Pop Up Soft Side Campers in the Winter
Could anyone who has owned one of these tell me how well they stay warm in the wintertime.
Forum Discussion
First off define winter. South Carolina vs North Dakota. Might be a bit of a difference. Temperatures are important as in Colorado, elevation is everything when looking at winter conditions.
We have just sold our Pop Up TC and although we have never truly camped in the winter with this soft side,(we have in a previous Polar Pack hard side), there were times when the temps were well below freezing that we have camped for short periods. As has been said, condenstion is a problem. The cooler the TC becomes, the more the condensation condenses on the vinyl walls, which have the least amount of insulation. Warm, moist air when it meets a cool surface will consense into water droplets. If you use enough propane/electric heat, this is less of a problem as long as you can crack a vent or window.
We lived 32 years in north central BC and TCs are very popular because most people have trucks and most people have access to wilderness areas so towing a boat or quad/sled trailer is very common. The one thing that is not common are pop up TCs. Almost unheard of and it is because most people want to use their TCs a least for 3 seasons and the temperatures can be pretty cold in the non summer months. TC owners have their pick of anything they want and because of the insulation and condendation issues, when the weather gets cold, soft sided TCs are just not as effective as hard sides. Of course for ventilation, windows etc they are great like in the dryer, desert areas.
People have survived for decades in tent frames with wood stoves in winter under very cold conditions so anything is possible, but it all comes down to insulation vs how much energy are you willing to use to keep comfortable.
Dave
We have just sold our Pop Up TC and although we have never truly camped in the winter with this soft side,(we have in a previous Polar Pack hard side), there were times when the temps were well below freezing that we have camped for short periods. As has been said, condenstion is a problem. The cooler the TC becomes, the more the condensation condenses on the vinyl walls, which have the least amount of insulation. Warm, moist air when it meets a cool surface will consense into water droplets. If you use enough propane/electric heat, this is less of a problem as long as you can crack a vent or window.
We lived 32 years in north central BC and TCs are very popular because most people have trucks and most people have access to wilderness areas so towing a boat or quad/sled trailer is very common. The one thing that is not common are pop up TCs. Almost unheard of and it is because most people want to use their TCs a least for 3 seasons and the temperatures can be pretty cold in the non summer months. TC owners have their pick of anything they want and because of the insulation and condendation issues, when the weather gets cold, soft sided TCs are just not as effective as hard sides. Of course for ventilation, windows etc they are great like in the dryer, desert areas.
People have survived for decades in tent frames with wood stoves in winter under very cold conditions so anything is possible, but it all comes down to insulation vs how much energy are you willing to use to keep comfortable.
Dave
