I have read quite a few old threads on the subject but don't feel very much closer to a decision.

I had no idea how much I would love my Puck L and that I would want to carry on using her through the colder weather - but I do and I do.

All is good apart from the condensation issue.

I have no heating, and mostly like to be able to stay places without hookup.

Thus far I've been perfectly warm enough by making myself a hot water bottle then going to bed with it. (I've got fab wool bedding, does the job a treat.)

I've found, as you would expect, that it's best to have the top up while boiling the kettle, and then, if I want the top shut overnight, shut the top when I go to bed. I have been leaving most or all of the windows on vent.

I've had two nights when I really needed the pop shut, one due driving wind and rain and the other due horrible overhead security light. I was perfectly warm enough, but despite having two windows on vent, there was excessive condensation/humidity - to the extent that, on the windy rainy night, the outside of the duvet, and the seats, were wet to the touch.

Will I be able to improve this situation if I have the Truma gas heater fitted? Reading the old threads, no-one seems to like to leave this on overnight anyway, so I'm not sure it will help much, except that I can get everything well dried out during the day, I suppose.

Oh, I should mention that I did hang a thick towel on the door on the windy/rainy night, as the wind and rain were excessive. The towel billowed in mightily, so I judged that the air was flowing well, but the towel at least stopped the water ingress. (The wind was coming from that side, and I didn't want to switch positions as that was the only place I could be more or less level without using ramps etc - and it was already dark and the weather filthy. I wanted to be level as I had food in the fridge.)

There's just me and the dog in the 'van, and neither of us bangs our head if the pop-top is down :)

If you can get a hookup a small 500w oil filled radiator should sort you out. A Truma gas heater is likely to be expensive to install and I would not like to leave it on overnight......however, it would help you to dry out quickly in the morning, as you say.

I mostly stop in out of the way places, where hookup isn’t an option, or yes, a little plug-in would be ideal.

If you have battery power maybe some sort of mini fan working on a USB/12v power outlet could be positioned to suck air out of one window which would draw fresh air in though another. They are not too powerful to cause a draft but should help circulate the air.

I have bought this to experiment with extracting steam from cooking via the pop-top vent but I'm sure it could fit near a vented window or even door vent. it's very quiet but I haven't had the chance to test it fully. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06X...0?ie=UTF8&psc=1

last year sometime when I put something up about condensation in our Troll in really cold weather I seem to remember someone advising against using the gas heater too much in really cold weather as it created heat with a lot of moisture in it that then condensed on any cold metal bits. Can't remember who sent it though, sorry. MikeT

I’ve been googling around other forums and have found a very low wattage - 40w - 1’ heat tube. https://www.screwfix.com/p/dimplex-ecot1...cB&gclsrc=aw.ds There’s a 2’ 80w version as well, but I think that would take too much out of the battery overnight.

A) would it help with the condensation? Or would the 1’ be too small and I’d need the 2’ 80w one?
B) would I be able to run it off the leisure battery, and if so, how would I go about setting that up? And am I right in thinking I’d probably need to recharge the battery every day, so this would only solve my problem if I was on hookup or only off grid for one night?

here is an out of box suggestion
https://cubicminiwoodstoves.com/
no more condensation, perhaps open windows to cool off
may be able to cook on depending on if airbricks in roof of fire
now the fuel
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lekto-Briquette...words=8hr+lekto we currently trying these in home, managed to keep in for 7 hours using 2, the outside temp of the fire is 140 degrees c
or for lots of heat
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Premium-Wooden-...BFHYERSEXZDM582
we had similar with the hole in, the fire temp goes to 320 degrees c but only lasts 20 mins with the different brand ones we got locally, unless put those egg coals on top then lasted over 4 hours.
with a stove fan on top of fire, it be cosy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ba-th6SuRU0

Maybe you could cover the whole puck with an event shelter which would keep it warmer at night and hence reduce condensation. Just a theory

Puck under coleman event shelter.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

The teeny wood stove is a lovely idea - but I’m not sure where I could fit it in a Puck L! Unless I removed the wardrobe and cupboard under, I guess...

The overarching event shelter is another interesting idea - but the last two times I’ve been out, I’ve stopped in a narrow alley between two walls, and in a car park in a gale, where for sure any canopy would have been destroyed, if I’d managed to get it erected in the first place!

last suggestion get one of these and throw the pipe out the window
Collections_Early_Helmet_2-576x1024.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

like the suit but what about the dog?
to recharge a 12volt battery( bank), you could fit a solar panels to the roof with a charge controller, and voltage gauge
then add in an inverter either 500 watt, 1000watt, or if you have a few electrical items to charge and use, 2500watts.
the wave of the inverter is important, some computers and tv will not run, have heard tv speakers scream. with wrong power input, and the laptops wont charge, ring 150watt inverter seems to charge laptops
you could add a charger so it works while inverter on, which would work if using 1 led house hold light bulb to see.
to have a 40watt draw in the dark nights your going to have to have a large battery ah or 2 batteries, and solar big enough to recharge, when cloudy or in November Somerset pea soup fogs.
or adapt and warm the place in daylight, and keep topping up. giving the battery change to self recover a little.
(we have the vents in the door, for our sanity a folded up cat box is placed in front, as mischief likes to sniff the air very loudly all night long, the gas fire is off and the drop out vent under / behind the fridge, and fire are still open.)
hope this helps

edit to add:
finally the bedding duvet cover, when we tented in November years back, we washed the bedding duvet cover in Nikwax water proofer, went out in car during day touring with heater full on with bedding in car,( found memories of a black car with the bedding over to air each couple of days.) we used to dash in tent remake bed and go to sleep very quickly, wake up at 6am when the mattress had deflated in the frost. fun times.

Thanks for the laughs :). And for all the info about solar - I will have to look into that, I think. And I'll look into the USB/12v extractor fan idea, too.

Quote: Soulbluesman wrote in post #5

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last year sometime when I put something up about condensation in our Troll in really cold weather I seem to remember someone advising against using the gas heater too much in really cold weather as it created heat with a lot of moisture in it that then condensed on any cold metal bits. Can't remember who sent it though, sorry. MikeT

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Thanks for all the input - and laughs! - folks.

I took the simple option for my first winter; snapped up a cheapo 600w oil filled rad, and have been stopping only where there is hookup. It's costing me an extra tenner or so a night, but is proving the theory - a teeny bit of heat, with the vents open and the pop-top up, is doing the trick a treat.

I will research off-grid options before next winter :)