RV CAMPING IN COLD WEATHER -- 10 TIPS!
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- Опубліковано 1 гру 2018
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Micro- fleece originated in Massachusetts in 1979 when Malden
Mills, (now Polartec LLC), and Patagonia developed Synchilla
(synthetic chinchilla). It was a new, light, strong pile fabric meant to
mimic and in some ways surpass wool.
Greatest human creation EVER!
Vin DiVergilio that was when people were proud to be from lawrence
We have all things Patagonia, but for us, a Pendleton blanket makes for a warmer and more restful night.
We RV (trailer) year round, including in the snow. Agree with all your points. One point I would add… If you have a slide out; sweep the snow off. Wet snow can be very heavy and the heat from the RV will melt some of the snow on the slide outs roof (little to no insulation) . Water can find its way inside…. If it melts just a bit then freezes at night the layer of ice can make it difficult to retract.
If you have slide outs, put them in at night. Less sq footage to heat.
When you're going to be at 40-50 degrees to conserve propane, pack your sleeping bags.
Every winter, I use 3m window plastic. Costs around $25 for my old fifth wheel, but I stay FAR WARMER than without it.
On cool nights (even as low as 35 degrees) we bought a Comfort Zone ceramic heater from Walmart (under $18.00) and it keeps our 2017 Keystone Passport M199L (20') very warm and cozy. This unit was recommended by numerous friends who camp and our purchase proved them right.
Simple solution to conserving heat is to cover your face to rebreathe the warm air from your lungs as do all cultures that live in the cold. I "tent" the fleece blanket over my head (even better with two). Periodically open to vent for a few seconds.
The worst thing you can do is breathe cold air. The surface area of your lungs is hugh (equivalent to your skin's surface area) immediately chilling the blood as it passes through. Core heat is much more important then extremity warmth. Your feet will warm up as the core warms.
We use antifreeze quite a bit. We tend to fill our dump valve and pipes to the dump valve with antifreeze. We also have 12v pads on the tanks and we never have had any major issues even with having an open underbelly. We don't mess with fresh water connection and just fill the water tank. Also before you go to bed, we turn off the water pump and depresurre the water lines
I know this is a year old, but winter is coming. Your suggestions are great. I've been full time location dependent in Colorado for a few years and have a few to add.
- Skirting. A quick, cheap option is a couple rolls of heavy black construction plastic and duct tape. I found 10ft wide, so I folded it in half. Use cheap tape if you want to be able to get the residue off easily.
- external propane tanks loose vaporization ability as they get colder. Under 20 starts effecting my heat. Stick 2 adhesive body warmers on the tank, wrap a towel around the tank and put the plastic cover back on. It kept my heat going at 19 below zero. The electric tank warmers are pricy but far more convenient if you have power.
- Hot water bottles with a cover warm up a bed quite nicely and travel light. Couple it with fleece sheets and stay toasty.
- closets and cupboards hold humidity and freeze fabric to the outside walls. If your winter camping for a long period, hang cheap cooling racks on external walls to help with air circulation and leave them cracked open or invest in damp-rid.
Something you might look into is purchasing super cold weather sleeping bags. I found some at Sportsmans warehouse called “Elk Hunters” that are rated to -35 degrees Fahrenheit and “deer hunters” rated to 0 degrees Fahrenheit. The Elk hunters are the best because they are 40”x90” and they come in a left and right so you can zip them together to make one giant bag that is 80” wide! In my RV I unzip one and use it as a blanket which keeps me toasty all night. They are like canvas on the outside and flannel on the inside and come in several colours like black or tan etc.
I used one to sleep in a hammock when the temperature got down to 16 degrees Fahrenheit and I was warm all night so I know they work wonderfully.
Cheers mates and happy trails
Thanks for talking about this subject! Your suggestion about choosing the sunny spot really hit home. Over Veterans Day weekend we unexpectedly experienced our first taste of winter camping at Cheyenne Mtn. state park in Colorado Springs. We did just fine, and didn't really have a problem EXCEPT that our trailer was facing south, which meant our slide out & hookups were on the west side, and therefore in the shade. We had snow & ice accumulation on the slideout, which necessitated getting out our stepstool and broom to be able to brush the stuff off. In CO we are lucky that the day after a snowstorm is usually sunny, so things started melting pretty quickly.
So, 2 personal tips for cold weather camping:
1. Try to park so your slide out & hookups get the max amount of sun exposure, AND
2. Be sure to take along snow & ice removal tools! A broom, step stool, snow shovel, ice melt, and a tarp will all help with outside accumulations.
We actually LOVED this experience - we saw much more wildlife, and had a wonderful, cozy, relaxing inside day while it was snowing. Great adventure!
Remember a space heater keeps you under belly colder. It doesn't allow you normal furnace blowing hot air below.
As someone who spent the majority of my adult life in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont the absolute best tip I can share on staying warm in winter is get the hell out of there. You got wheels. Go to where it ain't cold. It is much easier to cool off than to warm up. Other than that, long underwear becomes a way of life. Keep your hands feet and head warm.
In freezing temperature leave bathroom door open and all cabinets with plumbing open to allow warm air in to keep pipes from freezing.
Most 4 season campers have dual pane windows. But also check out the camper manufacturer. Not all four season campers are equal. I chose Arctic Fox 990.
we love our Arctic Fox 29T!
In the military, and won't get anyone to admit to it, but we wore pantyhose then thermo underwear, then our battle dress uniform (BDU). That thin layer kept you warm in very cold weather.
It's true!!
One interesting emergency backup is to heat up soapstone blocks (not big ones) and wrap them in a rag and put them at the foot of the bed. They hold heat and release the warmth over the cold night.
John Seifert - bricks also work. I’ve never used soapstone but bricks are found everywhere in the south - easy and cheap.
This is our first year of ever having a camper. We are seniors, and this being our first month out we are learning a lot. Thank you for your valuable information.
As one who loves winter camping, micro fleece is the best idea yet. I don't look for sunny areas but ones that provide wind shelter. Wind will blow heat out of the best insulated campers. Belly covers are only good in really cold weather if they are insulated. You can buy insulation panels to put around the bottom of the RV to help if in windy area.
I like the run south option!
Always the best strategy!
What I came up with for the bed was to buy 4 new Swiss Army wool blankets (surplus stores about $20.00 apiece) and put all 4 on your mattress then the mattress pad then the sheets. Under most all RV beds is a dead space that the cold air from the floor just gets colder as the night goes on and the wool blankets will insulate you from it. We have been down to 0 and be warm all night with that arrangement with our little Broan set at 50 degrees in a 33 footer with 2 slides.
I didn't have good luck with the Broan (shown in the video too). I bought two. I liked 'em for the first winter, but the elements needed cleaning by then. One burned out in the second year, and the second burned out in the third winter. I did not buy another.
It seems to me that it would be much less expensive and convoluted to skip the multiple wool blankets, etc., and cover the plywood under the mattress with a layer of reflectix.
This is an absolute fact. We have a winter pkg. on our Keystone Passport and we noticed that as well insulated this unit is that sleeping on our bed got cold at night. The see thru storage under the bed is not insulated well and you can see the aluminum framing with no insulation by the bed head area. I will buy some styrofoam boards and cut to fit and adhere them between the aluminum framing. This should cut the cold transfer to the cabin.
I am doing some cold weather camping, thanks to you two, at Lake Havasu, AZ...I am suffering, but only during bad dreams! I need to find Rainier beer to suffer even further...I will get even someday! Hugs, I owe you two so much!
I've had Rainer Beer before! 🍺 At least it's better than Blatz and Schaefer...
Long Long Honeymoon, In conclusion, Sean, would you Pahleeze let Christy know there are more ways to stay warm without propane!?!
You talked about wool socks. You should also know that a stocking cap can do a lot to keep you warm. Up to 25% of your body heat can escape through your head.
As a former Scoutmaster, whenever a boy complained his feet were cold I'd tell him to put on a hat! It works wonders.
Well, I did mention balaclavas- although your wife may object to you wearing that one overnight. 😜
You do not lose 25% of your body heat through your head. That is a myth.
I definitely wore a beanie cab while sleeping.
warm feet, better sleep
I bought the 3M clear plastic film for windows, it is great and you can see through the windows. 12-15 dollars.
essential
Thanks for the tip. that stuff looks great!
Is there some light weight something to skirt it with...would that help? Mine is considered a 4 seasons rv, but wondering...
I use a few self-tapping screws on each side of the windows to anchor Bungie cord to hold styrofoam panels in place...
Nice. Good idea.
We've gotta say, we've enjoyed being schooled by Alabamans in cold weather camping. 😉 A "hot" tip for cold feet in bed: put boiling water in a Nalgene bottle at your feet, either under the blankets or in a sleeping bag. And microfleece was invented by the Malden Mills Co. of Massachusetts. Take it from us, a Mr. Heater Buddy catalytic heater rocks. And we've wrapped our dump valves in heat tape and insulation. Good tips all around!
Lol! We used to live in 150 Mile House. We had been away from home for Christmas and arrived home to find the electric heaters we'd left running had not been able to keep up with the freezing cold temperatures that had spread all over BC that year. We found our fish tank frozen solid with the poor goldfish frozen in it. The water pipes were frozen too. We quickly started up our wood stove and got the blankets and pjs for the kids into the dryer to warm up before putting them to bed on the floor in front of the wood stove. Just as we were beginning to thaw out, the power went out. Aaah! We were so thankful for the wood stove at that moment, and have never lived anywhere without one since! The power stayed out all night and into the next day. We lived in a fairly remote area, so were unaware that we were the only house without electricity!! A trip down the road to the neighbours revealed this and resulted in a phone call to the hydro company. The problem was on the pole that lead to our house. We were pretty happy when they came and fixed it. But, we were also prepared for things like this so it was not the end of the world...well...except for the goldfish. Now, we spend most of our winters in a log cabin on the BC Yukon border, far from roads and power poles. Wood heat is the ticket! Solar power for our lights and radio. We do have to brave the -40C temperatures at times, the outhouse being the biggest challenge! But, when you are prepared, it makes all the difference.
I plan on installing a little wood stove in my wee RV at some point as I do love to get out camping in the winter too. Cubic Mini Wood Stoves out of Canada make a really nice couple of tiny stoves. It's just a matter of finding the fuel for them. I'm not sure yet if they are what I will end up getting, but it's definitely got to be wood heat!-Sue
I may suggest a cubic mini wood stove. It is a lillte compicated to install with the flue and all, but it will heat my 7 by 14 trailer to over 80 when the outside temp is 30. You need wood in very small pieces but it is cheap to come by. No worry abou condensation from a propane heater and you will want to open the windows because of the huge heat source anyway. Fleece is nice, down is even better.
Merino wool for everything next to your skin, and layers, said the Canuck.
David Clark, unless you’re allergic to wool. I don’t want hives!
@@debra-vs merino not itchy at all
Thank you Sean & Kristy for your winter RV camping tips, this winter was my first winter camping experience and I agree 100% on having plenty propane on hand.
Thanks,
Frank
WOW great idea on the microfleece blanket! Thanks for the video
Everything you mentioned is correct, here in New Hampshire we follow all the things you mentioned, stay warm and safe. Happy travels........
Very helpful tips. I definitely learned how fast the propane furnace drains the battery but it is so nice and toasty. Currently doing exactly as you said and escaping the winter by traveling south.
Love your channel and all the tips! I would add that in winter, pack goose down comforters in the RV for cold weather camping. We once tent camped in Yosemite with our kids with an overnight low of 17*. I packed our down feather beds and comforters with our sleeping bags in between. We stayed toasty warm all night, and even our little kids (our youngest was 9 mos.) were comfortable and happy in the morning...of course we eventually had to climb out of our beds...but for sleeping they were great! They insulate amazingly well!!
Thanks for sharing. We have camped overnight in our fifth wheel in Missoula MT at a Walmart when it w as 18 degrees below zero F. The propane furnace ran pretty much non stop all night. We left our slides in to reduce the area we needed to heat. The batteries were pretty dead by 6 am. But I started the generator and we were up and running again in a few minutes.
Btw... there is no reason to leave a window open when running the factory installed furnace. It should be properly vented just like your home.
Happy travels 😀
Great clips of you two and airstream in the snow......
I concur with taking the wheels south, I grew up in upstate NY with snow and cold. Moved to NC 20 years ago to get away from cold. Yup, go South.
My wife and I lived in an older 32' class A for about five years. We always made sure we were at a site that had electricity and ran a small oil-filled radiator during winter. It worked great.
First person That mentioned a portable radiator! I’ve been thinking about getting one over an electric space heater or propane portable heater. Can you share any pros/cons about the radiator vs. ceramic / electric heaters? Are they noisy?
@@rodgraham8688 we used an oil-filled radiator. Takes a bit of power to run but it is silent. Also IMHO the fire danger is much less as there are no open elements.
We camp in winter in Idaho often, including the last week Yellowstone park is open to cars. We always bring a backup heater. A Mr heater buddy heater with a few extra bottles of propane, but have not had to use it yet .
Yes Florida girl here, saw snow twice!
i LOVE THE MR HEATER! I have been using them for years in tents and RVs and they are completely safe for night time use. I have a hose adapter so I don't have to use the expensive disposable bottles.
It is also nice to have one of the big two burner outdoors type heaters mounted on a bottle for the early outside mornings. Near instant heat while you are getting the campfire going.
I stay in a 19 foot trailer half the week while OOT for work. I am hooked up to 30 amp service, so I use 2 of those oil filled radiator heaters on the LOW setting. They have a thermostat and are safe enough (no fire or carbon monoxide hazard) that I can leave them on when I'm not there in cold weather. It is radiant heat but you could blow a small fan on them to move the heat around if needed (I don't). I use an excellent CalAir tiny quiet air compressor to blow out the water lines before I leave.
the oil filled radiant heaters are the least expensive to run
|add to that a small fan powered ceramic disc heater and you will be toasty and the air will circulate great...
i also take reflectix and cut pieces out to the size and shape of the windows and make them attachable with velcro so at night i am insulated and it serves as a black out as well. works excellent.
We live in a small cabin and supplemented this year with a radiator type heater...worked great, wasn't afraid to fall asleep or leave the day to go to the city to shop. I was stunned to see my light bill only went up a little! It is getting a lot harder to do the wood stove now that i cannot cut my own wood. Hard to get good wood for a decent price. Electric might be cheaper or the same next year. I have to say, that propane heat in the TT is wonderful! As good as the wood stove for real warmth. Regular electric heaters can't touch it.
Thank you for another wonderful video. Speaking of hand warmers, I use a rechargeable lithium battery hand warmers that double as a USB power bank, available on Amazon. They came in very handy (pun intended) during military field exercises!
Try using merino wool socks and layers with merino wool top and long johns.
We camped in Colorado on October 11th this year. Lots of snow and a great time.
Gotta add micro fleece blankets to the list. We've only spent one night in really cold weather and condensation on the inside of the RV was the real problem. I cracked open one window, but by morning it was puddling inside (2 people in a 25 ft RV). The idea of a dehumidifier sounds good if we end up that way again. The idea of heading south seems much more reasonable!
Thank you for the great tips, and especially for the sounds and view of the trail to the waterfall at the end.
Super good info We will be doing our first cold weather camping next year and the tips sure help!
Great video! I like the idea of using the wheels to find warmer weather. Some day when we run into each other I will tell you a story of a winter survival instructor’s story. I parted his wisdom to my wife when we were first married and still, after 40+ years, have not lived it down.
I have found that the window coverings from WalMart work great on some windows in our RV and we use foam on those that the coverings don’t work on. I use a small electric heater in the outside valve box to help keep them from freezing. We try not to camp in the winter without at least electric.
We camp in a hybrid camper. We were camping in weather that was dropping down into the mid 20s at night. We had electricity so we ran a Lasko Ultra Slim tower heater (model CT14101). That little heater keep us nice and warm all night.
I'm in alberta, this is all solid advice and I have nothing to add.
I know I commented on the live stream about Kristy's new hair cut but I just love it!! so cute. color is great too. Also, I use a fleece blanket between me and the sheet in the winter here in CO in my own house....gets me warmer quicker when getting into a cold bed and I can always throw it off during the night if I'm too hot. I use a twin size so it's just over me since the hubby is never as cold as I am!
We love our Dyson Hot/Cool Air Purifier. We have a hybrid trailer and have been "heated out" of our trailer with it. Granted we have never done below freezing glamping but in 40 degrees, we've been perfectly comfortable.
My wife and myself are new to this and we love your channel!! 👍👍👍
Great video. We are experiencing our first winter fulltiming. Our coldest night so far was 23. We have fled cold snaps below that twice now. One additional tip is to open your cabinets with plumbing to help get the heat to the pipes. But we don’t have enough battery power to run our propane furnace though the night. So below 30 we’re looking for at least partial hookups. Our rig also has tanks heaters another reason for hookups.
Great video, we use a Verado heater, they have been in business since 1946.
I've used a Mr Buddy heater to heat my tent trailer quite often. It's a catalytic heater, so it's safe to use inside but you will get condensation. A standard 1 pound green propane can only lasts 7 hours, so we got the adapter hose and connect to a separate propane tank, which we leave outside the tent and route the hose in to the heater.
I love u 2. I camp in an old Chevy express cargo van. But even still have leaders lot from it videos! Keep making more
I like the idea of using the wheels to go south for the winter!
Hey guys thought I’d add a comment just for the fun of it winter camping is always an experience someone should try at least once especially with children our grandson enjoyed going to the Biltmore house in Asheville North Carolina with 16 inches of snow on the ground and we just finished going to the polar express this year. Here’s a few things we found to cut down on drafts you can either used old pillows or if you want to go through the expense of buying Styrofoam insulation you can cut and glue this insulation to your storage bay doors or just line the storage bay door area with pillows to cut down on the drafts it’s probably the least amount of insulated space you have in an RV we tried it and it made a huge improvement. With our 2007puma our tanks are not inside the belly and therefore not insulated what we did to make sure our water supply wasn’t interrupted we used a cheap manual on off switch type heating pad and applied it next to the bottom of the freshwater tank to keep the water from freezing we also took the same type of pad and wrapped it around the termination valves of the waste gates to keep those from freezing. Also the skylight pillows we bought help to keep heat from escaping through the skylight vents. We do also have what’s called a heat tape that we have wrapped around or water hoses for daytime use which does help. If you decide to use one of these are also recommend using pipe insulation around the hose and make sure you take the heat tape up and across any water pressure regulators and all the way against the inlet that’s attached to your camper. And of course if you do not have a dehumidifier by a large bucket or a couple small hanging packs of damp rid it works wonders they offer this in the big bucket they also offer it in hanging packs that you can find most big box stores in the laundry department. We use the damp rid year around just to ensure we don’t have a moisture issue. I hope these tips help and hope that you guys at least try one of them and tell us what you think I definitely would recommend using the old pillows or some sort of foam rubber or even the Styrofoam in your storage bay compartment areas to cut down on the drafts it will also improve the heat retention you may be surprised at how well this works
Micro fleece and a cute blonde would be nice too. I have a Yorkie but he’s tiny and doesn’t snuggle. You
Get a cat. Those things are regular furnaces.
I love the drone video of your rig travelling down the road with the mountain in the background.
We traveled many times from Wyoming to southern destination in February & March when winter is still a factor, we would warm the RV & use water from 1 gallon jugs until we got south enough to add water to the coach. Also I carried a small air compressor to blow out lines when returning to sub zero weather..Did this for years & worked well..Hope this helps, Ken
Tip, microfiber sheets...the bomb. We also have a microfiber comforter. Comfy & warm.
Thanks for info. We try to avoid the cold. We are from PNW. Go to the warmer weather when we can !!
We use a milk house heater. Older ones tend to be bigger. Newer ones are about half the size but do a great job controlled by a thermostat. Lots of different brands out there.
Love all your tips and videos! I took a cold weather camping training from Boy Scouts. One thing you can do to warm your bed or sleeping bag is to get hot water and fill a Nalgene bottle or an old fashioned water bottle. But, most have a Nalgene anyway. Also never sleep in the clothes you wore in the daytime. They could be damp from sweat and will keep you chilled. As you said, layers are your friend! Camp on my friends!!!!
Great video on cold RVing. We're currently working through the winter while staying in our Heartland Trailrunner (a temporary local contract). We're staying at an RV park with full hook-ups that has a winter season here in southwest Michigan. Our RV has an enclosed underbelly so we have not skirted it. Using the heated hose you mentioned, its working great. I do use the RV filter you mentioned, however its heavily wrapped in HVAC insulation and the heated water from the hose seems to keep it warm. I do add a little antifreeze to our waste water tanks and I've wrapped the valve area with some heat tape to keep them from freezing (I keep my valves closed and dump once/week). With electric hookups we mainly rely on our Walmart, Chimney Free Infrared Space heater for primary heat setting the furnace temp a little lower as a backup.
Hi guys, Always enjoy your videos. We're in Gallup NM, full time, last 4 days single didgits every night. We run fjrnace an 2 elec heaters. Our propane is about $60 a mo. Small price to pay to stay warm, Dec 22nd we're back on the road headin for Fla for winter. We're heating a 38 ft 5th wheel, an have "polar package, so furnance helps keep tanks an pipes workin. Your experience is always helpful. we all need to keep learning.... C-Ya
Another great video, we just pick up our new Imagine 2600 rb travel trailer, it's set up for cold weather camping, we are looking forward too extending our camping season.
My old fiver has taught me well over the three years I've been in it. Strofoam insulation from Lowe's has been a blessing - on the floors of cabinets and against the walls (1/2" thick) inside all upper cabinets. Also inside the cargo hatch doors to prevent freezing air from coming inside. THICK (I crochet t-shirt rugs) rugs on the floors because the floors are COLD. I buy window plastic and put it up every fall and take it down in the spring. I'll be installing a small woodstove this year as well. I won't use propane- it's a wet heat, I don't need mold, and they're not efficient. I have cats- tip over danger is real.
Before we got the camper i had a pop up. We used a little buddy heater to heat it up before bed and when we got up. Before bed I would use body warmers with adhesive tape on bottom to heat the bed. I would put 2 at my feet one at my knees and 1 around my waist. Kept the bed warm. Unless you rolled over on one.
I boondock 95 percent of time. With the new camper I still use the little buddy heater before bed and when we wake up.
Speaking of electric heat (and cool) - I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Dyson Heat/Cool ... yes, it’s pricey, but if you get the WiFi version it will also track temp and humidity for you as well! ***and my funny boo-boo story about winter camping was last year when I thought it wasn’t humid enough in the trailer and I ran a humidifier AND my propane heat... luckily I was set straight after reading a bit a few nights in ***
We have polar fleece sheets that we use during the winter. Plus a down comforter and a nice thick Pendleton blanket. So we sleep toasty. We use the main propane furnace to heat the place up and then switch to the Camco Olympic Wave Heater. This is a very thrifty heater. Running most of the day the 5 gal propane tank for the Wave will run from 14 to 18 days on the Low setting and the furnace 7 gal tank will last about a month that way. We have a 4 Season Arctic Fox and keep our furnace at 55 at night.
We do more nights camping between new year and April then many do all year. We are winter warriors in Ontario Canada. We camp in sub zero temps and love it. Our coldest was last new years at -28c. So cold propane tanks froze lol. You hit most things bang on. Clothes clothes clothes is so important next to awesome boots. Camping in the snow is the best.
Thanks for this video, well done. This is our second year camping in Kansas in winter, and plan to visit colder sights further northwest after the close of pheasant season the end of January. We’re in a truck camper (Host Mammoth 11.6), that without added insulation uses a 30 pound propane tank ($30 to refill) in about a week depending on the temperature outside. We don’t drop the thermostat too much at night. We run a 1000 watt Honda portable all night with less than 1.4 gallons of gas to keep the batteries charged and use the electrical outlets/electric mattress pad. All our pipes and tanks are enclosed in the main lower compartment shared with the furnace. We are never cold inside. I advise a truck camper for winter, we don’t feel limited by cold at all!
Hi guys. Love your videos! We use a Soleil Digital Ceramic space heater that is awesome. It has a built in digital thermostat control with 3 heat settings (Eco, 750 and 1500 watts). It also has a built in 60 second “cool down” mode that blows cool air over the element before shutting off the heating element which I like a lot). We have a 32 foot Class C and it heats the living space great. Granted, I am married to a wonderful woman who is too cold at 69 degrees and too hot at 70 degrees (which makes temperature control quite challenging) lol!
Thanks for another great video. We were camping over the Thanksgiving weekend and our furnace went out. Despite temps below freezing, our Dyson hot + cool fan (an older version of the AM09) kept us plenty warm (along with our fleece blankets! LOL). We were a little concerned about the pipes, but we opened some cabinets and the hatch by our water pump and things were fine. One point about opening a window when running the furnace. Yes, it helps with moisture buildup, but the furnace exhaust is vented out the side of the trailer and only the warm air is circulated inside. You were spot on about needing the vent to prevent the buildup of CO if you use a propane heater like Mr. Buddy or even your stove. Safe travels and keep those videos coming! :D
Poll
Another Canadian subscriber, and when you mentioned '100 Mile House' (of which I've probably passed through a hundred times) yes, it can get cold there, but not as cold as much further up the Province of course. On one trip my wife & I where returning our first trip to Alaska, there was an old couple from one of your many states, in a big 'old' Cadillac with no snow tires, and it was snowing, as I believe it was early October. I had a chain with me, so I hooked onto the old beast, and towed them up a hill they seemed to be having trouble traversing, and they of course where very thankful...and this was just outside of 100 Mile House. :). For those that love fishing, there are a ton of lakes around this region of the Province, and during the springs/summer months it's a wonderful area to explore as well. We've recently upgraded to a Class A diesel pusher (pre-owned) so at some point we'll be interested in the 'cold weather RVing', so I enjoy all your video's, but know we have dual paned windows which probably help. Thanks for your great informative video's, much appreciated!
My tip. Do not extend your awening if you think there is any chance it might snow. You can be trapped inside your trailer because you won’t be able to open the door. Ask me how I know. Ans: labour day weekend camping in Alberta several years ago. Our neighbors cleared the snow off of the awening so we could open the door.
Thanks, great point! And I would think all of that snow and ice might damage the awning too.
Happened to me too. And that is one heck of a strain on the awning frame.
There is always the "fire escape" emergency window in the bed room area.
@@davidpoole8667 I was just thinking about that escape but I think it might be under the awning in my RV!
Greetings from Central Oregon, We have just started traveling in our Travel Trailer and appreciate all of your helpful advice. Keep those videos coming!
I love your vids. Very well done and informative. My wife and I would take our 17' Shasta to Stanley, ID in the winter where it would be around 20 to 30 below zero. I had a diesel heater that would keep it pretty toasty. They do smell and will smoke when first lit but are very long lasting per fill.
Our Keystone has the vented underbelly. Works great! We use a Predator 3500w generator and an infrared space heater. Runs for hours and works great!
I stayed longer in Colorado than planned, life happens. The valves in the gray/black tanks froze, I could not dump when taking off. It was the first time ever, my tanks were not empty when traveling. Fortunately, they were only about 1/4 full. My water filter exploded when I was gone, the nice people in the park shut off the water for me. I don't plan on being in the cold again, but life does happen. I enjoy all your videos. PS: I bit the bullet, bought the Champion generator with the remote. It's going to be bolted to the 'drawer' in the bed of my truck. I can't lift it up and down, so it's gotta stay in the bed. It will always be vented and not be near anything, I learned it from you. Happy Holidays, Sean and Kristy
We have not camped in the winter as of yet. One day we will. Thanks for the tips.
We had micro fleece sheets when we lived in New England. 👍🏻👍🏻
I have velvety soft micro fleece sheets by Berkshire Blanket (got them on QVC). They’re knitted, so they breathe which helps to keep you warm but minimizes making you hot and sweaty. Another micro fleece blanket on top of them keeps you even warmer. Add a few hot water bottles (with knitted covers) down by your feet and wool socks makes for happy warm feet all night long. I also find that the micro fleece sheets/blanket helps the hot water bottles to stay warm all night long.
I do so agree with you about those microfleece blankets! Excellent video! Thank you both so much!
PS I read online that PBS will be doing shows on RV living. Have y'all heard about this?
Thanks for the video, one thing I discovered to really save on propane is to turn off the hot water heater at night. That has helped us save on a lot of propane.
In mid September 2021 we traveled from Northern Michigan to North and South Dakota. In a new Grey Wolf 26MBRR toyhauler, the cabin area measured 30'3".... We went through 60 gal. of LP Gas in 3 weeks. Kept the indoor temp at 73° ... outdoor temp 38-75°. The RV was comfortable for us. Also had an electric fireplace heater that we kicked on at times. We carried 4x 20 gal tanks.
Used an Olympian Wave 3 catalytic heater in our conversion van. Kept setting off the CO2 detector. Opening the window(even slightly) just made everything cold again. Just a vicious cycle. Finally put in a Propex propane heater which works great. It exhausts to the outside, is easy on the propane and batteries, and is small is size!
I have a Hybrid trailer and you have to really plan plan and layer layer layer in side. We try to only open on tent end and use lots of foil insulator around, and two movers wool blanket under the mattress and we have a propane buddy heater too.
Most RV and trailer furnaces also duct heat to the water tanks and pump which keeps them from freezing. Using portable heaters may keep you warm, but allow the tanks to freeze. Best is to use the furnace when temperatures drop to below freezing.
Not sure I ever will stay where it's cold, rather than following the heat south; but if we ever do I've got this bookmarked. Good information.
Thanks from a newbie full timer, living in Lake Tahoe.
The space heater I swear by is just a good old milkhouse heater. They have fan, lo, hi, and thermostat settings. They are cool to the touch, and if you knock it over, it shuts off. They usually cost about $15-$20, and can be found at Runnings or Mills Fleet & Farm. Sometimes Walmart. They would keep an RV pretty tolerable. I used 1/2" styrofoam over my windows and vents in Parker, AZ in summer for insulation, and I imagine that it would insulate pretty well in the cold as well. Fairly inexpensive, and can be cut to desired size and shape. Hope this helps. 😀 Thanks for the tips! LOLOHO
Thanks for the info! Good advice as we are just getting started on our full time travels and will most likely encounter colder weather than we'd like. :)
First...as we prepare to purchase our 1st RV your channel is so resourceful. Second... as a true Northern Ontario cold weather lover we don’t go near fleece because we use Merino wool base layers (head to toe), wool blanket under your fitted sheet and anywhere you sit (inside/outside) and down duvets (600-800 fill power) that are supper lite and very compact. Thanks again for all your helpful tips 😍
Thanks...... nice video!!!!!! We use bubble blanket with reflective foil on our windows in both the extreme heat and cold times. Have a great Christmas...... Ken and Nancy, Las Vegas, NV.
We always carried an extra 20 pound propane tank in the back of the truck. Never had to use it but it was there for the “ What If “ situations. And two extra 6 gal gas tanks.
100 Mile House! Beautiful area on the Cariboo Hwy in BC. Be sure to go back in the summer and enjoy the campgrounds surrounding Green Lake 30 km to the south. This was our honeymoon destination 45 years ago. Summer weather is awesome here!