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BobsYourUncle's avatar
BobsYourUncle
Nomad
Feb 11, 2014

Researching 4 season TT's - Arctic Fox?

Due to my current situation, working in the minus 20's and living in the TT, I have become a lot more keenly aware of some of the essentials for winter living. And this old Triple E ain't doing it as good as I need.

It has been a fun journey here - really! - but I am now looking to get another rig, maybe this summer. I just bought this one last May to replace my aging rotting old Sportsmen. This one is ok for 3 season use but throw a winter at it and it gets interesting....

Anyhow, I have been googling, looking around, reading reading reading some more about winter friendly TT's Heated tanks, underbelly, good insulation, thermal pane windows and so on.

I'm doing my homework right now. I will not be able to afford a new TT, but I will seek out something a few years old that fits the budget.

I have wanted a Tango for a few years now and will look for one if I can get a 4 season unit.

But a lot of my questions and research keep taking me to the Arctic Fox. Time and time again, I am directed back to this brand.

Are there any other brands that offer the same 4 season usage as the AF?

How about you AF owners? Does your AF TT stand up in sub zero climates?

I need something around the 2008 to 2010 era that won't put me in the poorhouse, but I want to have the 4 season essentials.

Anyone have any thoughts to share on brands that offer the same features as the Arctic Fox?

Thanks

40 Replies

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  • 301TBS's avatar
    301TBS
    Explorer
    Feb 11, 2014
    Good luck keeping warm Bob. Its a nasty cold winter in Ontario too. If it is any help for a temporary fix, you can put that plastic wrap on the windows that you heat with a hairdryer. We did that on ours and camping late in the fall it made a big difference in heat and no moisture on those windows.
  • rgolding's avatar
    rgolding
    Explorer
    Feb 11, 2014
    We own an Arctic Fox. 2005 AF 30U. It was our third trailer purchase and we are amazed at the difference and quality. We had an 18 foot 2009 Starcraft and a 25 foot 2010 Dutchmen. And we were happy with both of them, but we are moving to a live aboard factor over camping mentality. For us the protection from the cold is a positive, but it is the protection from the heat and the ability for the ac to shutoff and create a comfortable atmosphere that was the real selling point. We are very pleased with the upgrade and changes we have made.

    One thing I've learned is that it is better to think about the Travel Trailer as a comparison to a house, instead of a vehicle. 5 years older may mean a lot when purchasing a vehicle, but not so much when buying a house.

    Your results and your reaction may be different.
  • brulaz's avatar
    brulaz
    Explorer
    Feb 11, 2014
    Outdoors RV has quite a few dealers in BC and makes "4-Season" trailers. I've seen used ones for sale when we were looking, but then they came out with the arched interior ceiling in the 2013-14 Timber Ridge, so ended up with a new one from Jubilee RV in Kamloops.

    Outdoors RV is owned by the same people that make Artic Fox. They have different floorplans, tend to be a bit lighter than the Artic Fox, but have the same rugged Northwood frames. Nash would be another Northwood trailer you could consider.

    Haven't been in ours when it's really cold, only down to -10C or thereabouts, but it's definitely well insulated and solid. It has an electric freshwater tank heater as well as the double windows.

    But if I were planning on living in a trailer all winter in Canada, I would probably get one without a slide and as few windows as possible. Then add skirts and heat tape + insulation to the water and drains.
  • WoodGlue's avatar
    WoodGlue
    Explorer
    Feb 11, 2014
    ButterBob! :B

    If you can get your hands on some bales of hay, try using that around the base of the trailer as opposed to traditional skirting!

    WoodGlue
  • BobsYourUncle's avatar
    BobsYourUncle
    Nomad
    Feb 11, 2014
    westend wrote:
    Bob,
    I gotta' ask, what happened to your rebuild/restoration unit? If you still have it, maybe it would be a candidate for an Arctic Special?


    Oh the rebuild unit! Yes there are a few that remember all I went through rebuilding this old thing.

    Really, it was a mistake, a big one. I should never have done it. But while it was fun and entertaining, it remains an 1981 Citation.

    Yeah I could change things and make it a super duper winter ready special, but, it remains an 81 Citation.

    It still sits in my driveway, unfinished. I have put it on craigslist for 2500 but no takers. I'll likely wind up giving it away, after all that work!

    It no longer suits my needs so it has to go.

    Sad,yeah...........
  • westend's avatar
    westend
    Explorer
    Feb 11, 2014
    Bob,
    I couldn't find it but there was a thread back a couple of years with a guy over-wintering in ND in an Arctic Fox and how he was using skirts. His electric bill was included with lot rent so he was using heat lamps under the rig and electric heaters inside. His furnace run time was low, IIRC.

    I gotta' ask, what happened to your rebuild/restoration unit? If you still have it, maybe it would be a candidate for an Arctic Special?
  • BobsYourUncle's avatar
    BobsYourUncle
    Nomad
    Feb 11, 2014
    Dr. Blake,
    Thanks for that input. Nothing like an owner to say how things really are. I spent more than half of last November and 3 weeks in December in Alberta, so I hear ya on that one! And now I've been here since Jan. 26. A mite nippy indeed!

    Yes double glazed windows are an absolute must as goducks said. No question about that.

    I am really partial to the Tango TT's. Something about them that I really like. However, if the AF has way better specs, I'm gonna have to change my tastes for function rather than what I have in my mind for a want.

    I don't want to do another winter in this old Triple E. Gads! The air leaks are atrocious!!! The sheets of ice on the entry door and windows are a nice touch too.....

    And sequestering myself to the middle of the bed to avoid the cold walls... I could go on.

    But! Yunno what? I'm in the RV. I'm out here and I love it so much. I wouldn't have it any other way.

    ( and I chuckled about your comment on my adventures!)
  • outdoorlovers's avatar
    outdoorlovers
    Explorer
    Feb 11, 2014
    Arctic Fox - dual pane windows. You'll be one happy camper and the cupboard doors will be better quality, too.
  • goducks10's avatar
    goducks10
    Explorer
    Feb 11, 2014
    Which ever you choose make sure it has dual pane windows. No use having the best insulation or freeze proof valves and tanks if all you warm air is going out the windows.
  • Dr__Blake's avatar
    Dr__Blake
    Explorer
    Feb 11, 2014
    Love my Arctic Fox. Have camped in the mountains in Alberta in late November with friends. Our furnace intermittently ran, theirs ran all night. It gets pretty cold at night here in November, we were fine. The minus 25 we have had is probably challenging for any unit, but I certainly think my AF would perform better than almost any other brand. I know there are some other brands that have similar specs so I wouldn't limit myself to AF if I had never owned one before. With that, I have nothing bit good things to say and have used it comforatably in minus 15.

    Hope that helps.

    PS - I always like reading your tales of adventure good for a laugh and your ingenuity always impresses me.

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