Spring break change of plans due to weather....thoughts?

HawkTX wrote:
Well...I was really wanting to leave Dallas and head thru New Mexico over to Arizona and north to see the Grand Canyon and then head over to MOAB and on to Colorado and then back down thru Amarillo and then home to Dallas for spring break, but the temps at night in a lot of the places are going to be in the low 20's. I'm bummed, but I guess we are going to head east over to New Orleans and then on down to the Florida Keys and check that part of the U.S.A. out.

The main reason for the change of plans is not really knowing how to RV in those low temps. Do some of you do it?

Well if your spring break is around the same time as spring break here...Coloradoans are frequently headed to Texas! Padre Island and the like. Not too many folks in this area are gonna be out camping. Yup, there's some diehards (I've seen more than a few trailers out and about recently), but most of us are waiting until at least April. That's when I'll be doing my first trip to Rocky.

In Colorado, you'll find practically nothing open as far as places to stay, at least in the mountains. There's a few State Parks that are open year round, and have some limited areas available as first come/first served. Moraine Park in Rocky Mountain National Park is the same way, one loop open all year, but you'll contend with snow in addition to c-c-c-old. Some commercial parks open all year along the I-25 corridor; some places in Colorado Springs that are open all year. Regardless, you'll be running your furnace...a LOT! And water might be a challenge.

Well at least here in this part of FL, spring break starts on 3/18. And the Keys are usually packed as are the Atlantic beaches and the panhandle beaches.

Ours is next week so hopefully we will beat the crowds.

There are some great campgrounds in the Keys. It is almost always "busy" season there with the exception of a stint in June and September. The keys are beautiful and full of amazing things to do. We used to live there and family owns a business so we visit a couple months a year. We keep saying some day we will bring the TT. Check ahead of schedule for open sites. Some of the campgrounds are tight.

The entire month of March is crazy busy in south Florida. It'll be tough to get a prime spot. Bahia Honda State Park campground is very popular as is the KOA on Sugarloaf Key - maybe one of the campgrounds will have a cancellation. Good Luck!

BTW, we "accidentally" camp in chilly weather - this year so far the low has been 26 at night (and the state park water pedestal froze). We have a 4 Season package on our Lance trailer, which includes enclosed heated tanks and dual pane windows. We haven't had any trouble, although the campgrounds usually recommend you detach your water hose at night if it's likely to freeze. Also, make sure you have enough propane & battery charge so the furnace will keep you warm all night - ask me how we know! :)

We were able to get a water spot at an RV park that was rated 7 stars right next to Key West so I think we are all squared away. I will prolly post another thread asking for advice on things to do.

Your decision has been made, but for future reference, Moab is usually pretty nice starting about now. Might get down to right around freezing, but most nights are warmer than that.

Yes, the GC is cold because of the elevation. But Zion is just about perfect right now. Highs around 60, lows around 40. Makes for great hiking and sightseeing weather.

20s - no problem at all as I've camped in 3 different units in those temps and it is real easy to do.

When traveling in temps below 35, I always leave the furnace on it's lowest setting (usually about 50*). This will keep all the internals pipes from freezing. Black and grey tanks won't freeze until they have been exposed to the temps in the teens for a good while. An exposed watertank will take hours in the low 20s to freeze while traveling, but few water tanks are completely exposed.

While in camp, the heat from the rig will keep everything from freezing down to at least 20. Just make sure you do not leave your water hose connected as it will freeze.

To help supplement the furnace and make it a bit more comfortable, you can put refletix material in the windows, and use an electric heater. An oil bath radiator heater is great as it provides a more constant heat source so it prevent the big highs and lows other heaters create.

Last bit of winter camping is you need to make sure you have a slight draft in the unit to carry off the moisture from your breathing. The draft is easily created by cracking a roof vent about 1/4-1/2 turn. If you notice condensation on the windows, then you need a bit more draft. At night, this should be the vent closest to you bed.

I've camped in my current setup down to 0* with no issues, though all of my tanks are enclosed. And this was boondocking without power hookups. With previous rigs, I've camped in temps down to mid teens and that rig had exposed black and gray tank.

Florida is packed, no parks we found has any open spots in the panhandle, and Alabama coast line. Did not check Mississippi coast.

We got oceanside at Key West for a week. She said we got lucky and called right after someone canceled. We are pretty excited because we've never been to Key West before. We've been to Florida/Orlando many times but never that far south.