The Best Ice Fishing Heater 2020 – My Top 5 Picks

There are no doubts about it, a cold day on the water can ruin a good fishing day.

Sure, you can dress for the occasion by having the right ice fishing boots, some warm gloves, and comfortable bibs, but sometimes you just need a good ice fishing heater to stay warm.

For that reason, in this post, we are going to talk about a few tips on selecting a good heater and we are going to take an in-depth look at a few of our favorites.

The Best Ice Fishing Heater 2020 – My Top 5 Picks

Here is a quick preview of our top 5 favorite models. For more information on each one, please keep reading below.

• Mr. Heater F232000 MH9BX Buddy
• Mr. Heater Little Buddy
• Mr. Heater MH18B, Portable Propane Heater
• Dyna-Glo Propane Tank Top Heater
• Mr. Heater MH15C

Continue reading if you would like to take a closer look, but first, let’s look at a question that many people have when choosing a heater:

How much heat do I need?

A simple way to find out how big of a heater you need is by using a BTU measurement.

What is a BTU?

BTU is an energy unit.

It is a way to measure how much energy is needed to heat one pound of water by 1 degree Fahrenheit.

In simple terms, it tells you how big a heater is needed to bring a certain location such as an ice shelter to the desired temperature. The higher the BTU rating the greater the heat capacity output.

Is measuring the BTU the best way to find a heater for your ice fishing shelter?

Sure, you could measure your shelter and find out the exact BTU measurement needed for your place.

However, I wouldn’t recommend it for 3 reasons.

Insulation. While ice fishing shelters, such as tents do offer some protection from the wind and some limited insulation they aren’t going to provide the best insulation.  

What I mean by best insulation is they aren’t designed to keep the warm air in, they are more designed to keep the cold air out.

That being said if you figure out the BTU for your shelter such as a tent, based on its size, you are going to be really disappointed when you can’t figure out why your heater isn’t keeping you warm.

For that reason, I would recommend not figuring out the exact BTU measurement, but always go bigger than you think you will need.

Time. If you are looking for a small space heater that you will be sitting in front of, BTU doesn’t matter much, just choose the best one for you.

On the other hand, if you are looking for something to keep your shack at a certain temperature you are going to want to think about the timing. A small unit could have a large BTU put out, but if it takes 2 hours to warm things up, you won’t be too happy.

For that reason, once again I would recommend going with something a little bit bigger than you think you might need.

Bigger is better. When choosing a heater I like to think about it this way; you can’t go too big, but you can go too small.

Yes, I know you don’t want to be carrying a lot of things out on the water, but choose to simplify something else such as the ice auger (such as a cordless drill ice auger), not the space heater.

The last thing you want to happen is to wish you would have gotten a bigger heater in the first place.

Now that we have talked about a few tips to consider when shopping for a space heater, let’s take a look at a few models on the market.

The Best Ice Fishing Heater 2020

Mr. Heater MH9BX Buddy

Features:

• 4,000 – 9,000 BTU/hour Radiant Heat
• Heats up to 225 square feet
• Propane operated
• Weight 9.5 pounds
• Automatic tip-over safety shut-off
• ODS Sensor

The first on our list is the Mr. Heater F232000 MH9BX Buddy.

What we like most about this unit is the heat output. This little unit can put out 4,000 – 9,000 BTU radiant heat per hour.

That is a whole lot of heat for such a relatively small device. That gives it the capacity to heat a shelter up to 225 square feet.

It has two heat settings, a low setting of 4,000 BTUs and a high setting of 9,000 BTUs so that you can easily maneuver them to be comfortable on the water.

Even though it has a great heat output it doesn’t sacrifice much in size. It only weighs 9.5 pounds making it lightweight and extremely easy to move around.

Lastly, whenever dealing with CO2 and propane we always want to remember to be safe.

Another great feature this unit has is an automatic safety shut off. With an Oxygen Depletion Sensor this heater is designed to turn off if it detects that is it not operating in a safe environment.

The one drawback to this unit is the propane cylinder.

It is designed to connect to a 1 pound propane cylinder. Which isn’t a bad thing, it is what makes it light and easy to move around.

However, maybe you are looking for something with a bigger tank so you don’t always have to be changing the tank. It is possible with this unit, but you have to purchase an extension hose and a filter kit.

It is a little annoying that it isn’t included in the package, but overall this unit is quite impressive.

If you are planning on connecting this unit to a larger tank, the hose you would want to get would be something like this Mr. Heater Buddy Series Hose and the fuel filter that would fit in this one Mr. Heater Fuel Filter for Big Buddy Heaters.

Mr. Heater Little Buddy

Features:

• 3,800 BTU/hour
• Heats up to 95 square feet
• 5.5 hours of heat
• Propane operated
• Weight 5 pounds
• Automatic tip-over safety shut-off

Are you looking for an ice fishing heater that is a little smaller and a little bit more portable than the previously mentioned?

If so, you are going to love the next option on our list, it is the Mr. Heater Little Buddy.

As we mentioned before, I personally would always recommend going bigger when selecting the right space heater, but there is nothing wrong with going smaller if that is what you need.

For that reason, I really like Mr. Heater’s Little Buddy.

The same great quality as Mr. Heater mentioned above just in a smaller package. This small unit puts out 3,800 BTUs per hour and can heat up to 95 square feet.

The best part is the portability.

As you can see from the picture is basically a heater that fits right over the propane cylinder.

This helps to make it lightweight only weighing in at 5 pounds and most important portable.

Mr. Heater MH18B

Features:

• 4,000 – 18,000 BTU/hour Radiant Heat
• Heats up to 300 square feet
• Propane operated
• Automatic tip-over safety shut-off
• Low Oxygen Safety Shut off (ODS Sensor)
• Built-in blower fan

Remember how we said that bigger is better when searching for the best ice fishing heater.

Well, you can’t get bigger and perhaps you can find one better than the Mr. Heater MH18B, Portable Propane Heater.

This heater can put out up to 18,000 BTUs per hour and heat up to 400 square feet. It also features a built-in blower fan which helps to circulate the hot air and work more efficiently.

It is made from the same quality products as the 2 previous mentioned products only a little bit bigger.

So, if you are tired of being cold while out on the ice and are you looking for a unit that can put out some serious heat.

I would recommend you check out this heater.

Dyna-Glo Propane Tank Top Heater

Features:

• 9,000 – 15,000 BTUs
• 3 heat settings
• Propane operated
• Match ignition
• Heats up to 15ft radius
• Tip Switch For Safety
• Unit Weight not including the tank 2.42 pounds

The next heater we are going to look at in search of the best heater for ice fishing is the Dyna-Glo Propane Tank Top Heater.

I must say, this heater puts off a ton of heat, up to 15,000 BTUs to be exact, but it is not intended for indoor use.

I would recommend this model for people who want to use a heater outside of their shelter.

What makes this unit unique is how easy it is to use.

It is basically just a tank top heater also known as a sunflower.

You simply attach it to your propane tank of choice and you are ready to go.

It can help up to a 15-foot radius.

Important note about the Dyna-Glo:This unit is not intended for indoor use so always keep in mind to have proper ventilation when using this heater.

Mr. Heater MH15C

Features:

• 8,000 – 15,000 BTU/hour
• Heats up to 375 square feet
• Propane operated
• Automatic safety shut-off

Are you looking for a heater that is both lightweight and extremely portable?

If so, you need to check out the Mr. Heather MH15C.

Don’t let the sie of this heater fool you.

This thing can put out some serious heat. It puts about between 8,000 to 15,000 BTU an hour and can heat up to 375 square feet nicely.

What I like about this particular model is that not only is it a heater, but it is also a cooker.

Many times when we are out on the ice it isn’t just about ice fishing. It is also about spending time with friends and that usually means eating good food.

With the Mr. Heather MH15C not only do you have a good heater, but you have a good cooker to cook up some fresh fish when out on the ice.

Ice Fishing Heater Safety

Lastly, I wanted to talk about SAFETY.

Safety is always important when dealing with gases and fire.

Here are 3 tips to keep in mind when using any of the above heaters for ice fishing.

Solid Surface. Always place your heater on a solid surface. This can help to prevent it from falling over and burning things or worse yet catching things on fire.

I know some of the models we talked about have a tip-over safety switch, but it never hurts to be extra cautious.

Ventilation. When fishing around heaters and propane it is always important to have some sort of ventilation.

I know it might sound weird to crack a window when you are trying to heat things up, but it is essential so as not to deplete the oxygen levels and result in carbon monoxide poisoning.

Once again, many models mentioned in this post have an automatic oxygen detection system, but it never hurts to be overly cautious. In fact, there is nothing wrong with bringing a CO2 detector with you especially when fishing in a more permanent location such as an ice shack.

Once again I want to emphasis that proper ventilation when using these heaters is essential.

Safe Distance. Many of the models in this post, do not have a direct flame and many come equipped with some sort of guard to protect you from injury.

However, always remember to keep a safe distance between you and the heater. This is especially important when talking about clothing items and children.

Always keep an eye on your kids when around a heater.

Don’t leave it on all night. I know it might sound quite obvious, but never leave a fire or a heater unattended even for a moment.

This includes when going to sleep at night.

Don’t leave it on all night long!

If you leave it unattended, it could start a fire or the carbon monoxide could build-up resulting in carbon monoxide poisoning.

Keep things to remember about safety.

Also, keep it on a flat solid surface, keep a safe distance, don’t leave it unattended especially at night and always have proper ventilation.

Final Thoughts…

In this post, we talked about some tips to consider when searching for the best ice fishing heater, we took a closer look at a few models on the market and we mentioned some safety tips.

Now it is your turn. What do you think is the best ice fishing heater? Please share your thoughts in the comments below