The first thing that comes to mind when I find myself in the mountains on a winter camping trip is, unsurprisingly, the cold. As soon as I turn off my van’s engine, I remember how quickly the heat escapes. That is when I turn to my old friend the Hcalory HBS-3 diesel heater.
I turn to the HBS-3 because I do not want my winter trips to be ruled by the cold. For me, the Hcalory HBS-3 is valuable because it handles cold starting, altitude, and long overnight heating while cutting maintenance down to a minimum compared to other diesel heaters.
Quick Heating When My Van Is Cold
When driving through the mountains during the winter, it is not uncommon for me to spend several hours driving through the cold before being able to set up camp. I do not want to wait for my heater to decide whether or not it can start on a cold morning. HBS-3’s 1-minute pre-heating algorithm before the actual combustion begins is perfect for me in such situations.
I do not want to wait for a complex ignition process to finish before being able to escape the cold. The 18 seconds that it takes for the HBS-3’s glow plug to warm up before the injection begins is, in my opinion, a huge plus when it comes to heaters for cold weather.
Powerful Heater for the Storage Space in My Van
A camping heater that is too small to warm up the van during -15°C nights is not particularly useful to me either. Fortunately, the HBS-3 offers me a great balance between size and power.
With a 5KW power output, the aluminum construction, and the improved combustion chamber of the HBS-3, the heater manages to pack impressive heating power into a relatively small 1.8kg device. In practice, that means that at the highest settings the air coming out of the vents can actually be quite hot. For me, that is important because it allows me to turn up the power of the heater when the weather is at its worst in order to quickly warm up the van. For my winter camping adventures, the HBS-3 offers me powerful heating without sacrificing the storage space in my van.
Perform Consistently When I Am High Up In The Mountains
I find that one of the best things about mountain hiking and camping is that the weather can be so variable. You might set up camp at 2000 meters in the morning and then wake up the next morning at 4000 meters. This dramatic change in weather poses quite a challenge for any kind of heater.
Diesel heaters, in particular, are known to be quite sensitive to changes in altitude due to the altered air-fuel-ratio. I certainly do not want to get to my high altitude camp only to realize that my heater is now running sluggishly and creating more carbon deposits than usual. Luckily, with the HBS-3 I have the option to manually adjust the air-fuel-ratio depending on the altitude.
With 5 options spanning approximately 1000-5000 meters, the altitude adjustment on the HBS-3 allows me to manually compensate for the different air densities at different altitudes. I find myself comparing it more to a proper travel heater than a simple parking heater. After all, I never know where I am going to end up, and the last thing that I want is for my heater to malfunction because of it.
Keep Comfortable and Cozy When Camping Overnight
When I go camping, I like the comforts of home. Unfortunately, that tends to include being reminded of home by its heating system whenever I run out of fuel in the middle of the night. Fortunately for me, the HBS-3 does not seem to have this issue.
With a 5L fuel tank, the advertised 41.7-hour low power run time on the specified fuel consumption graph.
The low-fuel consumption of the HBS-3 means that I can leave it on low overnight with minimal risk of running out of fuel. In combination with the 5L fuel tank, this essentially allows me to forget about the heater as soon as I fall asleep.
Not Require Extra Space In My Van to Install the Heater
Installing gear in the van is that things are almost never as convenient as they look on paper. There is always some extra space that you need to factor in, and some things that do not quite fit the way that you would like them to. The exhaust routing, in particular, can be very fussy about the space and orientation that it needs in order to properly install. Fortunately for me, the HBS-3 has a stainless steel elbow that allows me to easily route the exhaust where I need it to go.
In addition to that, it also has an exhaust heat-protection sleeve that allows me to keep the heater further away from sensitive installation parts without risking them melting due to the proximity to the exhaust. I do not want to have to modify my van’s design just to accommodate the heater. Fortunately for me, that has not been an issue with the HBS-3.
Bring The Hcalory HBS-3 On My Next Winter Trip
When it comes to gear for cold weather, I always look for things that solve real problems, and if a heater can’t handle a cold start or a full night on one tank, it’s not worth the space in my van. The Hcalory HBS-3 addresses many of the issues that I have with other diesel heaters, namely the slow cold start, the altitude sensitivity, and lack of overnight fuel range. That is what makes the HBS-3 valuable. It does not change the cold, but it certainly changes my experience with it.
Take the reliable Hcalory HBS-3 5KW heater wherever the road leads.
