Storage below the snow belt

[BartonT]

New to RVing. Previously a sailboat cruiser. I have bought a 36' ClassA. We have camped within a 3 hour radius of home (Ottawa, Canada) this summer and I am getting fairly comfortable with driving my motorhome. My plan/hope is to go south for the month of February BUT, I'm not comfortable with the idea of driving in winter from Ottawa to a warmer climate. I am thinking that maybe it would be better to drive south at the end of October and store the motorhome somewhere where the weather would be above freezing in February. Then, in Feb pick it up, travel to warmer areas, return it at the end of February and bring it back home in May. Not sure just how far south to look for storage. I'd appreciate any comments, suggestions, recommendations from anyone one with more experience than myself (I.e. Everyone lol). Thanks.

[UEL]

I have had two different Ontario RV insurers over the years and both have told me, in writing, that if I leave my unit in storage in the USA, my insurance will not cover it while it is there. I have called other Canadian insurers to see if they allow USA storage but have not found one that will do so. I know RV'ers that get USA insurance to cover their rigs while used/stored in Florida. If anyone has an insurer that says they will cover your Canadian RV stored in the USA, I suggest they get it in writing.

[Community Alumni]

Quote edited out by mod......

We left our rv in the US in storage for several years while we returned for the Christmas season or had to return for family matters. Our Quebec insurance covered ours for up to 6 months at a time. Customs on both sides of the border have never been an issue and as Nexus card holders we always make our intentions clear to avoid any conflict that might hurt the Nexus privilege.

[UEL]

Canadians bringing a Canadian registered RV into the USA must return it to Canada after the holiday, according to U.S. Customs regs.
If you store it in the USA, you will also not be covered by your Canadian RV insurance while stored there.

[tatest]

For beyond all expectation of snow (or ice and freezing rain, on the Atlantic side of the Appalachians) that would be somewhere south of Atlanta.

To (almost) guarantee "above freezing" in February (or between October and May) you need to go as far as South Florida, probably the "warmer places" you are talking about. But you don't really need to be in a frost-free zone for storage, dry winterizing is adequate for those places that occasionally or rarely get below freezing.

Once you get south of Atlanta on the I-75 corridor, or south of D.C. on the I-95 corridor, frozen water road conditions are fairly rare, and you will not likely be driving on them, because the roads will be closed until the ice melts. North of Atlanta on the I-75 corridor, and on the Interstate highways crossing through the Appalachians, winter road conditions are more frequent but the are cleared quickly, because the states have the equipment to do the job.

Other issues, a one-month stay February in a South Florida RV resort may be pretty difficult to book, most winter visitors are there 3-5 months and February is at the peak of that season when the early folks and the late folks overlap, keeping parks full. You need to decide on a destination and make your reservations now, if you didn't do so sooner.

If you are thinking about South Texas, rather than South Florida, finding a place is not so critical, and storage anywhere south of Dallas would probably work out fine. Coming from a climate like Ottawa, you probably don't even need a place much warmer. Austin to San Antonio, and Texas Hill Country to the west, often are as warm in February as is July north of the Great Lakes, except for the occasional Arctic air mass pushing in from the Great Plains. The Texas Coastal Plain, from San Antonio east to the Gulf Coast, is more consistently warm through the winter, but more likely to see rain, including thunderstorms.

[69BBC]

Barton;

We have been doing same routine since 2010, we depart Ontario week after cdn.thanksgiving and several campgrounds are open in NY , PA along I81. We spend a month in Myrtle Beach then Drive south to Brunswick GA to park the rig . Leave it there in the sun belt for 3 months, NEVER had an issue at the storage facility.
Early March we drive south and get the rig, head south to Florida for 6-8 weeks, then drive north for the summer in Ontario.

[DavidandDayle]

Barton:
This year we went to Florida for January (left just after Xmas) and managed with no problems. We usually have a first night stop just south of Detroit, then Kentucky, Georgia, and an initial night in Florida. On the way back, we reverse the stops.
Lately, we've been able to winterize and de-winterize in south Kentucky, but it takes monitoring of the weather reports. One year, we didn't try it until Georgia. This year, the CG in Kentucky said that they hadn't been open the previous weekend because they were snowed up.
We always allow at least one extra day, sometimes two, in case the weather turns. The worst we ran into was in Ontario, when they were closing the 401 behind us and we found our windshield washer was full of summer fluid.

[joebedford]

BartonT wrote:
Joebedford, how do you find winter driving with your RV? Is it similar to driving a car or truck? I'm concerned that a 36' bus might be difficult to handle with cross winds on snowy or cold roads.

I try to stay away from snowy or icy roads but I've done it a few times. Keeping the speed down is the main thing. My 5th wheel is very stable - I've never had problems with cross-winds. Most of the time, main roads are pretty clear in the winter. I look for a 'window' then boot it to Carlisle PA which is usually out of the really bad winter weather.

About a dozen years ago we got caught in a lake effect storm near Watertown, NY. I had a primitive GPS and I saw that an exit off the interstate was upcoming. We were doing only about 15km/h but I couldn't see the ramp. Then there was a dark shadow overhead - it was the overpass for the exit we just missed. I was going to pull off at the next exit (don't ever stop on the highway during a white-out) but then the snow started to lift and 15 minutes later it was clear sky and clear road. With internet weather that's available now that wasn't back then, there's no need to ever get into a situation like that.

[BartonT]

Once again, thank you all very, very much. One of the very best thing about sailing all those years was the people we met along the way. In any anchorage in the Caribbean we would chat with folks travelling from where we were going and to where we had come from. The exchange of knowledge and stories made every cocktail hour an absolute pleasure. I used to say it is the way the world could be (should be). I've missed those days a lot since I sold my boat 15 years ago. I think maybe I have found a new place to call home. (Without worries of the anchor dragging at night 🙂 )

[BartonT]

Barb, I've been flying to warm places during February for 12 years now. That's why I bought the RV. I want to do something different. I'm about 5 years from retiring (again) when I Hope to spend 6 months south and 6 months in Canada. For now February is not a month I want to be in Canada and it will give us some idea of whether or not our thoughts about the future are something we will enjoy.

[almcc]

Bart, just a final comment, be prepared for "interesting conditions"when you travel in the winter, we've run into an inch of wet "heart attack" snow overnight in west Texas in November (not fun to retract the slides in the morning and wet the inside of the RV), a day of wet snow in Tucson Arizona in March, frost that froze into ice on I-10 in Texas (and the locals left tracks heading for the ditches on each side!}as well in December.

The scariest was going through Detroit on I-75 in April last spring after a snow streamer came in and iced the bridges, no salt was applied and it was "bumper cars". First time I've spun the dual wheels with 4,000 lb. on the hitch with the RV attached!

As Canuks we are probably better experienced to handle this stuff but you need to look out for the other folks around you.

We are fortunate to have flexibility so we can stay longer to wait out the conditions, you probably have that flexibility as well.

[silversand]

obgraham wrote:
Most all the Interstates and major Canadian routes are bare surface within a day or two after a snowfall. It's not that far down to say, mid-Indiana where bad weather is the exception. I didn;t even try to de-winterize until I was in a warmer area.

I agree. We use the "live cameras" for every state we cross going to Florida....we leave end of January. This will be our 5th winter.

There are live cameras on interstates at regular intervals for every state; starting about 7 days before our departure, I heavily monitor the weather forecasts, radar and temperature, and scan the interstate road surfaces at about 150 mile intervals. If/when a winter storm hits part of our route close to departure date, I watch the interstate cams very carefully and also the 24-hour snow probability, then, knowing how far south I can drive in say 9 hours, shoot through the northern window of departure. We head straight for the I95, because it is closest to the Atlantic coast, traverses low altitude terrain, and has the least probability of traversing snow events when compared with interstates at higher altitudes further inland. ie. the further inland from the Atlantic you venture in winter, the less the relatively warm Atlantic waters will warm the atmosphere.

The above isn't an absolute guarantee you won't encounter snow or freezing rain, however, in all the past migrations we've done, only once did we have to pull off the I95 earlier than planned. It happened on the Capital beltway; very light freezing rain end of January 2 years ago. But by the next morning, the beltway and 95 were completely bare, and we then shot down to the Carolinas on day 2.

Anyhow, only you can decide what is comfortable. But I would say that leaving Ontario from November 15th to ~end of 1st week of December should put your probability of hitting snow along the I95 or ice on the I95 as far as southern Virginia to approaching nil. And, there is RV storage along the major interstates in the Carolinas; however, this will not guarantee that an ice storm or below freezing weather won't hit those states in December, January or February.

Good luck 🙂

On edit: we really notice a large change in temperatures when we hit New jersey and Delaware latitudes, on the I95. The January temperatures dramatically climb at these latitudes (but are still below freezing in the 20+F range on average), compared with southern Quebec/Ottawa/Albany, NY corridor's 0F to 15F

[John_Joey]

BarbaraOK wrote:
If only going for the month of February - just 28 days - why bother? Seriously, just put her to bed for the winter and fly someplace warm for a few weeks.

Barb

Very true.

Storing a rig south is not hassle free either. You run the range of someone sideswiping the rig, to break ins, to rodents, to bad weather (tornadoes, hail, flooding.) Most of the time there is never a problem, but not always.

[63-Coupe]

We head south in October about a week after our Thanksgiving. We usually make it a four week trip down and back and we use it as our opportunity to travel around. We leave the trailer in Crystal River, Florida and just drive the truck back to Ontario for Christmas/ New Year's then head back down in the first week of January, we stay until the end of March then bring the trailer back home. I drain the water but have never bothered with anti freeze while it is stored in Crystal River. It's about $1 a day to store it.

BTW - Do you have reservations for February? Yes, you can just chance it and park hop but on weekends you may find no room at the inn.

[Strabo]

Based on current weather this summer I think we will never see winter again.

I hate this drawn out, endless furnace summer that's trying to kill us, if not burn us to a pulp. I envy those in cooler areas, I really do.

[BarbaraOK]

If only going for the month of February - just 28 days - why bother? Seriously, just put her to bed for the winter and fly someplace warm for a few weeks.

Barb