9 Best Tent Heaters (Review) In 2021

Introducing North America’s most popular portable propane heater. This propane tent heater is loved by outdoorsmen and it’s no surprise why. It ticks every box we can think of when it comes to buying a tent heater for camping. For starters, Mr. Heater F232000 MH9BX Buddy provides an impressive 4,000 or 9,000 BTUs depending on what setting you choose. That’s enough power to heat 225 square feet, which is a pretty big tent.

It’s really portable thanks to the carry handle and is small enough to fit in any sized tent, from large camping tents to smaller ones. It’s loaded with safety features, including a grate to cover the heated area, a tip-over shut off, and a low-oxygen shut off. The porcelain covered heating area pushes the heat around a wide area, and it’s powered using propane canisters (which aren’t included). If you’re happy to have a heater powered by gas, this is probably the best camping heater around.

The Honeywell HCE100B isn’t strictly a camping heater. In fact, it’s designed for use in the office or home, but we think it makes a fantastic electric camping heater if you have access to electricity at your campsite. Also known as the Heat Bud, it’s got a great design that will make it look fantastic in the corner of your tent. It uses 250 watts of energy, which is around 750 BTU if you’re comparing it to a gas heater (the power output is explained in the Buying Guide). So, it’s not the most powerful heater around, but it’s definitely got enough power to heat up a small tent.

The other great thing about this little heater is the price. With the black version coming in at less than $15, you’re not going to be able to find a cheaper way of keeping you warm on your camping trip. It’s also one of the safest options, with a tip-over safety shut off, flame-resistant housing, and overheating protection. Don’t forget to also check our guide to the best coolers for camping.

If you’re looking for an electric tent heater with a bit more power, the Comfort Zone CZ707 is a great option. They don’t actually seem to publish their wattage online, but a quick test shows that the high setting uses around 930 watts and the low setting uses around 520 watts. On the plus side, that’s plenty of power to heat even a large tent, but it’s going to cost a lot of money to run in the home. Of course, on a camping trip, you pay to use the campsite’s electricity, so it shouldn’t really matter.

Admittedly, it’s not the best-looking tent space heater around, but it gets the job done. It’s relatively quiet and has an adjustable thermostat so you can get the temperature in your tent just right so you don’t have to carry a lot of camping blankets. And, it has a fan setting, which makes it pretty useful for the winter as well. It’s also got power and caution safety lights and a tip-over safety switch. 

This is the second heater from Mr. Heater’s range of portable heaters, so we already knew it was going to be a good one! With a power output of 3800 BTUs, it’s not quite as powerful as the first one, but it makes up for it by being even more portable. The clever design means that it uses the propane tank as a stand and takes up as little space as possible, so it can fit easily on your camping table. Mr. Heater F215100 MH4B Little Buddy has a 45-degree angle, which means that you can put it on the floor and the heat is directed upwards at your body.

This company thinks about everything when it comes to safety. Like most of the heaters on this list, they have a tip-over safety switch and metal grill to guard the heated area. But they also include an oxygen shut-off system (ODS), which turns the heater off if it detects a lack of oxygen in the air. This is super important with gas heaters as they consume oxygen, and you should always remember to keep the tent properly ventilated. It also has a handle that means you can attach it to things, making it a great backpacking tent heater. Make sure you also check our guide to the best sleeping bags.

If you’ve got money to burn, then you should check out this heater from Camco. It’s one of the most expensive heaters on this list, but it’s got the stats to back it up. It puts out an impressive 3,200 to 6,000 BTUs depending on how high you have the heat setting. Interestingly, that makes it less powerful than Mr. Heater’s Buddy we chose as our Best Choice product, but it actually heats 5 square feet more than the Buddy. That’s because it uses catalytic heating, which is much more efficient than flame-type heating.

To be honest, Camco 57341 Olympian Wave-6 6000 BTU LP Gas Catalytic Heater is going to be too powerful unless you’ve got a massive RV. Plus, you have to have it installed to the gas mains, so it’s not really suitable for camping in a tent. But, on the other hand, it can be used as an alternative heating method for the home. It’s wall-mountable and has a piezo sparker that will last for 2000 ignitions. Our handy guide to the best double sleeping bags features more great products like this.

If you’re looking for a cheaper propane camping tent heater, this Texsport Sportsmate Portable Propane Heater is one of the best. Like the Mr. Heater Little Buddy, this one uses a propane tank as a stand. It puts out 3,000 BTUs which is controlled by a simple on/off switch. That gives it enough power to handle any medium-sized tent.

It doesn’t have a tip-over shut off switch, which could be problematic if you don’t have a solid surface to put it on, but it does turn the fuel off if the flame goes out and has a safety grid. So, it’s pretty safe, but it’s probably not a good idea to leave it on overnight. Find more great products like this by checking out our guide to the best camping mattresses.

The Honeywell HZ-0360 is the bigger and more powerful version of the Honeywell Heat Bud we featured earlier. At 1500 watts, Honeywell HZ-0360 Surround Heat Heater is a lot more powerful than the Heat Bud and puts out a lot more heat. The main difference though is that the heater is 360-degrees, which means it puts heat out all around the tent or room. It also has two heat settings and a fan setting, which makes it much more versatile than a lot of the heaters on this list.

On top of that, it has a really useful carry handle and a sturdy base to stop it from falling over. And, in terms of safety features, it’s got tip-over safety shut-off and overheating protection. You may also like to check our guide to the best camping chairs so that your camping experience is as pleasant as you like it to be.

This is the biggest version of the ‘Buddy’ range from Mr. Heater. That means you get a lot of the same features and technology, but with even more power. With 4,000 – 18,000 BTUs, it’s the most powerful heater on this list by far. That heating power is multiplied by the fact that it has a battery-powered blower that pushes the heat out. Mr. Heater MH18B Portable Propane Heater can heat up to 450 square feet, which means it’s really not suitable for a small tent. It’s better-suited to heating large tents, RVs, party tents, or even your home. Plus, you can adjust the temperature to either low, medium, or high, so it’s pretty versatile.

The carry handle makes it really easy to move around, even if it is larger than a lot of tent heaters. But, the best thing about the heaters from Mr. Heater are the safety features. It’s got a safety grill, tip-over safety switch, and an oxygen safety shut-off. And for more sleeping options, check out our guide to the best camping cots.

This small electric heater is another great option if your campsite has electrical hook-ups. Lasko CD09250 Ceramic Portable Space Heater is built primarily for use in the home or office, which means it’s not really designed for use in your tents, but it’ll actually work really well. It has three heat settings and an adjustable thermostat, which makes it really versatile. The power output is 1500 watts and all of the settings are surprisingly quiet.

Aside from that, it has a convenient carry handle and is small enough to easily move around with one hand. Then, in terms of safety features, it’s got an automatic overheating switch-off and a cool-touch exterior. However, it doesn’t have a tip-over switch, which means you’ll have to make sure it’s very secure. Don’t forget to also check our guide to the best camping tables.