My DW and I are planning to make our first trip South this winter in our Class C with no basement and the unit winterized till we get far South enough to de-winterize and tour parts of Texas.Since we are used to having our plumbing working and warmer weather I am a bit fearful that we may do something wrong or cause some damage to our rig. Figure we could maybe use the toilet with a plastic bag in it for temporary needs at night or something and then dispose of it when appropriate while we are travelling South. Figure I will leave the hot water tank empty by keeping the bypass valves in place even when we get to Texas so we do not have to worry about the tank freezing up on us. Our fresh water tank is inside our unit, under our bed, so I think that will be okay.When we are driving South we should be fine with the engine heat and if we stop at a campground we would hope to get electric but maybe not.Since our Class C is not setup for cold weather camping I am hoping that we can survive such a trip. Would appreciate any and all suggestions from folks who have winter camping experience, especially in units that do not have basement tanks and other winter protective devices, etc....

IMO you are over reacting just a bit. I know it is better to err on the side of caution but really how many days/nights are you going to spend in a hard freeze area. Unhook your hoses at night, keep your rig interior warm, open up cabinets where plumbing comes in, put a 100 watt light bulb in your wet bay and you should be good down to an hour or two in 25 degree temps. If it gets above freezing during the day you should be good to go even with tanks full and water heater operating.

Maverick,Thanks for the feedback... Not sure what a wetbay is??? I do not have a basement area as my holding tanks, black and grey are exposed under my rig.

I travel in very cold weather all the time. I start out with empty black and gray tanks, add a gallon of non toxic to each to protect the dump valves and drain pipe. I will use the toilet normally, but would flush with some antifreeze. I try and stop at a CG that has a heated bathhouse with laundry or get a site with full hookups. I use the on board water tank if I need to then re winterize the next morning. no need for me to do dishes due to sandwiches, paper plates, microwave dinners etc. I did it for 3 days once, heading up north instead of south.:h:S

I have to transit below freezing temps on my way to Mexico from Canada each year. I simply stop every couple of hours at a rest area and bring the interior up to 70. That keeps everything fine.

I also think you'll be find. By the looks of the maps, its a pretty straight shot south. Just check the weather before you leave and use it as your guide. If the forecast is for bad weather, wait it out. Once we got caught in a freeze. We learned a lot of lessons from that, but the only thing that happened was that our outside hose froze and we had to wait it out before we could leave. Invest in a small electric heater for night times and let it run keeping the water pipes warm. We put that silver stuff (used to reflect sunlight) in each window and that helped keep the heat in. We bought a roll at Home Depot and cut them to fit, but I saw on facebook that you could use bubble wrap and water and that would work also. Neat trick.

Winter Travel - First time - Tips - Suggestions??

18 Replies

John_S2
Explorer
Nov 29, 2013
I bought a couple of jugs of the pink stuff today. Will use this to flush as needed until we get far enough south to be safe from freezing. Thanks for tips and suggestions..
Don_Shar
Explorer
Nov 24, 2013
Taking 65 south, some of 65 in Indiana is rough but you want to really watch it going through Louisville, Ky. We are originally from Indiana
and I know going through Louisville my wife and I felt like we bounced enough that we actually traded seats. 65 especially through
Louisville is very rough. Be careful and enjoy.
DavidandDayle
Explorer
Nov 24, 2013
We usually manage to keep warm enough with the engine heater while we travel.
We use the potty only for those times that we can't go elsewhere and flush with plumbing antifreeze.
We start hooking up to water around the Ky/Tenn. border or wherever the campground has the water on.
Coming back we tend to winterize at the same point. We once neglected to do it and we had to get our dealer to store us inside until the tanks and pipes thawed enough to drain.
We use a lot of bottled water on these trips.
obgraham
Explorer
Nov 23, 2013
I would rather stay in a CG with full electric and run my furnace and/or electric heaters, than park up in a motel and leave the rig out in the cold. We also have a heated mattress pad, so we are always cozy.

Water? Start out winterized, use the toilet + some pink stuff, take a couple of gallons of bottled water (all of $2). De-winterize when warmer.

No problem. We've traveled at 11 degrees F, without any trouble.
olfarmer
Explorer II
Nov 23, 2013
We have done it several times, first with an older class C. then with an older Class A, now with a Class A with heated water bay. We always de-winterize in southern Mo. and have always been good to go from there. We use the toilet and flush with anti freeze until we get above freezing temps.
John_S2
Explorer
Nov 17, 2013
HHHHHHmMMMmmmmmmmmmmm!! Food for thought!!!
coolmom42
Explorer II
Nov 17, 2013
You are way over-thinking this.

De-winterize at home before you leave. Pour a gallon of antifreeze in each holding tank. Run the furnace or a couple of space heaters the night before leaving. Run the cab heat while travelling. Tie open your cabinet doors or whereever the plumbing runs to let it get some heat.

You will have no problem finding a site with electric so you can run heat in Kentucky or Tennessee or further south. You will be out of freezing temps before the second night out.
The_Painting_Te
Explorer
Nov 16, 2013
After 5 yrs of using campgrounds that were open with limited unlevel sites, and charging full summer rates for an overnight, we've found hotels with RV parking, restaurants nearby, and one with an indoor pool for less than double the rate.....no leveling, no freezing water pipes, no 1/2 hour wait for RV to warm up, no cold knuckles in the a.m. hooking up after unhooking to get level. IMHO it's well worth the extra $35. Camp on!
John_Joey
Explorer
Nov 16, 2013
In the spring on our way back north there was a point where we had to leave springtime behind and just make the push north. I would then turn on the furnace and run that while driving and parked, turned it off while gassing.

I know several that will say not to run the furnace while driving down the road, IMO that's hogwash. Set the temp to 70 degrees and you should be just fine.
dcason
Explorer
Nov 16, 2013
We go from NY to Florida every year in beginning of January.
Travel trailer and van.

We use our own potty (jug of water or antifreeze to pour down tank) or you could use rest areas.

Sleep in rest areas or welcome centers (better)

We are winterized until we get to south Carolina (santee state park) where we dewinterize and fill tanks with water.

Enjoy!