Winter camping w/ children in TC???

AS far as having water available, we got a 2.5 gallon plastic 'square' with a petcock on it for fresh water. Kept it in the sink. We got an old 40 cup coffee pot, took out the basket, etc and used it for hot water. We got a spare 20lb propane tank and put a propane heater on top of it to dry out and warm up what needed it. Did it outside just before items were needed. Keep heavy coats, hats, etc. in truck cab and heat them up in the AM or right after taking them off in PM. It can all be done with a bit of ingenuity. Of course, ate with paper and plastic everything!! Premade casseroles and soups at home and just had to heat them up while camping. Loved my crock pot too!!

Leave 'em outside. They'll stop complaining sooner or later.

usmcshepherd wrote:
Thanks for all of the responses this far...however given the increases in winter clothing requirements how have you all managed the additional gear (boots, jackets etc) in a TC?

it took the place of the summer gear. lol. no, really...we go through and know we don't need any summer stuff with us.

as we are skiers, we have learned...don't skimp on good clothing. when you have good winter gear you stay warm and it makes things real enjoyable.

we loved having our camper up at the ski slopes. we did not get a chance to do it enough for what we wanted. maybe this winter we will get more chances.

Winter play in a TC is not so easy with kids and all the boots n clothes. Nightime temps drop below zero and you go through propane. People have to do some serious mods in order to run water in an rv during sub zero times. I find it a lot easier to dry camp and use a heated CG with a heated bathouse.

You also have to protect your regulator from freezing. Wrap it in insulation.
Using the camper can be fun to do, if you have not ever done it. However, it got old fast, real fast. We had to bring too much heavy gear with us and we stayed for a month.
Things tend to get muddy inside. We used truck floor mats for the boots and lots of paper towels.
There are a few options, for storage. Roof box, front hitch box, utility trailer . We also used the cab of the truck for the winter gear at night. Using any unheated area , you have to thaw things out inside the camper in the morning.
Because of a lack of room in a tc, renting a cabin is a better option for winter fun. As of now, we travel in the tc and rent a cabin for a month every winter. It got to be too much in the tc especially now with the dog. The price of the campground plus the propane and eating out because we had no water in the camper , was not that much cheaper than renting a cabin long term at a reduced rate. It was not worth the price difference to spend a month in the small confined tc.

Clothing : Do not wear cotton as a base layer. You can freeze that way. Cotton will retain persperation against your skin lowering body temps.
Base layer is most important, should be synthetic,silk ,polypropylene or merino wool.
http://www.trusty-travel-tips.com/best-winter-clothing.html

If you are going to drive your tc as far as PA. or northern NY to ride snow machines , you should look into N.H., VT., and Maine . It will be worth the extra time. In NH everything such as trail passes and club membership fees are included in the rental fee.
Snowmobile rental rates are contingent with insurance liability expenses. Its cheaper to rent a snow machine in N.H. than it is in N.Y.
The trails in N.Y./ PA. are groomed mostly by volunteer groomers and get groomed when they can do it, they tend to be bumpy. Many of those trails have to cut through an individuals private property where those owners have since denied riding privileges to the clubs. Therefore the trails have to re-route onto and along public roadways. (this can be more dangerous sharing the road with cars and you are forced to ride on the shoulders of plowed dry road surfaces and you are not able to steer the sled as easily)
N.H. VT. Maine trails are groomed mostly by the local clubs paid schooled professional groomers who groom when they are working every day.
In other words, there are a lot of NY/PA/Conn/VA/Mass/De/NJ license plats in NH trail parking lots .
If you are interested in more info, feel free to PM me and i'll give you links and everything you need incl. hooking you up with a site for your camper. Heated bathouse and electric or low rates on a cabin. We will be up there in Feb. Its a great family place. Come ride with us , we have campfire cookouts out in the woods.

This is one of the winter campsites, heated bathouse was 200 ft way.

We are also a family of four (kids are 5 & 9) and we managed with even less storage space than in your rig.

We keep everyones bulky jackets in the wardrobe near the bath. Most of the other kids clothes go in the wardrobe in the cabover (to the left of the fridge). Finally, mom & dads clothes go in the forward-most cabinets in the cabover.

We all bring slippers for when we get in from the snow. Of course, snow boots are a must! You may want to bring some extra rags, or small towels, to put in the stairwell. This is where we take off our boots and it works out much easier for the kids. We also pack along plenty of extra socks & underwear, because it's nice to change out of them if wet. Our night clothes (sweats) never go into the snow. This insures we always have something dry to change into.

The hand warmer idea is a good one. I'm picking some up this fall. Also, hot chocolate goes over big while camping in the snow.

Have fun!

Thanks for all of the responses this far...however given the increases in winter clothing requirements how have you all managed the additional gear (boots, jackets etc) in a TC?

Hand warmers! Available at WalMart and many other stores. Tuck them inside mittens/gloves and in their boots. We winter camped over many years in the Poconos. Our sons were snowboarders and using our RV was a very affordable way for us to enjoy it all. BTW, campfires in winter are GREAT!!!

Follow the lead of your kids, ask them what they would like to do. The more you do, outside together, the more they will want to venture out and enjoy winter activities. Invest in good quality snow wear, but they wish to wear around their peers. Long underwear of smart wool, goes a long way, as do quality snow boots and gloves (Mittens are best for warmth). A good face mask, for sledding, ice skating and sledding. Find out what the other kids are wearing. The warmer and dryer they are, the more they will play and winter season will go a whole lot easier. REI, LL Bean, Cabellas, Bass Pro are good go to places.

Have fun and snow caving can be fun!

b

My best advice is to keep their heads covered. Almost 60% of body escapes through the head and chest area. It really puzzles me when I see new parents taking their new little kids out in cold weather but don't have any head-covering on them!

WoosGlue