The most useful portable heater accessories are the ones that solve placement, because the floor is the worst spot in an ice shack, garage, or camper for a running heater. For Buddy Heater, Heat Hog, and Clam heaters, that means a steel hanger or mount that gives the heater a fixed spot up out of the foot traffic, plus the model-specific add-ons each brand supports. One rule sits above all of it: a mount changes where the heater sits, never how it operates. The manufacturer's clearances to combustibles, ventilation requirements, and operating rules apply exactly the same on a wall bracket as on the floor, and any mounting setup has to respect them.
Key Takeaways
- The floor of an ice shack or camper is scarce space and heavy traffic; a hanger or mount gives the heater a fixed spot out of both.
- Mounting changes the heater's location, not its rules: clearances, ventilation, and safe operation come from the manufacturer's manual and apply everywhere.
- Herc builds welded steel hangers and mounts for Buddy Heater, Heat Hog, and Clam heaters; fitment by model is on each product page.
- Never run a portable heater while sleeping, in any setup, mounted or not.
Why shouldn't a portable heater sit on the floor?
Anyone who has spent a morning in a fish house knows the floor problem. The heater takes up a square of the scarcest real estate you have, right where boots, buckets, rods, and the dog all want to be. It gets bumped every time someone stands up to set a hook. Slush and bait water end up around its base. And when a heater does get knocked over, the tip-over shutoff earns its keep, but the smarter move is keeping the heater where it does not get kicked in the first place.
Getting the heater up off the floor solves all of it at once: the floor space comes back, the heater stays out of the traffic and the slop, and it sits at a steady height instead of wherever it slid to. That is the whole reason heater hangers exist, and it is the same logic in a garage stall or a camper.
What do the manufacturer's rules say about placement?
Portable propane heaters like the Buddy series are unvented: they burn the oxygen in the space you are in. That is why the Mr. Heater owner's manual requires adequate combustion and ventilation air whenever the heater runs, publishes clearance-to-combustibles distances for every side of each model, and says plainly never to leave the heater unattended while burning and never to operate it while sleeping. Clearances differ by model, so get the numbers from your heater's manual and label rather than from anyone's blog post, this one included.
A few of the rules matter especially in the small spaces where these heaters live. Ventilation is not optional in a sealed fish house or camper, because an unvented heater in a tight space without fresh air can produce carbon monoxide; the manual covers the vent openings each model needs. Refillable propane cylinders stay outdoors, per the manual. And the CPSC's safety guidance is blunt on the sleep question: never use portable heaters while sleeping in enclosed areas such as tents, campers, and vehicles. None of this is fine print. It is the operating envelope, and every mounting decision lives inside it.
How do heater hangers and mounts work?
A heater hanger is a welded steel bracket that gives the heater a dedicated, elevated spot: on the wall of the fish house, in the garage, or in the camper. The heater sits in the mount the same way it sits on the floor, upright and secure, just up out of the traffic. Herc builds hangers and mounts sized to specific heaters across the Buddy Heater, Heat Hog, and Clam heater lines, and the fitment for each is listed on the product page.
Two placement rules make the difference between a good install and a bad one. First, the mounting surface has to be solid: framing or paneling that holds the bracket's fasteners without flexing, because a mount is only as steady as what it is bolted to. Second, position comes from the clearance chart. Pick the spot on the wall by measuring the manual's clearances to combustibles in every direction, including above the heater, before a single hole gets drilled. If a spot cannot meet the clearances, it is the wrong spot, no matter how convenient.
Which add-ons are worth having?
Beyond mounting, the add-ons worth money are the brand-specific ones designed for your heater, not universal gadgets. Herc makes a fan kit for Heat Hog heaters that helps move the heat a radiant unit puts out, and a cooker plate built for Clam heaters; what each fits and how it installs is on its product page. The general rule from the heater manufacturers applies here too: use accessories made for your specific heater, since hand-made or mismatched attachments can interfere with the safety systems the heater depends on.
Where Herc fits
Herc Outdoors builds its portable heater accessories in Pine City, Minnesota: designed, laser cut, welded, powder coated, and assembled under one roof by a working fabrication shop, and used in the crew's own fish houses through real Minnesota winters. It is a corner of the catalog almost nobody else builds for, which is exactly why it exists: the people making these mounts got tired of stepping over heaters too. Every piece carries a 30 day try it policy and a 2 year warranty, with free U.S. shipping on orders over $100.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you hang a Buddy Heater on the wall of an ice shack?
Yes, with a mount built for it, installed on solid framing, in a spot that meets the clearance-to-combustibles distances in your heater's manual on every side. That is precisely what heater hangers are for. Check the product page for your heater model's fit, and measure the clearances before drilling.
Does a mounted heater still need ventilation?
Yes, exactly as much as one on the floor. These are unvented heaters that use the oxygen in the space, so the combustion and ventilation air requirements in the manual apply regardless of where the heater sits. Mounting solves floor space and traffic; it changes nothing about air.
Can I leave the heater running overnight?
No. The manufacturer's manual says never to operate the heater while sleeping and never to leave it unattended while burning, and the CPSC says the same about portable heaters in enclosed spaces like campers and tents. Warm up the space while you are awake, shut the heater down before you sleep, and let the sleeping bag do its job.
Which heaters do Herc hangers fit?
The line covers Buddy Heater, Heat Hog, and Clam heater models, organized by brand in the portable heater accessories collection. Each product page lists the specific models it fits. If your heater is not listed, ask the shop before ordering rather than guessing.
Set it up once, before the season
The best time to mount a heater is in the driveway in October, with the manual open and a tape measure out, not on the ice in January with cold hands. Pick the mount for your heater model, find the spot that meets the clearances, bolt it to solid framing, and the heater has a home for as long as you own the shack.
Browse the portable heater accessories collection, welded in Minnesota and covered by the 30 day try it policy and 2 year warranty.
