Coal & Char

Best Propane Heaters for RVs

Portable gas heat for a camper, a travel trailer or a van — ranked on output against cylinder life, and on whether the maker rates the heater for use inside at all.

By Stephen V.Last updated How we pick

Buy the Mr. Heater Portable Buddy. For a camper or a travel trailer, 9,000 BTU with an indoor-use rating, a low-oxygen shutoff and a tip-over switch is the correct answer, and the tip-over switch earns its place in a vehicle more than anywhere else. It runs from a 1 lb cylinder or, with a hose, from the 20 lb tank you are already carrying.

The reasons to pick something else are about space, not brand. A van, a teardrop or a small camper? The Little Buddy at 3,800 BTU is less heat and, in a sealed box that size, less oxygen burned per hour. A big fifth wheel in real cold? The Big Buddy runs to 18,000 BTU and takes two cylinders, which is as much about run time as output. Heating the space under the awning? That is what the tank-top radiant is for, and it stays outside — permanently, in all weather, under no circumstances inside the camper.

One rule before anything else: do not sleep with a propane heater running. An RV is a small, well-sealed box with a bed in it, which is the worst possible combination for unvented combustion. The CPSC reports more than 200 accidental non-fire carbon monoxide deaths a year in the United States associated with consumer products, and recommends CO alarms on every level and outside sleeping areas. Warm the camper, then turn the heater off. The full checklist is in our indoor propane heater safety guide.

How this is funded:we earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you. It never changes which pit or heater we recommend, and we’ll tell you when we’d skip one. Full disclosure.

Quick picks

Ranked on published specs, beginner-friendliness and value. Select a row to jump to the full write-up. We haven’t cooked on every one of these — here is exactly what we do instead.

#ProductBest forPrice
1
Mr. Heater 9,000 BTU Portable Buddy Radiant Propane Heater

Mr. Heater 9,000 BTU Portable Buddy Radiant Propane Heater

The Portable Buddy is the one radiant propane heater almost everyone in cold-weather outdoor hobbies already owns, and it runs on a 1 lb cylinder rather than a 20 lb tank — which is what makes it portable in the real sense. Nine thousand BTU is small next to a patio heater but enormous inside a tent, an ice shanty or a blind. Mr. Heater builds in a tip-over switch and an oxygen depletion sensor. Use a carbon monoxide alarm with it anyway, every time.

Best overall
$89.99 · View on Amazon

Price as of October 27, 2026. #ad How we’re funded

2
Mr. Heater 3,800 BTU Little Buddy Portable Radiant Propane Heater

Mr. Heater 3,800 BTU Little Buddy Portable Radiant Propane Heater

The smallest heater worth owning and the cheapest way to make a tent, a truck cab or a small shed survivable. It runs off a 1 lb camping cylinder that screws straight into the base, so there is no hose, no regulator and nothing to set up. At 3,800 BTU it will not heat a garage — it heats the person sitting next to it — and because it is a combustion heater it needs ventilation and a working carbon monoxide alarm in any enclosed space, which is a rule and not a suggestion.

Best small propane heater for an RV
$69.99 · View on Amazon

Price as of October 27, 2026. #ad How we’re funded

3
Mr. Heater 18,000 BTU Big Buddy Heater

Mr. Heater 18,000 BTU Big Buddy Heater

Double the Portable Buddy's output and the ability to run two 1 lb cylinders at once, which turns a two-hour heater into an all-evening one. It is the right size for a garage, a workshop, a large tent or a covered porch — still not an open patio. The same caveats apply and apply harder at 18,000 BTU: combustion heater, enclosed space, carbon monoxide alarm, every single time.

Best for a large trailer
4
Mr. Heater Original 540-Degree 45,000 BTU Tank Top Radiant Propane Heater

Mr. Heater Original 540-Degree 45,000 BTU Tank Top Radiant Propane Heater

The most heat per dollar on this page by a long way: 45,000 BTU for the price of a small radiant heater, because it has no cabinet, no wheels and no base — it screws onto the top of a standard 20 lb propane tank and the tank is the stand. The listing's 540-degree figure is the radiating arc. This is outdoor and well-ventilated-space equipment only: it is a big open flame at waist height with no enclosure, which is exactly why it is cheap and exactly why it does not belong in a closed garage.

Best for outside the camper
$77.99 · View on Amazon

$119.9935% off

Price as of October 27, 2026. #ad How we’re funded

The picks in full

#1Best overall

Mr. Heater 9,000 BTU Portable Buddy Radiant Propane Heater

The Portable Buddy is the one radiant propane heater almost everyone in cold-weather outdoor hobbies already owns, and it runs on a 1 lb cylinder rather than a 20 lb tank — which is what makes it portable in the real sense. Nine thousand BTU is small next to a patio heater but enormous inside a tent, an ice shanty or a blind. Mr. Heater builds in a tip-over switch and an oxygen depletion sensor. Use a carbon monoxide alarm with it anyway, every time.

What’s good

  • Runs on a 1 lb cylinder — genuinely carryable
  • Tip-over shutoff and oxygen depletion sensor built in
  • 9,000 BTU is a lot of heat in a small enclosed space
  • The long-standing default in cold-weather outdoor hobbies

Trade-offs

  • Far too small to warm an open patio
  • 1 lb cylinders are expensive per hour of heat
  • Still a combustion heater: use a CO alarm, always
  • Not rated for use in every enclosed space — read the manual
TypePortable radiant propane heater
Heat output9,000 BTU (per the listing)
Fuel1 lb propane cylinder
SafetyTip-over switch and oxygen depletion sensor, per the maker
SeriesMidnight Series

Specs read from the product listing, on October 7, 2026. “Not published” means the maker doesn’t state that figure there.

#2Best small propane heater for an RV

Mr. Heater 3,800 BTU Little Buddy Portable Radiant Propane Heater

The smallest heater worth owning and the cheapest way to make a tent, a truck cab or a small shed survivable. It runs off a 1 lb camping cylinder that screws straight into the base, so there is no hose, no regulator and nothing to set up. At 3,800 BTU it will not heat a garage — it heats the person sitting next to it — and because it is a combustion heater it needs ventilation and a working carbon monoxide alarm in any enclosed space, which is a rule and not a suggestion.

What’s good

  • 3,800 BTU is enough for a tent or a one-person work space
  • Screws onto a 1 lb cylinder — no hose, no regulator, nothing to rig
  • Smallest and cheapest heater in the Buddy range
  • Tips over and it shuts off

Trade-offs

  • 3,800 BTU will not heat a garage or a shop
  • 1 lb cylinders are expensive fuel per hour
  • Needs ventilation and a CO alarm in any enclosed space
  • No thermostat — it is on or off
TypePortable radiant propane heater
Output3,800 BTU (per the listing)
Fuel1 lb propane cylinder
Indoor useNot published
Safety shutoffTip-over shutoff, per the listing

Specs read from the product listing, on October 13, 2026. “Not published” means the maker doesn’t state that figure there.

#3Best for a large trailer

Mr. Heater 18,000 BTU Big Buddy Heater

Double the Portable Buddy's output and the ability to run two 1 lb cylinders at once, which turns a two-hour heater into an all-evening one. It is the right size for a garage, a workshop, a large tent or a covered porch — still not an open patio. The same caveats apply and apply harder at 18,000 BTU: combustion heater, enclosed space, carbon monoxide alarm, every single time.

What’s good

  • 18,000 BTU covers a garage or a large tent properly
  • Runs two 1 lb cylinders, or a 20 lb tank with the right hose
  • Variable output rather than one fixed setting
  • Same proven Mr. Heater safety features

Trade-offs

  • Still a combustion heater — a CO alarm is mandatory, not optional
  • Hose and filter for a 20 lb tank are extra
  • Heavy and bulky next to the Portable Buddy
  • Not a substitute for a patio heater in open air
TypePortable radiant propane heater
Heat output18,000 BTU (per the listing)
FuelTwo 1 lb cylinders, or 20 lb tank with a hose (hose not included)
ModelBig Buddy

Specs read from the product listing, on October 7, 2026. “Not published” means the maker doesn’t state that figure there.

#4Best for outside the camper

Mr. Heater Original 540-Degree 45,000 BTU Tank Top Radiant Propane Heater

The most heat per dollar on this page by a long way: 45,000 BTU for the price of a small radiant heater, because it has no cabinet, no wheels and no base — it screws onto the top of a standard 20 lb propane tank and the tank is the stand. The listing's 540-degree figure is the radiating arc. This is outdoor and well-ventilated-space equipment only: it is a big open flame at waist height with no enclosure, which is exactly why it is cheap and exactly why it does not belong in a closed garage.

What’s good

  • 45,000 BTU for well under the price of a cabinet heater
  • Mounts straight onto a 20 lb tank — no stand to buy or store
  • 540-degree radiating arc, per the listing
  • Almost nothing on it to break

Trade-offs

  • Open flame at waist height — outdoor and ventilated spaces only
  • No enclosure, no wheels, no tip-over base
  • Puts the heat high and wide, not at a seated person
  • Empties a 20 lb tank fast at full output
TypeTank-top radiant propane heater
Output45,000 BTU (per the listing)
Radiating arc540 degrees (per the listing)
MountingScrews onto a 20 lb propane tank
Indoor useNot published

Specs read from the product listing, on October 13, 2026. “Not published” means the maker doesn’t state that figure there.

Portable heater or the furnace you already have?

Most travel trailers leave the factory with a vented propane furnace plumbed into the onboard tanks. It is the safest heat in the vehicle, because its combustion air comes from outside and its exhaust goes outside. It also runs a 12-volt blower that will flatten a single battery in a long night, and it is loud.

That is the real reason people buy a portable propane heater for a camper: not that the furnace is missing, but that boondocking without hookup makes the blower expensive in amp-hours. A portable radiant heater uses no electricity at all, which is a genuine advantage — and it puts its combustion products in the cabin with you, which is the cost. Use the furnace when you have the power, and the portable heater when you are awake and the vent is cracked.

Built-in RV furnaces and vented wall heaters are fitted by dealers rather than bought off a shelf, so they are not in the picks above — this page covers what you can buy, carry and use yourself.

How much heat does a camper need?

  • 3,800 BTU: a van, a teardrop or a small truck camper. Takes the edge off and is the lowest-risk option in the smallest space.
  • 9,000 BTU: a typical travel trailer or camper van. The default, and the one most people should buy.
  • 18,000 BTU: a large trailer or fifth wheel in sustained cold, where the extra cylinder matters as much as the extra output.
  • 45,000 BTU: outdoors, under the awning, for people standing around. Never inside.

Oversizing a heater in an RV is not a safety-neutral choice. More fuel per hour means more oxygen consumed, more combustion product in the cabin and more water vapor — roughly a pint an hour at modest output, which in a camper shows up as condensation on every window and damp bedding by morning.

Cylinders, hoses and where the gas lives

A 1 lb disposable cylinder holds roughly 21,500 BTU, so the Portable Buddy on high empties one in a little over two hours. For any trip longer than a night, buy the hose and regulator and run from a 20 lb tank in the exterior propane locker. Cost per hour falls by a large multiple and you stop carrying empties.

Three rules that are specific to a vehicle rather than a house:

  • Spare cylinders live outside. In the propane locker or a vented exterior bay, never in a cabinet in the living space.
  • Never run a portable heater while driving. Nor with the propane on at a filling station.
  • Check the connection with soapy water, not a flame. Every time the cylinder is changed, including at the campsite in the dark.

What about electric heat in an RV?

On a 30-amp hookup an electric heater is the easy answer — no combustion, no oxygen consumed, no CO, no condensation. The limit is the pedestal: a 1,500 watt heater is 12.5 amps, which is a large share of a 30-amp service before the air conditioner, the water heater or the microwave gets a look in. Plan the load, do not just plug it in. For the mounted-heater version of that idea, see electric porch heaters.

And if the camping is in a tent rather than a trailer, the trade-offs change — propane heaters for camping covers tents specifically, and wood stoves for RVs covers the flued option for anyone willing to cut a hole in the roof.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best propane heater for an RV?

The Mr. Heater Portable Buddy for most campers and travel trailers: 9,000 BTU, an indoor-use rating on its own listing, a low-oxygen shutoff and a tip-over switch, running from a 1 lb cylinder or a 20 lb tank with a hose. In a van or teardrop the 3,800 BTU Little Buddy is the better-sized choice; in a large fifth wheel the Big Buddy's 18,000 BTU and twin cylinders buy run time.

Is it safe to use a propane heater in a camper?

With an indoor-rated heater, a roof vent or window cracked, a CO alarm fitted and nobody asleep, yes. A camper is a small sealed box, so all four conditions matter more than they would in a house. Tank-top radiants, forced-air heaters and patio heaters are outdoor-only and must never be run inside a camper.

Can you sleep with a propane heater on in an RV?

No. Unvented propane combustion consumes cabin oxygen and releases combustion products into the space you are sleeping in, and an asleep occupant cannot react to symptoms or an alarm quickly. Use the vehicle's vented furnace overnight if you have the battery capacity, or warm the camper before bed and turn the portable heater off.

Why use a portable heater when the RV has a furnace?

Because the furnace runs a 12-volt blower, which is expensive in amp-hours when you are boondocking without hookup. A portable radiant propane heater uses no electricity at all. The trade is that the furnace vents its combustion air and exhaust outside, and the portable heater does not — so the furnace is the safer heat whenever you have the power for it.

How long will a propane heater run in a travel trailer?

A 1 lb disposable cylinder holds roughly 21,500 BTU, so a 9,000 BTU heater on high runs a little over two hours and proportionally longer on low. Running from a 20 lb tank in the exterior propane locker with a hose and regulator gives around twenty times the capacity at a far lower cost per hour, which is what anyone out for more than one night should do.

Where should propane cylinders be stored in an RV?

Outside the living space — in the exterior propane locker or a vented exterior bay, never in an interior cabinet. Change cylinders outside, check the connection with soapy water rather than a flame, and turn the gas off while driving and at filling stations.

Sources

  • CPSC — Carbon Monoxide Information Center — The US Consumer Product Safety Commission on carbon monoxide: “More than 200 people in the United States die every year from accidental non-fire related CO poisoning associated with consumer products,” and its standing recommendation to “Install battery-operated CO alarms or CO alarms with battery backup on every level of the home and outside sleeping areas” (accessed October 7, 2026)

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