New AF - a few winter questions.

have not camped in my 990 in winter yet, but in my 5er we just open the roof vent in the main living area about 1" to let the moisture out. you can tell the difference pretty quick as we seem to forget to open it until all the windows fog over. Opening it and windows clear pretty quick.

as far as catalyst heaters, I have never used them, nor know anything about them. First thing that I do think about is carbon monoxide. and what about all the water moisture produced by burning propane? I have read that propane produces .81 gallons of water for every gallon of propane burnt.that is a lot of moisture to get rid of in a small camper.
your current heater exhaust all combustion byproducts to the outside.

I also have AF 990 I never let cold weather stop us. Have camped in -30 weather. I have reflectix under bed & foam & reflectix in door windows. Reflectix in escape window by bed,storm windows, foam in ceiling skylight, fan under bathroom wired with a switch so can have run all the time. I have small generator with extended run fuel tank so when gone snowmobiling for day can run electric heater or furnace no worry about running batteries dead. 2 AGM 31 batteries I have never run dead.small fan to circulate heat to sleeping area.

I believe I could get to like your AF-990 pick with the one slide out...

Nice trailer and being the Artic Fox build makes it alittle more well built for off-roads... Looks like you have a very good setup with your truck as well... Enjoy....


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I would mount me a CAT heater on the door under the sink... Something like this google image...

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I saw one install where it was installed on the inside of the door to get it away from things when not in use. You kinda want to open the cabinet door anyway when it gets cold to allow warm air to circulate around the water lines...

I still turn my head every time I get close to the truck campers on the road.

Roy Ken

PointTaken wrote:


@Buzzcut1 Great tips on making insulation for around the windows and doors. I cut foam for the vents and skylights but did not consider adding foam to the windows and door. Are you using the 1" foam and reflectix at the door and window or just the reflectix? I used the factor shades and noticed a difference, I bet your method really helps!

the door glass has foam and the entire door, except for the latch, has refletix covering everything

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!

@ work2much Those heaters being quiet is another advantage I had not thought about. I did notice I had less power than anticipated.

@Buzzcut1 Great tips on making insulation for around the windows and doors. I cut foam for the vents and skylights but did not consider adding foam to the windows and door. Are you using the 1" foam and reflectix at the door and window or just the reflectix? I used the factor shades and noticed a difference, I bet your method really helps!

@deltabravo That is a good point. Maybe just open the door a few minutes prior to showering. I don'd mind Navy showers just was surprised how little insulation the wet bath has.

PointTaken wrote:
LOL, keeping the bath door open is a huge must!

I'm the opposite... I keep the door closed to try and keep the heat in the main area of the camper.

The skylight might as well be an open hole in the roof for heat to escape during cold weather trips.

I don't have your camper but I have camped in my Lance down to 0*. Condensation mostly occurs when warm moist air contacts cold surfaces. eliminate exposed cold surfaces and most condensation isses are greatly reduced. This means coverying the windows and frames, skylights, the entry door with some form of insulation. I use a mix of 1" thick Closed Cell Foam and Refletix. It hit 15 on our trip this last weekend and there was just a small spot of moisture that reqired a single pass of a wash cloth to remove. We had two adults and 3 dogs inside. The only open vent was the exhaust flap for the oven, as all the windows and vents were otherwise sealed. At night we have flannel sheets and a thick down comforter on the bed. The furnace is set to minimum which is about 50*. I have two group 31 AGM batteries and all LED lights so far I have never in 6 years run the batteries down from using the furnace at night this way.

No advice for temps that cold but congrats on your new camper!

We have used ventless propane heaters like the one you linked for winter camping and like the even quiet heat. In extreme cold temps you will find that your batteries lose quite a bit of power and the forced air furnace uses quite a bit of dc power.

For moisture we crack the vent above the bed when we are sleeping and the vent in the back when we are up.