Mr Buddy heater

[mlslocks]

The Home Depot in Pottstown PA is clearancing all portable heaters. This my be all Home Depots I don't know. I paid $55 for my new Mr Buddy.

Lee

[67L48]

Lowe's has them for 50% off:  the Portable Buddy on clearance for $37.50 and the Tough Buddy (Big Buddy with a yellow paint job) for $68.50.

These are in-store only.  In Northern Colorado, I found the Portables all over the place, but had to call 9 stores to find a Tough Buddy in stock and it was the last one.

I have heard that the Home Depot has a similar deal, but my local HD doesn't have any.  So, this is a YMMV type of deal, based on what your local stores stock.

[zamboni]

In Northern Colorado, I found the Portables all over the place

A word of caution for Colorado'ers...  When I bought mine, my Denver brother was entheusiastic; they dry camp all the time and their popup's furnace would drain the battery too quick.

However, when he looked into the Mr. Heater Buddy, he found that the oxygen sensor was only rated up to a certain altitude, and above that, the heater wouldn't work at all (thinking it was out of O2).  Forgot the limit... I think it was maybe up to around 6-8,000 feet, but they camp higher.

[67L48]

That is correct.  They are rated to 7,000 feet.  Supposedly, the O2 sensor goes fruit above this point.  It's supposed to monitor the burning efficiency of the propane.  If O2 goes below a certain level, the heater assumes that's because the propane isn't burning completely and is therefore producing CO.  Somewhere above 7,000 feet, the atmosphere apparently becomes thin enough that the O2 sensor gets tripped continually, due to the lower % of O2 in the atmosphere. Thus, the heater supposedly won't work.

In Fort Collins, we are at 5,000 feet.  I'm doing most of my camping locally at KOA camp grounds -- great for my 4 and 6 year old kids.  However, we did camp a few times in the rockies at around 11,000 feet.

I just bought my heater, though, so I'm not sure how it works at higher elevations.  Works at 5,000 feet, though.

Good luck.

[gravy]

We bought our Big Heat about 15 yrs ago for abt $20.00 and it is still going strong.Now they run abt $50.00. I guess I was just ahead of my time.

[67L48]

Just an update on the elevation.  Just got back from the Colorado State Forest State Park, which is in the 10,000 foot elevation range.  Both the Portable and Big/Tough Buddy heaters I used performed flawlessly.  Neither of them every cut out.

[kwatson51]

Just an update on the elevation.  Just got back from the Colorado State Forest State Park, which is in the 10,000 foot elevation range.  Both the Portable and Big/Tough Buddy heaters I used performed flawlessly.  Neither of them every cut out.

Where can one obtain these?
Did it take both to heat your pup?

[67L48]

Where can one obtain these?
Did it take both to heat your pup?

Mr. Heater makes two version of this heater (along with a bunch of other heater products):  Portable Buddy and Big Buddy.  Lowe's has a variant of the Big Buddy called the Tough Buddy.  It's for marketing only and the only difference is paint color.  Portable takes one 1lb. propane tank and has two settings:  4,000 and 9,000 BTU.  The Big/Tough Buddy takes two 1lb. propane tanks, has a blower fan, and has 3 settings:  4,000, 9,000, and 18,000 BTU.

There are certain stores (see Cabelas) that stock these heaters year round.  Typically, the Portable retails for around $80 and the Big Buddy for $130.

Stores like Lowe's and The Home Depot have seasonal products.  In the summer, they stock AC units.  In the winter, they stock heaters.  At the end of the seasons, they clear out the unsold units (better to slash and burn than to carry inventory).  So, in late winter (Feb/Mar) the good deals pop up on heaters. Getting a Portable for under $40 is an absolute steal.  Getting a Big Buddy for less than $70 is not too shabby either.

Was at Lowe's last night and there were no heaters of any shape or size available for purchase.

The second part of your question is easy: I don't have a PUP.  I'm about a year away from that purchase.  I sleep on the ground right now in a 10x12' tent. The heaters work great.  I keep them both on low setting: I point the Tough Buddy at my two boys' heads and I point the Portable at my head.  I was at 11,000 feet and the temp dipped to the low 30s/high 20s.  I only kept the portable buddy on for about half the night.

I've read where others keep warm in their PUPs with only the Portable running.  They put out a lot of heat.

[kwatson51]

Thanks for the info!
I'll look into this for my daughter & son-in-law. The're tenters for now.
For us, we'll continue to use the built-in furnace in the pup.