Since it getting pretty cold down here in Phoenix ;) I decided to ad an
auxiliary propane tank and a Mr. Heater portable Buddy heater to my '82
Westie. I found an extra tank at my local VW junk yard and attached it to
the other side of the van using the existing bolts that hang down from the
chassis ~$100 (it's almost like VW planned ahead on this, it fits
perfectly). I got the heater off of Amazon.com for ~$90. The heater is
designed for use with those small gas cylinders and can be used safely in
tents and enclosed areas. I spoke with another Westie owner who turned me on
to it. He lives in Flagstaff (where it really does get cold) and he says it
keeps him and the van nice and toasty. Rather than using the cans though I'm
going to run two lines from the new tank. One line will go inside the van
just behind the passenger seat and have an adapter to fit the heater. It's
possible to permanently fix the heater to the van, but it's also small
enough to store away under the back seat. The second line will remain
outside behind where one would attach the jack to be used for an outside
lantern or additional stove. I should have this completed in January and
I'll send pictures when it's done if anyone is interested. I'm having a
professional RV joint do the propane line work and installation just so
everything is done right. I was quoted a price for this at ~$250.

Ryan

-----Original Message-----
From: Colleen & David [mailto:krussells@EARTHLINK.NET]
Sent: Tuesday, December 03, 2002 3:33 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: camping furnace?

I'm wondering if anyone has come up with, or across a way to heat a
westfalia for winter camping.  I used to use a propane space heater in my
82, but was always worried ( with good reason ) about suffocating.  My new
84 has an auxiliary heater; can this be used for camping?

thanks,
Dave Criste