New AF - a few winter questions.
Hello all, I am rather new to RVing but long time backpacker and outdoorsman. I chose to go with an Arctic Fox 990 after much research and scouring these boards for a long time. I camp year round...
Forum Discussion
We have been camping in our Lance 11' 4" TC many times below zero at night when up in the U.P. of Michigan and in Ontario Canada north and east of Lake Superior. Coldest night low hit -30 F and didn't even get to 0 F during the day but the TC was very warm and comfortable. Pulled our snowmobiles to the far north for many years and lived in the TC when up there.
We have the removable carpet on the floor which really helps when walking on it with no shoes and also have storm windows on the inside I made of .22" thick acrylic window glass and are clamped to the window frame so with clips in the existing screws they are easily removed for summer. Storms preferably or good dual pane windows are a must for zero or below camping.
We met a camper at Tahquamenon Falls CG a couple years ago who also said they had a constant cold draft below their dining table window and the kitchen window too and were searching for what to do about it. Also commented that their bathroom was very cold too so you are not alone. Our Lance has a 3" dia heat tube outlet grill directly from the close by furnace to the bathroom and it keeps the bathroom nice and warm. We know how well our Lance is insulated and sealed as we have used it so much in winter for years. Nothing even froze up in those very cold temps and that sure made us happy.
For batteries lasting a day or two in very cold temps it's no problem as we have 3 group 31 deep cycle 225 minunte draw at 23 amps or 675 minutes for the 3 batteries which is a lot. There's room for 2 of the big batteries ahead of the rear wheel well in the driver's side bed and one in the TC battery compartment and all are coupled together with #2 gauge fine strand copper welder cable and charged with the same size copper + and - cables with an 80 amp marine fuse on each end of the + cable coming from the alternator with a high current slide switch so the 12V high amp current can be turned off when not wanted and for safety. The + lead also has a starter solenoid wired in ahead of the switch so the vehicle battery can't be drawn from and depleted. My system is isolated from the OEM electrical system. The cable back to the batteries in the bed in inside a split plastic sheathing and it's tied to the truck frame with HD plastic cable ties. Been there for 12 years now and still holding good. The 2 cables come up thru a grommet protected hole in the inside corner of the truck bed to the 2 batteries so there's no sharp metal edges to cut thru to the copper cable and short out. The rubber coated #2 0r #4 gauge welder cable can be bought at a Tractor Supply or other farm supply store or electrical supply place. Fine strand so it can bend a lot and not break like thick wire does.
The keep the bed mattress from being so darn cold to get on at night in extreme cold weather, I have a heated mattress pad that runs off a small inverter to preheat the bed for an hour or two before hitting the sack. Works super and they really don't draw much wattage as they recycle on and off during the night and your body heat keeps them not drawing any current at all more than when it does. Ours only draws 80 watts when actually heating and with 3 big batteries, it's no problem at all even for 2 nights without even running the truck's engine to recharge. We both really hate a cold mattress and don't have one! If Momma ain't happy, nobody else is gonna be happy either!
Good insulation and very good sealing of all cracks, holes, and voids makes a real difference. We only crack the roof vent about 1/4" and it works for us. Unless we cook a lot with moisture boiling off or let water boil or don't keep it covered. Then crack about 1/2" for a while before back to 1/4". You learn to find all sources of cold air intrusion and so easy with an infrared temp gun as it tells the truth and where to improve.
This stuff is easy for me as I'm a retired very longtime engineer. It's really not difficult though if you use some common sense!
We have the removable carpet on the floor which really helps when walking on it with no shoes and also have storm windows on the inside I made of .22" thick acrylic window glass and are clamped to the window frame so with clips in the existing screws they are easily removed for summer. Storms preferably or good dual pane windows are a must for zero or below camping.
We met a camper at Tahquamenon Falls CG a couple years ago who also said they had a constant cold draft below their dining table window and the kitchen window too and were searching for what to do about it. Also commented that their bathroom was very cold too so you are not alone. Our Lance has a 3" dia heat tube outlet grill directly from the close by furnace to the bathroom and it keeps the bathroom nice and warm. We know how well our Lance is insulated and sealed as we have used it so much in winter for years. Nothing even froze up in those very cold temps and that sure made us happy.
For batteries lasting a day or two in very cold temps it's no problem as we have 3 group 31 deep cycle 225 minunte draw at 23 amps or 675 minutes for the 3 batteries which is a lot. There's room for 2 of the big batteries ahead of the rear wheel well in the driver's side bed and one in the TC battery compartment and all are coupled together with #2 gauge fine strand copper welder cable and charged with the same size copper + and - cables with an 80 amp marine fuse on each end of the + cable coming from the alternator with a high current slide switch so the 12V high amp current can be turned off when not wanted and for safety. The + lead also has a starter solenoid wired in ahead of the switch so the vehicle battery can't be drawn from and depleted. My system is isolated from the OEM electrical system. The cable back to the batteries in the bed in inside a split plastic sheathing and it's tied to the truck frame with HD plastic cable ties. Been there for 12 years now and still holding good. The 2 cables come up thru a grommet protected hole in the inside corner of the truck bed to the 2 batteries so there's no sharp metal edges to cut thru to the copper cable and short out. The rubber coated #2 0r #4 gauge welder cable can be bought at a Tractor Supply or other farm supply store or electrical supply place. Fine strand so it can bend a lot and not break like thick wire does.
The keep the bed mattress from being so darn cold to get on at night in extreme cold weather, I have a heated mattress pad that runs off a small inverter to preheat the bed for an hour or two before hitting the sack. Works super and they really don't draw much wattage as they recycle on and off during the night and your body heat keeps them not drawing any current at all more than when it does. Ours only draws 80 watts when actually heating and with 3 big batteries, it's no problem at all even for 2 nights without even running the truck's engine to recharge. We both really hate a cold mattress and don't have one! If Momma ain't happy, nobody else is gonna be happy either!
Good insulation and very good sealing of all cracks, holes, and voids makes a real difference. We only crack the roof vent about 1/4" and it works for us. Unless we cook a lot with moisture boiling off or let water boil or don't keep it covered. Then crack about 1/2" for a while before back to 1/4". You learn to find all sources of cold air intrusion and so easy with an infrared temp gun as it tells the truth and where to improve.
This stuff is easy for me as I'm a retired very longtime engineer. It's really not difficult though if you use some common sense!
