12v or battery powered electric blankets

[jclays]

Does anyone use 12v electric blankets?
Do they work well?
Do they draw much from the battery?
I’m looking to sleep warm while away from shore power for a few days to a week.

I’ve also just seen a blanket powere by a Makita 18v battery. Interesting!
Anyone try one?
Thanks
Jim

 

[CharlieO.]

Check out bunk warmers also. Generally made for the trucking crowd but they go under you.

https://www.roadtrucker.com/12-volt-heating/12-volt-bunk-warmer.htm

 

[sd1209]

Currently use a 120v electric blanket in the RV......Works very well and surprisingly low draw.....Just be careful if you use an inverter for the 120v........Most need a PSW inverter, not modified sine wave.....We use a king size, individual temp controllers.....Works great.......

 

[jclays]

Need 12v. No 120v when away from the dock.

 

[Shrew]

What temps are we talking about? When I used to climb and winter hike, we used mummy bags. I have a down mummy bag that is rated for -15F.

If we're just talking the occasional overnight and just for sleeping, I'd look at a mummy bag rated about 10-15 degrees below the temps you're going to deal with.

If I wanted heat in the cabin and not just sleeping and it was regular enough, I'd be looking at installing a diesel heater, like an Espar.

 

[huruta]

We don't electrify. Love down. I LOVE our feathered friends down bags...and their pillows...and their comforter....not as cheap as an electric blanket but oh my, such great sleep (no relation/ties to company). https://featheredfriends.com/collections/sleeping-bags

 

[tiltrider1]

I used a 120v electric blanket back in the day. I was always surprised at how few amps the blanket actually consumed. Placing a heated pad under you is probably even more efficient than using an actual blanket. I'm guessing less heat loss. By using the electric blanket I was able to use even less diesel heat which made things quieter and used less battery amps.

I love down in Colorado and Montanna. I find it has clumping issues here in the PNW. I also found that electric blankets self regulate the heat better, a mummy bag might be great on 32 degree day and then be to hot the next night that only drops to 50 degrees.

On the other hand, there is no one right answer for all so use what ever works for you.

 

[O C Diver]

Depending on the electric blanket controller, the older style (non electronic) work fine on a modified sine wave inverter. I use a twin on my queen bed with a comforter on top. It's very nice not to crawl into a fridged bed. Mine draws about 165 watts on full power, but never use it above 20%. This equates to 165 watts × 20% = 33 watts. This equals about 3 amps 12 VDC plus a little more for inverter inefficiency. A 200 or 300 watt inverter can be had for $100 to $300.

Ted

 

[jclays]

Thanks for the input. However not looking for anything 120v. Don’t have an inverter except for my laptop. Looking to see if anyone uses straight 12v like the rv or automotive ones.

 

[Duke 239]

Depending on the electric blanket controller, the older style (non electronic) work fine on a modified sine wave inverter. I use a twin on my queen bed with a comforter on top. It's very nice not to crawl into a fridged bed. Mine draws about 165 watts on full power, but never use it above 20%. This equates to 165 watts × 20% = 33 watts. This equals about 3 amps 12 VDC plus a little more for inverter inefficiency. A 200 or 300 watt inverter can be had for $100 to $300.

Ted

I didn’t think anyone still used non-electronic AC heated blankets since the big New Yorker article about 60 Hz AC causing leukemia. That was the late 1980s.

 

[Cargile]

We don't electrify. Love down. I LOVE our feathered friends down bags...and their pillows...and their comforter....not as cheap as an electric blanket but oh my, such great sleep (no relation/ties to company). https://featheredfriends.com/collections/sleeping-bags

Ouch! Down is not inexpensive. One thing that caught my eye were "women's" sleeping bags. Photos looked the same as other bags. Maybe they zip from underneath as women's dresses sometimes zip in the back?

 

[DavidM]

Check out this page from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=12v+elec...2v+electric,aps,98&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_12

David

 

[Marco Flamingo]

A down comforter costs the same or less as an inverter for 120V household blanket. The 12V electric blankets are generally small. In larger sizes, they are also >$100 and would require a 12V cigarette lighter plug-in or something next to the bed.

Down is simple and can tuck into a tiny bag. Easy to buy a down comforter that is more than what you need. When IKEA says "extra warm," they mean a berth that gets down into the 40s and below. When we are anchored in freezing weather, we just add pajamas (not 12V). Electric pajamas sound as creepy as electric blankets.

 

[Jeff F]

I've got heated mattress pads. If you've got the power to use them they're great.

Mine is about 100w. If I'm cold weather cruising I'll remember to turn it on full power late in the day while underway and power is abundant. At bed time crawling into a berth with everything warm is something to look forward to.

Usually I'll turn it off then, but running at lower power with lighter bedding is a viable choice. It also allows reduced cabin heating. I do that in extreme cold because my berth is over an unheated area and there's a big temperature difference between top and bottom.

At 12v the math is pretty easy - divide watts by 10 and you've got a good conservative approximation. Most heated pads I've seen are in the 50-100w range, with at least some control over temperature.