I stumbled onto the Canadream site and found that they rent winterized Class C motorhomes for winter camping. It never crossed my mind that this was possible, but I guess it is! (There is no way I would take my own trailer into very cold conditions -- the underside is not enclosed or heated.)So we are beginning our planning for next winter, and (of course) I have some questions:I know that there are only a few full hookup campgrounds open in the winter. Will I need reservations? (We usually don't make reservations because it limits our spontaneity a little. But if I have to, I will.)Are there places to rent "extreme" clothing, maybe in Calgary or Edmonton? I am hoping to spend some time outside at night, on the chance of seeing the Northern Lights. (We will schedule our trip for the dark of the moon to maximize the visibility of the aurora.)If you have had any experience with the Canadream motorhomes, are they as well-equipped as the website seems to indicate?Thanks in advance for your comments, suggestions, and ideas!

If you are looking to spend time in major ski and winter sport locations, your choice of campgrounds will be more limited without reservations but there is always walmarts. Allstays was pretty accurate for opening times.As for clothing - we spent a lot of time in Iceland early winter last year outside looking at the Northern Lights and picked places to stay the night well away from town lights and just wore very basic mild-winter street wear and layered as much as was necessary. When the show is really on, and the whole sky is alight, you could be naked and not notice the cold. At least having a motorhome right there, once you have enough photos, you can sit inside and look out the windows. Be really lazy and just leave the camera outside clicking away every couple of minutes. Show is generally over before midnight anyway.Our motorhome is double-floored and all water systems are in the heated living quarters so fairly easy to manage. Grey tank is outside though so had to be left open if it got too cold.There are a couple of apps we used for predictions and while they are not 100%, you soon get to know the forecast indicators that are likely to give a good display.

“Are there places to rent "extreme" clothing, maybe in Calgary or Edmonton?”Not needed. Buy Goretex boots, gaiters, three pairs of wool socks plus knit hat, Goretex gloves, wind shell with hood and pants. Layer underneath with things you already have. You’ll be fine to zero for less than renting.

Hi Profdant139,There are few Parks that have water and sewer at the sites in winter. There are dump stations and hoses.

When the kids were younger (think 90's) we'd take our then 5th Wheel to places like Rocky Mountain House in Alberta spending time in our snow suits making snow angels, forts, sledding etc (January on Fri, Sat, Sun). Also Sunshine Village/Lake Louise for skiing weekends, staying in their car park O/Ns. We put antifreeze in the toilet so we could use it for just a short time, but never filled the water tanks, carrying our water in large containers inside and having strip washes for the sake of a few days. In all fairness "yes" we'd wake up often to ice covered windows inside, but it never phased us, it was part of the fun and experience of winter camping.As for winter clothing, check out a place called Value Village up here (gently used second hand clothes), as well Goodwill/Thrift shops. You'll possibly find it a lot cheaper overall than renting at "ski cellars" that target tourists for the slopes. We also have the equivalent to your Craigslist which is www.kijiji.ca if that might help with anything you want to source.By the way, us Canadian Eskimos dress in layers, because when in Calgary area, if you get bored of our weather wait 10 minutes! We leave in the mornings for work often dressed in thick parkers and snow boots, and by lunchtime are heading out in a sleeveless shirt and snowboots = seriously! It's our Chinooks, which aren't always kind to migraine sufferers by the way.

Great tips -- keep 'em coming -- thanks!

Winter RVing in the Rockies? | Good Sam Community

garyhaupt
Explorer
Dec 23, 2017
Dan...saw this this morning on a FB page from Whitehorse.

Gary Haupt
noteven
Explorer III
Dec 20, 2017
North of Fort Chip one time it got so cold I saw two magpies towing a raven to get it to start...
Powder_pig
Explorer
Dec 20, 2017
Something which may not have been mentioned about RV camping in cold weather is the risk of CO poisoning if you seal your unit up too tightly. I would be sure I have a carbon monoxide detector on board and be aware of the need for a fresh air source when cooking or using the oven.
kcfissel
Explorer
Dec 19, 2017
Become seriously versed on cold weather survival. It's no nonsense business, and a simple mistake can have real consequences.
For folks who have never been in weather that cold, it's easy to underestimate the danger.
profdant139
Explorer II
Dec 19, 2017
Harvey, it's not much fun in the dark?? There are lots of fun things to do in the dark. For example, snow-shoeing in the moonlight, or looking at the Northern Lights if there is no moon, or . . . .

But I do take your point -- short days are limiting. Coming from a bland climate with little seasonal variation (Southern Calif), I would gladly put up with the inconvenience of long nights, just to get a taste of a real winter.
Harvey51
Explorer
Dec 15, 2017
It's worth keeping mind that the north country in winter has short days and long nights. We don't camp November to February because it isn't much fun in the dark. We live at 55 degrees latitude. Temperatures above freezing for the last two weeks but It's dark from 5 pm to 9 am.
noteven
Explorer III
Dec 05, 2017
pianotuna wrote:
sue.t and photomike are the cold weather record holders. I'm in 3rd place at -37 c. (-34 f). However, I do full time. There is an important thread in the full time forum on winter camping. I suggest perusing it before getting into snow that is too deep!

pianotuna - you beat me by -2c degrees :D... it's a dry cold...

oh and shortly thereafter that weather I cleared off for Nevada :C

For the OP - I found interior moisture manangement is your biggest challenge when cold weather RV'n - In a "conventional rig" or rental ya have to budget bucks to buy extra heating fuel and change the air inside...

Unlike extreme heat you can dress for cold...

In a mostly electric rig like pianotuna has it's more better...
sue_t
Explorer
Dec 05, 2017
profdant139 wrote:
More great tips -- Sue, maybe we could just ride along in your fifth wheel?? I am a gourmet chef . . . ;)

And just to be clear, we no longer say "I'm off to the Yukon." It's "I'm off to Yukon." It sounds odd, but we'll get used to it. Just like Ukraine. So cold that Yukon and Ukraine have frozen out definite article.

To me it is still the Yukon - I grew up here and it is what it is. Similar to it being California rather than the California. :D

Hmmm, if you rent a 4x4 truck in Whitehorse, we could lend you our 8' camper that we bought at Fraserway which is why I know they are good to deal with :B

Renting a Class C from them would work too. They lend a few of them to the Yukon Quest 1000 mile sled dog race in February each year so the race volunteers have a place to sleep and eat in comfort near Braeburn.

When we travelled north in our Class C in 1998 and 2001, it was ironic that we usually looked for an overnight plug-in for the block heater rather then for electric hook-up. When it was -40 at Liard Hotsprings, we had to use the generator to power the block heater.
pianotuna
Nomad III
Dec 04, 2017
sue.t and photomike are the cold weather record holders. I'm in 3rd place at -37 c. (-34 f). However, I do full time. There is an important thread in the full time forum on winter camping. I suggest perusing it before getting into snow that is too deep!
profdant139
Explorer II
Dec 04, 2017
More great tips -- Sue, maybe we could just ride along in your fifth wheel?? I am a gourmet chef . . . ;)

And just to be clear, we no longer say "I'm off to the Yukon." It's "I'm off to Yukon." It sounds odd, but we'll get used to it. Just like Ukraine. So cold that Yukon and Ukraine have frozen out definite article.