A couple months ago we ordered a Scamp 13.
I added a number of options including the battery upgrade to a group 27. I did not originally order a furnace. I plan to do a fair amount of camping in my home state of Wisconsin in late November during the hunting season. Snow and single digit temperatures are common.
I originally planned to use my propane MR Heater that I commonly use for winter tent camping since I normally would be off grid without power.
I'm now rethinking adding a furnace to my order and buying a 2000watt Generator Inverter to power the battery and furnace.
My question is: Do I need the Scamp factory Furnace or could I just run a small electric heater off the generator and battery at night ?
I have both a Honda 2200 and the furnace. I have used the furnace a lot, it is noisy but it keeps me warm. The Honda has only been test run, but it ran the A/C before I added the soft start but I have never used it long term on a 100 degree day. Remember the furnace is not on all of the time and the battery will run it for hours without recharging.I do like having the Honda for backup, I can take a lot of heat as long asI have a fan blowing but I want to run the A/C when needed.
We like the noisy but lovable furnace in our 13. it does consume a considerable amount of LP but that depends on temps. We also take a small ceramic heater that handles most our needs when connected to shore power. My 2000 watt inverter gen from Harbor freight is no match for the 2200 honda but has served us well. It will run a ceramic heater and the battery converter system . Obviously the battery becomes less powerful in very chilly temps so consider the battery as a 1/2 sized unit when looking at available power. How safe are the Mr Buddy heaters in a enclosed area like a Scamp . as they do not breath like a tent so a open window and cross ventilation of some sort. Plus the moisture from breathing and the Buddy flame adds up to be quite damp and clings to the windows and roof/walls. Just perking a pot of coffee on the stove adds a ton of warmth and Moisture to the scamp interior. I love my Mr Buddy in my 13x15 shed as quick heat for work. We have only camped off grid down to the mid 20's with no experience into the single digits to share.
2019 Scamp 13 standard
i love the furance, i have 2 propane tanks with the Scamp tank switcher device so i don't ever have to worry about running out of propane in the middle of the night and waking up cold.
1987 Scamp 16
Remember, you can not camp with water in the Scamp in the winter, it will freeze in the drains.
I would get the Scamp furnace because it is Direct Vent and safer than other options. You should install a carbon monoxide detector to improve safety. The furnace also will add to the resale value of the Scamp. You also can use a small electric heater. We use an electric heater when we are plugged into electricity. It doesn't take much to heat a Scamp because it is tight and fairly well insulated.
This might help, the propane furnace draws 2.5 amps of 12V power when running. So if the runtime for the furnace at night sums up to 4 hours for example; that's 10 AH (2.5 Amps times 4 Hours) from the battery. If it's a 100 AH group 27 lead-acid battery, about half is usable (depending on temperature. whether it's agm or flooded. etc.). Obviously that's just one possible power draw from the battery, but it puts some perspective on the furnace's demand for 12V power.
For our Scamp, I swapped out the lead acid battery for lithium to get more capacity. No generator or solar. Plenty for our needs, and it's light weight.
Since we have a 13' on order, I am grateful to those who gave all this info! It is like reading an Algebra equation though...I will need to reread these postings several times to begin to understand. (I like the advice of having a small, plug-in heater when there is electricity. My mind grasped that immediately! :)
I am using a small three candle lantern for a little heat. I cover the lenses with aluminum foil to block most of the light. When the three candles are lit, it produces 4800 btu of heat. I place it on the floor with a metal pan under it, because occasionally a candle holder will stick, and wax will leak. The candles cost about $1.00 each and burn nine hours.
To cut that cost, and make it more convenient, I made candle replacements from small bottles fitted with wicks, and filled with lamp oil. Lamp oil is easy to buy, the candles are not. They burn for about eight hours.
I have been comfortable in my 13 when temperatures are near 40 degrees, the interior near 60 degrees. Not a big rise, but comfortable. My Scamp rains inside when it is cold. Moisture from my breath, and any combustion inside, condenses on the ceiling and drips. Sometimes it runs to a low spot, and I can catch the drips in a pan. But its bad when it drips on the bed.
I bought my Scamp without the furnace and later decided not to install one myself but get someone to do it. It was about impossible to find a shop to do it, largely because they don't know Scamps, and I ended up making a very long trip to Backus to have it done by Scamp.
I would not want to run a gen for heat because of the fuel management. Run the gen to top off the battery that runs the furnace fan when your solar can't keep up. As a back up, a Wave III heater that sips propane and needs no electric at all. But its not a heater I would sleep with it running.