Late Fall boondocking?

[Muddydogs]

Hi guys, I'm new to the forums but not new to travel trailers. I have spent 20 years living in camp trailers of one kind or another while working in the woods. Most of the time the trailers were parked in a camp site with power and what not so that was never much of a concern. I have spent the better part of my life in the woods and I set a heck of a tent camp but the wife decided it was time for a trailer instead of a cot in a Kodiak tent so we are the proud owner of a Eclipse Iconic 27 foot toy hauler bumper pull. I guess I'm a boondocker although we just call it camping as apposed to changing city's which is all the campgrounds are around here.

A little about my trailer that will probably help with my questions. 100 gal fresh water, 50 gal holding tanks, 4000 watt on board generator, 35 gal on board fuel tank running ethanol free fuel, LED lighting, 2 27 group battery's, 2 7 gal propane tanks.

My biggest questions center around keeping my battery's charged while being out for 2 weeks in temperatures that can get down to zero degrees and keeping some water flowing in the trailer.

I plan on keeping my heater set at 60 degrees during the night and adjust during the day for comfort, most of the day light hours I will be away from the trailer so the heater will be off or set low if need be due to freezing conditions. I am hoping that I can get away with running the generator for just an hour or two a day to maintain my battery's but not sure if the converter putting out 14.7 volts will be enough charge. Would hooking up a 30 amp charger to the battery's be a better option?

As for keeping the water flowing my trailer tanks and intake hoses are exposed. I have insulated the intake hoses with some pipe insulation but figure that will only go so far. I plan on installing a Y fitting on the intake side of the water pump so I can run off of water jugs inside the trailer instead of the holding tank if I freeze up a line. I also figure some RV antifreeze in the gray and black tank should keep them some what liquid until I come off the mountain to warmer weather.

So what do you guys think? What else do I need to know?

Thanks Jim S.

[jefe_4x4]

Each must draw the line on comfort. We're in the low power use camp and keep putting more clothes on during those long cold evenings in the TC., and use a battery operated lamp on the table when playing games. Jeanie likes the cool version of sleeping and we also get the best night's sleep ever in the box. We've always used a couple comforters with regular bedding/sheets etc., one lightweight for Fall/Spring and a heavyweight for Winter. Every time we tried the sleeping bag bit, it was a disaster. I also tried using two mattresses for a time, but it cut the already low head room down too much. It did make a difference in ambient temps in the box. I'm thinking the OP will just have to try his luck with the school of hard knocks as there as many paths to follow as there are boondockers.
Good luck and please do report back with your findings.
regards, as always, jefe

[PatrickA51]

profdant139 wrote:
Phil, I think that is the difference -- to us, cold is a rare, temporary, and refreshing change from the dull warmth of southern Calif. To someone from a cold climate, there is no magic in needless suffering. To illustrate, one winter we flew from LA to Portland. When our five year old stepped out of the plane into the jetway, he inhaled the cold wet air and exclaimed, "Wow! It smells just like the freezer section of the supermarket!"

I can just see that. LOL
I like the Eastern Sierras myself for a refreshing change.

[greenrvgreen]

FWIW I sleep best when the cabin is in the upper 30's, with a light fan going. Down to the teens I still have windows open.

IMO a fan is more important than temp. I can still sleep when the cabin barely nudges below 70, as long as I have a wind-tunnel array of fans (and ear plugs). I don't bother with A/C at night anymore, since every time it cycles it fills the cabin with damp air and I start dreaming I'm in Ecuador.

[profdant139]

Phil, I think that is the difference -- to us, cold is a rare, temporary, and refreshing change from the dull warmth of southern Calif. To someone from a cold climate, there is no magic in needless suffering. To illustrate, one winter we flew from LA to Portland. When our five year old stepped out of the plane into the jetway, he inhaled the cold wet air and exclaimed, "Wow! It smells just like the freezer section of the supermarket!"

[pnichols]

profdant139 wrote:
And if you want to join the Siberian Campers Club, I recommend a Russian fur hat -- this one looks like mink, but it is actually sheared lamb's wool. It will keep your head warm, even if (like Gary and me) you don't have much hair. The temp at the breakfast table was 38 degrees when this shot was taken, in the Gros Ventre National Forest in late October -- the window behind DW is covered in ice:

Wow Dan ..... with all due respect I didn't buy an RV to live like that in it!

(I moved to CA from Michigan to get away from that forever, but had to endure some of it again while in the Air Force in Utah. 😞 )

[SteveAE]

Hey Dan,

The weather forecast for the next couple nights here is just perfect for you then. With lows in the mid 40's and some areas into the upper 30's. Hope to see you guys either on your way north or as you head back south. No major fall trips planned (yet) so we should be around.

Steve

[profdant139]

Steve, I would respectfully disagree that "there is no right or wrong here." I would say that my way, which is not to use the heat, is the wrong way in very cold temps, as bka correctly pointed out -- the water lines could freeze, unless you drain them. But when it is only in the 20s, it is probably a matter of personal choice. We like it cold, and we like to save our battery power so that we almost never have to run our generator.

Since we come from coastal southern California, where it is in the low 70s every day and low 60s every night, it is fun and different to sleep in a very cold room (in the low 40s or high 30s). Plus, we sleep better in the trailer than we do at home -- at home, we never get to use our down comforter. It was a wedding gift in the late 1970s, and we still have it, and we are finally getting to use it!

Just to show you how crazy we really are, this shot was taken in Yellowstone when the outside temp was a little below 20 -- this is not a trick shot -- the cord on the coffeemaker froze in this position, inside the cabinet:



And if you want to join the Siberian Campers Club, I recommend a Russian fur hat -- this one looks like mink, but it is actually sheared lamb's wool. It will keep your head warm, even if (like Gary and me) you don't have much hair. The temp at the breakfast table was 38 degrees when this shot was taken, in the Gros Ventre National Forest in late October -- the window behind DW is covered in ice:

[garyhaupt]

SteveAE wrote:

garyhaupt wrote:

pnichols wrote:


- Consider use of a replenishable desiccant stack to absorb moisture continuoulsy inside the RV while camping in cold weather.

Okay. No more suggestions Phil..I just bought two off of Amazon. I am about to be off for 6-8 weeks into the fall wilds of BC, Alberta, Montana and Wyoming.


Gary Haupt

Gary,
You did see that they are for 100 cubic FEET (that's a whole 2.8 cubic Meters for those using the SI system).
Steve

Yeah, Steve, I saw that. I had read reviews and saw gun safe and closet usages. I haven't had an issue to date but just thought I'd toss one in a linen closet and one in the overhead area.

I am in the open 2 windows crowd, wear a pair of sox and a T shirt. The more layers of clothing, the more sweat created, more moisture..and so on. During our fall and spring camping, the temps are almost always well below crispy at night and with my bald head and an open window I start out with a toque on. I seem to loose it somehow.

Now..our Triple E has Thermo windows and great insulation, so that contributes to a very easily warmed and controlled environment.




Gary Haupt

[SteveAE]

garyhaupt wrote:

pnichols wrote:


- Consider use of a replenishable desiccant stack to absorb moisture continuoulsy inside the RV while camping in cold weather.

Okay. No more suggestions Phil..I just bought two off of Amazon. I am about to be off for 6-8 weeks into the fall wilds of BC, Alberta, Montana and Wyoming.


Gary Haupt

Gary,
You did see that they are for 100 cubic FEET (that's a whole 2.8 cubic Meters for those using the SI system).
Steve

[Muddydogs]

Thanks SteveAE for the idea. I hate the control center in my unit as I'm never sure what 2/3's means. I ordered a meter and found an old thread from the site that showed some great instulation ideas.

[LenSatic]

We used DampRid on our sailboat: http://www.amazon.com/DampRid-FG83K-Hanging-Moisture-Absorber/dp/B001J6O6KE They also have a refillable tub. Cheap but works. BTW, they just use calcium chloride so you could probably make your own: http://www.ehow.com/how_8510498_make-homemade-damp-rid.html

LS

[garyhaupt]

pnichols wrote:


- Consider use of a replenishable desiccant stack to absorb moisture continuoulsy inside the RV while camping in cold weather.

Okay. No more suggestions Phil..I just bought two off of Amazon. I am about to be off for 6-8 weeks into the fall wilds of BC, Alberta, Montana and Wyoming.


Gary Haupt

[garyhaupt]

I too am liking the idea of a desiccant stack....would this work? I figure two of them..one fore the other aft.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/141736/stack-on-wireless-rechargeable-silica-gel-desiccant-dehumidi...

Or

http://www.amazon.com/Stack-On-SPAD-100-Wireless-Rechargeable-Dehumidifier/dp/B001F0IH22


Gary Haupt

[SteveAE]

Jim,

You are getting some great suggestions here.
As you can see, the forum members are generally divided into two distinctly different camps.
- Some suggest keeping it cold inside.
- Some suggest keeping it warm inside (I am in this camp).
There is no right or wrong here, it just boils down to what you want out of the experience (a tent vs. a motel).

One thing though that I suspect all forum members will agree on however is that boondocking in the Fall and Winter really hammers batteries.
- It takes more power to keep warm (if you are in that camp).
- During the longer nights, most folks are in their units more and the lights are on longer.
- Batteries don't have as many amp-hrs. available when they are cold.
All this leads to depleted batteries. And regularly depleting batteries below about 50% will shorten their useful lifespan.
So you are correct in focusing your efforts on batteries and charging methods.
So you may want to consider is a method of measuring (or monitoring) your battery capacity real time. A simple plug-in voltmeter, used correctly, can give you a rough idea (don't let the voltage drop below about 12.3 to 12.2 volts). Or you could install a bit more sophisticated battery monitor such as this (or similar by other companies). Either way, you need to keep a close eye on your batteries or you will wind up sitting in cold and dark, and eventually with less money in your wallet.

Fall, winter, and spring is our favorite time of year to use our trailer. So the effort it takes to make it happen (in comfort IMO) makes it totally worth it.

Hope you enjoy winters peace and quiet,
Steve