winter camping advice

[lpranger467]

Hello, We need to use a camper in northern Michigan over this winter while we build our home. We are trying to buy an "artic" version and likely wont use the water lines (I'll have jugs of water for flushing the toilet).

Will the onboard furnace be enough to warm the eunit in most cases in winter ? I'm very hesitant to leave my wife/cats alone in the trailer out of fear of a fire. I was wondering if electric baseboard heaters would work as well.

Any advice, experieces would be welcome

[Grit_dog]

tomman58 wrote:
"Whenever I have been to your area, you don't seem to get as cold as we do, but cold snaps can happen and change everything." Michigan is colder you are far, far wetter.

Ok, your both wrong. Other than that, the winter temps and overall precipitation are actually fairly close between western SD and northern MI.
PS it’s drier in the Black Hills than the north woods of the Upper Midwest.

Regardless, it is not even a point of comparison within the context of this thread other than to recognize that basically one would experience the same issues using a camper in either location.

[tomman58]

"Whenever I have been to your area, you don't seem to get as cold as we do, but cold snaps can happen and change everything." Michigan is colder you are far, far wetter.

[covered_wagon]

dieseltruckdriver wrote:

covered wagon wrote:
Build the insulated shop/ garage first with full hook ups inside and park the rv in there. Get the best insulated overhead doors possible. This is the only way I would think it will work.

This is the best suggestion. It doesn't take much to make an rv much more suitable in the winter, but it does take something.

Just heating the building to near freezing will make you much more comfortable inside your rv.

Thanks Deiseltruckdriver,

We did this when we built and it saved not paying for storage. We also had a place to store the cabinets and other materials for getting everything lined out. I helps minimize delays which always seemed to happen.

In the end the breezway between house and garage is a nice place to sit outside in summer.

[Grit_dog]

dieseltruckdriver wrote:

covered wagon wrote:
Build the insulated shop/ garage first with full hook ups inside and park the rv in there. Get the best insulated overhead doors possible. This is the only way I would think it will work.

This is the best suggestion. It doesn't take much to make an rv much more suitable in the winter, but it does take something.

Just heating the building to near freezing will make you much more comfortable inside your rv.

Great generic solution to living in a camper in sub zero weather for sure.
But did either of you look at the calendar or consider the OPs location with this recommendation? Lol
With Santa arriving in 2 weeks and no camper, no shop even started or apparently contemplated, how realistic is this recommendation?
Put your thinking caps on, kids….

[dieseltruckdriv]

covered wagon wrote:
Build the insulated shop/ garage first with full hook ups inside and park the rv in there. Get the best insulated overhead doors possible. This is the only way I would think it will work.

This is the best suggestion. It doesn't take much to make an rv much more suitable in the winter, but it does take something.

Just heating the building to near freezing will make you much more comfortable inside your rv.

[dieseltruckdriv]

bikendan wrote:

lpranger467 wrote:
What brand do you have if you dont mind

dieseltruckdriver wrote:
We have used our current camper down to 2 degrees f, and we were nice and warm inside. We were in a boondocking spot for a couple of weeks, and could run a generator whenever we wanted. The only problem we had was we lost fresh water to the kitchen of our 5er for an hour or two with 35 mph plus winds.

When I said we were nice and warm, you have to understand that our 5er is built and insulated better than most. I would not have tried that with a camper built in Indiana. I wanted to test ours, and my wife was game, knowing it might get miserable at some point, and it really didn't. The difference is, we had a house 45 minutes away that we could go to, you will not have that option. That changes everything.

Whenever I have been to your area, you don't seem to get as cold as we do, but cold snaps can happen and change everything.

If you looked at his signature, you'd see that they own a 2018 Arctic Fox trailer, which is one of the brands I recommended as a true 4 season trailer.

😉

[covered_wagon]

Build the insulated shop/ garage first with full hook ups inside and park the rv in there. Get the best insulated overhead doors possible. This is the only way I would think it will work.

[bikendan]

lpranger467 wrote:
What brand do you have if you dont mind

dieseltruckdriver wrote:
We have used our current camper down to 2 degrees f, and we were nice and warm inside. We were in a boondocking spot for a couple of weeks, and could run a generator whenever we wanted. The only problem we had was we lost fresh water to the kitchen of our 5er for an hour or two with 35 mph plus winds.

When I said we were nice and warm, you have to understand that our 5er is built and insulated better than most. I would not have tried that with a camper built in Indiana. I wanted to test ours, and my wife was game, knowing it might get miserable at some point, and it really didn't. The difference is, we had a house 45 minutes away that we could go to, you will not have that option. That changes everything.

Whenever I have been to your area, you don't seem to get as cold as we do, but cold snaps can happen and change everything.

If you looked at his signature, you'd see that they own a 2018 Arctic Fox trailer, which is one of the brands I recommended as a true 4 season trailer.

[dedmiston]

RetiredRealtorRick wrote:

IDman wrote:
There is a reason that RV parks and CGs close in the winter. The same reason is why RV owners winterize their rigs.

Be realistic and rent an apartment.

Hmmmm. That's pretty much what I said . . . before my post got removed. What gives here? Did somebody find my suggestion of a more sensible alternative (from a former Michigander, no less) offensive or something?

You replied to a different thread (duplicate) and I nuked the entire thread per the OP's request. Please don't take it personally.

[schlep1967]

lpranger467 wrote:
We are goint to try to build a small cabin (on piers due to frost) just as quickly as we can. Figured I can frame it in a week or so, use metal roof for now and pop a wood burning stove inside and mainly sleep there. I think I will still have atleast 2 months in a trailer though. I'm now leaning towards just getting a non-slide out as that its cheaper, and I figure less seals to leak.

Put the roof and walls over and around the camper. Vent the furnace out the roof.

[BCSnob]

Most, but not all, RV parks close for the winter. Some see winter as a business opportunity.
My family stayed in this one in a Class A (1970s) for 2 weeks one Christmas.

Tiger Run RV Resort in Breckinridge CO (at ~8,000ft).

[RetiredRealtorR]

IDman wrote:
There is a reason that RV parks and CGs close in the winter. The same reason is why RV owners winterize their rigs.

Be realistic and rent an apartment.

Hmmmm. That's pretty much what I said . . . before my post got removed. What gives here? Did somebody find my suggestion of a more sensible alternative (from a former Michigander, no less) offensive or something?

[lpranger467]

We are goint to try to build a small cabin (on piers due to frost) just as quickly as we can. Figured I can frame it in a week or so, use metal roof for now and pop a wood burning stove inside and mainly sleep there. I think I will still have atleast 2 months in a trailer though. I'm now leaning towards just getting a non-slide out as that its cheaper, and I figure less seals to leak.

[lpranger467]

What brand do you have if you dont mind

dieseltruckdriver wrote:
We have used our current camper down to 2 degrees f, and we were nice and warm inside. We were in a boondocking spot for a couple of weeks, and could run a generator whenever we wanted. The only problem we had was we lost fresh water to the kitchen of our 5er for an hour or two with 35 mph plus winds.

When I said we were nice and warm, you have to understand that our 5er is built and insulated better than most. I would not have tried that with a camper built in Indiana. I wanted to test ours, and my wife was game, knowing it might get miserable at some point, and it really didn't. The difference is, we had a house 45 minutes away that we could go to, you will not have that option. That changes everything.

Whenever I have been to your area, you don't seem to get as cold as we do, but cold snaps can happen and change everything.