Camping in a winterized TC

We are going back for Thanksgiving in Yosemite and hoping for snow!

Might be closer to 80 degrees for Thanksgiving, the way the Cailfornia weather is now....

HMS Beagle wrote:
Cheap vodka is an alternative - tastes better than propylene glycol.

I doubt it tastes much better after it goes through the grey or black tanks. :)

portscanner wrote:

HMS Beagle wrote:

deserteagle56 wrote:
Whereas the main ingredient of RV antifreeze is ethyl alcohol, the same alcohol as in beer or wine. Non-toxic...except in extremely large doses!

RV antifreeze is not ethyl alcohol!!

It is propylene glycol - not going to make you drunk but not particularly good for you either. It is non-toxic for most people in small amounts. It may be more toxic to your pets.

Ethylene glycol (ordinary antifreeze) is highly toxic, pets love it because it is sweet tasting but it is a very bad way to die.

Darn! I was going to ask what was a good mixer with RV antifreeze.

I remember a post from some time ago where someone said they used cheep vodka.

Cheap vodka is an alternative - tastes better than propylene glycol. It is more volatile though and I wonder if it really hangs around all winter. Also it may attack some plastic and rubber parts in the system. But you don't need to flush it out in the spring - just don't drive after your morning coffee!

HMS Beagle wrote:

deserteagle56 wrote:
Whereas the main ingredient of RV antifreeze is ethyl alcohol, the same alcohol as in beer or wine. Non-toxic...except in extremely large doses!

RV antifreeze is not ethyl alcohol!!

It is propylene glycol - not going to make you drunk but not particularly good for you either. It is non-toxic for most people in small amounts. It may be more toxic to your pets.

Ethylene glycol (ordinary antifreeze) is highly toxic, pets love it because it is sweet tasting but it is a very bad way to die.

Darn! I was going to ask what was a good mixer with RV antifreeze.

I remember a post from some time ago where someone said they used cheep vodka.

I winter camp 25+ days every winter. We used to have a little 7.5ft Valley camper. This winter we will be in a 9.5 Bigfoot. No more peeing in the snowbank!

Here's a pic of the Valley camper, last winter in Rogers Pass, BC

-20'c 20" of snow over night

Winter Camping in Alaska

Please read our trip report. It shows everything we did to use our 1966 Avion in sub-zero weather for a family of 6 for a Thanksgiving trip, and maiden voyage for the rebuilt Avion.

Get out and do it!! It's great!!

Garry, Kodiak, Alaska

deserteagle56 wrote:
Whereas the main ingredient of RV antifreeze is ethyl alcohol, the same alcohol as in beer or wine. Non-toxic...except in extremely large doses!

RV antifreeze is not ethyl alcohol!!

It is propylene glycol - not going to make you drunk but not particularly good for you either. It is non-toxic for most people in small amounts. It may be more toxic to your pets.

Ethylene glycol (ordinary antifreeze) is highly toxic, pets love it because it is sweet tasting but it is a very bad way to die.

Amenable? Although i am a rough it kind of dude, Momma is not amenable to #$@^! I am surprised she will camp at all! Although she recently took the rig camping at a retreat all by herself and I can kind of tell she likes it.

pugslyyy wrote:

hedgehopper wrote:
DW thinks camping in our winterized TC (without running water, operable toilet, etc.) would be too much of a hassle. I'm more inclined to give it a try.

Comments? Tips?

I'm sure you could do it... but why winterize your camper and then go camping in it?

Because it's cold!

The camper will freeze up if you don't keep it heated or winterize it as soon as you're done using it. Heating would cost a small fortune.

Having to spend hours de-winterizing the camper every Friday just so you have a place to poo and pee, then re-winterizing it every Sunday gets *OLD*, very quickly.

nomadictxn wrote:
Heading down to Carlsbad and Guadalupe Mountains Thursday but keeping my water system off. I like the bucket and trash bag. Momma will not, however, so i will be using the black tank.

My "portapotti" is actually a "Luggable Loo" - which is basically a 5-gallon bucket with a toilet seat and a snug-fitting lid. I think it costs around $25; I add WAG bags and kitty litter to keep the contents semi-solid, and drop the bag into a handy trash dumpster. I'm pretty sure they also sell just the seat, if you already have the 5-gallon bucket.

I also made a toilet-paper dispenser from a 1-lb plastic jar (basically toilet-roll-sized). I cut 1/2" holes in the top and bottom and made a vertical slit for the paper to slide through, ran a dowel through the bottom, through the TP roll; and then through the top which gets screwed back on. I've got about a 15" piece of twine attached at the ends, so it can be hung anywhere; can't unroll or blow away or get wet.

And all my potty supplies are easily carried/stored in the Luggable Loo. It's a pretty handy thing!

Deb