Fairbanks Alaska Full time??

[sldrplvr]

Hello Everyone,
My husband and I are considering living full time in our 5th wheel to save some money and pay off some debt. We are getting ready to move up to Fairbanks Alaska for my husbands job. I've researched cold weather and winterizing, our camper has the all weather guard and we would line the underneath with straw and put a skirt around it, line windows, etc. My problem is I can't seem to find anywhere that seems to be open year round up in Fairbanks Alaska. We've stayed in the camper at -20 before and everything was fine and it WASN'T lined or winterized, so the harsh -40 I think we would be fine.
Are there any places that anyone knows up that are open up there in the winter? Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Nichole

[Sp_ck]

Yes. You put 2 nuclear blast furnaces under your RV, and wall up the undercarriage with electrified depleted uranium armor.
JK
I lived there for 9 years, getting ready to go back. I found this because I am considering the same idea. My friend in Anchorage, who used to work for me at Eielson, said he heard someone who had done this, but he thinks they 'cheated', i.e. winterized the RV and used it as a dry cabin in winter.
Anyhow, I would love to hear any experiences the OP or anyone else had trying this.
EDIT:
Still not thinking this is the best idea, but just thinking out loud. The USACE Chena Lakes Recreation Area is open year round. The fees are waived in the Winter, which is, needlessly say, most of the year. Also, disabled vets get a free camping pass.

I would still love to hear from anyone on ingenious ideas for keeping pipes from freezing. My Anchorage friend, whose RV I stayed in last winter, had to wrap heat tape around his pipe after his washing machine created a lake in his carpet...but I don't think even the tape would work at 50 below.

[Trackrig]

There are very few heated storage buildings in the area that can handle the 5th. If they did find one with a door and the length to handle it, the building lease and paying for enough diesel to heat the building, is going to cost way more than renting a house or apartment for the winter. Buildings of that size fetch premium rent during the winter months.

Then they'd have to figure how to hook up sewer in the building???

And unless they're going to keep the building at 65d, they're going to have to run their furnace inside the building. I guess they could use electric heaters, but all and all, just rent a place to live - the idea is to save money.

Bill

[TXiceman]

It would work if you had the 5er in a heated storage building.

Ken

[TXiceman]

It would work if you had the 5er in a heated storage building.

Ken

[Marty___Pookie]

hook47 wrote:
Well here is a response from a one time AK resident of 17 years:

Wife and I had 2 tours at Ft. Wainwright; 1977-1981 and 1986-1989 when I retired. Finally left AK in ’99. Had a 1986 32’ Prowler TT that we towed to AK in the fall of ’86; originally was to be stationed at Ft. Richardson but finally was reassigned to WW in late September (flew Ch-47’s). I say all this to explain that we weren’t planning on living in the TT for very long, just until we could buy a house. That process took until mid-December, way longer than anticipated.

We did find a very small RV park, maybe 20 or so sites, on South Cushman Street. Don’t know if it is still there or if any others are open year round. We did have bales of hay surrounding the TT, insulated the hoses and had heat tapes and had bats of fiberglass insulation duct taped to all the single pane windows. Walls had to be at least 2” thick! Ran 2 electric heaters full time and the propane furnace never stopped running (had external large tank). Never froze up, never really got warm but was ok, even down to the -30 or so it got to while living in it. High humidity inside was and issue causing frost in places. We have been in -70, not wind chill, while living in a house, so it does get cold.

Don’t know what kind of 5er you have and how well insulated and how air tight it is; air infiltration is always a problem even in SB houses. Supplemental heat will be needed and an external propane tank is mandatory because of the high usage. You don’t say if you have pets or kids, but you would need to be prepared for a no heat situation and have some place to go to until problem is fixed. Don’t worry about the frig, ours worked fine and we had a really huge freezer if we ever needed one; called the outdoors! Also, since in the cold tire pressure decrease about 1psi per 10 deg it would be a good idea to have jacks under the frame to help support the 5er and take the load off the tires.

Having said all that, it can be done if you have a plan for emergencies that may come up but like many, I wouldn’t recommend it. Good luck and thanks for your service to our country..wife and I will think of you as we snowbird in Lake Havasu City.

Listen to the voice of experience, not those who heard from a "Friend" of a "Friend" that it is "doable"!! Thank you Gentlemen for your service and do a house in ALASKA, keep the RV for the warm months and see Alaska first class!!!

[Naio]

sldrplvr wrote:
Thanks everyone! I think we're going to try to find a short term lease for the winter. We would live in housing but, we were hoping to use some of the remaining BAH to pay off our credit cards, living in housing eats all of it. We like living in the 5th wheel because we own it and then are only paying lot rental instead of full house, but it sounds like at least for now we should get to know the are 🙂 A Heated barn would be an awesome idea! who knows, maybe after the first winter there we will find something.

I think that's a wise choice, to get a S&B the first winter and check things out from there.

I'll tell you, living in the 5er really sounds to me like the sort of thing that would end up costing more money than you would save -- the higher heat costs, and the inevitable crises and repairs.

I did once meet a couple who lived over the winter in AK in a tipi, though. But I think that might have been in Kodiak.

[4X4Dodger]

lonnie4801 wrote:
I would say yes it is doable. I would like to do it but my wife says NO. Since there are no campgrounds open I believe the minimum requirement for parking would be to lease or purchase a lot that had electricity, water, and sewer and allows RV parking. I knew a couple several years ago that had a small lot setup for an RV in Fairbanks but don't remember their name.

So YES, I believe it is doable if the cost is not probative. As mentioned earlier a small building would be best, but any kind of cover or barrier would help.

You would need to insure a reliable supply of propane. Good luck with your venture.

From one who was stationed and lived and worked in Alaska...With all due respect... It's lucky you are married to your wife...she's right 🙂 It is NOT DOABLE with any kind of safety, without breaking the bank, and being generally miserable all winter with a high degree of certainty your trailer systems will all be frozen despite your best efforts.

[hook47]

Well here is a response from a one time AK resident of 17 years:

Wife and I had 2 tours at Ft. Wainwright; 1977-1981 and 1986-1989 when I retired. Finally left AK in ’99. Had a 1986 32’ Prowler TT that we towed to AK in the fall of ’86; originally was to be stationed at Ft. Richardson but finally was reassigned to WW in late September (flew Ch-47’s). I say all this to explain that we weren’t planning on living in the TT for very long, just until we could buy a house. That process took until mid-December, way longer than anticipated.

We did find a very small RV park, maybe 20 or so sites, on South Cushman Street. Don’t know if it is still there or if any others are open year round. We did have bales of hay surrounding the TT, insulated the hoses and had heat tapes and had bats of fiberglass insulation duct taped to all the single pane windows. Walls had to be at least 2” thick! Ran 2 electric heaters full time and the propane furnace never stopped running (had external large tank). Never froze up, never really got warm but was ok, even down to the -30 or so it got to while living in it. High humidity inside was and issue causing frost in places. We have been in -70, not wind chill, while living in a house, so it does get cold.

Don’t know what kind of 5er you have and how well insulated and how air tight it is; air infiltration is always a problem even in SB houses. Supplemental heat will be needed and an external propane tank is mandatory because of the high usage. You don’t say if you have pets or kids, but you would need to be prepared for a no heat situation and have some place to go to until problem is fixed. Don’t worry about the frig, ours worked fine and we had a really huge freezer if we ever needed one; called the outdoors! Also, since in the cold tire pressure decrease about 1psi per 10 deg it would be a good idea to have jacks under the frame to help support the 5er and take the load off the tires.

Having said all that, it can be done if you have a plan for emergencies that may come up but like many, I wouldn’t recommend it. Good luck and thanks for your service to our country..wife and I will think of you as we snowbird in Lake Havasu City.

[loggenrock]

To get an idea about attempting to live in an RV in the frozen north, do a forum search for posts by BobsYourUncle from last February or March. Things to consider are propane (even if you have a lot of it) won't vaporize well at those temperatures - read: no heat. The absorption-type fridge you most likely have will stop functioning. Also read posts by Sue T - she is very knowledgeable on the north and has a blog about travelling the Alaska Hiway in winter several years ago (often posts under the Canada/Alaska section). Thanks for you and your husbands service - get an apartment! ST

[sldrplvr]

Thanks everyone! I think we're going to try to find a short term lease for the winter. We would live in housing but, we were hoping to use some of the remaining BAH to pay off our credit cards, living in housing eats all of it. We like living in the 5th wheel because we own it and then are only paying lot rental instead of full house, but it sounds like at least for now we should get to know the are 🙂 A Heated barn would be an awesome idea! who knows, maybe after the first winter there we will find something.

[lonnie4801]

I would say yes it is doable. I would like to do it but my wife says NO. Since there are no campgrounds open I believe the minimum requirement for parking would be to lease or purchase a lot that had electricity, water, and sewer and allows RV parking. I knew a couple several years ago that had a small lot setup for an RV in Fairbanks but don't remember their name.

So YES, I believe it is doable if the cost is not probative. As mentioned earlier a small building would be best, but any kind of cover or barrier would help.

You would need to insure a reliable supply of propane. Good luck with your venture.

[hbillsmith]

Could you rent a heated barn to park in?

[pigman1]

Your housing allowance and cost of living adjustment will go a long way to help for rents. Tracking's recommendations are sound and should be seriously considered. Post housing office can also help with a lot of information. Contact them immediately.

We've been in Alaska in the winter and have seen an occasional RV, but they're not too frequent. I believe what you're wanting to do can be done, but not on your first trip north into these climate extremes. When you get up there, talk, talk, talk to the locals, NOT THE GI's. The locals know and can give you tons of good info, but you need time to absorb their lessons and to learn to live in that environment. At those extremes, mistakes can be deadly.

[Skipper_Rod]

They don't have base housing up there???