Slide cover for snowy weather

rvshrinker wrote:

Re: the mattress warmer, I bought that but our outlets don’t work when we aren’t hooked up to electricity, which of course we’re not when parked in the ski area parking lot. Do you have another solution, like a generator?

...Typical nighttime lows would be in the 20s, teens at the lowest. We’ll keep the vent open and just keep the heat at low all day while skiing (and the slide closed), then open up and keep the heat around 60 at night. Hoping to keep condensation to a minimum while preserving LP for the 48 hour trip.

Our tanks and pipes are insulated and exposed to heated air, so I don’t think i need to do the type of winterization you’re talking about, right? How do you keep things from freezing up while towing/en route? I’m supposed to turn the LP and heater off, right?
....

I'm happy something was useful to you.
As the poster previous to this mentioned I have 12V mattress warmers, having 2 6V golf cart batteries is what makes this possible a single 12 V will barely run the unit stock let alone at cold temps.

Vents cracked at night to let moisture out, running your furnace while skiing MAY kill your battery. more than likely you'll only be using the "tanks" black/ grey for going potty, not cooking so much. IF you put some RV anti-freeze in the tanks they should be alright in the temps you predict.
As to fresh water.... either keep it winterized ( no water in the system) or keep it warm the whole time to prevent problems... more batteries more propane.
Personally, I'd keep jugs of water and not risk it or at the minimum keep the hot water tank empty?
Traveling with Propane on is a personal choice, plenty of threads covering the pros and cons.... and a subject that many have very divided opinions on.

Have fun and let us know what you went with.

Those 12 V mattress heaters are worth every cent, keeping the coach unheated at night saves battery juice and propane... the first one up, turns the heaters on.

-Repo

Since you said that you "plan" to camp up on the ski hill, you haven't really done it yet? Is that correct?

The reference to the mattress heating pad said it was a 12 volt heater. Your plug ins are all 120 so the poster must have a way to hook into the 12V system in the trailer.

If your tanks are heated by the furnace as mine are the only way to keep them from freezing is to run the furnace. The furnace fan draws a lot of current and the heating pads will draw down the batteries too. I can't see spending a couple of days in mid 20 degree weather without a generator to maintain your batteries.

If you live close to the hill, you probably can get there before the tanks and water lines freeze up. You can also run with your furnace on. There is a huge ongoing debate about running with your propane on so that will be up to you. I have done it for many years but only to keep my fridge running. I have never used the furnace but haven't traveled in freezing temperatures either.

hilandfrog wrote:
Seems a few pieces of rigid insulation placed on top of the slide would be an easy surface to remove snow from and I think it'd keep ice to a minimum on the actual slider roof surface for easier retraction.

We've designed our camper for just this ski area parking lots. Though many ski areas are becoming dickish about camping in their lots.
Things you may or may not have considered...
-12V mattress warmers are the absolute DEAL, they don't eat more amps than they're worth in warmth and one can use them and not run the heater. they feel warmer, uses about the same amps as the heater ( a queen size both sides going) but saves the propane and the loudness of the heater kicking in.

-Blackout/ insulated curtains for windows, doors, roof vents, greatest sources of heat loss. Don't forget to leave one open.

-Max air vent covers (or the like) so the vents open anytime, not just when you clear the snow off the roof. Clear the snow off septic vents daily.

-If you can isolate the toilet from your water system and add a pump to just it, use RV antifreeze as the fluid source one can more safely enjoy septic system in cold WX, everything else is winterized. we tried using an on-demand hand pump for water but it became easier to just pour out of jugs.
We removed our P-traps and added these ventless/ waterless traps...
hepvo

- Using non-vented propane heaters (little buddy, wave) DUMPS water vapor into the air. Humidity is your enemy in cold weather RV camping, the vented stock heater will EAT your batteries alive... so plan on finding alternative heat sources or running generator a whole lot. venting another vented stove out a window with some metal work is our go around... looking at boating stoves, gas, oil, wood and wood pellet, just down to coast and desire.


- we use a large rafting cooler to keep things from freezing while out skiing, mainly drinking water milk, beer etc.... :)

We have studded tires on the camper, chains for 2 of the 4 tires and our little truck, Tundra, has 4x4 and chains IF needed.

-Sometimes talking with the local volunteer fire department can garner one a place to park and in some cases, an electrical plug-in. A bag of good coffee and a bottle whiskey go a long way ;)

have fun

-Repo

This is very helpful! You sound quite experienced. Unfortunately I don’t understand a lot of what you wrote.

Re: the mattress warmer, I bought that but our outlets don’t work when we aren’t hooked up to electricity, which of course we’re not when parked in the ski area parking lot. Do you have another solution, like a generator?

We have insulation for the roof vents but not the blinds/curtains. We don’t currently plan to ski camp more than 2 nights max, and our weather here is not nearly as cold as where you are. Typical nighttime lows would be in the 20s, teens at the lowest. We’ll keep the vent open and just keep the heat at low all day while skiing (and the slide closed), then open up and keep the heat around 60 at night. Hoping to keep condensation to a minimum while preserving LP for the 48 hour trip.

Our tanks and pipes are insulated and exposed to heated air, so I don’t think i need to do the type of winterization you’re talking about, right? How do you keep things from freezing up while towing/en route? I’m supposed to turn the LP and heater off, right?

Nearest fire dept is ten miles and a lot of traffic away... whole point is to wake up without having to drive anywhere as traffic can be a bit of a hassle. Right now I have to wake up at 5:45 and out the door at 6:15 to miss the worst of the traffic. That gets me to the slopes at 7:50-8 am, gets me parked into the main lot without having to take a shuttle, and on the slopes by first lift 9 am. but that’s a really early wake up call. My hope is to drive up at 6 pm the night before, hit the lot at 8 pm, have a little dinner and a beer, relax under the stars, and wake up at 8 am without having to drive anywhere. After skiing, ‘apres ski’ under the awning with the few other campers and a mostly empty lot; night skiing if I’m up for it; then a good night’s sleep and do it all again the next day.

I would get one if I could. Years ago I had my trailer out on a fishing trip in Montana. The first night it snowed a couple of inches and then warmed up a bit during the day. Another inch that night followed by a little warming. When it was time to leave there was a pretty good sized pile of ice on my slideout. I did not have a ladder so had a challenge removing the ice without damaging the roof or killing myself.

Camping in the snow will always be a challenge. I would get a topper and then retract the slideout when there was snow on top of it. Lots of snow can damage the cover.

Seems a few pieces of rigid insulation placed on top of the slide would be an easy surface to remove snow from and I think it'd keep ice to a minimum on the actual slider roof surface for easier retraction.

We've designed our camper for just this ski area parking lots. Though many ski areas are becoming dickish about camping in their lots.
Things you may or may not have considered...
-12V mattress warmers are the absolute DEAL, they don't eat more amps than they're worth in warmth and one can use them and not run the heater. they feel warmer, uses about the same amps as the heater ( a queen size both sides going) but saves the propane and the loudness of the heater kicking in.

-Blackout/ insulated curtains for windows, doors, roof vents, greatest sources of heat loss. Don't forget to leave one open.

-Max air vent covers (or the like) so the vents open anytime, not just when you clear the snow off the roof. Clear the snow off septic vents daily.

-If you can isolate the toilet from your water system and add a pump to just it, use RV antifreeze as the fluid source one can more safely enjoy septic system in cold WX, everything else is winterized. we tried using an on-demand hand pump for water but it became easier to just pour out of jugs.
We removed our P-traps and added these ventless/ waterless traps...
hepvo

- Using non-vented propane heaters (little buddy, wave) DUMPS water vapor into the air. Humidity is your enemy in cold weather RV camping, the vented stock heater will EAT your batteries alive... so plan on finding alternative heat sources or running generator a whole lot. venting another vented stove out a window with some metal work is our go around... looking at boating stoves, gas, oil, wood and wood pellet, just down to coast and desire.


- we use a large rafting cooler to keep things from freezing while out skiing, mainly drinking water milk, beer etc.... :)

We have studded tires on the camper, chains for 2 of the 4 tires and our little truck, Tundra, has 4x4 and chains IF needed.

-Sometimes talking with the local volunteer fire department can garner one a place to park and in some cases, an electrical plug-in. A bag of good coffee and a bottle whiskey go a long way ;)

have fun

-Repo

Since we would only go when snow is not in the forecast, it sounds like I can get away without a topper and just use a stepstool/small ladder with a broom to sweep off any snow dusting. I’ll keep the slide closed during the day while we’re on the slopes. The only real accumulation would occur at night, and again - don’t plan on going up if snow is in the forecast.

rvshrinker wrote:
I have a new ORV 23DBS with a single slide.

I plan to go skiing and camp overnight. Do I need a slide cover for the snow?

Considering your other post about using chains for towing your trailer in the snow when going skiing, is it so important to take the trailer that it's worth all this effort & expense? Seems unnecessary to me when you can just stay in a nearby hotel room when skiing. :R

A slide topper is a good idea because it reduces the debris that gets swept inside when it retracts. It has been on my list of years.

Slides are slide, they add weight, they add complexities, they are one more thing to go wrong, etc. etc. Still, I would not own a TT without one.

I carry a five foot ladder in the TV and have had to remove snow and leaves more than once. It is just the price you pay of the floor plan you like.

rvshrinker wrote:
I have a new ORV 23DBS with a single slide.

I plan to go skiing and camp overnight. Do I need a slide cover for the snow? Seems logical but... Anyway, is it something I can install or dealer does?

An alternative view that will no doubt raise the ire of some :R, but ...

Given the OP's use this is all the more reason to select either a floor plan that has no slide(s) OR one in which the slide(s) when deployed still allow full access to the interior so when it is snowing one can simply leave the slide in the stored position. This ORV 23DBS doesn't meet that criteria. :(

To the OP - be aware that when installing a slide topper one may have to replace the factory installed drip rail with an awning rail which secures the awning to the trailer side wall just above the slide.

FWIW, my own trailer has a shallow sofa slide and I did not install a topper ... instead I carry a 3-step ladder so I can reach the slide roof to sweep it clear of any debris, including snow, which I have dealt with.



The trick with snow though is to clear the slide top as soon as it begins to snow, then retract the slide so snow / ice will no longer be a concern. I can do that with my Coachmen 192RBS but one couldn't with the OP's trailer without severely limiting interior access so considering his intended use with a trailer he already owns it seems he has no choice now but to install a topper and try to not let it get clogged up with ice.

We are leaving MI and it is well below freezing. I like to have the topper thawed before trying to extend the slides. If it is frozen I worry about the slide pulling the topper attachment at the roof away from the roof. Might not be a problem if not frozen but it can be if solid.