Hello, truck campers! I've only ever camped in a tent or a camp trailer for short periods of time in decent weather. But I have an almost-eighteener who plans to move out soon. She's a good kid, no trouble at home; this isn't about getting the heck out. It's just an adventurous girl with the usual restless wings, who wants to try adulting in her own way...by moving out in the dead of an Idaho winter to live in a cabover she paid $600 for and has been fixing up. Which leaks a bit. And doesn't have a furnace.She's also a falconer and will be accompanied by her hawk, an American Kestrel named Clara Hazmat.As her parents, we've decided the best we can do is let her move out with as little to prove to us as possible, so that should the experiment fail, coming home won't be any harder than necessary.So, what I want is real nonjudgmental input about the logistics and practicalities. In particular, is there any safe way to heat a cabover (remember, no onboard furnace--and no shore power either, though the truck has that) while she's not in it but Hazzie is?This girl is an A student, passionate about falconry and very committed to it, unusually cooperative and helpful at home, and very, very determined to tackle this adventure. I just want to help her do it as safely as possible. Arguments against her doing it aren't what I'm after here, although I'm willing to hear cautions and things to consider--especially if there are solutions and suggestions offered.We think it may be a short-lived experiment that she will revisit when the weather gets nice (and she's safely graduated from high school!).

Suggest she spends a week in it parked in the driveway to help get a list of to-do's before hitting the road. That way you are being constructively supportive while allowing her to see what she's up against.

No furnace and no shore power will make it very difficult to heat.Any chance she could set up in your driveway or yard? That will give her a taste of what to expect before she goes out on her own.Wben she goes, make sure sbe has a cell phone. She will probably be calling. :)

Make sure she knows about the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning. Never use stove top for heating etc. It is a silent killer.She'll be fine. And it sounds she has cool parents where she can go to for a warm bed and shower should she need it.

No shore power? No furnace? Maybe a buddy type heater would work but even with that she's probably going to burn a lot of propane. We had a Buddy for a minute but found that even with plenty of window venting it would mess up our sinus. I haven't used a Wave heater but some do say they are better. There is also a Cat platinum company which vents through pvc pipe and is very efficient but it uses 12 volts and may be hard to obtain. They were around $700 iirc. I wont sleep with an unvented heater but to each his own on that point.Some of the older TC furnaces didn't need 12 volt power but a few years ago I looked for a new one like that and couldn't find any that didn't need 12 volts. She can operate dry and use a bucket for the toilet and a 5 gallon jug on the counter top for water supply. One way or the other I'd still want as much solar on the roof as possible for lights, computer, cell etc and possibly for furnace power.

You would be doing her a favor to insist the leaks are fixed before starting her adventure.The Mister Buddy heaters work great.Good luck to her!

Free-spirited daughter and her plans to live in a cabover

mamajack
Explorer
Feb 25, 2018
Updating:
She's stayed in the camper off and on for the past couple of months, in front of our house or at friends' houses or occasionally out in the desert west of town (she had a great view of the lunar eclipse). The cold has driven her indoors more than once, or kept her indoors.

But she recently signed a delayed enlistment contract for the Marines. I suspect she'll spend more time in her truck camper as it warms up, but the whole thing will become moot in a few weeks.
rutzbeck
Explorer
Feb 25, 2018
I use my camper on and off all winter long. I won't address the heater problem as it has been completely addressed. I live in Alaska and it is wet and cold where I live. Condensation is the main problem. The blanket can feel wet and the sides of the camper can start having condensation build up. I try to once to twice a day open a window at one end and run the fan at the other end. It makes it colder but things stay dry. Also if you can take your blankets to the laundry mat and dry them once a week she will be more comfortable. Lots of blankets and a hat are great. I sleep with the vent open at both ends as I also have dogs and this reduces the condensation. I use to have a disk that was used for a dogs whelping bed and you heated that up in the microwave and it held warmth for 8 to 10 hours. Great for warming the bed.
nodepositnoretu
Explorer
Feb 25, 2018
I’m late here also, all other issues aside, wher3 is she going to park on a nightly basis and be safe?if adults like us who have camped for many years have some cautionary behaviors about where they set down for the night,I only hope and pray you young daughter has got a idea in mind. There are many unsavory people out there.what about food preparation? Storage? Groceries are expensive.
JoeChiOhki
Explorer II
Feb 23, 2018
Looks like I'm late to the game, as I still have my old unit that is already setup for full-time living that I'm going to hopefully be aiming to rehome this year.

Waiting to see the pictures :).
davidreynolds
Explorer
Feb 09, 2018
54suds Agreed!!
realter
Explorer
Dec 08, 2017
Please post a picture of her TC.
toedtoes
Explorer III
Dec 07, 2017
mamajack wrote:
We will also make sure all systems get a pro go-through. That may be her birthday present from us. And again, thanks to everyone who weighed in with practical advice.

I think what may happen from here is that she may not be able to afford safe heating; may not be able to reconcile this plan with the falconry regs; may not get the leak repaired soon enough; and may end up having to push off her plans until it's warmer. Which would be good, because if she moved out in April she could have the adventure she's after without so much worry, spend the summer enjoying it, and when it got cold in the fall consider either an apartment or just spending a bit longer at home getting set in school.

That's my favorite scenario, anyway. :)

Waiting until spring would be a great idea. That would give her more freedom as more places would be accessible and she does not risk getting stuck somewhere in a blizzard.

Also, if she waits til then, she could have more time setting up a solar bank with a large battery bank allowing her to put a small freezer in the TC to store the bird's food.

Then, in the fall, she could park back at home connected to shore power and do shorter trips during warmer stretches. Bypaa the need for heat altogether.
Kayteg1
Explorer II
Dec 07, 2017

First Alert CO710 Carbon Monoxide Alarm
I bought 2 of them for my house lately. They will show the records, so not only you can monitor CO level now, but read what happen in the past.
Being portable I plan to move 1 to TC whenever I use it.
House water heater emitting high CO is very common in older houses.
In the past, furnace had gravity-forced exhaust that often was going into the same chimney WH exhaust do.
Than owners upgraded the furnace to one with exhaust blower and now the higher furnace exhaust pressure goes back toward WH
Have seen lot of such set-ups done by HVAC "professionals".
Than train yourself to observe low oxygen level symptoms.
When we have been camping at 11,000' elevation my wife was starving for air. I had hyperventilation training from scuba, so did not notice for some time, but then "why am I breathing so heavy?"
jaycocreek
Explorer II
Dec 07, 2017
Mamajack..What part of Idaho do you live in?..My guess would be the treasure valley with falcons..
Reddog1
Explorer II
Dec 07, 2017
I hope it works out for the best.

Wayne