Newbie questions please help.

whizbang wrote:
What half ton truck do you have?

I had a Jayco Pop-up camper that was 90" wide. My 2010 Ford F150 just barely fit between the camper jacks.

I assume from your description that you are considering the 7.6 camper. It is only 84 inches wide. You need a very narrow truck to get underneath.

Cold weather camping is a PITA. You most likely need to run the water system dry (winterized) and cook and drink from bottles, and, flush the toilet/potra potti with pink antifreeze. I recommend a camping spot with full hookups so you can run an electric space heater.

Dry camping or boondocking for more than a few nights consumes so mach propane or electric energy that boondocking is just not practical.

My DW and I have been RVing for 18 years in 4 truck/camper rigs, a deisel pusher (full time for two years) as well as a small Class C. When I go flyfishing, I am typically boondocking many miles deep in the wilderness. I've been out in really nasty weather far too many time.

In a word, what you propose doing is just not feasible.

So for the winter if I have power from outlets in parking lots so I could run my furnace and a space heater do you think it's do able and I'll wait until it's -15 and warmer to do away from parking lots

So my best bet would be to get a camper that will fit my bed frame without building a frame and just staying some where I can plug in when it's really cold then on the -20 stuff I can save the money and boondock I have a 2015 dodge ram quad cab 1500. I'm starting to realize I can't do super cold I just want it in the winter's to go to different ski hills and in the summer go hiking different places and I do need something with a bit of storage seeing how I'll be giving up my apartment

I went out in Butt cold weather in my Jayco. I had the truck set up to charge the deep cycle battery while I was driving.

You might get away with cold weather camping as long as you have a large deep cycle battery, a propane furnace, a backup tank in addition to your regular propane tank.

Plan on driving a bit every day, and, running your water systems dry as I mentioned in my earlier post.

What half ton truck do you have?

I had a Jayco Pop-up camper that was 90" wide. My 2010 Ford F150 just barely fit between the camper jacks.

I assume from your description that you are considering the 7.6 camper. It is only 84 inches wide. You need a very narrow truck to get underneath.

Cold weather camping is a PITA. You most likely need to run the water system dry (winterized) and cook and drink from bottles, and, flush the toilet/potra potti with pink antifreeze. I recommend a camping spot with full hookups so you can run an electric space heater.

Dry camping or boondocking for more than a few nights consumes so mach propane or electric energy that boondocking is just not practical.

My DW and I have been RVing for 18 years in 4 truck/camper rigs, a deisel pusher (full time for two years) as well as a small Class C. When I go flyfishing, I am typically boondocking many miles deep in the wilderness. I've been out in really nasty weather far too many time.

In a word, what you propose doing is just not feasible.

Vdubslammed wrote:
...would you recommend something else for a payload of 2000 pounds

Your choices are limited for a well-insulated lightweight camper for a half ton truck. Perhaps something like this:

Northstara Vista
Small, efficient, compact, lighter weight, limited space, no OH bumk... did I say small?

I was kind of figured you guys would say that is there any Four Season half ton campers. I was really excited about this camper but I just don't think it's going to work for what I need would you recommend something else for a payload of 2000 pounds

Those are pretty nice looking campers. It would be a big feat and probably ruin the camper unless you're a good carpenter with a lot of time on your hands to "tear out the walls" and insulate them. When you're done, it will only be marginally more insulated, as the framing won't get you more than R 6 or something for insulation.

Seems it would be a Better full time gig from say April thru October up there.

Can you live comfortably in a camper in "normal" winter weather? Sure. Is it convienent? Nope
-40 in northern Alberta in a dinky TC with a wood stove is nothing more than survival camping. Fun for a little bit, but yeah, I consider myself pretty hardy and I'd have to be desperate to do that for longer than enough to say I did it.

And yes get some air bags for the truck.

Wood burning stove -> risk of carbon monoxyde poisoning (death)

Solar in winter is not very effective because of limited sunlight / low angle.
For fridge, TV etc. you need sufficient battery capacity and solar charge capacity. A single battery and panel will not be enough. Although, at -40C you need the fridge to keep food warm, I guess...

-40C is very cold. Condensation is a problem in all TCs. Without adequate (forced air vs. radiation heat) heating you will have ice forming in many places. You need to keep the inside air moving and you need to constantly vent moisture outside. Even then you may find that your mattress freezes. Even with additional insulation.

Also your TCs tanks and plumbing will freeze without proper precautions.

Fulltiming in a TC can be done, even in winter, but probably not on a budget, and not without sufficient and reliable supply of electricity and heat.

Hi,

Is the fridge one that runs on propane? If so, on the electric only setting, it would draw approximately 5.7 KWH per day. That would require a HUGE solar array.

-40 and boondocking is something that only two folks I know have have done. One of them was Photo Mike and the other is Moving Sue. I've done -37 C and it takes a large battery bank to survive as well as LOTS of propane.

I suggest you do lots of milder cold weather camping before attempting -40.

Remember that propane's boiling point is -42 C (-43.6 f). At -40 the rate of vaporization is slow and unless the tank is nearly full or extremely large it may not be great enough to support the furnace. I do have a magnetic heater to put on my tank. Fortunately I've never had to use it.

To use a "summer" camper at -40 is going to require many upgrades to all systems.