Is the Lance 1121 a four season camper?

Mike Hohnstein,

"Cheesy 1" roof" on a Lance? The roof framing is 1" and there's wood/paneling covering laminated to the frame and then the exterior roof cover over the outside making it 1-1/2" thick plus. Some models/years were even thicker.

While you do not know as you have not been in "COLD" temps, is that we can say from personal experience that the "cheesy 1" roof" as you called it, works just fine even at -20 F and it never sweats inside and the TC furnace only ran/runs less than 1/2 the time even in the real cold -20 F temps with 20+ mph winds. NOTHING ever froze inside the TC's exterior either. Talking about COLD! -20 F is 52 degrees colder than when water will freeze so Lance must be doing something right!

Storm windows and roof vent inside covers or foam inserts are a must at below zero F or they'll drip do to the exhaled moisture laden human breaths. Requires one insulated roof vent to be cracked open about 1/4" to vent the moisture. We've camped dozens of times in the winter in the U.P. of Michigan and also in Ontario, Canada north and east of Lake Superior. Mostly the Wawa, Chapleau, and Ranger Lake areas using as a base. Once at Hearst but that's too far to drive to. We used to pull our snowmobiles up there every winter behind the TC rigs and it was simply our pleasant mobile motel room out in the boonies with no building structures around anywhere and was extremely comfortable living!

BTW, we have our own RV sewer dump we installed behind our home that goes directly into our septic tank so winter dumping is no problem when we get home no matter how cold it gets or if the other dumps stations are closed for the winter. Both holding tanks on the TC become our gray water tank with plenty of capacity if we don't find a dump station open. We use a tall (5 gal) Porta Potti for black water retention with windshield washer fluid with antifreeze good for at least -20F in the rinse tank. Dump anywhere in any toilet and it never freezes hard anyway even at below it's stated temp protection but will begin to get a little slushy. Slushy won't go thru the vehicle windshield washer lines but it sure still works fine in the Porta Potti toilet system!

2010 Lance 1040 with 'Arctic Pack' came with room for 1 ONE small propane tank, heater works well, has the insulated pad under the bunk mattress, has the Dometic awning windows, haven't been out with it colder than teens, OK there. However when changing a broken roof vent could help but be dissappointed with the ONE INCH think roof. Pretty cheesy, styrofoam don't cost that much.

I can tell you that my 1985 900 (11'3") does not have a cover over the tanks and the lines inside will freeze. Like I mentioned before, after learning a lesson the hard way, we now know how to camp in low temps. ;).

trail-explorer,

If you'd have read the posts in this thread you would have learned that the Lance tanks are NOT exposed to the elements on nearly all models made since the 1980's! Yes, some of the 8' very cheap basic lightweight models made mainly for Toyota and Nissan half ton trucks did have an exposed holding tanks as they were not 4 season TC's and were advertized/stated not to be right in the brochure and I do have the brochures. Buy cheap, get cheap! Also all brochures in full are available free on the Internet from Lance Support for years 1993 thru 2013.

The Lance 1121 the OP asked about IS a 4 season TC! Go back and read and you'll learn!

Even our 1997 Lance Squire we'd ordered new in 1997 came with the holding tanks enclosed inside the larger plastic cover with air space in between for the furnace ducted heated air to circulate around the holding tanks and prevent freezing. Actually, all 3 of our Lances have had enclosed and heated liquid holding tanks including the 1988. NONE ever froze nor did the liquid lines in even -20 F.

With the tanks being exposed like that, it's not really considered a 4 seasons camper.

That's one thing that turned me off of a Lance camper when I was camper shopping - this applied to the models prior to their entire product line being revamped a few years ago.

Camp, Forrest, Camp! wrote:
We recently looked at a 2002 Lance 1121 and my wife noticed that the waste tank was exposed underneath (great eye). With that she wondered if it was a four season camper. Is it designed for year round use.

We have a 1985 Lance 900 (11'3") that we use in the winter, but we bring water in containers and don't use the shower. I add antifreeze to the tanks so we can use the sink and toilet. It works, but I would like full functionality for ski trips in the single digits.

I would really like to be able to use all of the features for winter camping. The other camper we are interested is the AF 1150 which is designed for year round use.

Hi,

I thought I would add some information based on my experience, I own a 1121 except its a 2001, as stated earlier in the posts the black and grey tanks do have a heater duct that flows into the tank area.

I live in Gilbert, AZ, (Phoenix), now don't confuse that fact that I live in Phoenix with the fact that I have camped with my camper for very long periods of time in extremely cold weather, now is this camper a -15* camper for long term camping, the answer to this is not as equipped from the factory, now if the question is will this camper withstand very cold camping temps for sustained periods of time, the answer to that is YES absolutely.

You will have to do some modifications and learn how to camp at that the really low temperatures, but it can be done, and it can be very comfortable to the inhabitants of the camper.

I have camped 12 days straight is 10* daytime temperatures, and sub zero temps at night, with no problem. And with the right setup, it's does not have to happen with the generator running the whole time with and the heater on the whole time.

Really cold weather camping, take some knowledge to make comfortable, and in my opinion it does not matter what brand of camper your doing it in.

However to answer you question, yes the Lance 1121 can be used in very cold weather with the right setup.

If you care for me to elaborate on how I make it work, please let me know and I will elaborate, however most of what I have done, I have figured out from this site.

Good Luck!

Rob

As bobndot posted, your wife was NOT seeing the actual holding tank. What she saw was the outside cover that is larger than the actual tank which creates the airspace for the heated air to circulate around the tank itself. Actually, if the inside of the TC is heated, the tank area and water will not freeze anyway until the temp gets well below 20F without even using the TC's furnace but rather an electric heater in the TC itself for heat if you have shorepower.

We do a lot of winter TC camping in Upper Peninsula of Michigan and in Ontario Canada and have for many years with our 3 Lance TC's we've owned since 1988. Other brands of TC's were used before 1988 beginning in 1965. Some CG's are open and have electric and some don't where we go. We don't even think about using the TC furnace which blows heat around the tanks if we have any 110 AC shorepower hookup until the temp outside gets to below 20F and is forcasted to be that or below for 12+ hours. NEVER had any freezing at all. The thing to remember is that the electric heater doesn't actually blow heated air down on the tanks but the warm floor above the tank is enough to keep the tanks from freezing until it really gets cold or cold and there's very high winds. Then you must use the TC furnace. We've used the TC furnace when it's way below zero temps many times (-13F to -20F) for a couple days straight while dry camping when snowmobiling and never had anything on or in the Lance's freeze.

More important to us is the storm windows as they make a huge difference and stop window sweating and cold air off the windows drafts. Easy and cheap to seal/caulk any voids and or cracks you could find in any RV that allow the miserable cold air intrusions. Our Lance TC had been as snug and comfortable as our expensive very well built and insulated home in the winter and what more could you ask for?

My camper has a heat duct from the furnace down into the tank compartment. The compartment isn't insulated but I've never had it freeze. However, I don't go camping very often when it's below freezing and when I do it's not that far below freezing.

While looking at the 1121 take a look at the sill under the slide. Apparently a lot of this model had problems with the framing under the slide. There wasn't enough and the sill would sag. I looked at an 1121 at a dealership once that had this problem. The dealer had already invested a lot into it in repairs and it was still sagging. He dropped the price dropped twice on the unit while I was standing there looking at it but I still didn't want it.

On the 02' 1121 you might be looking at the flat black holding tank cover, the actual tank should be under it . If the camper has the optional winter package. heated tanks, insulated battery and propane compartment,storm windows as well as interior roof vent covers. I dont know if the 02 offered an insulated pad under the queen bed or not , i know they offered it in 08 on .

I owned an 04' AF slide model with no storm windows and no interior vent covers, i used it with water down to single digits maybe zero but the interior temps could not get as warm as my new 08' non slide Lance with storm windows and insulated roof vents. The Lance is much warmer and uses a lot less propane.
Its not a brand thing, its because of the slideout and the vents/windows. AF as well as Lance can be used down to the single temps if they are set up right.

People that i know use their Northstar campers down in the 'below zero temps' and they love their campers. I think the NS is a great winter camper. Its interior design is set up for winter use.
The big plus is the cassette toilet where you can fill it with windshield washer antifreeze to flush it into its own holding tank. That never freezes even in an unheated camper.
All the water lines are routed away from exterior walls, as is the water pump.


My lance has one small heat duct that runs to my bathroom. It might also have another un-used heat-duct port on the back of it that i cannot see. The reason why i mention this is because my furnace actually heats the area under the kitchen sink, under and behind the stove and under the bathroom sink. That entire area is approx. the same temp as the interior of the camper. I use a digital wirelss thermometer to monitor the conditions under the counters.

Any camper you choose, carry a hair dryer to defrost things like dump valves and propane gas regulators. Its not a bad idea to wrap the regulator in some kind of insulation.

Bob

We have traveled year round, for many of the past eight years in our 2005 1121, often in freezing conditions. We have the winter package which has storm windows, heat ducted to water and waste areas. We have had no problems. The 1121 has been an ideal TC for our purposes. We have the sofa upgrade which cuts down on the sleeping arrangements, it is not a full double bunk. It is necessary to keep the furnace going to prevent freezing and bursting.