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
Are you willing to see your breath when you go to sleep in your camper (40 deg)? If not, a soft side without electric hook ups is probably not for you. Note that the propane furnace can heat the air in the TC to 60-70 deg in just a few minutes. Cabinets and appliances will still be cold.
I have used sheets of reflextex to temporarily insulate the sides in cold weather and it makes a noticeable difference. I also read where someone took sleeping bags, cut in half lengthways, stitched them up, then mounted them to insulate the sides.
As to condensation, ventilation is the answer. I took an engineered approach and built an air to air heat exchanger for my TC. Using aluminum foil exchange plates and computer fans it provides about an air change per hour, retains about 80% of the ventilation heat, and eliminates almost all condensation in cold weather (30s) with the vents closed. I camp in the dryer west so results may vary in the south and east US.
Here is the thread on the heat exchanger, but my photo hosting site locked up all my photos and advises I have to disable my virus and pop up blocker first to log on and access them. :M
Air to air heat exchanger thread
I have used sheets of reflextex to temporarily insulate the sides in cold weather and it makes a noticeable difference. I also read where someone took sleeping bags, cut in half lengthways, stitched them up, then mounted them to insulate the sides.
As to condensation, ventilation is the answer. I took an engineered approach and built an air to air heat exchanger for my TC. Using aluminum foil exchange plates and computer fans it provides about an air change per hour, retains about 80% of the ventilation heat, and eliminates almost all condensation in cold weather (30s) with the vents closed. I camp in the dryer west so results may vary in the south and east US.
Here is the thread on the heat exchanger, but my photo hosting site locked up all my photos and advises I have to disable my virus and pop up blocker first to log on and access them. :M
Air to air heat exchanger thread
