How Much Power Does a Diesel Heater Use Overnight? Winter Camping Test at -5°C

How much power does a diesel heater actually use during a full night of winter camping at -5°C? In this video, I run my diesel heater all night while winter camping in my Subaru Forester and track the real power usage from a Bluetti Elite 100 v2 portable power station. Here’s what I test in this real-world power consumption test: - Startup draw: about 120W while the glow plug and fan ramp up - Once running: only around 5–10W to keep the fan going - Full overnight test - Actual percentage used and watt-hours consumed - How this translates into real off-grid battery needs for winter car camping If you’re wondering: - Can a diesel heater run all night on a portable power station? - How big of a battery do you need for winter camping? Is a setup like a Bluetti EB100 v2 enough for car camping or overlanding in the cold? This video walks through my full setup, live power readings, and the final results so you can plan your own off-grid camping or overlanding build. I’m using: - 12V diesel air heater (Chinese-style unit) - Bluetti Bluetti Elite 100 v2 power station - Subaru Forester winter with roof top tent If you like real numbers, honest testing, and Subaru-based camping builds, this one’s for you. Chapters: 0:00 Intro & test overview 0:50 Finding Camp 2:45 Winter Camping 6:07 Heater Setup 8:57 Startup power spike (120W) 12:00 Idle running power (5–10W) 17:15 Overnight test results 23:11 Final thoughts for winter car camping The Forester: Built over a few years the 2004 Subaru Forester XS was built to test the limits of what is capable in an early 2000's Subaru with bolt-ons. Created for overlanding adventures it takes on the hardest offroad trails while having everything for camping. The Forester features: custom interior, rooftop tent, ARB rack with custom mounts, high clearance bumper, winch, Hella lights, transmission cooler, sway bar delete, offroad coilovers, AT tires, Beadlock wheels, overland kitchen and engine and trans skid plates. And to many people's surprise often keeping up with full-size 4x4s. Looking for parts? Check out our company: https://flat4offroad.ca/ About Chase Schrader: Based in Alberta, Canada, Chase Schrader is a multidisciplinary digital creative that focuses on automotive content. Through his two Subarus, a 2004 STi and 2004 Forester, he actively engages in both the race and overland community. As a community member, he engages with others and looks to further develop it through his networks. Join the channel today and get exclusive perks: https://www.youtube.com/c/ChaseSchrader/join Socials: Automotive Content - https://instagram.com/schrader_labs/ Our Parts Company - https://instagram.com/flat4offroad/ Content Creation - https://instagram.com/chase_schrader/ #subaru #Forester #STi #cars #overland #offroad