Winterization Obsolete?

[Diver4242]

One use my wife and I are considering to justify the purchase of a class A motorhome is so that we can travel together for her work trips. They are fairly regional - we're based in NJ and she goes up to Providence/Boston, as far west as St Louis, and down to NC. I'm probably going to be retired soon, and she wants to keep working for the benefits, but we don't like the travel as it separates us and all of the stress of the airports, train stations, hotels, taxis, etc.

The question is that we were in Hershey looking at rigs, and seeing options with names like Arctic Package, etc. This makes me wonder if an obstacle to our plan can be overcome - what to do with the RV in the cold winters when we aren't using it for a week or so. We live in an apartment so we'd have to store/park it somewhere nearby, which I expect would require power to keep it plugged in to support whatever systems would prevent it from freezing up, etc. Then what happens if there's a prolonged power outage?

Do these newer cold weather options or systems provide any solution to that problem?

[Harvey51]

I think this is the thread mentioned by Pianatuna
Winter camping

[rhagfo]

Diver4242 wrote:
One use my wife and I are considering to justify the purchase of a class A motorhome is so that we can travel together for her work trips. They are fairly regional - we're based in NJ and she goes up to Providence/Boston, as far west as St Louis, and down to NC. I'm probably going to be retired soon, and she wants to keep working for the benefits, but we don't like the travel as it separates us and all of the stress of the airports, train stations, hotels, taxis, etc.

The question is that we were in Hershey looking at rigs, and seeing options with names like Arctic Package, etc. This makes me wonder if an obstacle to our plan can be overcome - what to do with the RV in the cold winters when we aren't using it for a week or so. We live in an apartment so we'd have to store/park it somewhere nearby, which I expect would require power to keep it plugged in to support whatever systems would prevent it from freezing up, etc. Then what happens if there's a prolonged power outage?

Do these newer cold weather options or systems provide any solution to that problem?

Why not just dump the apartment and go full time? I know of a couple different people that went from an expense based travel reimbursement to a Per Diem reimbursement, and have used that to pay for the RV.

[bukhrn]

Dashonthedash wrote:
"Arctic Package" usually refers to electric heating pads on the holding tanks and sewer drains, and sometimes on the fresh water tank (In my unit, there is a heater outlet in the fresh water compartment). They are designed to help keep the parts of the system that are most exposed from freezing when you are camping in cold weather, but they will not keep the water lines from freezing if the heat (or power) is off.

True, it does nothing to protect the water lines, mine has the "Arctic Package, luckily my fresh water tank & All water lines are above the floor, so a heated house, (at least above 32F) will keep that from freezing.
If you're going to be in the "Frozen North" country for very long, you might want t do a search for a "Four Seasons" RV, I'm sure someone on here has one to recommend.

[DrewE]

"Arctic packages" usually just mean that the RV is (better) equipped to be used in sub-freezing temperatures, not that it can be stored in sub-freezing temperatures without external power or heat or whatever. Without this package or some equivalent, you likely couldn't reasonably be camping in winter with the water system active. Of course, what's standard and what's a separate package (and what's a "mandatory option") varies from maker to maker and model to model.

I don't think there's any RV made that's insulated well enough to sit in freezing winter weather for a couple weeks with no heat and not get below freezing on the inside. Many (probably most) houses, even modern well-insulated ones, would likewise not be able to survive that treatment.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

When parking leave the furnace on. Add a solar system to keep the batteries charged.

There is a wonderful thread on Winter camping in the full time forum. It is a "must read" for anyone who experiences below freezing camping.

I've used my RV at -37 c (-34 f).

[darsben1]

Diver4242 wrote:
So, if we take it out into the cold weather, from the heated indoor parking, and we are always either driving or fully hooked up in a campground, are we OK then with the arctic packages? What about if we boondock for a night at walmart or cracker barrel?

As long as a trailer is heated well you should be okay int the teens as far as temp. Below zero all bets are off

[Dashonthedash]

"Arctic Package" usually refers to electric heating pads on the holding tanks and sewer drains, and sometimes on the fresh water tank (In my unit, there is a heater outlet in the fresh water compartment). They are designed to help keep the parts of the system that are most exposed from freezing when you are camping in cold weather, but they will not keep the water lines from freezing if the heat (or power) is off.

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

I would never leave my TT in the Dallas TX area for a week in winter without doing a basic winterization. What we would get is nothing like what you would get up there.

As full-timers, I still carry RV anti-freeze and can do a basic winterization if needed. Which I have had to do when power went out due to an ice storm in west Texas with temps falling into the low teens.

I've had to disconnect my fresh water and sewer lines due to freezing temps in Florida.

If you are where the temps will drop a bit below freezing for a few hours at night but warm up above freezing during the day a well insulated rig will be fine even without power.

[Diver4242]

So, if we take it out into the cold weather, from the heated indoor parking, and we are always either driving or fully hooked up in a campground, are we OK then with the arctic packages? What about if we boondock for a night at walmart or cracker barrel?

[mowin]

Your either going to find a heated indoor parking, or winterize it. However, the issue with headed indoor storage, is whats going to happen when you take it out into the cold weather to travel.

Artic packages are a marketing term, and really not ment for extremely cold weather.

[darsben1]

Diver4242 wrote:
One use my wife and I are considering to justify the purchase of a class A motorhome is so that we can travel together for her work trips. They are fairly regional - we're based in NJ and she goes up to Providence/Boston, as far west as St Louis, and down to NC. I'm probably going to be retired soon, and she wants to keep working for the benefits, but we don't like the travel as it separates us and all of the stress of the airports, train stations, hotels, taxis, etc.

The question is that we were in Hershey looking at rigs, and seeing options with names like Arctic Package, etc. This makes me wonder if an obstacle to our plan can be overcome - what to do with the RV in the cold winters when we aren't using it for a week or so. We live in an apartment so we'd have to store/park it somewhere nearby, which I expect would require power to keep it plugged in to support whatever systems would prevent it from freezing up, etc. Then what happens if there's a prolonged power outage?

Do these newer cold weather options or systems provide any solution to that problem?

Short answer NO it will not help in subfreezing weather if the trailer is not heated