Winter RVing in the Rockies?

[profdant139]

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!

[garyhaupt]

Dan...saw this this morning on a FB page from Whitehorse.




Gary Haupt

[noteven]

North of Fort Chip one time it got so cold I saw two magpies towing a raven to get it to start...

[Powder_pig]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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. 😄

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]

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]

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.

[woodhog]

I wonder what they have done to their ordinary fleet of RV's to make them useable in the Canadian winter.
In the ad they don't mention if they have thermo pane windows, insulated
heated tanks etc.
They must have changed the fleet tires to real snow tires and thrown in a set of chains, who pays to tow a cumbersome class C through 2 feet of snow, with no 4WD.

Looks like one of their truck campers with 4wd would be the best option.

They must have done a lot of extra modifications to keep their ordinary fleet RV's from freezing up in say -30 C going down the TC highway.

Who pays if you bring it back with the water system all busted from freezing up. The outfits have a lot of very fine print in the contracts.

[noteven]

I heard Whitehorse has a airport 🙂 YXY

Also I heard the weather is often more moderate there in winter than in north 1/2 of Alberta

[free_radical]

profdant139 wrote:


The place I would really like to go is to the Yukon in winter -- Sue's photos are very enticing. But as far as I know, no one rents RVs in the winter up there, and it is too far to drive from Calgary or Edmonton in mid-winter, I think.

The other alternative is just to ditch the whole RV idea and then stay in an "aurora resort" in the Arctic. Less adventurous, but probably not much more expensive than renting an RV.

That might be actualy better and more relaxing,I wouldnt feel comfortable driving any rental RV in winter up there,,what if something breaks,heater dont work etc,,dont want to sound pesimistic but unless you have someplace to plug in electric,it would be quite uncomfortable at best..
Staying in hotel,motel and maybe renting 4x4 or snowmobile to look around might be another option..

[sue_t]

This company (located in Whitehorse) offers rental clothing and also has a wide variety of winter tours, day or night.
http://www.arcticrange.com/rental-clothing.html