Hypothetical Winter Camping Electrical Limits
Hi, I used to have a very old tow-behind trailer that I used during the winter in Colorado; 2 batteries, 2 propane tanks. Since the furnace had no fan it was easy to be out a week, dry. Now I did...
Forum Discussion
Bill,
Welcome to the wacky TC forum. The one thing we have here is a wide range of advice based on personal preference and individual experience. The world of bumper pull TT's does not easily translate to the realm of the 4-season TC. The systems are similar, but the TC has much less wallerin' room and costs a lot more for that less room. If you are living and traveling alone, this may be a plus.
The first thing about truck campers is they are not for everyone. You must have good mobility to get up the stairs and up into the cab over bed. Also, there is not a lot of space..for anything. So, there are few TC's built that have space for a lot of batteries.
Ones made in Northern Climes tend to have more ammenities for living and surviving in cold weather. These may include the must haves for winter use such as a heated 'basement', double pane windows, and better insulation to fend off the cold. Beware that slide outs present an insulation problem as well as a mechanical headache in freezing weather.
I'm just now replacing my converter with an up to date model with charge wizard. I'm even thinking of adding one large solar panel to keep the batts up while traveling.
Our little Lance is probably the end of the line for us in RV realm, but it has little insulation, single pane windows, small tanks, but is lightweight for off-road travel. The way we operate in winter is to drain and purge all the tanks using straight RV antifreeze to flush the toilet, leaving the gallon jug on the floor in the bathroom, and jugs of water for cooking and washing (and paper plates and plastic utensils to cut down on water use in general) and many 16 oz bottles of water for drinking.
Do a search on here for winter camping, electrical upgrades, and Bryan (BKA) to find what has been done and written about here in the past by full timers. Our Lance during the winter of 2009-10 on the west slope:
Good luck in your quest.
regards, jefe
Welcome to the wacky TC forum. The one thing we have here is a wide range of advice based on personal preference and individual experience. The world of bumper pull TT's does not easily translate to the realm of the 4-season TC. The systems are similar, but the TC has much less wallerin' room and costs a lot more for that less room. If you are living and traveling alone, this may be a plus.
The first thing about truck campers is they are not for everyone. You must have good mobility to get up the stairs and up into the cab over bed. Also, there is not a lot of space..for anything. So, there are few TC's built that have space for a lot of batteries.
Ones made in Northern Climes tend to have more ammenities for living and surviving in cold weather. These may include the must haves for winter use such as a heated 'basement', double pane windows, and better insulation to fend off the cold. Beware that slide outs present an insulation problem as well as a mechanical headache in freezing weather.
I'm just now replacing my converter with an up to date model with charge wizard. I'm even thinking of adding one large solar panel to keep the batts up while traveling.
Our little Lance is probably the end of the line for us in RV realm, but it has little insulation, single pane windows, small tanks, but is lightweight for off-road travel. The way we operate in winter is to drain and purge all the tanks using straight RV antifreeze to flush the toilet, leaving the gallon jug on the floor in the bathroom, and jugs of water for cooking and washing (and paper plates and plastic utensils to cut down on water use in general) and many 16 oz bottles of water for drinking.
Do a search on here for winter camping, electrical upgrades, and Bryan (BKA) to find what has been done and written about here in the past by full timers. Our Lance during the winter of 2009-10 on the west slope:
Good luck in your quest.
regards, jefe
