In this review, I’m going to tell you about two new portable heaters we brought to our hunting spot this year: the Heat Hog 9,000 BTU LP Portable Heater and its big brother, the Heat Hog 18,000 BTU LP Portable Heater. We decided it was time to say goodbye to our old buddy heaters and try these Heat Hogs and the difference was night and day. Let’s break down why these heaters made such a big difference in our blinds.
Comfort is key when you’re sitting around for hours waiting for that perfect buck, especially in the freezing, unpredictable weather of Northern Michigan. This year, we wanted to upgrade our comfort, and after some research, the Heat Hog heaters seemed like the perfect fit. Our hunting lease is a 640-acre spread in Northern Michigan, and it can get seriously cold out there, especially in mid-November. We’ve been snowed in on more than one occasion and we’ve learned to take warmth seriously. We needed something more reliable, more powerful, and more comfortable than our old setup.
The Heat Hog 9,000 BTU unit was our go-to for more personal, portable heating, and we used the 18,000 BTU unit for heating a popup tent we had connected to our larger tent where we would hang out at night.
Warmth and Efficiency
Let’s start with the most important part: warmth. Both Heat Hog units cranked out an impressive amount of heat. The 9,000 BTU unit heated up fast and was perfect in our hunting blinds. It’s compact, but still pumps out enough heat to keep the chill away during those long sits.
The 18,000 BTU model, on the other hand, was a total game changer for heating bigger. We used it to warm up our hangout spot we named “the lounge”. We were also testing out a new Starlink and when we fired up a football game at night, having the extra heat in the tent almost made me forget I was camping! It heated the space up quickly and kept it nice and toasty—so much so that even on the coldest days, we were happy hanging out and relaxing. Both units worked like a charm, with no sputtering or propane issues.
Solid Build
The next thing that really impressed me was the build quality. The Heat Hog units are built with much sturdier materials than other portable heaters I’ve used. The grill on the Heat Hog is way more substantial, and you can tell they didn’t skimp on the quality. When you’re out hunting, you need gear that can handle a few bumps and bruises. These heaters feel solid, and after using them throughout the week, I’m confident they can handle whatever we throw at them.
The shell, control knobs, and metal grill all give these heaters a premium feel, which is a big deal when you’re considering gear that’s going to face some tough conditions. One feature I especially liked was the heavier metal grill. It’s sturdier and gives me some peace of mind when packing and unpacking your gear—there’s less worry about something getting bent or broken.
Cool Features
Another awesome feature of the Heat Hog heaters is the pivoting heating element. With a lot of heaters, you’re pretty much stuck with a fixed direction, and if you want to change where the heat is going, you have to tilt the whole thing—sometimes even laying it on its back, which isn’t great. With the Heat Hog units, you can adjust the angle of the heating element without moving the entire unit. This was a major plus in the blind, where space is limited. I could easily pivot the heater from pointing right at my feet to angling up towards my body, depending on where I needed the most warmth.
The propane tank storage is another feature that really sets these heaters apart. Both Heat Hog units are designed to hold the propane tank inside the heater’s cshell, instead of having it awkwardly hanging off the side. This might seem like a small detail, but it makes a big difference. The compact design means fewer things to bump into or knock over in the dark—which, let’s be honest, is a very real concern when setting up early in the morning or packing up after dark. The 18,000 BTU model even has space for an extra propane tank, which is a lifesaver when you’re far from civilization and don’t want to run out of heat in the middle of a hunt.
Final Thoughts
Both Heat Hog heaters are well thought out, well built, and just plain effective. They’re more efficient than our old heaters, made from better materials, and come with a lot of small but important design features that really make a difference in the field. From the pivoting heating element to the built-in propane tank storage, these heaters were clearly designed with hunters in mind.
If you’re like me and spend a lot of time out in the cold, these Heat Hog heaters are worth checking out. Whether it’s the 9,000 BTU unit for personal warmth or the bigger 18,000 BTU unit for heating up a larger area, they’re both dependable tools that will keep you comfortable during those long, cold hours in the blind. And when you’re more comfortable, you can focus on what really matters: enjoying the hunt and holding out for the perfect buck—or at least coming up with some good stories to tell around the fire.
For Black Friday this year, Heat Hog is offering $10 all heaters so, you better head over and check them out before the sale ends!
