Going to be difficult to find a travel trailer that can stand up to fulltiming in PA winters.
I have used a travel trailer for deer camp in North Dakota. That's only a few weeks. Here's a list of things I've seen, heard of, or personally experienced, and a few things you could do help protect your's in cold weather camping. Some, you've probably run into already.
BTDT = Been there, done that.
1. Many manufacturers, Nash and Bigfoot included, will advertise heated holding tanks, but, they don't advertise how they are heated. There are various levels of tank heat. Some will work better than others for fulltiming.
a. Some enclosed the underbelly, assuming heat will radiate through the floor, and say the tanks are heated.
b. Some enclose the underbelly, run furnace ductwork near the tanks, and say the tanks are heated.
c. Some enclose the underbelly, run ductwork near the tanks, actually vent heated air into the underbelly, and say the tanks are heated.
d. Some enclose the underbelly, run ductwork near the tanks, install electric heat pads on tanks and drain pipes, and say the tanks are heated.
2. I looked at Nash and Bigfoot web sites. Both say they have "heated tanks".
3. While shopping for a trailer, I asked about the electric pads. The salesman had never heard of them. He called the factory (Keystone) to inquire about installing them on a special ordered trailer. He was told "they don't do that". The trailer in my sig, has the tank and pipe heaters as a standard option. The dealer told me "he orders all of his units with the electric heaters". My last trailer was also a Forest River product, that had the electric tank / pipe heaters.
4. The dump valve can and will freeze up, even with electric pads on tanks and drain pipes. Keeping the poo-poo warm, is useless if you can't get rid of it. (BTDT) Minus 10 degrees, 30 MPH wind, and 60 MPH down the road. At the dump station, it took two hours, several disposable hand warmers, and a 12 volt hair dryer (it gave it's life), to get the valve thawed out.
5. Leaving a hose hooked to city water connection, will freeze very fast. Second item to freeze will be the outside shower. Only use a hose to fill your holding tank. Then store it in a heated space. Disconnect and cap off the water lines going to your outside shower.
6. Leaving grey tank dump valve open, will build an ice block in the drain hose / pipe.
7. Leaving black tank dump open, will create the dreaded pyramid, and an ice block in the drain. If stinky slinky has an ice build up on the inside, and you try to move it while dumping, it can break wide open.
8. If your tank heat is something other than electric pads, and you're using electric heaters to cut down on furnace running, you're also cutting down your tank heat.
9. If you lose shore power, your battery won't last long. The heat (living space, tanks, pipes) will be gone in a very short time. Be prepared to winterize at moments notice. (BTDT) I would check weather reports and winterize, if going away foor more than a day. For deer camp, I didn't use the water heater, left it in the winterize mode, and heated water on the stove. Showers got done elsewhere.
10. Some type of skirting will help a lot. Hay bales work well.
11. Even if you are comfy, your pipes can still freeze, if they don't get some of the warm air. Open cabinet doors, closet doors, and access panels, to allow air circulation.
12. Cooking, breathing, and snow on your shoes, creates a lot of humidity in the trailer. So much so, things like clothing, sleeping bags, linens, etc, that are touching exterior walls, can actually get wet and when the heat goes off they freeze to the walls. Moving those items away from the wall, ventilation and a dehumidifier will help. (BTDT)
13. An arched roof sheds ice and snow faster and has less build up than a flat roof, but, if the roof is strong enough, a layer of snow gives you some added insulation. Up to you which way you'd want to go with this one.
14. If you have an ice storm, a Winegard antenna will stay where ever it happens to be (no turning, no raise or lower), until you thaw it out. (BTDT) More disposable hand warmers.
As westend mentioned, they all have their limitations and be carefull in your shopping. Ask how the tanks are heated, how is it insulated (R values), is there heat supplied to drain pipes, etc. Look for location of the plumbing lines and how you might protect them. Think about how and where you might store a water water hose, stinky slinky, and a good supply of antifreeze. Maybe, take a look at water heater access (maybe not use it) and keep some tools handy, you might need to winterize in the dark.
Here's a link to Ultraheat website.
