Wander the West: Which Wave to go - Wander the West

There has been lots of informed discussion on catalytic heaters on these pages; but I'd like to know which size of Olympic Wave would best suit the shoulder and winter camping seasons? I don't want to be too hot with one or too cold with an undersized other one. I'm planning on ordering a Bobcat shell in the next day or 2 and can't visualize where would be the best one and also the best placement for it. Preliminary ideas are to hang it on the inside of a cupboard door, with a rubber hose, then open it for use - which would keep it out of the way and clean too. Any feedback would be appreciated. thanks.

I think it depends on how cold the environment, i.e., winter in the southern Arizona or winter in Montana?
And it depends on if you have any insulation for the soft-side part of the camper.
And it depends on how warm you want to feel.
I use a Wave 6, but it seems like most people -- at least, most people who post a Wave-heater opinion -- use a Wave 3.
And then there's the Buddy series.

I've never run my Wave 6 on High for extended periods, but I have during initial start-up/warm-up on cold mornings. I usually run it on Medium in winter, i.e., temps in the single-digits to around 20...probably on Low most of the time.
It's never been too hot in my use...but I don't use it unless it's cooler than the low 40s outside. People who use it when it's not really cold out might find the Wave 6 too hot even on Low.
I might have been happy with the Wave 3...but I'd rather have extra heat "just in case" since I do camp in single-digit temps most winters. I should add that the Wave 6 is significantly bigger than the 3, so that's a consideration if you think you might not ever need the extra heating capacity.

These are radiant heaters, so whatever they're pointing at gets hot first. I got the optional legs for my Wave 6 so I can have it sitting on the floor and point it where I want.

Thats excellent advice. I'm fine with a wave 3 but I don't do extreme cold. Nor do I have much in the way of insulation. The nice thing is, the resale value is pretty good so if you get the wrong one you should recover most of your expense.

I would think a Wave 3 would fit most peoples needs best.

I use a Wave 3 in an Ocelot shell. An Ocelot is bigger than what your Bobcat. I have camped in temps down to 20 degrees and I have been very comfortable. At the lowest temps, I still wear a sweater inside. Say it is 20 outside, it may be 60 inside when set on high.

As for mounting, I screwed mine to the drivers side, rear panel, just left of the fender well boxed in area.
http://www.wanderthe...dpost__p__44938

I've got a Wave 3 and like Gene I can heat my Hawk up to between 50-60 while camped in teens to 20's.

If you were going to be doing a lot of cold winter camping I could see going with a Wave 6 like MarkBC for the extra comfort.

I mounted mine under my old ice box...
http://www.wanderthe...hp?/topic/2549/

Here's a link to SnMan's install.
http://www.jayaronow...e_Campfire.html

Thanks everyone! There is a lot of helpful information here and it will make my decision making much easier (I hope). Of course it boils down to how cold it might get when we are on a trip - and we don't know that yet. Keep the thread going please, as it is quite interesting. Today I saw someone's creativity at work. For the heating system in his van he simply put a propane stove on the floor and directly over one burner he secured a 4" metal elbow fastened to a 4" flexible metal pipe which then went completely around the inside of the van on the floor - like a section of a paper clip- then vented through the wall quite high up. Yes it took up room but he claimed the obvious; it kept him toasty warm at a minimum cost. I'M NOT RECOMMENDING IT, but I'm sure it worked. We just ordered our Bobcat shell and expect delivery in mid November. We can't wait, but it will give us enough time to come up with lots of ideas and hopefully a good plan.
The heater that has caught my attention is the vented catalytic heater. It sounds safer than the other catalytic heaters and they claim you don't have to leave a vent open but it might not be a bad idea to do so anyway. I wonder exactly what is vented and if one could retro-vent a Wave? hmmmmm. Sounds like a new thread in the making.

IMHO it is best to have a camper vented, ie open window or roof vent, no matter what type of heater you have going. These are very small spaces and it is possible to use up the oxygen just from breathing.

Overland Hadley, on 08 September 2011 - 04:23 AM, said:

You must be doing some Heavy Breathing