Camping in sub freezing weather

[clintbrooks1767]

Hello all,

I'm new to RVing. Just bought a 5th wheel. I'm going to take it to Angel Fire NM this January and go snow skiing. I've been skiing in NM for almost 20 years and the temperature routinely can get to 20 or 30 degrees BELOW freezing.

My unit has a fully enclosed ducted/heated underbelly, heated basement, and heated storage tanks. I know I need to protect my water hose (if the resort has their city water turned on). I will turn on my tank heaters and plan to run my furnace while driving if I we encounter sub freezing temps during our drive. I will only plan on placing my sewer hose out when dumping and return to heated basement after use.

Can anyone who's been camping in sub freezing temperatures provide me with any advice? I'm trying to avoid common rookie mistakes encountered while camping in very cold weather.

Thank you in advance.

[way2roll]

Clint has left the building...

[2oldman]

I guess he has his answer. I do not.

[time2roll]

I have been down to -10F in my Summer trailer. A few issues but it was mostly fine. Then like memtb improvements are made and out you go again. That is part of the fun for some of us.

[richclover]

I still have this heater from my airplane days. Worked nicely for pre-heating the cabin in my unheated T-hangar. My new Chaparral 5’er sports a “heated”, enclosed underbelly. In fact, the basement area containing lotsa plumbing and the hot water heater includes the furnace and ducting. The area is open, over the top, to the pass through basement storage where there is a 110-v plug. I’m thinking of using this heater, with plenty of space around it, any time the camper is plugged into shore power or generator this winter. Might be a way to safely supplement the heat in the basement.

Hornet 45
$289

General Aviation aircraft cockpit heater
On at 55F off at 65F
Certified for use in areas where known combustibles
may be present
Extremely safe HALT Technology
High Airflow Low Temperature
Patented Stainless Steel heating modules can not overheat
5" x 5.25" x 3.625" housing
120 volts standard (220/240V AC available)
700 watts
40' Premium extreme weather cord rated at -40° C
Carrying bag included

Model H7MIJ1-700

[Trekkar]

So, you're going for the skiing, not the camping, yes? You have temperature history at this location, but you previously stayed indoors instead of camping, yes?

As stated in previous posts, at the very least you'll go through lots of propane to keep everything warm. At worst something fails and you have freeze ups.

We winter camp all season in Michigan (U.P. and L.P.), but we always winterize. Too many possible points that can still freeze, and equipment seems to fail easier in cold weather. Insulated H20 container, portapotti arrangements, and warm sleeping bags let you concentrate on your outdoor winter entertainment and worry less about your equipment.

Have a good trip. Hope all goes well with you.

[ktmrfs]

we ski up at Schwitzer in northern Idaho. The lower parking lot is usually filled with a dozen or so trailers/motorhomes. Temps get down around 0F at night, seldom above freezing in the daytime. There are NO hookups at any kind in the parking lots, just dry camping. We often are there for a week or more, and the trailers seem to stay quite a while, often as long as we are their.

Based on my experience camping near freezing or below which we have done:
1) expect to use lots of propane
2) bring plenty of gas for the generator to power stuff in the trailer in case you can't hook to electric
3) make sure you can duct some hot air into the underbelly to keep tanks from freezing.
4) If you don't have thermopane windows, get some of the heat shrink film that adheres to the windows to make them somewhat thermopane. You WILL be adding lots of moisture into the trailer with the ski clothing etc. no matter how carefull you are.
5) if you have electric hookup, get a portable dehumidifier and run it to keep the humidity down with all the extra water you'll likely be dragging into the trailer.

[2oldman]

memtb wrote:
I think that the wind was coming through bad enough to blow out a candle if put close to the refrigerator. We ended-up completely blocking the refrigerator vent with a plastic garbage bag.

Yikes.. and trying to do that when the wind is blowing?

Not cold, but the worst wind I've been in was Lake Mead. Strong enough to lift my big slide, breaking the top seal and letting all that wind and dirt in. It was not easy closing it. It got so bad I thought the whole rig was going over.

[bikendan]

JimK-NY wrote:

memtb wrote:
..It takes a pretty good RV to live comfortably in those temps. Ours was a 1990 Teton with a -20 or -30 F guarantee...... memtb

I suspect this is why we have so many differing opinions. I can say for sure that my RV was not designed to handle low temps. It does sort of OK down to a bit below freezing. Below that it will be drafty inside and the furnace will need to run frequently.

In cool damp weather frost on the exterior will show the RV construction. The walls are braced with 1x3 slats. Between the slats there is cheap 3/4" rigid foam.

Yep, the OP needs to get a higher end trailer built for cold weather camping, like Arctic Fox or Outdoors RV, made in Oregon.
Marketing BS like "Arctic Package" or "Thermal Package" are fancy terms for heated underbelly or holding tanks. They aren't going to make a 3 season RV into something for the temps the OP is talking about.

[memtb]

2oldman wrote:

memtb wrote:
It takes a pretty good RV to live comfortably in those temps.

It does, and it's not just the temperature, it's the WIND! My rig, I found out the hard way, is really drafty, especially around the front door. Even the door latch leaks.

There's nothing quite as uncomfortable for me to be in the 20s with a nice 15-20mph wind trying to force its way inside. No thanks.

We discovered the truth in that statement last November. We were in a campground (believe it or not), parked with the refrigerator side to the east. A winter storm came through, hard winds from the east, with morning temperatures @-10 F. This was the first experience of this nature in this new ( to us) camper! The wind was blowing into the camper around the refrigerator.....low 40’s in the camper. I think that the wind was coming through bad enough to blow out a candle if put close to the refrigerator. We ended-up completely blocking the refrigerator vent with a plastic garbage bag. This unit was supposed to be good (warranted) to a minus 20F ....but, that didn’t take into consideration a massive leak!

When we got home and the weather was a bit warmer, I found that the gap between the refrigerator and the space built for it had a gap of approximately 1 to 1 1/2” all the way around. Apparently, the previous owner had the refrigerator removed for repair and no insulation/wind block was put into the gap. This has since been remedied.....we’re looking forward to a test this winter! Though, we’re not looking forward to a “repeat performance” last November! memtb

[2oldman]

memtb wrote:
It takes a pretty good RV to live comfortably in those temps.

It does, and it's not just the temperature, it's the WIND! My rig, I found out the hard way, is really drafty, especially around the front door. Even the door latch leaks.

There's nothing quite as uncomfortable for me to be in the 20s with a nice 15-20mph wind trying to force its way inside. No thanks.

[JimK-NY]

memtb wrote:
..It takes a pretty good RV to live comfortably in those temps. Ours was a 1990 Teton with a -20 or -30 F guarantee...... memtb

I suspect this is why we have so many differing opinions. I can say for sure that my RV was not designed to handle low temps. It does sort of OK down to a bit below freezing. Below that it will be drafty inside and the furnace will need to run frequently.

In cool damp weather frost on the exterior will show the RV construction. The walls are braced with 1x3 slats. Between the slats there is cheap 3/4" rigid foam.

[memtb]

Speaking as someone that lived in our 5th wheel through 2 winters I seeing many below zero nights with a few -30’s thrown in..... and did very good. And, we didn’t use supplemental heat....merely the forced air! iIt takes a pretty good RV to live comfortably in those temps. Ours was a 1990 Teton with a -20 or -30 F guarantee....I’ve forgotten the exact value. There are few if any of today’s rv’s that will do well in those temps......and only one, to my knowledge, that guarantees their 5th wheel to a -10 F. Claiming to be a 4-season unit and actually putting a temperature value guarantee....is a vast difference!

No matter what unit you have.....good skirting will help immensely! Unless your campground has a water supply that is heat traced from the spigot foot valve to the handle/connection.....you will not be able to leave the spigot turned on! Our water line was at a 6 foot depth, and the spigot was heat traced from main line to handle assembly. If it’s “NOT” heat traced and insulated top to bottom....you will need to fill your fresh tank, then disconnect and store your hose for the next fill.

As stated by others....you will used lots of propane. We do a bit of late fall/ winter boondocking,, with daytime highs in low 20’s and nights from single digits to a little below zero F .....we use about 45 gallons of propane on a 3 week outing. We keep our inside temperatures a little lower than most would be comfortable with to save on propane consumption....but, our camper is fairly large (40 ft.).

The use of supplemental heat ( electric or gas) will help keep you more comfortable , but, will not help your basement and inclosed underbelly.

These are just things to consider, but, not to scare you away from winter camping. We do it every year, and look forward to it. If we were in a campground, it would be a “cakewalk”! When boondocking, it’s a challenge keeping the batteries charged ...and then there’s the challenge of keeping our 55 gallon drum of water thawed-out, and then transferring it into the camper. With a motivated mindset....most anything can be done!

There’s nothing quite as satisfying as standing in the yard filling you water tanks for your next boondocking trip in single temperatures.....while most others have stopped RVing for the winter or “bugged-out” to the south! Winter offers some of the best RVing.....but, it’s not without challenges! memtb

[ppine]

Go to any mining town in the western US and you can find people living in RVs year around in temperatures well below zero. You have to make a few adjustments.

[wapiticountry]

a Couple of other things no one ever tells you. One,f you have a standard RV refrigerator, and not a residential one, it may cease to work when temperatures drop below freezing. For those absorption refrigerators to work there needs to be a temperature difference between the coolant and the ambient air. That is different than a residential unit that uses a compressor. Nothing will feel stranger than to find out all the food in the fridge is getting hot while the temperature outside sinks.
Second, when it gets really, really cold the plastic parts on your RV will become very brittle. Knobs and handles will break long before they turn or open, especially if they have a bit of ice preventing easy movement.
Almost all RV parks in northern climes close and there are next to no RVs on the roads in the winter months for a very good reason, it isn't worth it to be open or to be on the road.

[gbopp]

GordonThree wrote:
fraidy cats

That's a term I have not heard since about 3rd grade. I forgot all about it. Thanks for the memories. 🙂