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This Literally Saved my Father's Life
Review by Donald
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I spent New Year's day with my father today when he relayed this story to me.. When it comes to expressing freedom and patriotism; my old man sets the bar pretty high. Many an evening we have sat around a campfire where he tells his best hunting trip stories of days passed. Today, I was thankful to get to hug my father again.
December 2nd my dad set out for his first hunt of the season. With his rheumatoid arthritis he doesn't get around as easily as he once did, but being a man of determination he sets out earlier to slowly work his way towards his deer blind. The medicine he receives for his RA often causes him nausea with a mix of other ailments that make lone traversing risky and unfortunately, that was the case for him at 3:45 am that morning.
He parked at a quarter til four and started his slow trek through the woods towards his destination. Nausea set in. He stressed to me the importance of this hunt as the game warden had stated tag sales were down so to compensate for the lower sales, the price for a tag was increased to $30: he was GETTING a deer. He kept walking to reach his blind but the nausea quickly got the better of him and he began to vomit. He said for nearly 200 yards he left a puke trail through the woods. I personally have never puked for 200 yards and I'm sure Guinness could verify if this is a new record or not, but as one could only imagine with such a feat: he grew considerably weak.
"It hit me: I was going to collapse. I kept walking as far as I could while puking but it sank in: I am going to go down. I had my rifle slung on one arm and my other was carrying my portable heater. And here's the thing.... I wasn't even sure if I was going to buy it or not. I ended up purchasing it the night before... just a few hours prior actually. It was raining with a mix of snowy, slush coming down heavy.... I think the weather was around 40.5 degrees. I had vomit all down the front of me, I was weak, I was disoriented, and I knew I was going to collapse. I told myself 'You're going down.' My hands never raised to catch me; one moment I was standing, the next I was face down in the leaves and still steady puking."
Facedown in the leaves and still vomiting: he could have suffocated. Thankfully, just before he lost consciousness he tilted his head, turned the heater on, and it was immediately lights out. He awoke 1 hour and 40 minutes later frozen to the bone. It was pitch black, still rain/slushing and he was soaked. His heater was facing his Carhartt coat and had begun to burn the hood. The smell of it burning woke him.
"For a moment... 'it' crossed my mind. You hear about people freezing to death in the woods and ask yourself 'How?' It was in that moment I realized how. 'This is it. I'm going to freeze to death here in these woods.' Son, I have been through levels of cold before. 'It's chilly out. Dang it is cold out. Okay, it is FREEZING out.' But this? This was a cold I had never felt before. A cold that I thought.... it was really going to claim me. I knew my heater was starting to run low so I opened my coat and forced myself into a sitting position and hunched over it to try and tent the heat. I was too weak to stand, it was too dark to see. Even shining my flashlight in every direction: I had no clue where I was. I sat there for the next hour and twenty minutes and I know it was through a sheer willpower of not wanting to die from freezing to death in the woods, and that little heater, that I'm still here."
After an hour and twenty minutes there was just enough light for him to make out the silhouette of the ridgeline and he was able to slowly venture the rest of the distance to his deer blind. I was jaw dropped. He reiterated (due to my disbelief that he didn't immediately head back towards his vehicle) that he did not agree to the price hike of deer tags and said that just in spite of that alone: he wasn't going to be beaten. "I was getting a deer." He had an extra can of propane stored in his blind where he was able to switch it out and raise his core temp back to a safer level; although still extremely weak.
If he wouldn't have turned his head before going unconscious, he would have suffocated in his vomit. If he wouldn't have turned his heater on before reaching syncope: he would have frozen to death in his unconscious state. If the heater wouldn't have been facing his hood to the point the burning odor awoke him: I wouldn't have got to hug my dad today. We stood in the backyard and even cracked a couple of jokes, but after listening to his story: I want to relay from him as well as give my own thanks to the company of Mr. Heater. He had their "Portable Buddy" with him and without it, my dad would not have seen another Christmas. He would not have seen 2020 and would not have gotten to hug his grandkids today.
He sat with his makeshift coat teepee for about 15 minutes before he found his glasses. In his exact words "If you are about to freeze to death in the woods; you want Ironman glasses and a Mr. Heater Portable Buddy. I found my glasses laying on the ground a ways from me and the right ear piece was bent forward and then back around in front of both lenses and all I could think at the moment was 'Great.' I bent it back around in place and they were good as new.
I'm thankful to Ironman for making a product durable enough to have not made a critical and decisive moment in my father's existence worse. I have always purchased Ironman sunglasses myself, but can assure you that down the road: I will ONLY be purchasing Ironman eyewear as well as a Mr. Heater Portable Buddy for emergencies.
From my dad as well as myself: thank you to everyone who works at Mr. Heater, Ironman, and Carhartt. I have no doubt that the culmination of these three items lead to the continuation of my fathers life, with the pinnacle of the three being his propane heater. It truly is/was a lifesaver. His heater sits beside his computer desk now, close to him. He was wearing the same Ironman glasses from the fall and had he not have told me they were in what appeared to be ruined condition when he first found them: I never would have known. The burn marks on the hood of his Carhartt created the aroma for his awakening and serve as a reminder that tomorrow is never promised. He did say that "puke-smell" mixed with burnt Carhartt does not attract many deer.
I spent the remainder of our visit in disbelief of what he endured. It was during my training in the Marines that we were given a compass and coordinates briefly before being sent into the pitch black of woods to find our destination. It is a surreal thing. To open and close your eyes and not be able to tell the difference. Pitch black wherever you look and reaching for anything that may or may not be there. It plays a mental toll. "Am I asleep? Am I awake? Am I alive?" It's hard to imagine my father in a situation like this and to me it speaks mountains of his willpower and determination to have survived in the condition of which he awoke. Froze to the bone, disoriented, weak from his marathon puke session; soaked in complete darkness (except the faint glow of his heater which was easily engulfed by the surrounding woods) with no bearing or knowledge of where he was: he survived. The thought of "I'm going to die" overcome with determination, an unshakeable willpower, and a little propane heater: he lived to tell me this tale and I am beyond thankful and proud. Perhaps not so much that he didn't just hunt from his vehicle but that's not his style and I know that love of "the hunt." It was the same love that my Papaw had before passing and nothing was going to stop him from experiencing it.
To my father: I love you. I was privileged more than I realized to get to embrace you today and to watch you spend the afternoon with your grandbabies. I wish I could have been there with you when this happened. I wish anyone was with you. By some stroke of fate, you bought the heater that saved your life mere hours before you knew it would. I'd say the purchase has paid itself off infinitely. I love you, dad. I'm thankful for a new year and even more so that it's a year your grandbabies and myself won't have to spend without you. With a face full of vomit and nearly hypothermic: you stared death back in the face and said "Not today." It gave me goosebumps hearing you relay this, but as unbelievable as it was to hear you tell me this yourself, I'm thankful it's a story you'll get to relay to your grandkids one day on your own accord. Thank you, Mr. Heater.
(Posted on 1/2/2020)
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Great heater
Review by Chad
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Use this one in the garage. Warms it up enough to do anything in the winter months in the garage without having to be bundled up. And is small enough to put out of the way when not in use.
(Posted on 11/22/2019)
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Lifesave
Review by Richie
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This heater saved my butt, and my campers too. I was traveling out of Wyoming in the camper for work in late October during a strange cold snap. Since the camper was not winterized the concern was freezing up the plumbing and tanks traveling through sub zero temps. The furnace in the camper was struggling and the batteries were wearing down. Stopped into Wal-Mart bought one of these and the camper was suddenly tropical inside. Toasty warm and not setting off monoxide alarms at all. Stayed above 70F easily in 5F blowing snow weather in Wyoming. Thanks Mr.Buddy hope I never have to use you again!
(Posted on 10/30/2019)
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Durability
Review by CHRIS
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I give this product a 10 out of 10 for durability. Mine decided to jump out the back of the truck while we were going down the highway at around 70 mph. We didnt notice till we got out to our duckblind that it was missing, so on the way home we found it on the side of the road. I put the tank in it and it fired right up. I was very surprised since you could tell it skipped down the road about 60 feet.
(Posted on 10/26/2019)
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Saved my life
Review by Greg
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Some time ago I was hunting in Michigan's upper peninsula. The night before the opener of rifle season we had a significant snow storm and the temperatures plummeted. I was hunting off a river system that was only accessible by boat. On the morning of the opener, as I was exited the boat flipped next to a beaver damn. The water was deep and I went completely under. I managed to tip the boat upright, secured my gear and crawled through the snow to my blind....completely soaked. Once in my blind, I fired up the Mr. Heater. was able to get my cloths dry by the end of the morning. Where I was hunting, there were no roads, no cell coverage and the closest person in my hunting party was across river about 2 miles away. If the Mr. Heater had not worked as intended that morning, I am certain I would have died of hypothermia. Great product. I don't hunt without it.
(Posted on 5/15/2019)
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AWESOMENESS!!!!!
Review by KELLY
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I bought the Buddy heater for my motorhome and am very impressed. Was able to get it started with easy instructions and it heated my 23 foot motorhome within minutes.!!!
Would highly recommend this to everyone especially women. Easy to start up and easy to handle.
AWESOMENESS!!!!
(Posted on 1/7/2019)
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A great purchase for the money should have done it long ag.
Review by James
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I like the buddy heater. It heats my deer house when it was 30 degrees today. My only complaint is that on low it makes a sputtering noise. I don't know if this is normal or not. it doesn't seem to do this on high though. Pricey!! I don't think so how much is comfort worth, sitting in a freezing hunting shack or sitting in one that is toasty warm. on low it used a one pound cannister about six hours. Thats not bad. I will recommend this heater to my friends.
(Posted on 11/10/2018)
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One of my best purchases ever
Review by Andrew
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This thing is so worth the money. I've owned it for roughly a month now and it's already payed for itself. Long story short I had gotn my diesel truck stuck in the snow and left it sit overnight in 0 degree weather i went out the next day bought the buddy heater set it under my oilpan on high and my truck started within an hour without this it wouldn't have started at all and I would have had to pay for a wrecker. Now I'll have it for camping and hunting. Definitely a must buy if you live North!
(Posted on 1/25/2018)
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Outstanding product
Review by chris
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I lost power and I have a Generac backup generator but it will not run a heat pump system. We had recently had problems with our 20 year old gas logs and was not available for use. I bought my Buddy portable heater about five years ago for my hurricane emergency kit and did not know if the Buddy would put out enough heat to make a difference. it was 25 degrees outside and I placed the heater in the living room. I was surprised to see that it keep our house above freezing until the power company got the power restored. it really puts out a lot of heat. Easy to operate. Just follow the directions printed on the back.
(Posted on 1/6/2018)
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Excellent product
Review by Carl
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Bought one 7 yrs ago on sale to try it in my hunting blinds and ice fishing shanty. I was amazed and pleased at portability, ease of use and efficiency of it. So much that I bought a 2nd one to divide use between 4 hunting blinds. A bit pricey but well worth it in long run for the comfort they provide. Nice to sit in a blind or shanty in shirtsleeves. Makes difference of an all day outing or coming home early cuz you're froze. Reliability: One is 7 rs old & one is 5 yrs, never a problem at all with either one. I am very pleased with the quality and efficiency.
(Posted on 11/1/2017)
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Just bought one
Review by Ken
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Having used this unit for only 1 week,I am very impressed.ease of operation,size,no noise .Thank you for somebody that still builds quality equipment
(Posted on 5/10/2017)
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Great heater, GREAT customer service
Review by TONY
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I've used Mr.heater heaters for many years in the hunting blind and in ice shacks, I finally bought my own Mr. Buddy. absolutely love it. it worked flawlessly for the first month after purchase. Then the unimaginable- it quit sparking. I was besides myself. I finally bought my own fancy heater, and its broken! I called the customer service line, inquiring as to the warranty for these heaters.. gave the CSR my serial number, he informed me that the valve assembly would indeed be covered under the warranty, he offered for me to send in my unit to be repaired or replaced, or if I was feeling "handy" he would send me the valve free of charge. I obliged! I had also in a previous (unrelated) incident ; set a hot torch head down on my heater handle. I asked if replacement handles were available. he responded by asking what color my plastic was, after determining the correct color, He informed me he would be sending the handles along with the valve to me FREE OF CHARGE. I did not expect that, quite generous indeed considering my ignorance caused my handle destruction! I informed Brian that I would do all I could to spread the word of his out-of-this-world customer service. so here's my review!
(Posted on 3/3/2017)
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Terrific product!
Review by Linda
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I am living off the grid and bought this to help stay warm overnight. It has proven invaluable and one of the best purchases I have ever made!
(Posted on 2/5/2017)
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Outstanding Product! Outstanding Quality!
Review by Brent
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For the simple design, this product is definitely made to last! I was lucky and purchased my Portable Buddy from a local store and was apprehensive at first. However, it was definitely worth it!! The overall construction seemed fragile but I assure you, my heater has been everywhere with me from my hunting blind, to my Bradley Fighting Vehicle when in the field with my unit! it is not backpack portable, but small enough to fit in a duffelbag or car without taking up too much space and on a 1lb propane canister, I get anywhere from 6-7 hours of heat and went from 16 degrees in a 12x12 tent to around 70 degrees! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE this heater and Mr. Heater has my business from here on! You guys rock!
(Posted on 2/23/2015)
