4 season travel Trailers?

[ourayphotograph]

Hello, new to this site.
I am in Colorado and searching for a small used Travel trailer. I am hearing that for cold weather use, I would need a so-called 4 season, or specially insulated on the underside? Sounds like the water lines etc are run within a heated zone?
Most of the campers I look into, the owners simply have no idea.
Any tips on how and what to look for? Can standard campers be modified for cold weather use?
Thanks!
Michael

[PaulJ2]

FrankShore wrote:
Look at the Lance 1685 and models above that. They offer true 4 Season Packages

X2: Have the Lance 1685 with four season package. Enclosed tanks and valves. Duct heating throughout including into the underbelly tank area.
Includes dual pane windows and vinyl snap on covers for the ceiling vents.

[marcsbigfoot20b]

Check Bigfoot.
Probably hard to find used for cheap, because they aren't cheap.

Mine is 4 season with dual pane, insulated fiber core walls floor and ceiling and heated underbelly. Water tank is under the bed and the lines run through the ducted 30k heater air passages.

I just went outside in the cold (rain just stopped) and fired up the heater on full blast for 20 min.

Used my themal cam to look for leaking heat on the outside. Only thing noticed was the range hood vent and the outside shower door were both 5 degrees warmer.
Was amazed how much the enclosed heated holding tanks lit up the thermal cam.

That's also why I can keep it at 65 degrees inside with the AC on when it's sitting in the sun all day at 115 degrees in the summer.
As long as I have propane and the heater on I would have no problems doing -10 degrees.

If you can afford Bigfoot go for it, all quality. (Yes I'm biased)
Oh yeah, no 4 season sticker on mine......made in Canada.

[ourayphotograph]

Hmm cool, more good info.
I am very new to campers of any kind. About 3 years ago we bought a pop up tent trailer, our first, hoping that would fit our needs, plus all we had was a minivan to pull. Now we find the limited season and use, makes it a bad fit. I now have a small V8 truck, so our thought is a more fitted camper that could even be used in some winter. Also the wife likes the idea of being able to road trip and stay self contained at a walmart or the like if needed.
We like back country camping the most, so that is why we want to keep it small, and where we live, even summer can get below freezing. Just a family of 3.This is just one sample I have talking to a guy about, 5 hours away though: 1997 Sunline Solaris model T-1950
Do I sound on the right track?

Thanks!!
Michael

[westend]

I'll add....no trailer can handle extreme cold or extreme hot weather very well or very easily....

He, he, he...:B

In hot weather, if I am letting in the cool night air, and if it reaches 90f by noon, my trailer is still at 75f.

In Winter, we eventually have the heater set on idle for anything above 15f. Below that, I run it at a comfortable temp for the conditions.

I have something that no other trailer has, though. I installed a thermal "break" between the paneling and the frame. Even the wheel wells got treated the same.

[jaycocreek]

Some trailer manufacturers offer an Extreme weather package which includes heat tape on the water lines and a heat pad on the tanks..Special order from what I can see.

There's always the Yetti travel trailer if looks don't bother you.

[downtheroad]

Good info so far from the posters in this thread.

I'll add....no trailer can handle extreme cold or extreme hot weather very well or very easily....
So, don't get fooled by "4 Season," "Arctic Package," etc. labeling.

[FrankShore]

Look at the Lance 1685 and models above that. They offer true 4 Season Packages

[spoon059]

Nash isn't necessarily a 4 season, although you can option it out as such. My first trailer was a 1998 Nash 22H, not a 4 season. It was a GREAT trailer though, very well built and heavy for a 22' camper (but that was a GOOD thing...)

The easiest way to tell is the windows. A TRUE 4 season trailer will have dual pane windows, whereas most trailers are a single pane.

$7000 for a model year 2000 Northwoods product seems like a realistic goal. Good luck in your search, I still miss my Nash. 2 kids and 3 dogs simply outgrew that floorplan... 😞

[ourayphotograph]

Thanks you guys, some good info. I do see quite a few Nash ones pop up. Would all Nash be 4 season, or still could be either way?
I want to stick with 18-21' with a budget of about $7K. hopefully year 2000 or newer.
Is it either 4 season or after that all the basically the same, non winter? If there is no placard, what would I ask the seller to help identify? I am in a small town, so I am searching online and not near my home, so I am trying to narrow things down before making a 4+ hour drive to a larger city. Even dealers sound unsure on the phone.
Thanks again!
Michael

[westend]

The windows need to be double glazed, too. Modifying a standard rig to those specs would be ridiculously expensive. Better to buy one engineered for it from the start.

My cost was about $5K for materials. I donated the labor.

carringb wrote:
FYI - Arctic Fox, Nash, Snow-River, and Dessert Fox are all built at the same Northwoods plant. The same owner has another plant, also in LaGrande OR that build the ORV brands. They all use the same in-house chassis and follow the same methods for 4-season qualification. Mainly: more insulation, no plumbing in exterior walls, insulated and heated underbelly which contains tanks and valves.

Their 4-season package does not however include dual-pane windows. That is a stand-alone option.

By ORV Creekside is good into the teens, but below that I have had trouble with the hot water supply freezing if I don't keep the furnace turned up, or if I use the electric fireplace instead. Since I bought my trailer from dealer stock, I could not order the dual-pane windows and new orders were backlogged a year out.

This is good information.

FWIW, you could copy Pianotuna and place a dual fan register on one of your ducts to force heated air into the basement if using electric mainly.

Of course, when you get into the teens or below for a spell, It's good to have ample heat.

To identify a four-season trailer, there is a 4 season plaque near the entry door.

[Tom_Trostel]

How small? Bigfoot makes 17', 21', & 25' molded fiberglass trailers that are 4 season. Manufactured in Armstrong, B.C. so they know winter.

Bigfoot

[carringb]

FYI - Arctic Fox, Nash, Snow-River, and Dessert Fox are all built at the same Northwoods plant. The same owner has another plant, also in LaGrande OR that build the ORV brands. They all use the same in-house chassis and follow the same methods for 4-season qualification. Mainly: more insulation, no plumbing in exterior walls, insulated and heated underbelly which contains tanks and valves.

Their 4-season package does not however include dual-pane windows. That is a stand-alone option.

By ORV Creekside is good into the teens, but below that I have had trouble with the hot water supply freezing if I don't keep the furnace turned up, or if I use the electric fireplace instead. Since I bought my trailer from dealer stock, I could not order the dual-pane windows and new orders were backlogged a year out.

[naturist]

Since nearly all TTs are built NOT to be 4 season rigs, unless the owner know for sure, the trailer is not a 4 season rig.

To make them useful in winter requires more than just insulation on the bottom. Extra insulation is required all around as well as under the roof. The water lines and system need protection from freezing, as do the fresh, gray, and black tanks. The windows need to be double glazed, too. Modifying a standard rig to those specs would be ridiculously expensive. Better to buy one engineered for it from the start.

Arctic Fox is another brand that makes 4 season TTs.

[TexasChaps]

ourayphotography wrote:
Hello, new to this site.
I am in Colorado and searching for a small used Travel trailer. I am hearing that for cold weather use, I would need a so-called 4 season, or specially insulated on the underside? Sounds like the water lines etc are run within a heated zone?
Most of the campers I look into, the owners simply have no idea.
Any tips on how and what to look for? Can standard campers be modified for cold weather use?
Thanks!
Michael

I would suggest you look at Nash or Outdoors RV.