I've used sunflowers, buddys, and big buddys.

The sunflower still works best to get things toasty quick, but i honestly get a propane hangover. My big buddy might end up the same fate as a clay pidgeon. I know some are good, some are bad, mines bad.

My question to yous guys is, besides a sunflower or buddy heater, what do you heat up your portable with??? I'm looking to replace my big buddy and I honestly don't know what the options are out there.

What do you use to fuel your Buddy? The 1lbs or hose with a big tank? I know the 1 lbs get frosty and you can only get about hafl to 3/4ths of the bottle out before they sizzle out. I love my Big Buddy, personally

I use my buddy heater to put in front of my boat trailer tire so it doesn't roll. It works better this way then it ever did as a heater for the fish house.
It sucks with the hangover but you don't really have a better reliable option in my opinion. Just make sure you leave the windows cracked.

I have a portable Buddy that works great. The 1 lb tanks do get frosty sometimes, but it burns the tanks completely. My only complaint is it seems to go out fairly easy when bumped.

I never liked the buddies. Have buddies that have them and they don't keep it as toasty as my heater/cooker. Just open the vents on the top or crack the door, might help the hangover a little.

That is the major complaint i have with it. A small bump or wind and it goes out.

I haven't had any problems with my Mr. Buddy Heater. There were a few really cold days last winter that I opted for the sunflower because the Buddy Heater was struggling to keep the house warm enough. I like the Buddy Heater for the fact that it cools almost istantly and is a lot "safer" in my Pak Shak.

Been using a sunflower for years...and love it. I still use the one that mounts on top of the 20 pounder. Takes up some room in the porty, but heats up nicely.

Boy, I have to say that I have been 100% happy with my Buddy and I have never had a headache from it.

I also have a sunflower that has served me very well.

I had no luck with the buddy heater also so it went back. Sunflower has never failed me. In my portable the mice have helped me with keeping fresh air in and out at all times so no headache there. In the perm I have two small vent holes one on each side and a small fan to move the air and do not get headaches any more. Fresh air is the key!

He's not asking the question whether you love your buddy or not. He's already stated his is no good. What he's asking is there a better option out there to heat your fish house.

My answer, not really. A sunflower is probably the best/most reliable as stated before. Cracking the door or opening the vents should do you just fine.

I've heard some people using that catalytic type heaters, but they don't work all that well in large spaces.

Good luck.

Eric, there was a recall on the first Big Buddies. Not sure if they'll honor that anymore, if so I'd get yours fixed.

I've been ice fishing(BP)Before Portables. When portables came onto the scene guys used what was available for portable heat. While being very portable, Coleman white gas one burner stoves were used. That is a poor choice for a few reasons but its all we had. Not too long after Sunflowers came along. No more open flame, no filling with white gas, more heat, and less carbon monoxide. 30 some years later sunflowers are still a popular option being low priced and throw off a lot of heat.
Disadvantage is on Low settings they are too hot sometimes. One trick guys will do to lower the temp is close the tank valve down to decrease the pressure. That is a dangerous thing to do.
The sunflowers Low setting is the minimal temp that it can be operated at to burn efficiently so to artificially go lower then that is putting out more carbon monoxide and more noxious gasses.
A dirty orifice is another common culprit with sunflower heaters, end result the heater is working below its optimal set heat range resulting in more carbon monoxide and noxious gasses.
Something else about sunflowers, the screen on the burner must be kept clean. Any rust or road dirt will make the heater burn dirty.



Buddy heaters. biggest advantage over the sunflower is its lower heat, smaller and less carbon monoxide, safety for tip overs, takes up less room. Disadvantage- not enough heat on cold days.

Big Buddy Heaters. all the advantages of the Buddy plus the btu output of the sunflower. Disadvantages with anything, the more safety features you have the more that can go wrong. Note, just like the screen on the sunflowers you still need to keep the ceramic clean on the buddies.

Having had both a sunflower and BB fail on the ice in temps -10 and lower I'll never be without a backup.

If its cold enough to use a sunflower I'll have my cooker with remote hose with the tank outside and a buddy for backup. Or I'll bring two buddies.

Good tip, I have both as well and will bring both each trip just in case.

boilerguy,
I'm with you on the buddy and sunflower heaters, no thanks. I prefer a good old open flame heater. I've never had a propane hang-over or any other problems with this type of heater. The heater in the picture is home-made. It heats the Otter den very well. I have a similar manufactured stove in my Otter lodge. The first picture is my uncles Clam, the second picture is my den. In both cases the heater is on, the sides of the heater do not get hot enough the burn the canvas (you can't see the flame in the picture). I've used this heater in my den for about 6 years. My uncle has used his for about 10 years.

That's an interesting heater. What do you make it out of and what do you use for a flame?