Electric Blankets

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Elizabeth

Elizabeth

Active member
Joined
Jan 15, 2008
Posts
30
Location
Burlington, Ontario
So because it's still pretty cold at night in May, and because this will be my first summer with the trailer (I am sure we wont be able to wait until perfect weather) I was wondering if electric blankets might be a good idea?

Do any of you use electric blankets?  And if so what brands?  Do you see any reason why they wouldn't be safe to use in a Tent Trailer?
 
We currently use an electric blanket in the MH.  However, the newer ones do NOT work on non-sine inverters and in fact may destroy the control unit.  When we first started back into RVing, I got a 12 volt mattress pad with dual controls.  We used it for many years and sold it to another RVer for use in Boondocking.  These should work fine in a tent trailer but you might need extra batteries. 
 
I don't have electric blankets in my pop up camper, but, do have heated mattress pads (Sunbeam from Walmart) and they are great in providing a warm surface for cool weather camping (also great for backaches).  I have the heated mattress pads over the Memory Foam Topper (addition as the 4" foam mattress provided is not as comfie as I liked), then regular sheets and a light weight comforter.

Use of the electric heated mattress pad requires hookup to campground electric.  I can't remember if they make 12-volt ones or not, but you could check the PUX Trading post.
 
We also use a electric blanket now.  However, we have used the electric mattress pads too. Only reason we changed was the blanket was available when the mattress pad wasn't.  They do make mattress pads that use either 12VDC or 120AC.
 
We have the 12 volt/120 volt mattress pad Ron mentioned.  Haven't had very good luck with two electric blankets because they work for a while and then stop working.  We've been suspicious of the sine wave not matching the blanket.  Glad to see someone else mention that.

ArdraF
 
Ardra,

Jerry will understand this, the newer controllers use SCRs and they do not like the modified sine wave.  The old controllers used a mechanical thermostat and will work fine on a newer blanket ii you either have one or can find one!!!

You might be able to get one from the blanket manufacturer??
 
Thanks Jim.  At this point we're happy with the mattress pad and will probably just stick with it.  Easier that way!  ;)

ArdraF
 
    I may be dreaming, but I'm sure that many of the TT & Pop Ups at the RV shows are equipped with mattress warmers.  If that's the case, you should be able to get them through any dealer, even if they have to order one.  We decided not to bring any of our electric blankets along to this point as we mostly boondock on our way south and don't like to run the generator, so we went low teck and got a good down comforter.
    We no longer use our queen sized sleeping bag that DW made our of gortex that we used to use in the pop up &/or tent.
 
We bought one of them foam mattress to put on our mattress in our tent trailer when we had it and only used a sheet, blanket, and bed spread and were always warm and comfortable and have carried it to our motor home we now use.
 
We have an electric blanket because my wife and I have different preferences  of temperature.  She needs a very cool room to sleep well so the relatively light weight electric blanket in the off position is all she needs ... I  need a little more heat ... so the two thermostat queen size electric keeps us both comfortable. 
 
In previous posts about inverters, we've mentioned that many modern 120VAC appliances won't operate correctly or for long on modified sine waves. This includes electric blankets/mattress pads, clocks, some stereos/tv's, fans with electronic controls, etc. That said, I bought a small (600 watt) pure sinewave inverter just for those items.

I use a regular, buy-it-in-any-department-store, electric mattress pad, and love it! I find it's better to have the heat below me and rise up, than to have the heat coming from above (as in the case of an electric blanket), and sleeping on a cold mattress. Two 6-volt golf cart batteries are more than enough to last an entire night, and you have the advantage of less total energy use by being able to leave the furnace set at a much lower level at night, and heat just what's important - namely, YOU!
 
By, Tent Trailer, do you mean a pop-up.  And if so, there is probably no inverter.  Just a converter.  I wish I would of thought of a electric blanket in our pop-up days.  It would be been great.  We did have one in our travel trailer, and had no problems.  I have 3 Sunbeam comfort zone blankets. And love them.

Barb
 
Elizabeth said:
So because it's still pretty cold at night in May, and because this will be my first summer with the trailer (I am sure we wont be able to wait until perfect weather) I was wondering if electric blankets might be a good idea?

Do any of you use electric blankets?  And if so what brands?  Do you see any reason why they wouldn't be safe to use in a Tent Trailer?
Click to expand...

Only if you have access to 120VAC at your campground site and your trailer is wired with outlets for 120VAC. 

What some folks here are talking about is motorhomes with their hundreds of pounds of batteries and 120VACs made available the batteries' 12VDC with a large inverter/converter.  That aint gonna happen with your one or two batteries maximum on a tent trailer -- at least not with enough watt hours.  Your 120VAC has got to come from the campground's power, if any.

If I were you, I would think seriously about sleeping bags, you probably want the kind rated to 20?F.  They are cheap enough and an will keep you toasty warm, safely.  Covering your head with ski hats or wool watch caps wiill help the matter too -- 30% of your body's blood supply is in your head.  Hats keep your whole body warm.

Remember a tent trailer is still about 50% tent.  They are not class A motorhones or even travel trailers.  ;D
 
I am seriously considering getting the mattress warmers.  I figure that the underneath is what is exposed to the cold and warm air rises.  IF you have the warm barrier between you and the cold then your body temperature will do the rest.
 
willjm3931 said:
I am seriously considering getting the mattress warmers.  I figure that the underneath is what is exposed to the cold and warm air rises.  IF you have the warm barrier between you and the cold then your body temperature will do the rest.
Click to expand...

You do not need a warm barrier between you and the cold, you need an effective barrier.  Using a down sleeping bag and a pad of 3/4" closed cell plastic foam (Ensolite) I have slept directly on snow in the Sierra Nevada in winter quite comfortably.  (I did not go there for a 'survival' experience.)  Go into the camping section of most any Big 5 or Wal Mart and you will find Ensolite pads.  In a trailer a 1/4" closed cell foam pad will do nicely.  Just lay it on the mattress and go to sleep.

In a tent trailer without a gas furnace, the less you have to depend on electric heating devices the better.  You can easily find yourself in a campsite that has no 120VAC and the 12VDC power that is all that can be available then will not handle much in heating loads.
 
A very effective heat/cold barrier for a pop up is to put 'reflectix' under the mattress.  Also, one can cut the reflectix to fit their bunk end windows for additional insulation.

Popup Gizmos (solar covers) are very effective in both heat (shiny side up to reflect the sun), and cold (shiny side down to retain the heat in the camper). 

Although I've already posted about my use of heated mattress pads on my bunks, I will better explain why:  While I've got a collection of sleeping bags, they are a PITA to fit in a regular washing machine, and, they to me are confining - which I do not like.  (can't stand tucked in sheets either).

My king size bunks in my pop up camper needed a little extra padding, so I got Memory Foam toppers at Walmart for each, as well as Sunbeam heated mattress pads (which with the dual controls is very nice).  I use the KS fitted sheets, regular sheets and very light weight comforters and have enjoyed camping in 30 degree weather.  My furnace does a wonderful job, and once it heats the PUP, my oscellating electric heater maintains the temperature and I'm not burning up 20lbs of propane in 28 hours of use!

The heated mattress pad is great for those who have back issues too!
 
When I had a popup I had a little electric heater & an electric blanket.

When it was cold I only camped at places with electricity.

Joel
 
So I have booked a weekend for May 2nd to 4th so I think I am going to have to do something.

Although I do have three dogs, so if all else fails I will bring them under the covers with me.
 
I just tried an experiment this past weekend.  I purchased a twin size electric blanket $25 which fit perfectly on the queen size bunks in my pop up.  I used it as a mattress cover.  It was cold here and it worked wonderfully.  I am going to get 2 more.  The only thing that I wonder about is will the wires in the blanket hold up being laid on.
 
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