This is normally the part I give you guys some inspiration and words of wisdom..... but this time I can’t. You guys gave me inspiration. You faced challenge after challenge and you did it with a smile on your face, never gave up and just adapted and overcame! Bravo Bravo! Pat yourselves on the back! Now you can continue your journey and know that no matter how bad things get, you got this! 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 PS did I win with Magnum P.I.G? 🤣🤣🤣
😍😍😍 Dan, this comment made our day. It was a crazy experience, but we’re so thankful for all the things it taught us. As for piggy, stay tuned. We’re gonna post our favorite three names in a poll on our Community tab this week to let everyone help us pick her name. 🐷
I would LOVE to say that I would have been way more prepared but it’s easy to say that when I am sitting here in my home….I am glad you guys made it through and you handled each issue that came up without freaking out which is all anyone can ask in a situation like that. Be proud :)
🙏 @@rvlifeisaboutthejourney - Thank you so much! We think the cold impacted our cognitive abilities, but we did our best and learned SO much from this experience as new campers!
Of all of the "wintering in an rv" videos I have seen, yours has been the best. Yours actually showed some of the worst mistakes you can make but also it showed the best way of handling them with persistence and grace.
Next time use jumper cables directly from your pickup batteries to the camper batteries with your pickup running. This will give you a direct charge without going through the camper electronics.
This was painful to watch. I spent 8 years in the military and I live in south Louisiana where I have been through many many hurricanes, floods, and ice storms. I am now in my 50's and through all of the disasters I have been through I am very prepared for just about anything now. When I know there is a chance of losing power from a hurricane or an ice storm, I usually have around 30 gallons of gas for my generator. We are also well stocked with food and water. And you may want to buy a battery charger. Instead of connecting your truck to the camper to charge the batteries, you could have just plugged in a 12v battery charger to one of your generators and it would have charged the batteries. But this is how you learn, go through something like this and learn what to do better the next time. Safe travels.
Ha! Your Texas weather storm Motivated me to buy a -9 sleeping bag for behind the seat of my truck, Americans motivating Canadians🇨🇦 to stay warm..who woulda thunk?
🤣@2000talon, I can't imagine why this would inspire that purchase. 🤣You'll have to let us know which ones you got and how you like them. We should probably invest in some of these ourselves!
Love your channel! As a fellow Floridian ... for shame for not filling up the truck and generator! That's the first thing we do for hurricanes! We travel in a vintage Airstream and we have made a lot of mistakes too. Thats how we learn though. You guys are awesome!
Kara, I know right?? We still can’t believe we didn’t think through the power being out would likely include gas stations. 🤦♀️ Live and learn right? What year Airstream are y’all in? We LOVE the renovations but aren’t nearly handy enough to do it ourselves!
@@Wanderlocal We have a 1972 Sovereign. I cant claim that we did the reno. We bought from a young couple who did a shell off reno and lived in it for a year. They did an excellent job with it and we love it! We are on instagram jellybean.airstream
@Marc Benedict Panergo, 😍thank you. It was a crazy adventure for sure, and we're thankful we didn't find ourselves in more trouble than we did too. Sending all our love. - Lauren & Daniel ❤️
For the heater and lights, you should only need one generator. You would need both for the air conditioner. Also, as someone already mentioned, the jumper cables. Your truck has a 135 amp alternator or better depending on the package. It would charge your batteries faster than being plugged in to shore power.
TheKtmnate - excellent point! To be honest, we'd never even considered using jumper cables. That would have made things a LOT simpler. Also, good tips about generator usage. 🙏 Lauren + Daniel
I am a full time RVer. Originally from Texas, but currently working in OK. So thankful I was up here, as we didn't lose power, but had 13 days of below freezing temps. Went through so much propane and had all 3 of my tanks froze, and didn't realize until they were full
😦Wow, 13 days. I can't even imagine how much propane you must have gone through. Were you at a campground that had refills available, or did you have to go back out to refill?
😬 Thats a lot of propane! Thank goodness they were on site. The local place to us ran our pretty fast. I think the next closest place was 30-40 miles away. At least that’s what our neighbor told us at the time. It’s like liquid gold during a freeze!
My wife and I lived through an ice storm a few years after we were married. No power for about 12 days. Fortunately, we were in our home and many parts of the city still had power. But it taught me a valuable lesson. When it comes to surviving winter, you need a backup. And a backup for the first backup. So we have a whole house standby generator, but if that fails, we have an old but still very functional kerosene heater. Obviously, this storm was a surprise. But I would strongly suggest anyone in an RV have a portable propane heater as a tertiary source of heat.
Lauren and Daniel, we truly understood what all you went through. I laughed through my tears watching this episode. The constant stress and problem solving was just so mentally exhausting besides it being so dang cold and trying to do anything outside. We were so worried about all our animals, water pipes all over the pasture, our NEW Airstream (less than a month old) in our barn and hurriedly trying to winterize it when we didn’t have a flipping idea what we were doing (but we learned!), constantly checking the temps in the barn, rv, checking on the animals (which they all absolutely did great!), the water lines, blah blah blah! But through all of this (and I know you and Lauren would agree) our hearts go out to all the people that suffered so much more. Steve and I watch KYD to learn so much, we watch Lauren and Daniel because we can relate to y’all so much! Love you guys! Donna and Steve
Donna and Steve, this comment warms our hearts so much! ❤️At the end of the day, you're right. There are so many people in Texas who had it so much worse than we did. We talked to a momma who was living in an RV with her newborn and she said they woke up one morning and that sweet baby's lips were blue. 😭Thankfully, they made it through, but it's such a good reminder of how truly blessed we really are. We're so thankful to hear you all made it through safely - animals, Airstream, and all. ❤️Sending all our love. - Lauren & Daniel
Hey guys! This is my first video of yours to watch. I am from Texas, and this was the worst storm to hit Texas in decades. I know exactly what y'all went through, as my parents and I were without power for nearly 4 days and without water that same length of time. But luckily we have a wood burning stove that help to keep up somewhat warm, but we were still cold. We weren't even able to get out and go anywhere for about. We live in the country, and have propane to fuel our stove, it fuels out central heat, but without electricity the furnace wouldn't run. Also we lucked out we had a freezer full of food and plenty of canned goods to get us by. We took all our perishable food items, stuck them in a cooler and set them out on the front porch to keep everything cold...lol
James, thank you so much for sharing your story! Being from Florida, we've had plenty of outages before due to hurricanes, rouge storms, etc. and you just learn to deal with it. BUT, never when it was snowing outside! That's a factor I know plenty of us were not prepared for. Hopefully, we won't experience a storm like this again anytime soon. If so, we know we'll both be better prepared! L+D
Wow! What a great video. Well done for documenting the realities of your situation and keeping some humor throughout. I’m rethinking our camping set up and prep to make sure we are better prepared ourselves.
Great episode, lots of learning lessons, happy to see y’all made it thru. One suggestion.. remember although you have two generators that can be ran in parallel (to double wattage) you “can” run them independently. Don’t know the wattage of y’all’s heater system (you need to research) but in most trailers the heater motor runs on 12v dc. And one can typically run the heater only with just a single 2kw generator. You need them paralleled together if you want to run the full coach with roof AC. But in an emergency like you were you could have run only one of the 2k units to charge your batteries and tank heaters, and got 2 run sessions out that gas. Good luck guys, stay warm.
We wondered about this!!! We will absolutely be researching the heater system to find out how many watts it runs on. That makes perfect sense. Thanks for the tip, Michael! 🙏🏻
Man you guys really went through the gauntlet! Thanks for sharing your story. We had a similar experience. Our house power went out so we were able to move into our RV and find the last spot in a nearby park. It was just as terrifying for us those few days as you described, but thankfully, we all got through it and learned a lot! Our power at home came back on day 4 in Victoria.
Donald, glad to hear y'all made it out of this ok. No one we talked to locally thought the power would have been out for as long as it was. It definitely caught us all by surprise. We'll be ready the next time something like this happens! L+D
Kathy, I (Lauren) can’t remember a time when I felt so much joy over something that typically would have seemed so mundane! Power is an amazing thing. ❤️
Thanks for being genuine and honest! It's not always easy going fulltime and coping with multiple issues! Keep up doing your best and rewards will follow.
@@Wanderlocal not yet, 5 yrs out. We are planning and most likely going to build our own unit while still working FT before hitting the road. We watch many FT UA-cam channels and see much good and bad. Hopefully we'll learn from that.
@Lenny Koniewicz, that sounds great! We love watching the build outs, but we're not nearly handy enough to do that ourselves (at least not yet anyway!) Since you watch a lot of the channels, do you have any idea of what type of RV you will build out?
@@Wanderlocal I'm a pretty handy guy, just never built a mobile home. I do have some contacts in a similar industry, so I'll tap into them too. We are thinking about a 25' to 30'max flat trailer and building up. We still have lots to dream about and may change our minds but that's what we've been leaning towards. We've considered buses and others and are convinced that we can build a better option with much better quality. Plus, we'll know every inch of the unit. Good luck in your adventure and stay positive! We love your attitude and problem solving!
1) Reckless for not keeping you generators FULL of fuel. 2) Reckless for not having backup power alternatives (see #1). Just plain ignorant on your part.
You should come to Arizona for the winter next time. You really will enjoy it!!! I am so sorry for your freezing experience in Texas. Thank you for your video. I really enjoyed it.
Thanks, friend! Traveling to Arizona for the winter months is definitely the way to go. We have many friends who routinely camp there, but we haven't...YET! :D
Nice to know that this kind of weather is not the normal for Texas in the winter time! These kind of adventures do make you stronger as a couple and as a person! Great video from Canada where winter is really winter! See you on the road!
Amen to that, Robert! 🙏Hopefully, this was a once in a lifetime event for Texas. We can't even imagine what it must be like in Canada where it is MUCH colder. I (Daniel) think we'd freeze to death! 😬Did I mention that we're based out of Florida?! 🤣We prefer the warmer weather. Thanks for following us along on our journey!
Ok, here are some tips. We too were in that Texas freezer along with you and millions of others. We had that same Oh Shit moment when power silently slipped away not to return anytime soon. So after the WTH is going on we started the plan to stay alive. Being a native Floridian myself I had it all thought out. We had a small Honda generator and some gas but it was still sleeting and snowing so can’t let it get soaked in the wetness….we were able to charge up some stuff in the morning after it stopped sleeting and snowing. How we survive inside. Gas stove for a short while helped. The coolest trick was the packs of Hothands hand warmers. They come 2 to a pack get a dozen packs put them in the truck and trailer. Walmart has them cheap. Take one or two out and put them in a coat or vest pocket. Keep some material between your skin and the pack they can burn your skin (from experience). Jump in bed cover up and you won’t believe how toasty you will be. Use in coat pockets to warm your hands outside. Ok, the big one! We knew the 2000 watt generator wasn’t going to save the food in the fridge and freezer and we knew like you where in the hell are we going to get more gas? So we bought …for next time…a dual fuel 4500 watt generator so we can get propane if not gas for it. Water however was a huge fear. Fortunately I had a dozen empty gallon water bottles I filled up to flush the toilets after they cut the water to the house off. Anyhow Dual Fuel Generator and Hothands hand warmers…bring it on we are ready. Fred in Texas.
Subscribed from Newfoundland . Glad to see you kept your morale up through this . Lot of helpful tips here . One to add ; boil some water , put it in a thermos and use it for either a hot water bottle in the cold night , or have a hot coffee in the morning .
@@Wanderlocal Lol- no, but I live in the UK so have camped ( in a tent) many times in the rain and cold , when it's meant to be sunny. So pleased to have found your channel , I watch alot of RV'ers travelling the US and you two are so engaging! Looking forward to watching all of your upcoming adventures :)
@Sarita Richards, oh - see! You're already more brave than we are. Daniel and I are eventually going to give tent camping a try. I (Lauren) love the idea of this challenge. Daniel on the other hand has a bug fall on him and begs for the Marriott. 🤣 We are thrilled you found our channel. Welcome to the Wanderlocal family. ❤️
Being from Florida we could always tell if someone was Canadian. They swam in the ocean in winter months, and wore shorts, while we were all bundled under jackets! 🤣 We love Canada, but, hate that cold weather. I (Daniel) feel like you all are just built for it. Good tip on skirting the trailer. What did you use to do it?
Thank you so much, Ofelia! We definitely had a few tense moments and are glad to have made it out safely. I don't think we ever anticipated being in this type of situation, but we learned so much from it! We're going to crush this AS life! 💪 L+D
Kudos to you guys! That was a terrible storm up here in Oklahoma too. Can’t imagine being in our RV. But you guys overcame and learned! Love the channel and your positive attitudes! Safe travels!
Jeremy! Your kind words mean a lot. Thank you. 🙏 We were very fortunate for newbie RV’ers and learned so much. Glad you were ok in OK! It was a crazy storm. Lauren + Daniel
This is why I bought a tiny wood burning stove, and a larger wood stove, never fully depend on heaters! I also use usb power electric blankets, between layers to stay warm. Wood always burns!
Hi Susan! You're our first follower from Switzerland. Yay! 🥳 We love it there. In fact, a few months before the pandemic closed every border, we were there in Zurich drinking warm Gluwein (correct spelling?) on top of Mount Pilatus. We can't wait to go back. You'll have to tell us about some of your favorite places to visit! Thanks for watching our videos. We're sun people, so this was a tough one to endure. 🥶Lauren + Daniel
Your batteries are only going to charge so fast. While conserving power I would only use one generator. 1 generator should run your furnace and charge your batteries. Running the second generator probably is just wasting fuel, unless running air conditioning. This should allow you to get two nights, one for each generator.
That’s a great tip, Robert! From now on we’ll only run one of the generators. Especially, if it means we can run them longer. Under circumstances like this one, we really needed to run them as long as we could. Thanks again for the comment. We appreciate it more than you know. 🙏 Lauren + Daniel
The only thing my Dad ever threatened to desert me for was running out of gas. “Never let your tank get bellow half!” In this case...any of your tanks. ;-)
Rae Peronneau, your dad was a smart man! We now travel with 5 gallon cans of gas and diesel in the back of our truck at all times. Live and learn right? 💪
The thing what your uncle saw people hocking up to there truck, might be.. if it was a Ford F series the 2kw pro power option. It turns your truck in to a 2kw generator...I think you can have it retrofitted...ask ford Ford about it?.😎❤🇺🇲
Brad, great tip! We are 💯 going to ask Ford about this. That wouldn’t made life a LOT easier during this crazy storm! Thanks for the recommendation. We appreciate it! 🇺🇸 Lauren + Daniel
Around here, the gas stations have gas generators to run the gas pumps. So as long as you have cash, you can buy gas. Can't you hook the house battery up to the truck to recharge? Always carry extra long jumper cables. As a prepper, I always fill up everything before a any storm. I've had to spend 4 days car camping in an ice storm, so always make sure your vehicle is equipped with blankets and a CO2 monitor, set up the vehicle with Reflectex for the windshield and seats. Set up the RV as if for winter storage during the storm and stay on the vehicle.
Gas pumps that work without gas! Brilliant. I wish they had this in Texas. Almost all of them were without power. 😬 Yeah, about those cables! 🤣We should probably purchase some ASAP! Good tip. Very good tip on using Reflectex! I'd (Daniel) never even thought of that level of prep, but then again, never thought we'd be in the middle of a snow storm!
@@Wanderlocal Kentucky has a bad habit of having ice storms. We don't get much snow most years but we will have lots of freezing rain. About half the farmers I know have generators, all the large farms have them. It is just the way it is here. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best. So any gas station that is surrounded by farms will have backup generators so the farmers can keep their animals safe, run their equipment and just be able to travel.
Thanks, Ferdara! We will definitely only use one generator the next time. Also, a few people recommended that we add easystarts to the AC units so they start up easily on generator power. Have you heard of that before? - Daniel
@@Wanderlocal it’s highly recommended in the airstream community. Some people upgrade their inverters so they can run A/C off battery power (you need way more batteries for it to run more than 1-2 hours though) 😂
Hi Dwight! We're definitely not married to Airstream and love learning about the various RV's. I mean, we're sort of married to it until we pay it off - but you get what I'm saying. 🤣 Who makes Arctic Fox and what features do you love about it? Lauren + Daniel
Awe, Andrew! Thank you. We miss getting to jump the pond to visit the UK. Looking forward to the world getting healthy so we can come visit again. Maybe we’ll even bring our Airstream this time! 😍
This was so sweet to watch. You two are so delightful. I too live in Texas and went trhthe power outtage but i was prepared and did ok. Im not a camper but hoping to in the next year or so. You two are very inspiring❤
First off, I absolutely love all of your videos. This one is my favorite though. The struggles you went through are blessings in disguise. Thanks for sharing this! We have a vintage 1972 Safari twin which we love. So naturally we have to follow and subscribed to your YT channel. Thank you so much for your great content.
I assume you ran both generators together to get 50amp service, you could run just one and get your 15 or 20 amp service. Would double your run time and still provide power for batteries and lights. May not be able to use heat pumps though (Alde should still work). Best wishes.
Kevin, that’s great advice! At that point, going as long as we could was priority number 1 and would have been a perfect strategy - especially since all of the gas containers in town were sold out everywhere and gas was like black gold, Texas tea! 🥶 Thanks for sharing the tip! 🙌
Eric, thank you so much for the kind words! 🙏 You should really consider it. We're having an amazing time, and experiencing so many fun and exciting things. It's not all perfect, but it is worth the journey. Lauren + Daniel
Wow....that was suspenseful and a little stressful! Good job doing what you gotta do, and so glad you got through it. You both showed courage and determination to get through!! 👍👍
Thank you so much FLY4202! It was a crazy adventure. We hope we don't have to winter camp anytime soon, but if we do, we'll be way more prepared. 💪 By the way - what is your non-UA-cam name? We love and look forward to your comments, but we feel like we're real friends at this point and need to know. 🤣
Wanderlocal , hey guys, John from Long Island. My Wife and I love your channel and looking forward to getting out in our new AS soon! Do you have a FB yet for your channel? Ill send out a friend request! Keep putting out your videos, you guys are excellent at this! Be safe out there.
@EarthRoaming Adventures 🤣I (Lauren) just read this comment out loud to Daniel because I loved it so much. 🤣 Sure you don't want to share at least one tip?
omg! I am not winter camping...lol Spring and summer only! You guys are awesome! I panicked whe my bathroom sink faucet thingy broke. I did not use it for months until I mster up the courage to fix it with youtube videos...
@@Wanderlocal I admire your independence. That's what I want to do. However, my biggest worry is that my wifi will not work. I work from home with scheduled meetings. My boss will not be a happy "camper" if I cannot make those meetings. How did you deal with this concern on the road under "normal circumstances". This Winter camping is NOT normal....lol
Most trucks now are mobile generators. If you have a household 15 Amp dogbone adapter most trucks will have a plug in that will work enough to charge your batteries.
You need buddy heaters with refill bottles and a tip on it to refill the bottles. A 20lb tank will refill a bottle approximately 25 times. It will last much longer than ur furnace. Or it will certainly help big time
That is NOT a dumb question. But our answer is. 🤣 We honestly hadn’t thought about it. We ordered a 5 gal gas can as soon as we got past this crazy Texas Freeze. 🤷♀️
That trick about hooking up the truck is a very key one that I wish more people knew. My parents have a travel trailer that they use as a destination trailer (the dealer parked it at their site and it hasn't moved since). It is a 2020 Forrest River Vibe and the refrigerator is powered from the 12 volt electrical system and is not propane capable. About once a year a nasty storm comes in and takes the power out for an extended period. I try to remind my dad from time to time of the ability to recharge the trailer battery in the event of an emergency. My mom is looking into getting a generator as they have additional refrigerators and freezers and want to be able to power their air conditioning in a power outage. Luckily, the campground is only open from late April until late October so no winter outages to deal with. We are looking at possibly a dual fuel generator (gasoline and propane) as they have extra propane cylinders and don't want to worry about gasoline. I've only ever used RVs as destination trailers, but I have learned about how their systems work. In fact I owned an travel trailer before I could even drive and got mine at 17. I had a mid 60s model and if I were to do boondocking I'd go with one from that era in a heartbeat. In their original configuration, you can sustain the essentials with a tire pump and propane, although mine had an undersized heater. For those wondering. You can use the propane for heat, light, water heating, and refrigeration. The fresh water system operated on water pressure (on city water) or air pressure (from the tank). You could pressurize the system with a tire pump and the "water pump" is an air compressor. These trailers were sustainable without the house battery and didn't have a converter/charger in them.
Thanks for documenting and sharing your experience. Winter camping has always been a concern of mine and I’m getting ready to go full-time with my kids. This was informative.
Thanks, Chris! You and your family are going to love full-timing. Maybe we'll see you out there somewhere. Oh, and you definitely want to watch our new video coming out today on 'winter camping'. We go over everything we've learned over the past year+, and you'll definitely want to sift through the comments. We have followers that are well versed in winter camping and will always add informative tips to go with the video! Lauren + Daniel
@@Wanderlocal …… Ikr 🤣😭😭🤣😭😭🤪🤪🤪. We’ve got an F450 and depending where we fill up … it’s around $300.00 and up. We also have a 150 gallon tank in the back of the truck but let’s just say it hasn’t been filled up in quite a while lol. Gong to 👀 at y’all’s other reply 🙃.
@mike madden, thank you! This was definitely an experience where you either embraced the suck or crumbled. I (Lauren) am thankful Daniel is such a good emergency partner. When I was exhausted, he would take the lead and vise versa. It helps immensely to have a strong support system!
Patrick, you're doing it the right way! We got our butts handed to us. Never again! The next time, we'll be ready! 💪Thanks for watching this crazy experience of ours. We appreciate it! L+D
@@Wanderlocal You may already be doing this, but if not - check out some of the RV forums for winter tips. We have a Jayco Class C so I'm on the Jayco Owners Forums. I'm sure there will be Airstream forums out there. For, I don't know, a hundred bucks and a few pounds, you can equip your Airstream with a few Unexpected Winter Days items to help make it through. Just knowing you have the supplies will set your minds at ease. And you'll be less likely to worry about unanticipated changes in the weather. One inexpensive addition I'm glad I did was a "propane tee connect" valve. Branded name is typically "Extend-a-stay". It's a DIY valve that's added to the internal propane tank. And it allows you to connect a typical 20 pound BBQ style propane tank into your trailer, if your internal tank runs empty. As one fellow IT nerd to another - yeah, there were a few PEBKAC moments in there. But live and learn! :)
I've watched a bushcraft survival videos and they show and the people educate how to make a shelter in the snow and 🥶 weather and freezing cold on purpose...omg I'm glad you safe❤
Thank you friend! We were so inexperienced, and it shows. We've since talked to so many survivalists that have given us such good tips. We'll have to check out the bushcraft survival videos. Knowledge is power!
We lived through this freeze in our home where for almost a week it never went above 42 degrees by the fire! Such a crazy stint of weather for our area. We managed to use all our camping gear for heating water up from our pool for dishes, and our outdoor kitchen for doing some stove top cooking. It's always good to be prepared for all kinds or experiences. Having no shower for weeks sucked! I'm grateful we had a pool that at least allowed for water that could be heated up for some kind of bathing and washing hair. (Now if only our pipes hadn't burst!!). Glad you made it through it all
Valorie, yikes! 😬 It sounds like you all went through quite the ordeal. We're so glad to hear you made it through the craziness as well! 🙏 Lauren + Daniel
@@Wanderlocal I always believe what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. I don't always like when going through Challenges, but I do love the growth from each experience.
Suggest that you only run one of the generators at a time. One generator will give you enough power to charge batteries and run some basics. Then when that one run out of gas you can then run the other generator.
GREAT TIP! Honestly, we were unsure if just one generator would power our rig. From now on we're going to just use the one generator. That makes perfect sense. Thanks again. L+D
@@Wanderlocal one will not power everything but it will charge the batteries and run the propane furnace which is one of the problems you had. Two is great for when times are normal but in that freeze one at a time would have lasted longer to help get you through it.
We definitely tried to charge it in the truck. It's able to charge our tablet and phones, but the laptop seems to charge at a much slower rate. My guess is that it would take a day or so to charge. I like your idea though. Solid advice! Thanks again, Linda! 🙏
Best way to see if your ready for suffering in the cold in your home or RV is when its really cold kill the power and see how long you can go with no fuel and current battery back ups and propane. You learn really quick what you forgot and what you need in the future. Better to practice and turn things back on than suffer for real. The population seems to have forgotten how to prepare for unexpected outages and loss of basic services. My in-lawns suffered the same fate as you, beautiful 100k trailer that was useless when the power went down in Texas in the same area. No propane, no fuel and low food reserves , they unhooked and drove the truck until they hit warm weather and a motel with power. Credit to you for the honest account its very helpful to people to see what can happen even in Texas.
K31011, your advice is spot on! Everyone should read this. Completely agree with testing things before a crisis situation. That way you know what works...and what doesn’t! Thanks for the comment. We know others will read this. 🙏 Lauren + Daniel
I am right up the road in Brazoria, TX. at Brazoria Lakes RV Resort, I went through the winter storm in my Grand Design Imagine. I also have a Ford F-250. I charged my on board battery with my truck, BUT... it took me awhile to figure out that the truck wasn't actually charging my battery. On the Super Duty, once you crank the truck and have the 7 pin connector from the camper plugged into the truck, you have to get in the truck and apply the brakes, hold the brakes, shift to drive, reverse, and back to park. When you apply the brakes and shift the transmission, it tells the truck that the trailer is connected and sends power through the pigtail to the trailer battery. My furnace also quit overnight, I hooked up my voltmeter and was only getting 12.6V to the trailer battery. Once I figured out my problem, and applied the truck brakes, and shifted the transmission.. I checked and was at 14.6V. My neighbor at the time had a 2020 Airstream Classic 30RB and he had the same issue with his F-250. Once we figured out how to charge our batteries it made the power outage and no water a little less miserable. Safe travels! I went through about 2 tanks of gas in my truck plugged into my camper. Hopefully that was the last taste of winter!
Sipprider89, you are amazing! The way you figured this out...🤯[mind blown]...so amazing! We can say with 💯 certainty that we would have never figured this out. It definitely would have been a life saver. Too bad we weren’t at your campground at the time. Thank you so much for the comment. We both genuinely appreciate it! We’ve learned SO MUCH from comments like this. 🙏 Lauren + Daniel
@@Wanderlocal I got online and started checking Super Duty Forums and saw that it was a common issue. I don't understand why Ford engineered it that way but thankfully my neighbor and I got it figured out. There were a total of 4 of us with Super Duty trucks who all had the same issues. We were without power for almost 70 hours and without water for 6 days. I am glad I went through the experience but it was sure enough miserable!!!
Hi Joel, Deb and Maya! So good to hear from you. We're with you 100% on chasing that warm weather. I (Daniel) joked with Lauren about taking this party further down south to the US Virgin Islands where it's warmer...but if it doesn't start to warm up soon, we're going to be in trouble! 🤣
No, not yet, but I’m looking for a 5000 lbs or less, RV to pull with my new 2021 Chevy Traverse. I can’t wait to travel with my dog! I admire you guys for getting out there and living your dreams. ❤️😉🤩
Winter camping is fun, if you are prepared for it... as you quickly learned things can turn sour pretty fast when you are not prepared. But still, you did pretty good in the end, a positive attitude goes a long way... well done!
@@Wanderlocal I don't winter camp as often as I'd want, this winter I never had the opportunity to get out, partly due to covid. :( I'm by no means a bushcrafter/survivalist, I'm really more of a glamper, but nature can still be very harsh and unforgiving if you are not prepared. But the sights, animals you see, that makes it awesome, it's reading a good book in front of the tent stove with a hot beverage, it's the fishing (winter fishing is the best), it's the air you breathe... It's a lot of work too, which isn't always fun, but it really is all the moments you get between the work needed to stay warm and comfy that makes it all wortwhile.
Tommy, that makes perfect sense. I (Lauren) think if we planned for it, and knew we were going to be more off grid for winter camping, that we could fall in love with it. Oh, and we'd need more snow gear! Because as Floridians, we just don't have the kind of clothes needed to make outside any fun in freezing temperatures! We've got friends who love to winter camp, parking at the top of a ski slope and just jumping onto the mountain in the morning. We're no where near that yet, but maybe some day. ❄️
CGS, Great point! We intended on buying some while on the road, but never did. When we finally needed them during this crazy situation, they were sold out everywhere. 🙈Needless to say, we now travels with two 5-gallon tanks. It was a hard lesson to learn. 😬
Thanks for the suggestion, Joe! We feel as if our shopping list is growing fast. Especially, after this experience. There were so many things we needed, but didn't have. Now we'll be prepared. Thanks again! Lauren + Daniel
We use the stove top burners to knock chill off our camper no battery use and uses a lo less propane to keep camper wam. Only run the stove when we are awake
You know what...that makes PERFECT sense! I (Daniel) seriously never even considered that. We had plenty of propane, but no way to power up the heating system. This would have been a great idea - but - when we were awake, like you said. 🙌
@@Wanderlocal Running the stove top cause moisture buildup so don't forget the fan. Which would defeat the purpose in the extreme cold. I think the stove would only work in less extreme conditions.
Generators can run with up to 12% ethanol however, it’s best to run them on ethanol free. Any small engines application with a carburetor, non ethanol gasoline is best. If you run ethanol in a carburetor and then let it sit for a while, it will turn into varsol in the bowl and clog the jets. The next time you go to start it, it won’t run. You’ll have to do a field strip and rebuild on the carburetor to get it running if you absolutely need it. My suggestion if you have to run ethanol in it would be to run it completely out of gas, add a little tiny bit of non ethanol gasoline in it and then let that run completely out. Generators also require full service about every 48 hours. You can push it to 72 hours if you have to, but you begin risking a lot of things going beyond that. I would buy a lot of 10W-30 oil and just keep myself stocked all the time, just in case. I actually live in southern Louisiana and we had to live on a generator for 3 weeks straight with a 2 year old toddler and dog after hurricane ida destroyed our house. We are still in our camper in my yard right now fixing our house, actually. Every single day I was on the hunt for oil, gas, food, and water. I learned how to survive for those 3 weeks like I never thought I would ever have to. People were frantic, the nights were black everywhere, no light sources other than headlights here and there but there were so many trees and so much debris everywhere that you rarely saw anyone driving at night. It was to the point where I had gas for our generators and I slept next to my handgun because people were stealing to survive. There wasn’t even running water for 2 of the 3 weeks. I was catching rain water in buckets coming off the valley of what was left of my roof and boiling it to use for water in the camper, hoping the filter was doing a good enough job. Long story short, I watched people around my neighborhood blow their generators up. Literally exploding causing fires while the fire department was not even operational. Generator service is super important if you like having electricity. Do not tempt fate, she is not on your side in emergency situations.
Bits, Brains, and Beanies - we appreciate your comment more than you know! 🙏 This is very insightful information, and something no one else has ever taken the time to explain to us. 😮 Damn...that's about all we can say about your experience! Hurricane Ida was terrible. What you did to get through that is nothing short of amazing. And, you did it with a toddler. We've done a lot to prepare for extreme conditions since this happened, but maintaining the generators wasn't one of them. We'll make sure this is on the list for sure! 🙏 Lauren + Daniel
@@Wanderlocal It was just something that came to mind when watching your vlog of this. I’ve not had to deal with that type of cold before, I’m sure that adds a level of frustration to everything as well. I just figured I would pass along a lesson I unfortunately learned first hand during a time of hardship. Generators are a double edged sword and should always be taken with a grain of salt. Another thing I’ve also heard of but have never quite looked into is an upgrade to the 7 pin adapter that goes to the truck. There is an adapter that you can upgrade to that will allow the truck to charge the camper much much faster than the 7 pin can. I haven’t looked into it yet like I said, because I’m almost certain since I have an F-150 towing a 30ft heartland pioneer, my alternator would probably need an upgrade as well and I’ve just not decided whether or not I want to do it. However, you both have a powerstroke, I believe the 6.7 diesel should have a larger alternator from the factory, so you may only need to upgrade the hitch adapter. From the little I’ve seen, it would be a potential life saver if you’re a full timer. Just a thought🤷🏻♂️ you two look like you’re having the time of your lives though, and I’m a little envious. I wish we were in a position to take ours traveling all over like you do. For now, I’ll just live vicariously through you!
Thanks my friend! I’ll (Daniel) definitely look into the 7 pin upgrade. It be a nice ‘peace of mind’ thing to have added! Be sure to keep in touch. We love getting to know everyone on here. 🙌
Loved this, thank you so much for documenting it! My hubby and I will soon be retiring from the military. We’re not sure where we want to end up permanently so we thought we’d travel around a bit. Starting to do research now and came upon you channel. We lived most of our lives in Alaska and have to say, y’all did phenomenal working through that bizarre TX cold spell last year. Nice done and with such a great attitude! Thank you for your channel! Kelly & Trace
Peewee, amen to that! After getting our butts handed to us in this storm we now travel with cans filled with gas and diesel! Hopefully, it never happens again - but if it does, we’ll be much more prepared the next time! 🙌 Lauren + Daniel
This is John chalker from Waterbury Connecticut I am a trained with your camper and where you made your mistakes can be fixed in the next round and you will do better I love you guys I think you guys did a wonderful job for what you did do next time make sure you have gas canisters ready to go and extra water Jerry cans that are blue ready to go and you should be fineI'm from the Northeast I have done a lot of winter camping and I can give you advice if you need it you could always find me on Facebook
John, it’s still mind blowing to us how much we learned about our Airstream through this crazy Texas Freeze experience. We’re hoping we don’t have to winter camp anytime again soon (must get lithium batteries first!), but we won’t be unprepared next time for sure! 💪
This is normally the part I give you guys some inspiration and words of wisdom..... but this time I can’t. You guys gave me inspiration. You faced challenge after challenge and you did it with a smile on your face, never gave up and just adapted and overcame! Bravo Bravo! Pat yourselves on the back! Now you can continue your journey and know that no matter how bad things get, you got this! 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 PS did I win with Magnum P.I.G? 🤣🤣🤣
😍😍😍 Dan, this comment made our day. It was a crazy experience, but we’re so thankful for all the things it taught us.
As for piggy, stay tuned. We’re gonna post our favorite three names in a poll on our Community tab this week to let everyone help us pick her name. 🐷
I'M VERY PROUD OF Y'ALL STAY WARM AND BE BLESSED, ALSO PUT ALOT OF BLANKETS ON MY FRIENDS..
I would LOVE to say that I would have been way more prepared but it’s easy to say that when I am sitting here in my home….I am glad you guys made it through and you handled each issue that came up without freaking out which is all anyone can ask in a situation like that. Be proud :)
🙏 @@rvlifeisaboutthejourney - Thank you so much! We think the cold impacted our cognitive abilities, but we did our best and learned SO much from this experience as new campers!
@@shoralhookes804 Thank you so much! 🙏
Of all of the "wintering in an rv" videos I have seen, yours has been the best. Yours actually showed some of the worst mistakes you can make but also it showed the best way of handling them with persistence and grace.
Barbara, we can't thank you enough for this kind comment. We both genuinely appreciate it. ❤️Lauren + Daniel
Amen🥰🙏🏻🕊
Y’all Are Dedicated Troopers lol I Probably Wouldn’t Even Be Able To Last 30 mins in that cold lol
🤣 I (Lauren) definitely think Daniel would have agreed with you before all this madness. But, we survived and learned. What else can you ask for? 💪
Loved how Daniel tidied up as a surprise Delightful !
Sarita, isn’t he the sweetest! I (Lauren) am so lucky. 😍
@@Wanderlocal You're both lovely but yes you're lucky :)
@@saritarichards4857 thank you love. 🥰
Next time use jumper cables directly from your pickup batteries to the camper batteries with your pickup running.
This will give you a direct charge without going through the camper electronics.
Oh, Nitro 54. That’s genius. Now we need to either find our jumper cables or buy a set. 😜
That's sage advice I'll want to use when I need it! Thank you!
These scenarios in life teach us so much
@Joni Boulware 💯It was a nightmare going through it, but we're thankful for the experience none the less.
That was the 1st thing I thought of.
This was painful to watch. I spent 8 years in the military and I live in south Louisiana where I have been through many many hurricanes, floods, and ice storms. I am now in my 50's and through all of the disasters I have been through I am very prepared for just about anything now. When I know there is a chance of losing power from a hurricane or an ice storm, I usually have around 30 gallons of gas for my generator. We are also well stocked with food and water. And you may want to buy a battery charger. Instead of connecting your truck to the camper to charge the batteries, you could have just plugged in a 12v battery charger to one of your generators and it would have charged the batteries. But this is how you learn, go through something like this and learn what to do better the next time. Safe travels.
Great advise! Especially about getting a battery charger.
Ha! Your Texas weather storm
Motivated me to buy a -9 sleeping bag for behind the seat of my truck, Americans motivating Canadians🇨🇦 to stay warm..who woulda thunk?
🤣@2000talon, I can't imagine why this would inspire that purchase. 🤣You'll have to let us know which ones you got and how you like them. We should probably invest in some of these ourselves!
@@Wanderlocal
Invest in some Wiggy's sleeping bags. Even if the power goes out, you'll be WARM and DRY!
Made in USA!
Silly husband thinking the blonde wouldn't pick up on the lights being on during the ride home. LOL - love you guys. Thanks for posting.
TexasRoadrunners, 🤣🤣🤣 Silly Daniel. 🤣🤣🤣 We love y’all to. Thanks for taking the time to watch another one of our videos. Y’all are the best!
Love your channel! As a fellow Floridian ... for shame for not filling up the truck and generator! That's the first thing we do for hurricanes! We travel in a vintage Airstream and we have made a lot of mistakes too. Thats how we learn though. You guys are awesome!
Kara, I know right?? We still can’t believe we didn’t think through the power being out would likely include gas stations. 🤦♀️ Live and learn right? What year Airstream are y’all in? We LOVE the renovations but aren’t nearly handy enough to do it ourselves!
@@Wanderlocal We have a 1972 Sovereign. I cant claim that we did the reno. We bought from a young couple who did a shell off reno and lived in it for a year. They did an excellent job with it and we love it! We are on instagram jellybean.airstream
Ohhhhh she’s so pretty AND shiny!! We would love to finish ours like that someday. Now following y’all. 😍
I still am gratefull both of you are safe. It really means the strength, tenacity and courage you both have. We love you guys.
@Marc Benedict Panergo, 😍thank you. It was a crazy adventure for sure, and we're thankful we didn't find ourselves in more trouble than we did too. Sending all our love. - Lauren & Daniel ❤️
You learn more when things don't go right compared to when things do go right.
For the heater and lights, you should only need one generator. You would need both for the air conditioner. Also, as someone already mentioned, the jumper cables. Your truck has a 135 amp alternator or better depending on the package. It would charge your batteries faster than being plugged in to shore power.
TheKtmnate - excellent point! To be honest, we'd never even considered using jumper cables. That would have made things a LOT simpler. Also, good tips about generator usage. 🙏 Lauren + Daniel
For better and for worse! Sometimes the worse provides for the most satisfaction when you guys overcome them together.
Amen to that, Michael! 🙌 We got our butts handed to us, but learned so much in the process. Thanks for watching! Lauren + Daniel
I am a full time RVer. Originally from Texas, but currently working in OK. So thankful I was up here, as we didn't lose power, but had 13 days of below freezing temps. Went through so much propane and had all 3 of my tanks froze, and didn't realize until they were full
😦Wow, 13 days. I can't even imagine how much propane you must have gone through. Were you at a campground that had refills available, or did you have to go back out to refill?
I was at a campground that did propane refills. They had 1500 gallons of propane on Thursday and by Monday they were down to less than 200 gallons.
😬 Thats a lot of propane! Thank goodness they were on site. The local place to us ran our pretty fast. I think the next closest place was 30-40 miles away. At least that’s what our neighbor told us at the time. It’s like liquid gold during a freeze!
My wife and I lived through an ice storm a few years after we were married. No power for about 12 days. Fortunately, we were in our home and many parts of the city still had power. But it taught me a valuable lesson. When it comes to surviving winter, you need a backup. And a backup for the first backup. So we have a whole house standby generator, but if that fails, we have an old but still very functional kerosene heater.
Obviously, this storm was a surprise. But I would strongly suggest anyone in an RV have a portable propane heater as a tertiary source of heat.
Your hearts are warm and you are wiser after going through this experience.
@Linda Field, 💯We learned so much about our Airstream and about how much we need to research from this experience. 💪
Lauren and Daniel, we truly understood what all you went through. I laughed through my tears watching this episode. The constant stress and problem solving was just so mentally exhausting besides it being so dang cold and trying to do anything outside. We were so worried about all our animals, water pipes all over the pasture, our NEW Airstream (less than a month old) in our barn and hurriedly trying to winterize it when we didn’t have a flipping idea what we were doing (but we learned!), constantly checking the temps in the barn, rv, checking on the animals (which they all absolutely did great!), the water lines, blah blah blah! But through all of this (and I know you and Lauren would agree) our hearts go out to all the people that suffered so much more. Steve and I watch KYD to learn so much, we watch Lauren and Daniel because we can relate to y’all so much! Love you guys! Donna and Steve
Donna and Steve, this comment warms our hearts so much! ❤️At the end of the day, you're right. There are so many people in Texas who had it so much worse than we did. We talked to a momma who was living in an RV with her newborn and she said they woke up one morning and that sweet baby's lips were blue. 😭Thankfully, they made it through, but it's such a good reminder of how truly blessed we really are. We're so thankful to hear you all made it through safely - animals, Airstream, and all. ❤️Sending all our love. - Lauren & Daniel
@@Wanderlocal ❤️🥰
Hey guys! This is my first video of yours to watch. I am from Texas, and this was the worst storm to hit Texas in decades. I know exactly what y'all went through, as my parents and I were without power for nearly 4 days and without water that same length of time. But luckily we have a wood burning stove that help to keep up somewhat warm, but we were still cold. We weren't even able to get out and go anywhere for about. We live in the country, and have propane to fuel our stove, it fuels out central heat, but without electricity the furnace wouldn't run. Also we lucked out we had a freezer full of food and plenty of canned goods to get us by. We took all our perishable food items, stuck them in a cooler and set them out on the front porch to keep everything cold...lol
James, thank you so much for sharing your story! Being from Florida, we've had plenty of outages before due to hurricanes, rouge storms, etc. and you just learn to deal with it. BUT, never when it was snowing outside! That's a factor I know plenty of us were not prepared for. Hopefully, we won't experience a storm like this again anytime soon. If so, we know we'll both be better prepared! L+D
You guys are adorable and thanks for sharing your story. Always keep the tanks and gas cans full! Good lesson.
Kathy, thank you so much! ❤️ We now always travel with full tanks. We're borderline OCD about it now. 🤣 Lauren + Daniel
Wow! What a great video. Well done for documenting the realities of your situation and keeping some humor throughout. I’m rethinking our camping set up and prep to make sure we are better prepared ourselves.
Your lucky u r not up in Canada we are -20 Celsius for us -5 Celsius is warm during the winter lol
Truth!!! That’s way too much for us, Wen Kuei Chiang. Those are skills we pray we will never have to learn. 🤣🥶
We use candles in our RV to stay warm here on the Coast of Oregon w/window cracked open!!☔
#davesandersstepdaughter
Clay pots and some tea lights would have made a Hugh difference for them..
Anybody who goes to Canada in winter with a trailer deserves all the pain...
@@jeepmack they are dangerous and can explode. I advise not doing this. A candle in a metal can is totally safe.
Great episode, lots of learning lessons, happy to see y’all made it thru. One suggestion.. remember although you have two generators that can be ran in parallel (to double wattage) you “can” run them independently. Don’t know the wattage of y’all’s heater system (you need to research) but in most trailers the heater motor runs on 12v dc. And one can typically run the heater only with just a single 2kw generator. You need them paralleled together if you want to run the full coach with roof AC. But in an emergency like you were you could have run only one of the 2k units to charge your batteries and tank heaters, and got 2 run sessions out that gas. Good luck guys, stay warm.
We wondered about this!!! We will absolutely be researching the heater system to find out how many watts it runs on. That makes perfect sense. Thanks for the tip, Michael! 🙏🏻
I guess you won’t like late fall, winter or early spring in Iceland , or Northern Norway.
Man you guys really went through the gauntlet! Thanks for sharing your story. We had a similar experience. Our house power went out so we were able to move into our RV and find the last spot in a nearby park. It was just as terrifying for us those few days as you described, but thankfully, we all got through it and learned a lot! Our power at home came back on day 4 in Victoria.
Donald, glad to hear y'all made it out of this ok. No one we talked to locally thought the power would have been out for as long as it was. It definitely caught us all by surprise. We'll be ready the next time something like this happens! L+D
Happy you guys got some POWER 🥰🙏🏾🥰
Kathy, I (Lauren) can’t remember a time when I felt so much joy over something that typically would have seemed so mundane! Power is an amazing thing. ❤️
Thanks for being genuine and honest! It's not always easy going fulltime and coping with multiple issues! Keep up doing your best and rewards will follow.
@Lenny Koniewicz, thank you for the support. It means the world to us. ❤️Do you full-time RV too?
@@Wanderlocal not yet, 5 yrs out. We are planning and most likely going to build our own unit while still working FT before hitting the road. We watch many FT UA-cam channels and see much good and bad. Hopefully we'll learn from that.
@Lenny Koniewicz, that sounds great! We love watching the build outs, but we're not nearly handy enough to do that ourselves (at least not yet anyway!) Since you watch a lot of the channels, do you have any idea of what type of RV you will build out?
@@Wanderlocal I'm a pretty handy guy, just never built a mobile home. I do have some contacts in a similar industry, so I'll tap into them too. We are thinking about a 25' to 30'max flat trailer and building up. We still have lots to dream about and may change our minds but that's what we've been leaning towards. We've considered buses and others and are convinced that we can build a better option with much better quality. Plus, we'll know every inch of the unit.
Good luck in your adventure and stay positive! We love your attitude and problem solving!
1) Reckless for not keeping you generators FULL of fuel. 2) Reckless for not having backup power alternatives (see #1). Just plain ignorant on your part.
We learned a lot during the Texas freeze no doubt. We won’t be making these mistakes again. 💪 Do you do a lot of winter camping?
You should come to Arizona for the winter next time. You really will enjoy it!!! I am so sorry for your freezing experience in Texas. Thank you for your video. I really enjoyed it.
Thanks, friend! Traveling to Arizona for the winter months is definitely the way to go. We have many friends who routinely camp there, but we haven't...YET! :D
Love it. You made me laugh when u said I don't like winter camping
🤣 I (Lauren) am not taking it back either. 🤣
You survived! Now you'll be ready for the next time . Stay safe and warm.
@kurt schulmeye, we survived! 🎉🍾You bet ya we'll be prepared next time. We just hope next time isn't anytime soon. We're still thawing out. 🤣
Nice to know that this kind of weather is not the normal for Texas in the winter time! These kind of adventures do make you stronger as a couple and as a person! Great video from Canada where winter is really winter! See you on the road!
Amen to that, Robert! 🙏Hopefully, this was a once in a lifetime event for Texas. We can't even imagine what it must be like in Canada where it is MUCH colder. I (Daniel) think we'd freeze to death! 😬Did I mention that we're based out of Florida?! 🤣We prefer the warmer weather. Thanks for following us along on our journey!
Ok, here are some tips. We too were in that Texas freezer along with you and millions of others. We had that same Oh Shit moment when power silently slipped away not to return anytime soon. So after the WTH is going on we started the plan to stay alive. Being a native Floridian myself I had it all thought out. We had a small Honda generator and some gas but it was still sleeting and snowing so can’t let it get soaked in the wetness….we were able to charge up some stuff in the morning after it stopped sleeting and snowing. How we survive inside. Gas stove for a short while helped. The coolest trick was the packs of Hothands hand warmers. They come 2 to a pack get a dozen packs put them in the truck and trailer. Walmart has them cheap. Take one or two out and put them in a coat or vest pocket. Keep some material between your skin and the pack they can burn your skin (from experience). Jump in bed cover up and you won’t believe how toasty you will be. Use in coat pockets to warm your hands outside. Ok, the big one! We knew the 2000 watt generator wasn’t going to save the food in the fridge and freezer and we knew like you where in the hell are we going to get more gas? So we bought …for next time…a dual fuel 4500 watt generator so we can get propane if not gas for it. Water however was a huge fear. Fortunately I had a dozen empty gallon water bottles I filled up to flush the toilets after they cut the water to the house off. Anyhow Dual Fuel Generator and Hothands hand warmers…bring it on we are ready. Fred in Texas.
Subscribed from Newfoundland . Glad to see you kept your morale up through this . Lot of helpful tips here . One to add ; boil some water , put it in a thermos and use it for either a hot water bottle in the cold night , or have a hot coffee in the morning .
Loved the 1st part .... have been looking forward to this one.
Sarita, it was a crazy one for sure. We’re still trying to de thaw. 🥶 Have you attempted winter camping before?
@@Wanderlocal Lol- no, but I live in the UK so have camped ( in a tent) many times in the rain and cold , when it's meant to be sunny. So pleased to have found your channel , I watch alot of RV'ers travelling the US and you two are so engaging! Looking forward to watching all of your upcoming adventures :)
@Sarita Richards, oh - see! You're already more brave than we are. Daniel and I are eventually going to give tent camping a try. I (Lauren) love the idea of this challenge. Daniel on the other hand has a bug fall on him and begs for the Marriott. 🤣 We are thrilled you found our channel. Welcome to the Wanderlocal family. ❤️
Winter camping....skirt the trailer to keep the floors warmer.
Canadian winter camping is fun and cold (only out side)...
Being from Florida we could always tell if someone was Canadian. They swam in the ocean in winter months, and wore shorts, while we were all bundled under jackets! 🤣 We love Canada, but, hate that cold weather. I (Daniel) feel like you all are just built for it. Good tip on skirting the trailer. What did you use to do it?
Late to the party….. looks like a regular Canadian summer day! (Just kidding) enjoying you videos…
😂 You're not the first Canadian to say that! Did we mention we're from Florida. 🤣 Lauren + Daniel + Dash
Was holding my breath the entire video. So glad you guys are safe! Killing the AS life!!! 🥰
Thank you so much, Ofelia! We definitely had a few tense moments and are glad to have made it out safely. I don't think we ever anticipated being in this type of situation, but we learned so much from it! We're going to crush this AS life! 💪 L+D
Kudos to you guys! That was a terrible storm up here in Oklahoma too. Can’t imagine being in our RV. But you guys overcame and learned! Love the channel and your positive attitudes! Safe travels!
Jeremy! Your kind words mean a lot. Thank you. 🙏 We were very fortunate for newbie RV’ers and learned so much. Glad you were ok in OK! It was a crazy storm. Lauren + Daniel
You will have souvenirs 😂you made it
About winter camping you have to perfectly equiped 💪extrême condition happends to everyone 😊
Your are top campers
Thanks Jmbc Bataille! We learned SO MUCH about our Airstream and winter camping in the Texas Freeze. We won’t be caught unprepared next time. 💪
This is why I bought a tiny wood burning stove, and a larger wood stove, never fully depend on heaters! I also use usb power electric blankets, between layers to stay warm.
Wood always burns!
At least you can still smile, life will always get better if you allow it.
@Nathan Zurich, 💯 Half of the battle is always simply allowing it, isn’t it? 💪
@@Wanderlocal what’s doesn’t kill us can only make us stronger
@nathan Urick, you bet ya! 👍
Loved to watch your video. Keep up your good work. You guy’s did an awesome job in that situation. Cheers 🥂 from Switzerland 🇨🇭
Hi Susan! You're our first follower from Switzerland. Yay! 🥳 We love it there. In fact, a few months before the pandemic closed every border, we were there in Zurich drinking warm Gluwein (correct spelling?) on top of Mount Pilatus. We can't wait to go back. You'll have to tell us about some of your favorite places to visit!
Thanks for watching our videos. We're sun people, so this was a tough one to endure. 🥶Lauren + Daniel
Best to keep only one light on in your RV rather than draining the battery using multiple lights.
Your batteries are only going to charge so fast. While conserving power I would only use one generator. 1 generator should run your furnace and charge your batteries. Running the second generator probably is just wasting fuel, unless running air conditioning. This should allow you to get two nights, one for each generator.
That’s a great tip, Robert! From now on we’ll only run one of the generators. Especially, if it means we can run them longer. Under circumstances like this one, we really needed to run them as long as we could. Thanks again for the comment. We appreciate it more than you know. 🙏 Lauren + Daniel
The only thing my Dad ever threatened to desert me for was running out of gas. “Never let your tank get bellow half!” In this case...any of your tanks. ;-)
Rae Peronneau, your dad was a smart man! We now travel with 5 gallon cans of gas and diesel in the back of our truck at all times. Live and learn right? 💪
We live in our RV full-time. We use Mr. Heater buddy heaters they work much better than our RV heater. Just keep propane on hand.
We'll have to pick up a Mr Heater. We hear great things about them!
The thing what your uncle saw people hocking up to there truck, might be.. if it was a Ford F series the 2kw pro power option.
It turns your truck in to a 2kw generator...I think you can have it retrofitted...ask ford Ford about it?.😎❤🇺🇲
Brad, great tip! We are 💯 going to ask Ford about this. That wouldn’t made life a LOT easier during this crazy storm! Thanks for the recommendation. We appreciate it! 🇺🇸 Lauren + Daniel
Around here, the gas stations have gas generators to run the gas pumps. So as long as you have cash, you can buy gas.
Can't you hook the house battery up to the truck to recharge? Always carry extra long jumper cables.
As a prepper, I always fill up everything before a any storm. I've had to spend 4 days car camping in an ice storm, so always make sure your vehicle is equipped with blankets and a CO2 monitor, set up the vehicle with Reflectex for the windshield and seats. Set up the RV as if for winter storage during the storm and stay on the vehicle.
Gas pumps that work without gas! Brilliant. I wish they had this in Texas. Almost all of them were without power. 😬
Yeah, about those cables! 🤣We should probably purchase some ASAP! Good tip.
Very good tip on using Reflectex! I'd (Daniel) never even thought of that level of prep, but then again, never thought we'd be in the middle of a snow storm!
@@Wanderlocal Kentucky has a bad habit of having ice storms. We don't get much snow most years but we will have lots of freezing rain. About half the farmers I know have generators, all the large farms have them. It is just the way it is here. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.
So any gas station that is surrounded by farms will have backup generators so the farmers can keep their animals safe, run their equipment and just be able to travel.
You only need one Generator for winter camping, it will provide you all the power you need. When you run the A/C you will need 2 generators.
Thanks, Ferdara! We will definitely only use one generator the next time. Also, a few people recommended that we add easystarts to the AC units so they start up easily on generator power. Have you heard of that before? - Daniel
@@Wanderlocal it’s highly recommended in the airstream community. Some people upgrade their inverters so they can run A/C off battery power (you need way more batteries for it to run more than 1-2 hours though) 😂
Thanks so much for this video. I learned a lot from your experience, and it appears that I'm one of many.
Very well-deserved champagne! Cheers!
Thanks, Renata! And, thanks for watching. We appreciate it! Lauren + Daniel
Shoulda had an Arctic Fox... Not one of those smoke-and-mirror Airstreams... LOL thanks for posting, I needed the laugh...
Hi Dwight! We're definitely not married to Airstream and love learning about the various RV's. I mean, we're sort of married to it until we pay it off - but you get what I'm saying. 🤣 Who makes Arctic Fox and what features do you love about it? Lauren + Daniel
@@Wanderlocal Northwood Manufacturing... Google Arctic Fox you'll see everything you need. Thanks for taking the time to reply
Great vlog and an amazing couple. Well done to you both. Lots of love coming your way from the UK
Awe, Andrew! Thank you. We miss getting to jump the pond to visit the UK. Looking forward to the world getting healthy so we can come visit again. Maybe we’ll even bring our Airstream this time! 😍
This was so sweet to watch. You two are so delightful. I too live in Texas and went trhthe power outtage but i was prepared and did ok. Im not a camper but hoping to in the next year or so. You two are very inspiring❤
First off, I absolutely love all of your videos. This one is my favorite though. The struggles you went through are blessings in disguise. Thanks for sharing this! We have a vintage 1972 Safari twin which we love. So naturally we have to follow and subscribed to your YT channel. Thank you so much for your great content.
Richard, thank you so much for the kind words! 🙏 We hope to see you on the road someday soon. Lauren + Daniel + Dash
@@Wanderlocal likewise! Even though I’d fan out! LOL congratulations on the baby and glad you’re staying in an Airstream.
I assume you ran both generators together to get 50amp service, you could run just one and get your 15 or 20 amp service. Would double your run time and still provide power for batteries and lights. May not be able to use heat pumps though (Alde should still work). Best wishes.
Kevin, that’s great advice! At that point, going as long as we could was priority number 1 and would have been a perfect strategy - especially since all of the gas containers in town were sold out everywhere and gas was like black gold, Texas tea! 🥶 Thanks for sharing the tip! 🙌
Great episode, you two are inspirational. Really thinking about living in one when I retire.
Eric, thank you so much for the kind words! 🙏 You should really consider it. We're having an amazing time, and experiencing so many fun and exciting things. It's not all perfect, but it is worth the journey. Lauren + Daniel
The next time anyone says Millennials aren’t resilient I’ll show them this video. This gives me hope.
Most people not only fill the generators they have extra gas cans to refill the generators. Not ready for rough winter van life.
Anita, back then you were 100% right! We were total newbie campers. We've learned a lot since. Lauren+Daniel+Dash
Wow....that was suspenseful and a little stressful! Good job doing what you gotta do, and so glad you got through it. You both showed courage and determination to get through!! 👍👍
Thank you so much FLY4202! It was a crazy adventure. We hope we don't have to winter camp anytime soon, but if we do, we'll be way more prepared. 💪
By the way - what is your non-UA-cam name? We love and look forward to your comments, but we feel like we're real friends at this point and need to know. 🤣
Wanderlocal , hey guys, John from Long Island. My Wife and I love your channel and looking forward to getting out in our new AS soon! Do you have a FB yet for your channel? Ill send out a friend request! Keep putting out your videos, you guys are excellent at this! Be safe out there.
YAY! John, it's a pleasure to officially "digitally" meet you! Yes, we do have a Facebook page. Let's connect there for sure: facebook.com/wanderlocal
Wanderlocal , connected with your FB last night! Be safe guys
@@johnyeary1 awesome! We’re happy we’re officially connected, John. ❤️
I admire people who do these types of videos
Thank you again, Dinas! We truly do appreciate your kind words. Lauren + Daniel
@@Wanderlocal Your Welcome. No problem.
Haha i love a good disaster movie, i have so many tips for you but then that would rob you of the great adventure and me some more entertainment.:)
@EarthRoaming Adventures 🤣I (Lauren) just read this comment out loud to Daniel because I loved it so much. 🤣 Sure you don't want to share at least one tip?
@@Wanderlocal "It's not an adventure till something goes wrong"
@EarthRoaming Adventures - Isn't that the truth! 🤣❤️
omg! I am not winter camping...lol Spring and summer only! You guys are awesome! I panicked whe my bathroom sink faucet thingy broke. I did not use it for months until I mster up the courage to fix it with youtube videos...
smartazz beuch - we feel the same way! We're doing our best to chase good weather, but sometimes it just sneaks up on you. 😂 Lauren + Daniel
@@Wanderlocal I admire your independence. That's what I want to do. However, my biggest worry is that my wifi will not work. I work from home with scheduled meetings. My boss will not be a happy "camper" if I cannot make those meetings. How did you deal with this concern on the road under "normal circumstances". This Winter camping is NOT normal....lol
This is a cool video. Good work guys, with the editing, the journey, and the storytelling.
Thanks Mike! It was a crazy week, but we’re thankful for the lessons learned on this winter camping scare. We’ll be prepared next time. 💪
Most trucks now are mobile generators. If you have a household 15 Amp dogbone adapter most trucks will have a plug in that will work enough to charge your batteries.
Coby, that’s a darn good tip! We will 💯 try that soon to make sure it works. Anything would have been better than nothing! L+D
You need buddy heaters with refill bottles and a tip on it to refill the bottles. A 20lb tank will refill a bottle approximately 25 times. It will last much longer than ur furnace. Or it will certainly help big time
A situation where lots of financial resources can’t keep you warm.
I’m glad you found gas
@Donnan Huggler, yup that makes three of us. 🤣
I hate to ask a dumb question but why don't you guys have a couple of gas cans?
That is NOT a dumb question. But our answer is. 🤣 We honestly hadn’t thought about it. We ordered a 5 gal gas can as soon as we got past this crazy Texas Freeze. 🤷♀️
@@Wanderlocal weren't you in Walmarts for groceries? They sell gas cans.
Duel fuel generator. Run it off your propane. And their is no up keep to the generator.
This has probably been suggested but having a piece of garden hose to siphon fuel from your truck to supply the generator comes in handy..
That trick about hooking up the truck is a very key one that I wish more people knew. My parents have a travel trailer that they use as a destination trailer (the dealer parked it at their site and it hasn't moved since). It is a 2020 Forrest River Vibe and the refrigerator is powered from the 12 volt electrical system and is not propane capable. About once a year a nasty storm comes in and takes the power out for an extended period. I try to remind my dad from time to time of the ability to recharge the trailer battery in the event of an emergency.
My mom is looking into getting a generator as they have additional refrigerators and freezers and want to be able to power their air conditioning in a power outage. Luckily, the campground is only open from late April until late October so no winter outages to deal with. We are looking at possibly a dual fuel generator (gasoline and propane) as they have extra propane cylinders and don't want to worry about gasoline.
I've only ever used RVs as destination trailers, but I have learned about how their systems work. In fact I owned an travel trailer before I could even drive and got mine at 17. I had a mid 60s model and if I were to do boondocking I'd go with one from that era in a heartbeat. In their original configuration, you can sustain the essentials with a tire pump and propane, although mine had an undersized heater. For those wondering. You can use the propane for heat, light, water heating, and refrigeration. The fresh water system operated on water pressure (on city water) or air pressure (from the tank). You could pressurize the system with a tire pump and the "water pump" is an air compressor. These trailers were sustainable without the house battery and didn't have a converter/charger in them.
Portable Propane heaters .your airstream is big so you need 2 of them . I think they are called the little buddy.
Reason why its always good to have a sleep system rated for much colder then the anticipated temperatures
Thanks for documenting and sharing your experience. Winter camping has always been a concern of mine and I’m getting ready to go full-time with my kids. This was informative.
Thanks, Chris! You and your family are going to love full-timing. Maybe we'll see you out there somewhere. Oh, and you definitely want to watch our new video coming out today on 'winter camping'. We go over everything we've learned over the past year+, and you'll definitely want to sift through the comments. We have followers that are well versed in winter camping and will always add informative tips to go with the video! Lauren + Daniel
I’d luv to have those diesel prices now in March 2022! What a difference a year or so makes. Ugh lol. Stay safe y’all.
😭 We agree! Now our card maxes out at the pump here in Florida at $100, so you have to run it a second time to fill up. Lauren + Daniel
@@Wanderlocal …… Ikr 🤣😭😭🤣😭😭🤪🤪🤪. We’ve got an F450 and depending where we fill up … it’s around $300.00 and up. We also have a 150 gallon tank in the back of the truck but let’s just say it hasn’t been filled up in quite a while lol. Gong to 👀 at y’all’s other reply 🙃.
Well live and learn...In the meantime I woulda went boom-boom as much as possible...lol
😂MegaMantim, that definitely would have helped. Thanks for watching. Lauren + Daniel
Wow. Great video and thanks for sharing. You guys have an amazing attitude. It reminds me of IM training; embrace the suck, you’ll be better for it.
@mike madden, thank you! This was definitely an experience where you either embraced the suck or crumbled. I (Lauren) am thankful Daniel is such a good emergency partner. When I was exhausted, he would take the lead and vise versa. It helps immensely to have a strong support system!
Y’all need to get a good big Kerosene heater and keep it in your camper!! Light it up about once or twice a month so the wick won’t dry out
Good tip! Thanks for sharing, Doug.
Your airstream is amazing 😊👍🌹
🙏 Thank you so much, Christer!
you made it thru! that's all that matters. :) we enjoy winter camping in our RV, but we're well stocked before we go.
Patrick, you're doing it the right way! We got our butts handed to us. Never again! The next time, we'll be ready! 💪Thanks for watching this crazy experience of ours. We appreciate it! L+D
@@Wanderlocal You may already be doing this, but if not - check out some of the RV forums for winter tips. We have a Jayco Class C so I'm on the Jayco Owners Forums. I'm sure there will be Airstream forums out there.
For, I don't know, a hundred bucks and a few pounds, you can equip your Airstream with a few Unexpected Winter Days items to help make it through.
Just knowing you have the supplies will set your minds at ease. And you'll be less likely to worry about unanticipated changes in the weather. One inexpensive addition I'm glad I did was a "propane tee connect" valve. Branded name is typically "Extend-a-stay". It's a DIY valve that's added to the internal propane tank. And it allows you to connect a typical 20 pound BBQ style propane tank into your trailer, if your internal tank runs empty.
As one fellow IT nerd to another - yeah, there were a few PEBKAC moments in there. But live and learn! :)
I've watched a bushcraft survival videos and they show and the people educate how to make a shelter in the snow and 🥶 weather and freezing cold on purpose...omg I'm glad you safe❤
Thank you friend! We were so inexperienced, and it shows. We've since talked to so many survivalists that have given us such good tips. We'll have to check out the bushcraft survival videos. Knowledge is power!
We lived through this freeze in our home where for almost a week it never went above 42 degrees by the fire! Such a crazy stint of weather for our area. We managed to use all our camping gear for heating water up from our pool for dishes, and our outdoor kitchen for doing some stove top cooking. It's always good to be prepared for all kinds or experiences. Having no shower for weeks sucked! I'm grateful we had a pool that at least allowed for water that could be heated up for some kind of bathing and washing hair. (Now if only our pipes hadn't burst!!). Glad you made it through it all
Valorie, yikes! 😬 It sounds like you all went through quite the ordeal. We're so glad to hear you made it through the craziness as well! 🙏 Lauren + Daniel
@@Wanderlocal I always believe what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. I don't always like when going through Challenges, but I do love the growth from each experience.
You are so right!!!
Note to self pack up extra warm blanket 🤣 like the video tho 👍
🤣 yup that would have been super helpful. Do you RV too?
Suggest that you only run one of the generators at a time. One generator will give you enough power to charge batteries and run some basics. Then when that one run out of gas you can then run the other generator.
GREAT TIP! Honestly, we were unsure if just one generator would power our rig. From now on we're going to just use the one generator. That makes perfect sense. Thanks again. L+D
@@Wanderlocal one will not power everything but it will charge the batteries and run the propane furnace which is one of the problems you had. Two is great for when times are normal but in that freeze one at a time would have lasted longer to help get you through it.
You can’t charge your laptop in your truck? I use my car to recharge tablets and phone in an emergency.
We definitely tried to charge it in the truck. It's able to charge our tablet and phones, but the laptop seems to charge at a much slower rate. My guess is that it would take a day or so to charge. I like your idea though. Solid advice! Thanks again, Linda! 🙏
Best way to see if your ready for suffering in the cold in your home or RV is when its really cold kill the power and see how long you can go with no fuel and current battery back ups and propane. You learn really quick what you forgot and what you need in the future. Better to practice and turn things back on than suffer for real. The population seems to have forgotten how to prepare for unexpected outages and loss of basic services. My in-lawns suffered the same fate as you, beautiful 100k trailer that was useless when the power went down in Texas in the same area. No propane, no fuel and low food reserves , they unhooked and drove the truck until they hit warm weather and a motel with power. Credit to you for the honest account its very helpful to people to see what can happen even in Texas.
K31011, your advice is spot on! Everyone should read this. Completely agree with testing things before a crisis situation. That way you know what works...and what doesn’t! Thanks for the comment. We know others will read this. 🙏 Lauren + Daniel
That does not look like fun! Glad y'all made it through! Thanks for sharing! ~ Shion and Matthew
Thanks, Shion and Matthew! It was definitely an adventure. Congrats on your channel. It’s fun to watch it grow. Y’all are awesome. 🙌
@@Wanderlocal Thank y'all so much! We really enjoy your channel too! Y'all have such great attitudes about everything! :-)
I am right up the road in Brazoria, TX. at Brazoria Lakes RV Resort, I went through the winter storm in my Grand Design Imagine. I also have a Ford F-250. I charged my on board battery with my truck, BUT... it took me awhile to figure out that the truck wasn't actually charging my battery. On the Super Duty, once you crank the truck and have the 7 pin connector from the camper plugged into the truck, you have to get in the truck and apply the brakes, hold the brakes, shift to drive, reverse, and back to park. When you apply the brakes and shift the transmission, it tells the truck that the trailer is connected and sends power through the pigtail to the trailer battery. My furnace also quit overnight, I hooked up my voltmeter and was only getting 12.6V to the trailer battery. Once I figured out my problem, and applied the truck brakes, and shifted the transmission.. I checked and was at 14.6V. My neighbor at the time had a 2020 Airstream Classic 30RB and he had the same issue with his F-250. Once we figured out how to charge our batteries it made the power outage and no water a little less miserable. Safe travels! I went through about 2 tanks of gas in my truck plugged into my camper. Hopefully that was the last taste of winter!
Sipprider89, you are amazing! The way you figured this out...🤯[mind blown]...so amazing! We can say with 💯 certainty that we would have never figured this out. It definitely would have been a life saver. Too bad we weren’t at your campground at the time. Thank you so much for the comment. We both genuinely appreciate it! We’ve learned SO MUCH from comments like this. 🙏 Lauren + Daniel
@@Wanderlocal I got online and started checking Super Duty Forums and saw that it was a common issue. I don't understand why Ford engineered it that way but thankfully my neighbor and I got it figured out. There were a total of 4 of us with Super Duty trucks who all had the same issues. We were without power for almost 70 hours and without water for 6 days. I am glad I went through the experience but it was sure enough miserable!!!
Wow, unreal! So this is a known issue. So glad you all figured it out. It was a long time to go without power and water. Let’s not do that again! 😬
So glad you survived & wasn't any worse.. love the can do additude and head to warmer weather now! Chasing RV Sunshine 🌞 Joel, Deb & 🐕 Maya
Hi Joel, Deb and Maya! So good to hear from you. We're with you 100% on chasing that warm weather. I (Daniel) joked with Lauren about taking this party further down south to the US Virgin Islands where it's warmer...but if it doesn't start to warm up soon, we're going to be in trouble! 🤣
Y’all are too cute! Love following you guys❤️😁
Thank you @MightyMan. Do you RV too?
No, not yet, but I’m looking for a 5000 lbs or less, RV to pull with my new 2021 Chevy Traverse. I can’t wait to travel with my dog!
I admire you guys for getting out there and living your dreams. ❤️😉🤩
Winter camping is fun, if you are prepared for it... as you quickly learned things can turn sour pretty fast when you are not prepared. But still, you did pretty good in the end, a positive attitude goes a long way... well done!
Thanks Tommy! Do you winter camp often? What do you enjoy about it?
@@Wanderlocal I don't winter camp as often as I'd want, this winter I never had the opportunity to get out, partly due to covid. :( I'm by no means a bushcrafter/survivalist, I'm really more of a glamper, but nature can still be very harsh and unforgiving if you are not prepared. But the sights, animals you see, that makes it awesome, it's reading a good book in front of the tent stove with a hot beverage, it's the fishing (winter fishing is the best), it's the air you breathe... It's a lot of work too, which isn't always fun, but it really is all the moments you get between the work needed to stay warm and comfy that makes it all wortwhile.
Tommy, that makes perfect sense. I (Lauren) think if we planned for it, and knew we were going to be more off grid for winter camping, that we could fall in love with it. Oh, and we'd need more snow gear! Because as Floridians, we just don't have the kind of clothes needed to make outside any fun in freezing temperatures! We've got friends who love to winter camp, parking at the top of a ski slope and just jumping onto the mountain in the morning. We're no where near that yet, but maybe some day. ❄️
May I ask why you don't have gas canisters in order to stockpile gas?
CGS, Great point! We intended on buying some while on the road, but never did. When we finally needed them during this crazy situation, they were sold out everywhere. 🙈Needless to say, we now travels with two 5-gallon tanks. It was a hard lesson to learn. 😬
@@Wanderlocal great .......I hauled for years on the rodeo circuit.....never had Iess than 3 2gI tanks......
Totally get why you’d do that now! 🙌 So smart!!!!!
Thank YOU BIDIN!!
Invest in a Redarc dc to dc charger. It will charge your rv batteries without using the truck alternator. Charges faster.
Thanks for the suggestion, Joe! We feel as if our shopping list is growing fast. Especially, after this experience. There were so many things we needed, but didn't have. Now we'll be prepared. Thanks again! Lauren + Daniel
THANK YOU JESUS Y'ALL GOT HE GAS NEEDED CLOSE CALL..YESSSSSS
🙏It was a close call! We definitely had someone above looking out for us. Lauren + Daniel
I'll be praying for y'all Jesus that cold weather would tear me up ! with my Ruhmatori Arthritis. Please be safe and stay warm 🙏🏼
Thank you Shoral! You be safe as well. L+D
Outstanding episode!
Thank you so much @Greg Priddy! We hope we don't have to do it again any time soon, but we will definitely be prepared next time. 💪
We use the stove top burners to knock chill off our camper no battery use and uses a lo less propane to keep camper wam. Only run the stove when we are awake
You know what...that makes PERFECT sense! I (Daniel) seriously never even considered that. We had plenty of propane, but no way to power up the heating system. This would have been a great idea - but - when we were awake, like you said. 🙌
@@Wanderlocal Running the stove top cause moisture buildup so don't forget the fan. Which would defeat the purpose in the extreme cold. I think the stove would only work in less extreme conditions.
Generators can run with up to 12% ethanol however, it’s best to run them on ethanol free. Any small engines application with a carburetor, non ethanol gasoline is best. If you run ethanol in a carburetor and then let it sit for a while, it will turn into varsol in the bowl and clog the jets. The next time you go to start it, it won’t run. You’ll have to do a field strip and rebuild on the carburetor to get it running if you absolutely need it. My suggestion if you have to run ethanol in it would be to run it completely out of gas, add a little tiny bit of non ethanol gasoline in it and then let that run completely out. Generators also require full service about every 48 hours. You can push it to 72 hours if you have to, but you begin risking a lot of things going beyond that. I would buy a lot of 10W-30 oil and just keep myself stocked all the time, just in case. I actually live in southern Louisiana and we had to live on a generator for 3 weeks straight with a 2 year old toddler and dog after hurricane ida destroyed our house. We are still in our camper in my yard right now fixing our house, actually. Every single day I was on the hunt for oil, gas, food, and water. I learned how to survive for those 3 weeks like I never thought I would ever have to. People were frantic, the nights were black everywhere, no light sources other than headlights here and there but there were so many trees and so much debris everywhere that you rarely saw anyone driving at night. It was to the point where I had gas for our generators and I slept next to my handgun because people were stealing to survive. There wasn’t even running water for 2 of the 3 weeks. I was catching rain water in buckets coming off the valley of what was left of my roof and boiling it to use for water in the camper, hoping the filter was doing a good enough job. Long story short, I watched people around my neighborhood blow their generators up. Literally exploding causing fires while the fire department was not even operational. Generator service is super important if you like having electricity. Do not tempt fate, she is not on your side in emergency situations.
Bits, Brains, and Beanies - we appreciate your comment more than you know! 🙏 This is very insightful information, and something no one else has ever taken the time to explain to us. 😮 Damn...that's about all we can say about your experience! Hurricane Ida was terrible. What you did to get through that is nothing short of amazing. And, you did it with a toddler. We've done a lot to prepare for extreme conditions since this happened, but maintaining the generators wasn't one of them. We'll make sure this is on the list for sure! 🙏 Lauren + Daniel
@@Wanderlocal It was just something that came to mind when watching your vlog of this. I’ve not had to deal with that type of cold before, I’m sure that adds a level of frustration to everything as well. I just figured I would pass along a lesson I unfortunately learned first hand during a time of hardship. Generators are a double edged sword and should always be taken with a grain of salt. Another thing I’ve also heard of but have never quite looked into is an upgrade to the 7 pin adapter that goes to the truck. There is an adapter that you can upgrade to that will allow the truck to charge the camper much much faster than the 7 pin can. I haven’t looked into it yet like I said, because I’m almost certain since I have an F-150 towing a 30ft heartland pioneer, my alternator would probably need an upgrade as well and I’ve just not decided whether or not I want to do it. However, you both have a powerstroke, I believe the 6.7 diesel should have a larger alternator from the factory, so you may only need to upgrade the hitch adapter. From the little I’ve seen, it would be a potential life saver if you’re a full timer. Just a thought🤷🏻♂️ you two look like you’re having the time of your lives though, and I’m a little envious. I wish we were in a position to take ours traveling all over like you do. For now, I’ll just live vicariously through you!
Thanks my friend! I’ll (Daniel) definitely look into the 7 pin upgrade. It be a nice ‘peace of mind’ thing to have added! Be sure to keep in touch. We love getting to know everyone on here. 🙌
Loved this, thank you so much for documenting it! My hubby and I will soon be retiring from the military. We’re not sure where we want to end up permanently so we thought we’d travel around a bit. Starting to do research now and came upon you channel. We lived most of our lives in Alaska and have to say, y’all did phenomenal working through that bizarre TX cold spell last year. Nice done and with such a great attitude! Thank you for your channel! Kelly & Trace
A COUPLE 5 GAL GAS CANS, KEPT FULL ALWAYS, COMES IN HANDY FOR MOMENTS LIKE THIS. WE GOT CAUGHT IN THE SAME STORM.
Peewee, amen to that! After getting our butts handed to us in this storm we now travel with cans filled with gas and diesel! Hopefully, it never happens again - but if it does, we’ll be much more prepared the next time! 🙌 Lauren + Daniel
This is John chalker from Waterbury Connecticut I am a trained with your camper and where you made your mistakes can be fixed in the next round and you will do better I love you guys I think you guys did a wonderful job for what you did do next time make sure you have gas canisters ready to go and extra water Jerry cans that are blue ready to go and you should be fineI'm from the Northeast I have done a lot of winter camping and I can give you advice if you need it you could always find me on Facebook
John, it’s still mind blowing to us how much we learned about our Airstream through this crazy Texas Freeze experience. We’re hoping we don’t have to winter camp anytime again soon (must get lithium batteries first!), but we won’t be unprepared next time for sure! 💪