Best Truck Campers for Winter Camping
I am thinking of selling my Rexhall and buying a truck camper and would use it in the summer and winter. Which truck camper do you think is best for winter use?
Forum Discussion
When I was looking for a used camper for winter camping and winter skiing road trips in the western US and Canada, I looked at four season TCs made, at the time, in SE BC. This included:
Citation / Corsair
Bigfoot
Snow River
Only Bigfoot recovered from the financial crisis. The other two companies didn't make TC after 2008/2009.
Chose a Corsair Supreme 10.8 non slide with the polar package. A great TC that was comfortable without changes to -5F at 8,000 feet in the Sierra after winterizing the water system (although it went through a lot more propane and Ah of battery than it does now).
Further insulating and modifications to both the TC and the truck made it a dependable TC, with full utilities, to the -20s F here in MT (see Jefe's list and other winter camping threads).
Still lots of ski areas left above N 52 latitude in BC and AB that I want to explore. Temperature extremes can be colder yet, so I'm working on more modifications, including propane tank heating and a diesel parallel heating system to make it comfortable and robust with full utilities.
Spent too much time working in Winnipeg in the -30s F, to not under estimate extreme cold. A bucket of water thrown in the air at -36F did not all freeze in the air before it hit the ground, but it was close.
An iterative approach to modifying whatever TC you end up with and determining what your limits are to winter camp safely will get you a TC to fit your needs. Backup contingency plans always help if things don't quite go as you planned or what you consider as cold / uncomfortable is different than me. My favorite season of the year is winter.
Citation / Corsair
Bigfoot
Snow River
Only Bigfoot recovered from the financial crisis. The other two companies didn't make TC after 2008/2009.
Chose a Corsair Supreme 10.8 non slide with the polar package. A great TC that was comfortable without changes to -5F at 8,000 feet in the Sierra after winterizing the water system (although it went through a lot more propane and Ah of battery than it does now).
Further insulating and modifications to both the TC and the truck made it a dependable TC, with full utilities, to the -20s F here in MT (see Jefe's list and other winter camping threads).
Still lots of ski areas left above N 52 latitude in BC and AB that I want to explore. Temperature extremes can be colder yet, so I'm working on more modifications, including propane tank heating and a diesel parallel heating system to make it comfortable and robust with full utilities.
Spent too much time working in Winnipeg in the -30s F, to not under estimate extreme cold. A bucket of water thrown in the air at -36F did not all freeze in the air before it hit the ground, but it was close.
An iterative approach to modifying whatever TC you end up with and determining what your limits are to winter camp safely will get you a TC to fit your needs. Backup contingency plans always help if things don't quite go as you planned or what you consider as cold / uncomfortable is different than me. My favorite season of the year is winter.
