Not every RVer needs a propane tank warmer, but if you enjoy winter camping (or if you live in your RV full-time in a cold climate), a propane tank warming blanket should probably be on your radar. In this post, we explain what it is and why it’s an important cold-weather camping accessory.
What Is a Propane Tank Warmer & Who Needs One (and When)?
If you’ve ever camped in weather that’s below freezing, you may have wondered how (and if you need) to keep your propane tank warm in winter. The answer is a propane tank warmer blanket, sometimes called a propane tank heating blanket. It is a specially designed “blanket” that supplies just enough heat to keep the propane flowing as it should.
To be clear, this isn’t an item that every RVer needs. However, if you prefer to RV in winter, or if you live in your RV full-time and spend time in areas where winter temperatures drop to freezing and below, or if you use and store your propane gas cylinder tanks outside or in a garage during winter, a propane tank heater blanket is for you.
The reason a propane tank warmer is important is that when ambient temperatures drop, the pressure in an exposed propane tank can also drop. This results in poor heating performance from your furnace and other propane appliances, and in extreme conditions (when low ambient temperatures are combined with a low propane level in the tank), the flow of propane ceases altogether.
Don’t let cold weather stop the flow of propane and leave you out in the cold!
Obviously, this is not what you want to see happen when you’re relying on your propane to keep you warm in your RV. Temperatures below freezing will start to slow the flow of propane. Once temperatures drop near -30°F, the flow of propane will be slowed so significantly that you may not be able to heat your rig. Propane stops boiling (i.e., converting from liquid to a gas/vapor) completely at around -40°F.
Also, the warmer the gas in the tank is, the more BTUs you’ll get out of the gas when you burn it. So you’re actually saving money by warming your tanks, and the increase in available BTUs enhances the efficiency of your propane. So, clearly, compressed gases like propane are adversely affected by extreme cold. But, optimizing the temperature of your propane tanks in the winter keeps the tank pressure where it should be. This is what a propane tank warmer (or propane cylinder heater) is for.
You may have seen our post on RV propane tank covers, and they are undoubtedly helpful for many reasons. But they won’t keep your tank warm in freezing temps. The safest and most effective way to deal with the cold is to use a propane tank/gas cylinder warmer.
Propane Tank Warmers
There are a few different tank warmers/blankets on the market. Some are fairly expensive, and some could be overkill for your purposes. However, you may be able to find a cheaper solution depending on how cold it tends to get where you camp (more on that in just a minute).
Let’s take a look at a few propane cylinder heaters.
Powerblanket PBL20 Gas Cylinder Heater
The Powerblanket PBL20 is a 20 lb propane tank warmer that fits 20, 30, and 40 lb LP gas tanks, safely heating the cylinder to an optimal 90°F / 32°C. The Powerblanket uses an inner reflective radiant insulation liner to help retain heat without adding excessive bulk to your tank.
This blanket is pricey, but it saves money by optimizing gas usage with continuous temperature control of propane and by insulating the tank at the same time.
The Powerblanket is certified to UL/CSA/CE standards.
- MAINTAINS OPTIMAL CYLINDER TEMPERATURE: This propane tank warmer safely heats propane cylinders to a consistent 90 °F (32 °C), with a tolerance of...
- REDUCE FUEL WASTE AND OPERATING COSTS: Optimize gas and material usage by reducing waste caused by underperforming or partially depleted cylinders....
WXHDYBLANKET Propane Tank Heater
This propane tank heating blanket is also designed for use with 20, 30 and 40 lb LP gas cylinders. This is a 120 volt, 150-Watt, 1.25 amp heater with a max temperature of 104℉.
The blanket uses heavy insulation and a full wrap design that covers all or most of the gas cylinder, depending on the size of the cylinder. It’s IP67 waterproof and is made from a heavy-duty PVC material capable of withstanding both hot and cold temperatures.
- This Propane Tank Heater blanket is 120V,150W,1.25A,Max temperature is 104℉.
- ALL cover for Gas Cylinder Tank Heater,it have heavy insulation to keep the warm inside.
Propagate Pro PPHM-LP20
This 20 lb propane gas LP cylinder tank heater safely heats the cylinder to an optimal 95ºF | 35ºC. It’s compatible with 10-, 20-, 30- and 40-lb gas cylinder tanks. Like the PowerBlanket above, it has an inner reflective radiant insulation liner to help retain heat without adding excessive bulk to the tank.
Like other tank heaters, it saves money by optimizing gas usage by continuously controlling the temperature of the propane and insulating the tank at the same time.
We should point out that while this is the cheapest of the options we found on Amazon, it also doesn’t have the best reviews, so read them carefully before opting for this particular heating blanket.
- Warming blanket wrap, Safely heats gas cylinders to an optimal 95ºF | 35ºC (+/- 5º F / 2.5º C)
- Works on all 5#,10#, 20#, 30#, 40# and 100# Pound Gas Cylinder Tanks. Fits a variety of 4, 5, 6, 7 Gal Buckets & Pails
Alternatives to Expensive Propane Tank Heating Blankets
Before we get into a potential alternative for heating a propane tank, we want to mention that you should never use a space heater, hot water, or a blowtorch to heat your propane tank! There are no circumstances under which any of these options is even remotely safe. We’ve read of some people using a utility light to keep their propane tanks warm in cold weather. However, we’ve also read about a utility light causing wires to melt and spark, resulting in an explosion and fire.
These types of interventions are never worth trying because they’re far too dangerous. However, depending on how cold it is where you camp, it’s possible to wrap a propane tank in a thick, warm blanket or throw to help keep the propane warm.
Here’s a YouTube video in which this is suggested as a reasonable alternative to an expensive heating blanket. Just note that this would be unlikely to work in extremely cold temps.
And if you’re camping in your RV in super cold weather, be sure to check out our post about heated water hoses, to make sure you don’t have a hose burst because it froze: Best Heated RV Water Hose Options.
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Jay
Sunday 7th of September 2025
You won't likely see birds flying north for the winter for a reason. RVing north of I-10 in the winter is risky. Some of the worse blizzards occur in the early Spring. The first snow in northern NY (near Canada) often occured in September and didn't melt until April. There was still snow in the center of the lakes along the Alcan Highway in early June. We drove to Maryland for a funeral on New Years and had zero problems. Another time, we got snowed-in in north Texas on Christmas. It's the ice and snow with its loss of traction and people with no experience or patience when driving in winter weather who drive way too close to you that make RVing more challenging than when driving your RV on a warm sunny day to the beach.
Perhaps there are RVs that can handle seriously cold, wintry weather, but I doubt it. Sometimes it would warm up to -20 degrees in "Snowtown", NY in February. It didn't matter because the kids were out of school then and we were going to Disney. Whether in a bricks-and-sticks house or an RV, you're burning a serious amount of fuel trying to keep warm at freezing temperatures. In a cheap motorhome at the time, our propane tank lasted 2 days as the furnace ran constantly. We could barely get the inside temperature over 50. Pipes froze and ice formed on the inside of the windows. The humidity got so low inside that our skin on our fingers and face cracked. The plastic hinges of the outside compartments froze and couldn't be opened, which was a problem when I needed to go outside and figure out why the generator wouldn't start. If you have unheated lithium batteries, they won't charge. Lead-acid batteries lose function as the temperature decreases, too. Absorption refrigerators don't function well in the cold. Sewer hoses cracked when flexed, water hoses became so rigid that they had to be stored inside the coach. Holding tank drain valves were impossible to open and using a blow dryer on them was ineffective.
Years later in a newer coach on a Thanksgiving weekend in Ruidosa, NM it got to just below freezing and it snowed. With the snow on the mountains, it was really gorgeous. During the day, the snow melted on our roof but refroze to ice at night while our heat pumps kept everything toasty inside. That Travel Supreme seemed amazing. On departure day, the winter paradise turned into a nightmare as slide-outs with their topper awnings wouldn't retract due to the ice. Smacking the ice off of the toppers damaged the fabric. Getting all of the ice removed from the slippery roof was both impractical and dangerous with the remaining ice bouncing around, damaging the air conditioning shrouds and falling too close to other vehicles once we could finally get on our way.
After RVing for 39 years, all of these things happened to us and more including getting caught in the "1993 Storm of the Century" on a mountain near Cookeville, TN. Since then, contemplating driving in the winter gives me the shivers! In all situations, travel safely and intelligently.
Lorraine Gehring
Tuesday 2nd of September 2025
We stay at a campground near family during November and December. We're in a Class A, and it is difficult to get the propane tank refilled while we're stationary.
We have an Extend-a-Stay connection, and the campground rents 100 lb. tanks that they exchange when the tank is nearing empty. This is an outdoor, exposed tank. Would it make sense to get, say, two of the 20 to 40-pound tank heaters for this type of situation. The 100-pound tanks are tall and slightly skinny.
TheRVgeeks
Thursday 4th of September 2025
We’d say that would depend on how much below-freezing temperature you’ll experience. If you’ll be below 32 degrees F for days at a time, wrapping (with an insulated blanket) or heating the tank (with a couple smaller heaters) would be a good idea.
Brad Wartman
Tuesday 3rd of September 2024
For anyone curious about "How does temperature affect propane?" this chart might help:
https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/propane-vapor-pressure-d_1020.html
For example, the vapor pressure drop between 100F (110 psia) and 0F (40 psia) is ~63%. The vapor pressure drop between 75F (105 psia) and 25F (60 psia) is ~43%. NOTE: The X-axis scale (Vapor Pressure) is logarithmic.
What would be interesting is a real-world test comparing these different methods with an accompanying cost/benefit analysis on how many pounds of propane one would need to use in order to make a given solution economically viable for both "average" and "long term" cold environment stays...oil field workers in North Dakota can probably say what works and what doesn't when it gets *really* cold...something that I can attest to having lived in North Dakota for several years ;-).
A couple of other solutions that might also work:
* - Holding tank heating pads * - Water line heat tape * - Radiant barrier foam insulation (could be combined with heat tape)
Happy Camping!
Stan
Tuesday 3rd of September 2024
Guys: I shudder to think of camping at -20 or -30! Even -10, which is the coldest camping I have done, is a challenge to deal with -- remember, that is forty degrees below freezing. I think a more likely concern than propane is freezing water systems, which can happen in the +20s. You might want to comment on heat wraps for city water hoses, and possible tank heaters for waste and freshwater tanks. I think your Newmar had a heated basement around your tanks, but lots of trailers don't, and everybody has a hose exposed when hooking up to city water. And I hate to even think about the stinky slinky in sub-freezing weather!