Camping is no less a tradition but that does not mean you need to compromise comfort completely and shake hands with the cold. All you need to beat the chill is portable car camping heaters.
Stay warm, cozy, and safe with the right choice of heaters from this comprehensive best car camping heaters list that covers every point for a guided purchase.
- Quick Overview of Best Car Camping Heaters
- 7 Best Camping Water Container
- Now, What’s A Car Heater?
- Safety Tips To Safely Use A Heater In A Closed Space:
- Buyer’s Guide – Best Car Camping Heaters
- 7 Best Car Camping Heaters: In-Depth Review
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Quick Comparison Of Best Car Camping Heaters
- Final Verdict
In A Hurry?? – Quick Overview of Best Car Camping Heaters
7 Best Car Camping Heaters
- Caframo Limited True North Space heater
- Zerostart Interior Car Warmer
- RoadPro 12V Direct Hook-Up Ceramic Heater
- Back Seat Heat Plus
- Lasko 100 MyHeat Personal Ceramic Heater
- AmazonBasics 500-Watt Ceramic Personal Mini Heater
- ROYADVE 12V Portable Car Heater
Quick Comparison Of Best Car Camping Heaters
| Product | Power | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Caframo Limited True North Space heater | 1500 Watt | 5.25 pounds | Check Price |
| 2. Zerostart Interior Car Warmer | 900 Watt | 3.04 pounds | Check Price |
| 3.RoadPro 12V Direct Hook-Up Ceramic Heater | 300 Watt | 0.01 ounces | Check Price |
| 4.Back Seat Heat Plus | 300 Watt | 6 lbs | Check Price |
| 5. Lasko 100 MyHeat Personal Ceramic Heater | 200 Watt | 1 pound | Check Price |
| 6. AmazonBasics 500-Watt Ceramic Personal Mini Heater | 500 Watt | 1.43 pound | Check Price |
| 7.ROYADVE 12V Portable Car Heater | 150 Watt | 16 ounces | Check Price |
Now, What’s A Car Heater?
Car heaters can either be ones that run independently when connected to the power source or ones that supplement the car’s main heater and improve the circulation of hot air. The power source for car heaters is either the car’s cigarette lighter or the car’s main battery.
Cigarette lighters in a car have the potential of 12 V and circuit breakers of cars fuse at 10-15 amps. So the maximum energy that the heaters can draw is 180 watts (V*amps=W). Know these specifications before buying and using a car heater to prevent a short circuit or even an electrical fire.
From the above lines of knowledge, one thing is certain that the power output of car heaters isn’t that much and is generally for personal/spot heating and won’t satisfy much if you expect it to warm an entire cabin. It also helps to know the initial power surge of your heater.
Electrical equipment runs at a constant V (potential) but when they are started/switched on, they might take up a little more V. Knowing this initial power surge would help to know whether or not you are under safe limits.
Some heaters require AC power but cars only produce DC voltage. For this, you might need a car power inverter.
Safety Tips To Safely Use A Heater In A Closed Space:
1. Be careful while using your heater when asleep.
2. Ventilation- to avoid moisture buildup.
Buyer’s Guide – Best Car Camping Heaters
Here’s everything you need you to know about car camping heaters before you decide to buy one:
Heater Type
Heaters could be either conventional fuel ones or modern electric ones. Since we are talking about car camping heaters, this buyer’s guide will be focused on electric heaters. The heaters specifically made for the car and car camping plugin directly to the main car battery.
Electric heaters have one of the three heating systems- convection, radiation, and fan-powered. Convection heaters are for whole room heating, radiation and fan-powered ones are for spot heating. Fan-powered heaters employ a heating element across which an internal fan blows air.
Heating Capacity
The heating capacity of combustion heaters is measured in BTU (British Thermal Units) but electric heaters are measured in wattage. It helps to know the wattage of the circuit breaker/fuse box.
To heat each square foot of your space, 10 watts of heat energy is required. So a 300-watt personal heater would cover 30 square feet of space. This obviously should not be used as a primary heating source and should be used to supplement the car’s main heater.
Size & Weight
All car camping heaters listed here aren’t that big in size to term unmanageable but it still helps to keep size and weight a factor when choosing a car camping heater because large heaters usually give out more heat and thus also consume too much energy. When you are camping, you might want to conserve every bit of energy, especially your car’s battery.
Durability
Even if you are camping for a day or two, consider investing in durable heaters especially those that employ ceramic interior, exterior, or both and a firm stand/handle. Cheap ones are tempting but might fail you on your much-awaited camping trip.
Safety Features
There are some safety features that we would recommend you look for before buying a heater in hopes to help you avoid a tragedy:
- Tip-over protection- when the temperature in your car would reach a certain limit, it would automatically stop and start only when the temperature drops again. This keeps the heat in check and doesn’t make you sweat through the night.
- Thermostat- it helps to know the temperature of the air that the heater is heating.
- Large bases– that prevents the heater from falling over.
Noise Level
Electric heaters can be pretty noisy. It might get even louder when dust accumulates on the inside or on the fan. Be sure to check the decibel level before buying, if the company enlists that.
7 Best Car Camping Heaters: In-Depth Review
1. Caframo Limited True North Space heater
Best Customer Rated Car Camping Heater
Key Features
- 1500 watts
- Built-in adjustable thermostat
- 5 settings
- Dual overheat protection
- 5-year Warranty
- The anti-freeze setting comes on at 38°F / 3°C
- rugged
- Weight- 5.25 pounds
- solid steel body construction
- approved to US and Canadian standards
- Compact size
- Good for heating a small space or a single room
- Easy to use
Technical Specifications
| Weight | 5.25 pounds |
| Power | 1500 watts |
Our Opinion
The Caframo Limited True North Space heater is a portable car camping heater that has a power of 1500 watts. We found the body rugged indeed given the solid steel body and minimalist design that could be stored when not in use without much damage.
The dual heat protection system protects the body of the heater from overheating by dissipating or absorbing heat. The fan forces the air outside that helps distribute the heat faster, further, and more evenly.
In our experience, the noise level of the heater was much lesser than many other forced-air heaters. The compact size and easy to use characteristics make it easily portable and highly user friendly. The system’s flexibility and adjustability factor help prevent unnecessary circuit breakers.
A longer warranty period is telling of the company’s trust and confidence in a product of their making and this is exactly what we see with the 5- year warranty card that comes with this product.
One undeniable flaw is the fair share of power it eats up. We got around that by turning off other high energy appliances when we were using this heater. Nonetheless, Caframo Limited True North Space heater is the best customer rated for a reason.
What We Like
- Built-in adjustable thermostat
- Rugged body
- 5-year warranty
- Portable
- Dual-heat protection
- Flexible enough to avoid unnecessary circuit breaker
What We Don’t Like
- Draws a fair bit of power
2. Zerostart Interior Car Warmer
Safest Car Camping Heater
Key Features
- Weight- 3.04 pounds
- Potential- 120V
- Power – 900 Watts
- Easy to install
- Mounting bracket included
- Automatic high-temperature safety sensor
- Extreme high-temperature permanent safety cut-off
- Compact size
Technical Specifications
| Potential | 120V |
| Weight | 3.04 pounds |
| Power | 900 Watts |
Our Opinion
The Zerostart Interior Car Warmer is a winter car camping heater that has a power of 900 Watts. We found the system easy to install given the mounting bracket that made it possible to be either placed on the dashboard or elsewhere.
The body was compact too which helped in portability. We also used it to defrost windows before starting to drive which increased visibility. The heater employs an automatic high-temperature safety sensor which makes the device automatically shut off when it reaches 158° F (70° C).
The device is designed to restart after a 15 minute cool down period. It also hosts a permanent high-temperature safety cut-off sensor that automatically shuts the device down permanently when the temperature reaches 286° F (141° C). The heater will no longer be in use after that. This made the heater extremely safe for our use.
Being a 900-watt power and warming the area well makes the heater energy efficient. One limitation we experienced was the lack of a thermostat but this can be overlooked to get your hands on the Zerostart Interior Car Warmer, the safest car camping heater.
What We Like
- Portable
- Extremely safe
- Easy to install
- Energy efficient
What We Don’t Like
- No thermostat
3. RoadPro 12V Direct Hook-Up Ceramic Heater
Most Customizable Car Camping Heater
Key Features
- Weight- 0.01 ounces
- Ceramic body
- Durable
- Switch from heat to cool settings
- Direct hook up to your vehicle battery
- Power- 300 watts
- Adjustable fan speed
- Removable swivel stand
- The red indicator light for heat
- Compact
- Extra-long cables included
- Easy to install
- Requires a 30 Amp In-Line Fuse (Not Included)
- Uses 12V DC
- 25 amp rating
Technical Specifications
| Potential | 12V DC |
| Weight | 0.01 ounces |
| Power | 300 Watts |
Our Opinion
The RoadPro 12V Direct Hook-Up Ceramic Heater is a 12V heater for a campervan that has a power of 300 watts. The ceramic build made the body durable while also being lightweight. The compact size and lightweight dress serve portability.
It could easily be switched from hot to cold setting with the flip of a switch. The adjustable fan speed, removable swivel stand, and extra-long cables made it customizable. The heater could be placed anywhere in the cabin given the long cables. The device was also found to be easy to install. It could be directly linked up to the vehicle’s main battery.
The fact that the heater uses 12V DC and has a power of 300 watts makes the heater not the best to warm up an entire room but is highly efficient for small spaces. The air volume output was less but given the amount of power it uses, doesn’t come across as a limitation after all. Get the most customizable car camping heater, the RoadPro 12V Direct Hook-Up Ceramic Heater.
What We Like
- Transparent body
- Easily cleanable
- Bag does not balloon out even when full
- Lifetime warranty
- Protection against mold and bacteria
What We Don’t Like
- Less air volume output
4. Back Seat Heat Plus
Most Energy-Efficient Car Camping Heater
Key Features
- Uses 12V DC
- 25 amp rated
- Power- 300 watts
- In-line 30 amp fuse included
- 20 ft wiring harness included
- Supplementary to the vehicle’s existing heater
- Weight- 6 lbs
- Ceramic body
- Durable
- High-temperature cut-out limit switch
- Energy efficient
- 2-year warranty
- Links up directly to the main battery
- Adjustable thermostat
- Mounting Bracket Included
- For Heater Operation: Alternator must produce 45 to 40 amps
Technical Specifications
| Power | 300 Watts |
| Weight | 6 lbs |
| Potential | 12V DC |
Our Opinion
The Back Seat Heat Plus is a 12V camping heater for a campervan that has a power of 300 watts. We found the body durable given its ceramic build which also made the outer housing to stay cool to the touch. It had an adjustable thermostat that let us control the heat and the fan speed.
This heater is not designed to run by itself and needs to be directly linked up to the main battery of a 12V vehicle and is meant to supplement the vehicle’s existing heater. It also hosts a high-temperature cut-out sensor that automatically shuts the device off when the temperature reaches a certain limit and gets switched back on after a brief cool-down period.
We found the system easy to install because we could mount it anywhere and it only relies on the already available equipment to work.
The system draws much less power than a hairdryer but the heat output is efficiently warm. Get yourself the most energy-efficient car camping heater on this list, the Back Seat Heat Plus.
What We Like
- Adjustable thermostat
- Energy efficient
- High-temperature cut-out sensor
- Durable
- Easy to install
What We Don’t Like
- We couldn’t find any!
5. Lasko 100 MyHeat Personal Ceramic Heater
Most Compact Car Camping Heater
Key Features
- Compact size
- Personal heater
- No assembly required
- Energy efficient
- Ceramic interior
- Portable
- 200-watt power
- Weight- 1 pound
- 3 year limited warranty
- Overheat protection
- Fan-powered delivery
Technical Specifications
| Power | 200 Watt |
| Weight | 1 pound |
Our Opinion
The Lasko 100 MyHeat Personal Ceramic Heater is a portable car camping heater that uses 200 watts of power. We found the body durable given its ceramic build which also kept the exterior cool to touch. This heater was found effective for spot heating only and would not stand to heat up an entire cabin.
The compact size and lightweight dress made it easily portable. The long cords supported the movement and so the heater could be placed anywhere. The system was overheat protected and would turn off automatically when a certain temperature was reached and resumed after a brief cool-down period.
The system used low power to run while still giving a good heat output which made the system highly energy efficient. The fan-powered delivery ensured that the air is forced faster, further, and more evenly.
One limitation felt was the absence of a thermostat. The system was easy to use, no assembly was required, and came with a 3-year limited warranty. Get your hands on the most compact car camping heater, the Lasko 100 MyHeat Personal Ceramic Heater.
What We Like
- Portable
- Durable
- Overheat protection
- Energy efficient
- Cord long enough to support the movement
What We Don’t Like
- No thermostat
6. AmazonBasics 500-Watt Ceramic Personal Mini Heater
Most Portable Car Camping Heater
Key Features
- Weight- 1.43 pounds
- 500-watt power usage
- Compact
- Tip-over protection
- Fast heating ceramic coils
- Personal heater
- Sturdy base
Technical Specifications
| Power | 500 Watt |
| Weight | 1.43 pounds |
Our Opinion
The AmazonBasics 500-Watt Ceramic Personal Mini Heater is a personal space heater for car camping that has a power of 500 watts. We found the heater to be compact and lightweight which favored portability.
This heater was a personal space heater and would not prove efficient to warm up an entire cabin. The system was overheat protected (tip-over protection) and would turn off automatically when a certain temperature was reached and resumed only after a brief cool-down period.
The system used low power to run while still giving a good heat output which made the system highly energy efficient. The ceramic coils would heat up fast which ensured consistent and even flow of warm air.
It had a sturdy base that prevented the heater from tumbling down. One major shortcoming was the exposed ceramic coils which could be “accidentally” brushed against. If you could trade this limitation for high energy output at low power usage then get your hands on the most portable car camping heater, the AmazonBasics 500-Watt Ceramic Personal Mini Heater.
What We Like
- Fast heating ceramic coils
- Tip-over protection
- Portable
- Energy efficient
What We Don’t Like
- Could accidentally brush against the coils.
7. ROYADVE 12V Portable Car Heater
Least Energy-Consuming Car Camping Heater
Key Features
- Weight- 16 ounces
- Power- 12V, 150W
- Easy on/off control
- Compact size
- Energy efficient
- Low noise level
- Hot and cool settings
- 3-outlet design for faster heating/cooling
- Easy to install/use
- Connects to the cigarette lighter
Technical Specifications
| Power | 150 Watt |
| Weight | 16 ounces |
| Potential | 12V |
Our Opinion
The ROYADVE 12V Portable Car Heater is a portable car camping heater that uses 150 watts of power. We found the system to make the least noise as compared to all the heaters on this list. The heater was energy efficient given the compact size and low power consumption.
The system was lightweight and portable. We found the device usable throughout the year given its hot and cool settings which could be changed with the flip of a switch. The 3-outlet design ensured faster heating/cooling.
We used the system to defrost the windows and warm up the engine before starting it to prevent engine abrasion because of hypothermia. This system was connectable to the cigarette lighter outlet. One limitation was the low air volume output as compared to other heaters on this list.
Given the low energy consumption and the faster heating system, this limitation can be overlooked. Get your hands on the least energy-consuming car camping heater, the ROYADVE 12V Portable Car Heater.
What We Like
- Low noise level
- Energy efficient
- Portable
- Both hot and cool settings
- Faster heating/cooling
What We Don’t Like
- Low air volume output
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Final Verdict
Let us help you knock off the upcoming camp from your to-do list by providing you with just the right gear. Beat the chill even when you aren’t home by clicking the links provided to shop the best deals. Get ready to stay cozy warm on the go!
All products on this list are great for camping but our personal favorite is the Caframo Limited True North Space heater that is also the best customer rated on amazon.
If portability coupled with energy efficiency is what you are looking for then get your hands on the Lasko 100 MyHeat Personal Ceramic Heater.
Did we miss something? Any other product that you think should be on the best car camping heaters list?
Do leave your comments below in the comments section so we know if we got your camping needs right.
Don’t forget to tell us about your experience with a listed product.
Happy Camping to you!
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