time. Bought it originally for the duck blind, but have taken it on fall and winter car camping trips also. We used it just as Zulu and Butthead. We "Preheat" the tent and will turn it on in the morning. I would never sleep with it on due to my worries about CO (carbon monoxide), although, the tent should be vented enough.

We have a little plastic camp table we put ours on to keep it off the tent floor. and I would want at least a 4 person tent to have enough room for it. Our Little Buddy is pushing 20 years old and we've used it a ton. You will use it a lot more than just on your camping trip.

I've slept with a Buddy heater in small (3 person) tents and many, many nights in my wheelhouse, works great. There is a low-oxygen sensor built-in that is designed to shutdown the heater in case bad gases build up. Never been worried as the tent and wheelhouse both have plenty of ventilation.

bri: "I've slept with a Buddy heater in small (3 person) tents and many, many nights in my wheelhouse, works great. There is a low-oxygen sensor built-in that is designed to shutdown the heater in case bad gases build up. Never been worried as the tent and wheelhouse both have plenty of ventilation."

I'm certain it would be well ventilated enough, it's just that my "Inner nurse" worries about CO as I've seen people die from it. As for the "4 person tent" reference, it just puts more space between heat source and nylon fabric, which I still stand by as a good idea. But to each his or her own.

thanks for the input everybody, much appreciated
and yes probably more at bedtime and morning to take the chill out of the air in the tent.

why not be on the safe side and bring a CO detector along.???

dr bob

We use a buddy heater in a canvas tent when elk hunting but the heater is just on in the evening and morning. What's more important is to have a good quality sleeping bag / pad to keep you warm at night.

shock: "Plan on doing a late October brook trout trip this fall, Thinking about bring a buddy-type heater. What issues and gear should I think about with condensation? "

I will be Brookie hunting that time of year myself as usual I hope you have great luck and take lots of pictures. !

I second the idea of renting a hot tent. Or, you could buy a Luxe Tipi/Hex tent and stove for a decent price.

I’ve camped in the BW for deer season in early November and had to break ice everyday. Granted we had four guys, but a tent with a wood stove was nice. Wood heat dries out clothing and gear too.

Luxe has some cool products at good prices. Very interesting.

You're an ice fisherman, I believe...do you have one of those hub-style fishhouses? They work great for winter camping. Of course, they can be heavy, but depending on your plans, adding one trip across the portage for one might be worth it. Just a thought.