winter camping advice
Hello, We need to use a camper in northern Michigan over this winter while we build our home. We are trying to buy an "artic" version and likely wont use the water lines (I'll have jugs of water for f...
Forum Discussion
That's quite the conundrum for sure.
I'm from the upper midwest and spent a winter in NW WI, building a house, coincidentally. But I had it dried in by Halloween so that helped. We were living in my parents "summer cabin" (mobile home) during the summer and fall and ditched that for a rental house around Halloween.
If it's a mild winter, it will be a significant improvement over an average or cold winter up 'der near da UP, but will be a challenge.
Question is how much "power" do you have? You're not going to get much else powered with 1 - 30A campsite circuit and several space heaters running.
Here's something I would 100% consider (off the top of my head at least).
Since you're still camper shopping, get a toyhauler with an open garage, low ceiling model. Most "living space" per length of camper you can get. No slide outs preferably, or leave them closed.
Then install a pellet stove in the back end of it. Direct vent is easy, to fab up a cover that the vent can go through an existing opening, like an existing wall or ceiling vent. Worst case, you could cut in a vent into the wall and then repair it in the future with any number of vents or little access doors.
Easy to stand up some stone veneer or Durarock for a floor/surround. Buy 2 pallets of pellets. 1 to use, 1 for weight in the back of your truck until you run out of pellets at 8pm on a Sunday night, lol, and let it cook the place.
As a bonus, you have backup heat with the camper furnace then, and you can re-purpose the pellet stove into your new home.
And make sure you have a genny for backup if the power goes out.
You could mount a fan from the ceiling in the hallway in place of a ceiling light, to circulate air to the front bed/bath.
Skirt it well and make sure it's parked out of the wind.
I'm from the upper midwest and spent a winter in NW WI, building a house, coincidentally. But I had it dried in by Halloween so that helped. We were living in my parents "summer cabin" (mobile home) during the summer and fall and ditched that for a rental house around Halloween.
If it's a mild winter, it will be a significant improvement over an average or cold winter up 'der near da UP, but will be a challenge.
Question is how much "power" do you have? You're not going to get much else powered with 1 - 30A campsite circuit and several space heaters running.
Here's something I would 100% consider (off the top of my head at least).
Since you're still camper shopping, get a toyhauler with an open garage, low ceiling model. Most "living space" per length of camper you can get. No slide outs preferably, or leave them closed.
Then install a pellet stove in the back end of it. Direct vent is easy, to fab up a cover that the vent can go through an existing opening, like an existing wall or ceiling vent. Worst case, you could cut in a vent into the wall and then repair it in the future with any number of vents or little access doors.
Easy to stand up some stone veneer or Durarock for a floor/surround. Buy 2 pallets of pellets. 1 to use, 1 for weight in the back of your truck until you run out of pellets at 8pm on a Sunday night, lol, and let it cook the place.
As a bonus, you have backup heat with the camper furnace then, and you can re-purpose the pellet stove into your new home.
And make sure you have a genny for backup if the power goes out.
You could mount a fan from the ceiling in the hallway in place of a ceiling light, to circulate air to the front bed/bath.
Skirt it well and make sure it's parked out of the wind.
