Your thoughts on using a Mr Heater while tent camping?

Thinking of using a Mr Heater for camping/Steelhead fishing this Spring.
Anyone ever use one? 
Is it safe in a tent?
What size for a 10' x 10' tent?
What has been the coldest weather you have camped in with one?
Yes, cabin fever is driving me crazy!
    Mike

I camped on French Creek three winters ago and it went down to 7 degrees at night.  There was a foot of snow on the ground...  But, Cold is right, the bag is the really important thing.  I would also recommend insulating the floor with packing blankets (the kind they package furniture in for delivery) and putting a tarp or more packing blankets over the outside of the tent to insulate a little more.  Obviously, if you are a good distance away from the car, this is impractical, as it adds a huge amout of weight to the gear you are using.  But I have done this many times while camping near the car or canoe-camping, and it works great    That French Creek trip was the coldest in which I have ever camped intentionally.  My friends and I, as a drunk dare, used to see who could last sleeping outside in our sleeping bags the longest when it was below zero.  This usually resulted in someone running inside at about 4 am with frostbite, or at least the first signs of it...  

Oh, actually it was 8 below zero that night...

I'm not sure if you use any type of air pad to sleep on...
don't use it in the winter

I wouldn't use a cot in the winter.  In my opinion, as long as it is not raining outside, what you want to do is put a tarp on top of the snow (do not clear the snow from under your tent if it is powdery and dry.  If it is wet snow and borderline freezing/thawing, then I would clear the snow out and put the tarp on the ground.  If it is raining, a tarp can be counterproductive and trap water underneath you instead of allowing it to runoff or be absorbed by the ground).  Next put your tent down and insulate the floor with the packing blankets.  Put your rainfly on the tent, too.  Then put another packing blanket over the rainfly and another tarp on top of that.  Put your sleeping bag directly on the packing blanket inside the tent.  If you use a cot, this will not insulate the heat very well and you will have cold air underneath you all night...  If you sleep on top of the packing blanket you will build a warm insulating layer beneath you and the snow will act as an excellent insulating layer, as well...

This is obviously for when the temps are very cold.  If it is 15 degrees +, all of this is not necessary...

never use a propane or catalitic heater in a tent. I did many years ago at a field trial two of us got sick and one dog was lost. The tent even had the vent open. A month a go two hunters died in west virginia using a propane heater. Electric ones are fine if you have power.

If it is raining, a tarp can be counterproductive and trap water underneath you instead of allowing it to runoff or be absorbed by the ground

One way around this is to fold the edges of the tarp underneath the tent by 6" on all sides.  You wont see much of a loss in the effectiveness of the tarp and the water will hit the ground instead of running underneath you. 

Usually when I do cold weather camping, it's backpacking, meaning space and weight are at a premium.  I've found that a smaller tent makes winter camping far more enjoyable for me, simply because it forces me to keep myself organized.  Only the sleeping bag, the mat, and me goes in the tent, the rest stays outside, in the backpack, with a waterproof covering, mostly because myself, my bag, and my mat are all that will fit in the tent.  Keeps me drier and therefore, warmer.

Cold,
When you say "mat", are you referring to some kind of pad?  What mat/pad would you suggest?
Mike

KJH, try putting it under, but with the edges folded in a bit.  I think youll be pleasantly surprised, and it greatly extends the life of your tent's thin nylon floor.

Hefalump, yeah.  Inside the tent, which is far too small for any kind of cot, I lay my sleeping bag out on a "ground pad" or sleeping mat.  I've tried some of the self inflating pads, including a friend's Thermarest, but in the end I come back to my closed-cell foam mat, made by Ridgerest.  It does a great job of smoothing out some of the rough patches in the ground.  Not rocks or roots, but small sticks, stones, or, in one case last summer, a busy mole.  Another tip for a more comfortable sleep is to lay down your tarp where you want to put your tent and actually lay down on it for a moment and roll around.  Your back will quickly let you know if you're on the biggest exposed root in the county.  Its also a good way to see if you're on a slope, which can be maddening.

Yeah, I've driven through there a few times, but never hiked or camped it...  I have been to the Big South Fork, south of there, several times, canoeing, camping, hiking, fishing, etc. and it is my contention that the BSF is right up there with the Great Smoky Mountains NP as the most beautiful spots in the East...  Nanthala, northern Maine, George Washington NF, etc. are nice too, but just not the same wilderness feel...  Haven't been canoeing in the Everglades yet, but I have heard that is great too...
 
Still need to hit the Ozarks, too.  I have had a Buffalo/White River trip in the works for some time now... 

I'm taking my fly rod, and depending on local fishing regulations, which I still have to look into, I will have a brown trout (or two) for dinner...

Nylon tents burn up real fast & don't hold any heat. From experience! LOL
 
Look for a canvas tent. Flame retardant & holds heat. Only downfall to canvas tents are the weight. Went bear hunting in PA quite a few years ago while the temp was -5. Camped for 3 nights in a canvas tent. Was very comfortable with Mr Buddy heater. They are made to not give off carbon monoxide or at least not enough to make you sick or kill you.

I used to go to the Red River Gorge when i went to UK, awesome place.  I have never fished there though, just hiked it. 

Gentlemen,
     Just to throw out a few ideas here. I spent way too many nights sleeping outdoors while in the Army; from frozen desert to Alaska and here is my take.  Sleeping bag:  Get one rated for lower temps than you think you're going to need. Get one big enough to allow some movement. Sleep as close to naked and keep your clothes in the bag with you (stuff them in a bag and use them as a pillow). Wear wool socks when you sleep, helps keep feet warm. If you are car camping and can cary it, the foam blocks they sell for insulating a house, they are great for tent floors.  If back packing, the closed cell foam pad, and if you can accumulate any dried grass or pine twigs to put under it are great.  A wool blanket inside the bag is good and if not that one placed under the bag and then folded over the bag is good.
      Stay dry! ! !  Dry is what keeps you warm.  If you get wet: Get naked and in the bag and let body heat warm you, hang the wet clothes to dry.  Heaters:  If you can get an artic collapsable, or SF stove from the Army surplus, and your tent is rated for a stove then use it.  They fold up and burn wood, or grass, or even charcoal.  they make an excellent outside cooking stove too.  Don't try to heat any tent that isn't rated for a stove.  Coleman used to make a heater that was approved for most tents.
      Try to stay light if you are backpacking.  If youve never done it every ounce matters.  My biggest load was: 45 pound pack, two canteens, a field medic kit, and a m-60 machinegun with ammo; for 7 days, multiple times,  I wouldn't carry the radio.  Add to that cold weather gear, and food and it gets to be 1/2 your body weight really quickly.  By the time my tour ended my pack load was: socks, socks and more socks, a change of underwear, bag and blanket, shelter half and poncho, food, water and ammo.  usually couldn't get enough of water or ammo.

I don't think that I'd get in my sleeping bag if I was dressed in wet clothes. Even dressed in wool or fleece in cold or freezing conditions I don't see how that would benefit you when wet.
 
Though if I'm dry and it's cold I'm layering up before I go to bed.